Hello! I’m Pavel Redkin, 53, a retired teacher and self-employed ESL tutor from Russia. I was 39 and had been working at school for 22 years as a teacher including international AFS student exchange programmes. I was always hardworking and quite busy when one day I realized that daily routine had made me bored. I was looking for something really new and exciting in my life, I wanted just to travel, see the world and do something helpful for people around. That is why I joined CICD and enrolled for Development Instructor team in 2008. A completely new life Everything...

Minga Indigena - the Indigienous Way of knowledge and balance with nature All through the 2 weeks of COP26 there were hundreds of meetings and workshops and debates, many “in person” and many also online. Our small CICD delegation attended some different debates and presentations. We started with Minga Indigena. There is a large gathering of Indiginious elders and activists from the Americas at COP26, and we went to an event about “False solutions to the climate crisis – the disguise of Net Zero and carbon markets” where 5 speakers and 2 translators shared their experiences with the public and...

Please enjoy this short report from the streets of Glasgow during COP26! It was an amazing experience! We met so many inspiring people, including from different parts of the peace movement, as you can read more about in this story. Because even though it’s not widely spread information, the military has an ennormous carbon footprint. This is being largely “swept under the carpet” when countries discuss how to reduce their CO2 emissions. Here our teacher Mel tells about her experience... Our last days in Glasgow Joining big marches and demonstrations always boost our spirits. We have joined 2 marches in...

I found out about CICD when I met 2 of its volunteers in Bradford, where they were selling magazines to raise money so they could travel to their projects in Africa. Why I decided to join CICD I was working as a street fundraiser for Amnesty International when I first found CICD. I knew that one day I wanted to go to one of these developing countries, so I could get involved myself, rather than just fundraising on the streets. This is something that excited me, so I jumped at the chance to join CICD. It meant a lot to...

The Organic Garden Farm here at CICD covers an area of around 80 m x 45m, divided into two sections – one with the greenhouse and the raised beds, and the other for the potato field and the poultry. We have 20 chicken and six ducks, that give us on average 13 eggs per day. We have two greenhouses with raised beds for tomatoes and a lot of herbs and spices. We have a special section for potatoes: five big beds each of 25 x 2,5 m. Then we have all our other crops: onions, leeks, cabbage, courgettes, french beans,...

My time at CICD has been an amazing and insightful learning experience, in an inclusive and welcoming community. The climate activist programme has hugely developed my understanding of the many aspects of climate change and the significance of how our own actions impact the world globally. I have been inspired through learning of all the small projects, both internationally and in the UK, that are working to reconnect society with nature, are raising awareness of how we can better use the resources we have and demonstrating the huge impact simple solutions can have on ourselves and the natural world. I...

CICD is part of a network of schools - we call ourselves "Another Kind of School". Educational institutions of many kinds and for all ages - with a modern and experience based pedagogical approach, and with love and space for all students to develop and grow in their own way. Here we introduce to you: PTG International Youth College (Ungdomshøjskolen PTG) in Denmark PTG is a private and independent boarding school where young people from 18-30 years can study, work and live together. It is based at Tvind international campus in the country side in western Denmark. Among the neighbours at...

4 months ago in April Monzer and Roula, two of our students, decided to take the responsibility for running our garden farm when their programmes were put on hold. They stepped up to the plate – and it has gone really well! They have learned a lot through own studies as well as through their practice. Learning by doing is one of the keys to studies, work and life here at CICD – and not only in the garden! There are a million details to remember and do the right way, and at the right time...everything from the spacing between...

One of the areas of study & debate for the Climate Activist summer course is ways to resolve the climate crisis. What kind of economic system can make it possible to reduce emissions enough to avoid an escalating climate breakdown? In the light of the recent IPCC report, this is now a very urgent discussion to have. Is Green capitalism a good alternative to the present system? Here is Beth Cunninghams take on this! The idea of Green Capitalism Green capitalism is contradictory by nature and is inherently unsustainable. Also called market-economy, it purports to create wealth and, spur innovation...

Global inequality is worsening the suffering caused by climate change and the Covid19 pandemic. This summer extreme weather caused by climate change has seriously affected Europe, with devastating floods in Germany, Belgium and Netherlands....and while writing this, wildfires are again raging out of control in Greece, Turkey and Russia. But this and worse extreme weather has hit many countries in the Global South for many years already. Climate Change and Global Warming are caused by the marketing economy's continuos race for infinite economic growth. This is a contradiction, as we live on a planet with finite resources.  Covid19 is most likely another consequence of the...

The 6 R-s: Repair, Reduce, Refuse, Reuse, Recycle, Repeat Our Climate Activist summer programme has just started, and one of the themes they study is the 6 R-s. Maybe you wonder: Does it really makes any difference what I do? The answer is YES – it does! Why re-cycle and repair and reuse..? Our “consumer society” is one of the reasons for rising CO2 emissions, causing global warming and climate change. We are often called "consumers" rather than "citizens". And our habits of shopping and consuming are causing huge environmental problems - because we are so many, and it has...

I am Madia, a 23 years old French-Gambian woman. I’m a marketing student and I have always been an open-minded person with a big curiosity. While I was in France finalizing my gap-year student, nothing was motivating me to stay in the country. I made the decision to have a WWOOFer experience. It was the perfect way to improve my English skills while leaving my comfort zone being closer to the nature. I joined CICD for two months without knowing what I was going to expect. The surprise was sincerely very good. Being part of the Garden Team Here the...

I was part of the Gaia Corse, as well as the Fighting with the Poor 12 month’s course. During my preparation I have got a lot of new knowledge. The studies have been a eye opener, I got information I never had before. I have learned about politics, history, economy and science. I have learned so many things about Poverty, Global Warming and Climate Change, compassion and togetherness. Besides the studies on itself, what really made a big impact on me was the practical skills that I have learned during my time at CICD, those skills and my new knowledge...

By Melanie Pita, Climate Activist teacher A new garden season has begun and with it a lot of new tasks. At CICD we have four sections for our garden production. The small walled garden, the big walled garden, the greenhouse and all the flower areas. We have made plans for our garden farm for the next 5 years and now it is time to get the hands into the soil and get prepared. Let me start by telling you about our new greenhouse, in a building outside the walled garden. There we have 3 raised beds where we will be...

By Noemi Karacsony, Gaia team teacher at CICD From Earthday.org 22nd of April we celebrate Earth day!! This year, the headline is Restore our Earth. World Earth day is realised every year on 22nd of April to create awareness about pollution and to celebrate the Blue Planet - or our Mother Earth. The first earth day was in 1970 and gave a voice to an emerging public consciousness about the state of our planet — in the decades leading up to the first Earth Day, Americans were consuming vast amounts of leaded gas through massive and inefficient automobiles. Industry discharge smoke...

By Melanie Pita, Climate Activist team teacher Today I would like to write about the issue of the Military Complex and how it influences our Climate Crisis. First and foremost is good to understand that the Military protects commercial interests, that the commercial interests fund the Government- and that the government pays for/to the military. This is the very basic structure of this complex. Starting from the very basic connection between the Climate and military pollution… The production. Every single item produced and its production chain. The need of resources and the pollution that takes place. From the simplest to...

At CICD we are very happy and proud to be partners of Humana People to People, since we started our first volunteer programmes in 1998! Below an introduction from their Progress report - and click on the link further down to read the full report: "Humana People to People spans the globe through 29 independent national member associations. We grew out of a progressive education movement in the 1970s, rooted in the struggle against apartheid and colonialism. Today, we are committed to tackling some of the world’s major humanitarian, social and environmental challenges. Forty years after we began, the needs...

When studying at CICD I had the opportunity to develop personal and professional skills in so many ways. The concept of living in a community was a relevant part for my preparation to the project and to the world - everyone counts on everyone and I learned how to deal with difficulties that can arise at any time as a group and as an individual. I always remember the good comradeship and the respect people had for each other even when things weren't at their best and I believe I keep taking that with me through life. Working at a...

By Melanie Pita, Climate Activist team teacher Hi there. I just came here to write a bit about Permaculture as it is one of my favorite topics. Like the name itself says permaculture is a permanent culture. The main goal of it is to create a perfect ecosystem where everything works like it was a cycle, a living being cycle. Permaculture is not just a way of growing food. Permaculture to an extent is a way of life. We, humans, the ones starting out on applying permaculture techniques, are also part of it all, in the beginning it requires a lot of...

In the middle of the beautiful and peaceful Yorkshire landscape, hunters for profit and fossil fuels have found some very big oil and gas deposits. During the last 8 years, there have been several attempts to start bigger scale fracking or acidisation, and drilling for oil and gas here, but they have met a fierce resistance from the local people. One extraction site in West Newton was closed down after leakage of poisonous chemicals, but now the company is trying to get started again in a neighboring location. Until very recently there was a Monitoring Protection Camp that was manned...