Open Badges / ICAAFs Project

Open Badges / ICAAFs Project

We aim to develop and strengthen a decentralised accreditation system which empowers learning providers, permaculture and restoration practitioners, and the regenerative field as a whole to issue credentials in the form of ‘open badges’.

These badges can replace academic credentials, quality certifications such as ‘Organic’ or ‘Fairtrade’, attendance certificates for events, etc., and create entirely new streams such as greater recognition of experiential learning, better recognition of indigenous learning practices, and new monitoring and evaluation processes for land or social/community permaculture projects.

In all these steps iCAAFS is firmly rooted in permaculture ethics as well as an intention to embrace indigenous and decolonial forms of learning and knowing.

iCAAFS is at present developed to a minimum viable prototype which includes basic documentation of philosophy and use, prototype badges design, basic business plan, and testing of technology needed to implement.

We are now rolling out iCAAFS to stakeholders representing the most diverse use cases we can imagine in order to test its limitations and discover new possibilities; as well as co-design the detailed documentation and strategy with the end users.

We intend to set up an advisory board of indigenous and decolonial leaders to inform the direction and philosophy of the iCAAFS project and to strengthen indigenous education initiatives.

Team

Siobhan Vida Ashmole, Andrew Langford

Reporting Officer: Siobhan Vida Ashmole

Area

Training and eLearning, Next Steps Project, Grassroots permaculture project

Objectives

Enrol 2-5 case study partners in the iCAAFS program.

Document onboarding and badge development process with each new case study partner, obtain feedback early and often, refine this into a case study which can be shared for training and educational purposes.

Develop detailed onboarding documentation and codesign this through feedback with initial partners.

Identify training course location for best reach and impact.

Develop and launch onboarding training course.

Together with initial indigenous, BIPOC and decolonial education leaders, create a set of advisory board goals and guidelines for attracting members.

Develop funding strategy for advisory board to compensate for work fairly.

OUTCOMEs

April 2023 Update

We are proceeding flexibly and are currently on track w/ needed steps to achieve our goal of hosting webinar #1 around May 5-15 w/ hot leads. The team formation has been improved with the addition of Thomas Harun. Documentation, course development, branding, stakeholder engagement are all proceeding.

We need to identify other people and organizations in the CoLab space who could benefit from the iCAAFS decentralized accreditation system. Perhaps a webinar for folks here who are involved in course development, other types of education, M&E, or land based projects which could benefit from a badge system.

Financial modelling and scaling remains our greatest challenge, but the support of the CoLab has enabled greater growth and faster results.

Practical Solutions Research and Development

Practical Solutions Research and Development

Research, document and develop practical solutions to major challenges of our time including water shortages, loss of biodiversity, food production and strengthening local economies.

Research & document a case study over three years producing an annual report of solutions trials and results.

Team

Aimee Fenech, Anton Oussik, Paco and Adrian Garcia, Ras Cresswell

Reporting Officer: Anton Oussik

Area

Prototyping, Grassroots Permaculture Project, Next Steps Project

objectives

Split budget across our four main themes following the seasons:

water shortages (spring/summer)

optimizing irrigation practices
maintenance/repairs to irrigation system
documenting & optimizing water catchment systems already in place

strengthening local economy (all year)

document participate and promote local exchange practices
collaborate with local initiatives including the seed-bank, permaculture initiatives

food production (spring to autumn)

optimizing and document farm harvests from main crop, foraging and wild foods

biodiversity (quarterly)

put in place scientific survey practices to document changing levels in biodiversity
document creation and effects of micro climates through changes in water management

OUTCOMEs

See the attached report in Resources Created below.