From July 7-22, 2019, the RLC Campus Bangkok at the School for Wellbeing Studies and Research at Chulalongkorn University organised the fifth CURLS Summer School.
This year, CURLS was part of the 2nd Earth Trusteeship Forum which took place from July 19-21. The main principle of the Earth Trusteeship is that “all global citizens are equal trustees of the earth, in the interest of the wellbeing of future generations”, representing a core idea towards genuine sustainability and inclusive social justice.
24 participants from around the world gathered in Bangkok to explore this general maxim of the Earth Trusteeship under the topic “Nature Rights, Global Citizenship and Reclaiming ‘The Commons’: The Rise of Earth Trusteeship”. The two-week intensive programme consisted of lectures focusing on Civil Society Dialogue and Participatory Action Research, and fields visits to communities in different parts of Thailand. Participants learnt from farmers about the farmer’s shift from conventional to organic farming and the benefits of this shift to the communities’ wellbeing. The CURLS 2019 group engaged in the Earth Trusteeship Forum and shared what they have learned by an exhibition and through a public presentation.
During the Forum, RLA Laureate Raúl Montenegro held the annual Right Livelihood Lecture. He spoked about indigenous worldviews and the challenges caused by destructive consumption and perceptions of governance challenges. RLA Laureate Anwar Fazal shared thoughts of invoking the spirit of Trusteeship and RLA Laureate Sulak Sivaraksa closed the Forum by encouraging activists to work with both their heads and hearts.
