Planetary Stewards
College Program

Hosted by the Dominican non-profit RAICES Global in the Dominican Republic, this eight-day program provides a space to address the interconnected environmental crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, and biosphere degradation head-on while working on tangible solutions. Ten three-hour workshops provide opportunities to explore the impacts and global reach of the food system with special attention to strategies that address existential environmental challenges on personal and communal levels. Workshops cover topics such as the power of storytelling and community mapping, nutrition and personal health, and regenerative land use projects while providing immersive experiences rare to the general traveler.

While agriculture is responsible for many of the most pressing threats facing humanity today—including biodiversity loss, resource depletion, climate change, and chronic disease epidemics—we can radically transform this system. What is currently unsustainable can become regenerative and supportive of health on all levels. What might seem like insurmountable global challenges can be directly experienced and addressed during our Planetary Stewards College program.

Price:

$1489

Program Dates:

July 26 - August 2

Size:

15-20 Participants

Arrival Airport

Santiago (STI), Dominican Republic

What's Included:

Lodging for 7 nights
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner - plant-based meals with locally grown ingredients
Transportation to and from the airport (set times)
In-country transportation
10 (three-hour) workshops
Excursions to Playa Grande and Tres Cruces River

Food and Sustainability Certificate - Online program with 36 hours of content valued at $499 with over 15 top experts in the food and sustainability area discussing environmental impacts of food production, food justice and accessibility, international food systems, and positive changes individuals and groups can make every day through food choices.

Location:

This program is hosted by the Dominican non-profit RAICES Global located in the mountains of La Cumbre, Dominican Republic at the RAICES Education Center which is built for regenerative health and land use. Sitting atop a mountain overlooking the fertile Cibao Valley with mountains in the distance, the center is where el cielo y la tierra se junta, “where the earth and sky join” — allowing one to touch and feel the clouds as they quietly pass through.

Objectives:

Increase awareness of how food systems impact our communities' environment and health.
Develop projects that nourish, enhance, and revitalize the land and all those living there.
Immerse in the culture of the Dominican Republic and experience firsthand the environmental impacts of agriculture.
Engage with the work of leading experts.
Enjoy delicious whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) meals with foods grown locally, and learn how to prepare delicious Caribbean food, including chocolate grown from cacao trees at the center.
Forge long-term friendships—share, learn, and network with others working towards planetary health.

Program Agenda

Whole Systems Change and Community Mapping

8-9 a.m. Breakfast

9-12 a.m. Morning Workshop

Introduction to La Cumbre / Let’s Map Our Community:

An Overview on Whole Systems Change through a Local Example

Introduction to “Let’s Map Our Community,” a process which allows one to collect community data through surveys, focus groups, oral histories, and mapping events/patterns. In particular, we will explore how community mapping is used in La Cumbre and surrounding communities to document the environmental changes over the past 30 years and integrated to raise community awareness and for developing future projects.

12-2 p.m. Lunch / Siesta

2-5 p.m. Afternoon Workshop

Hike and Community Dialogue

Hike around the area, visiting villages and homes to further explore concepts raised during the community mapping workshop.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Foods of the Caribbean

Arrival and Welcome Orientation

Welcome Orientation

Short tours of the facilities with additional time allowing everyone to get acquainted with the education center and the sleeping cabañas with time to rest after traveling.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Goals and Objectives of Planetary Stewards Program and Introduction

Overview of the workshops, daily schedule, activities, and opportunities for the group to get acquainted through a meet-and-greet game.

Agriculture and the Environment

8-9 a.m. Breakfast

9-12 a.m. Morning Workshop

Agriculture and the Environment / Agricultural Regeneration Potential

Explore the global connections between agriculture, climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation to better understand how agricultural solutions can play a role in mitigating these existential environmental threats.

12-2 p.m. Lunch / Siesta

2-5 p.m. Afternoon Workshop

Tour of Farm Project / Introduction to Syntropic Agroforestry

Visit agroforestry projects organized by RAICES Global to model how agriculture can preserve biodiversity and regenerate dead soils and waterways.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Bachata & Merengue Night

Rivers and Waterways & River Tour

8-9 a.m. Breakfast

9-3:00 p.m. Las Tres Cruces River Tour

We will travel to Tres Cruces. Known as a water haven, this river once served as a site for a hydroelectric system and had a long history of importance for the surrounding villages. Today there are several waterfalls, providing an opportunity to swim in the cool, refreshing mountain river.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Game Night and Relaxation

Nutrition and the Modern-Day Food System and Excursion

8-9 a.m. Breakfast

9-12 a.m. Morning Workshop

The Nutrition Connection

Explore what nutrition science experts are saying about the role of food and personal health.

12-2 p.m. Lunch / Siesta

2-5 p.m. Afternoon Workshop

Local Food Activity

Harvest foods from local farms and tour the food forest beside the education center.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Chocolate making with cacao grown at the center

Creating Resilient Communities of Health and Excursion

8-9 a.m. Breakfast

9-12 a.m. Morning Workshop

Expanding a Global Commons through Communal Land Trusts / Communal Stewardship in Action

Explore the colonial legacy of our food system, the importance local autonomy, and land stewardship through this workshop looking into the history of commoning, enclosure, and consolidation.

12-2 p.m. Lunch / Siesta

2-5 p.m. Afternoon Workshop

Excursion to Las Hermanas Mirabal Museum
Learn more about the history of the Dominican Republic. Following the museum visit, tour the hundreds of murals around the area to learn about the role of public art in addressing various themes and engaging community awareness

Learn more about the history of the Dominican Republic. Following the museum visit, tour the hundreds of murals around the area to learn about the role of public art in addressing various themes and engaging community awareness.

6-7 p.m. Dinner

7:30 p.m. Evening Activity

Dancing and Music Night

Playa Grande, Group Reflections, and Despedida

7-7:30 a.m. Breakfast

7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. Playa Grande

Beach Excursion and Group Reflections

Full day at one of the premier remote beaches in the Dominican Republic - Playa Grande. On this day we will wake up early to spend the whole day at the beach. After lunch we will have a group reflection about the week talking about translating everything covered to your own personal contexts.