Revised Application

Gaia Education Certification Application

Please answer the following questions as completely as possible. You are also encouraged to send supporting materials that would help us understand your community and other educational programs that have been offered. Please email completed applications and materials to:

    May East
    Programme Director
    Gaia Education
    Findhorn Foundation, The Park
    Forres, Scotland  IV36 3TZ

General Information

1. NAME of HOST SITE, COMMUNITY, ORGANIZATION:
2. LOCATION/ADDRESS:
3. PRIMARY CONTACT:
4. EMAIL:
5. PHONE:
6. WEBSITE:
7. How many actively engaged members/staff?
8. What are the main languages spoken?
9. What is the basic ideology of the site/community/organization? Please offer other supporting materials as appropriate.

Program Information

1. What are the intended dates this program will be offered?
2. Please include a daily schedule of your EDE course along with a breakdown of proposed contact/instructional hours within each of the four dimensions of the Ecovillage Design Curriculum. See an Example here.
3. Please describe the "design" processes and resources that will be used.See an Example
4. Please attach whatever additional materials you have available about the EDE course you are seeking certification for (e.g. brochures, itinerary, handbooks).
5. What are the skills and backgrounds of the educators? Please offer one-pay resumes or descriptions of each of the primary course educators.
6. What sustainability "infrastructure"/resources would be available to students in the four dimensions?
   • Ecological appropriate technology (e.g. mud ovens, masonry stoves, solar ovens, solar heaters), energy (e.g. 100% supply by wind), waste (e.g. gray water system, composting toilets), food (e.g. agroforestry system), shelter (e.g. natural building materials)
   • Social (e.g., decision making, communication skills, health and healing)
   • Economic (e.g., local economies, right livelihood, cottage industries)
   • Worldview (e.g., rituals, meditative practices, art and creativity)
7. Students
   • What is the min/max number of students this course can accommodate?
   • Will this course draw student from other countries? If so, will international students require visas?
   • What language(s) do you intend to teach the course in? Do you expect language to be a barrier for any students? If so, how will you accommodate these students?
   • Are you prepared to accommodate students with special needs (e.g. physical disabilities, dyslexia, chemical sensitivities, dietary restrictions)
8. Accommodations (for residential courses)
   • How many students per room? (ideal 2-3/room if longer than one week)
   • How close are student facilities to central facilities?
   • Are students within walking distance of each other?
   • Is there close access to nature and/or wild spaces?
9. Food
   • What is the typical diet? Can special diets be accommodated?
   • Where will the food come from for the course?
   • Would students help prepare meals?
10. Money and access
    • What do you intend to charge for this course?
    • Will you offer scholarships? If so, what is your total allotment and how will you allocate and disburse this money?
11. Meeting and Study Space
    • Can the space accommodate the expected course enrollment?
    • Can the space be dedicated to the program for the entire course?
    • Is there a black/white or chalk board?
    • Is there computer access? (ideal: 1 computer per 4 students)
    • Is there consistent and reliable access to Internet (at least once a week)
12. What other opportunities are there for learning (i.e. Service Learning Projects, Independent research, Internships, etc.) Please list as many as possible (name, phone, email):
13. What other resources are in the surrounding area? (within one hours drive). List potential sites, contacts, and notes (sustainable farms, organizations, wild areas)

Health and Safety

1. What is the access to health facilities?
   • Name and telephone
   • Address
   • Distance from primary meeting site
2. Is the host community/meeting site located in a healthy and safe physical environment?
   • Is there access to clean water and food?
   • What is the risk level from political turmoil?
   • What is the environmental risk level?
3. Does your community/organization have liability insurance?

Course Committments

1. Can you commit to equal employment and educational opportunities for all persons regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability, or place of birth?
2. Can you commit to running a safe and non-violent course for all participants?
3. Can you commit to submitting an End-of-Program Report and Course Evaluations?

Applications received in this period	will be reviewed by
January 1 - April 30	May 31
May 1 - August 31	September 31
September 1 - December 31	January 31

Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Please also feel free to comment on this form and the certification process as we hope to continue to adapt it to better meet everyone's needs.