Cornerstone -9-
Community Education Advocacy
1) Centre for Alternative Technology in Scotland (SCAT)
2) Community involvement, car boot sales, recycling site etc.
3) Educational Courses on themes covered by Culdees work
4) Organic Coffee Shop / Lunch-room. Cookery Classes.
5) Selling of Handicrafts – exhibition of Artists’ work.
More about Cornerstone 9 : Community Education Advocacy
- In a number of ways, our aim is similar to that of The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) – so it seems logical that Culdees should work towards a goal that will earn it the name of The Scottish Centre for Alternative Technology (SCAT).
- With each activity, like building the plastic bottle wall, we encourage locals to come and join in. The next step is building a glass bottle wall. A further step to encourage this could be to hold car boot sales, dealing with items that are no longer of use to locals. Also, a building of a local re-cycling site for green waste and compost it will be encouraged.
- Like CAT, we plan to run courses on all subjects covered by the work we do at Culdees. (Permaculture, ecology etc…)
- As already mentioned in the information on Cornerstone 4, we are endeavouring to open an organic coffee shop / lunch-room. We will organise cookery classes and advice on diets and what benefits there are in eating organically.
- The shop in which we will sell Organic Produce can also double up as a Gallery to exhibit and sell the handicrafts of local artists’.
And the volunteers say …
“Hello Maryse, I am looking back nostalgic at my time at Culdees. The Memory that gives the best feeling to me, is remembering at the living room and the music room, as we sat there all together talking, chattering and laughing.
Sometimes I travel up there in my mind, sitting next to you at the couch, have got this warm feeling, this inner peace and silence, and laughing with you. Your place is still in my heart and I miss this feeling. I felt so complete there. Snugged like in a cosy nest, mixed of mist and sunshine :D I met there people that changed my way of life in different ways and two of them also led me to God. Wonderful people are gathering at Culdees, some of them really reached my heart and enriched my life. My time at Culdees changed my life and has become an experience I will never forget! I am really thankful, that a place like Culdees exists, where people can meet each other and make such great experience without spending much money. I hope I can visit you once again! Cordially greetings, yours,” - Carmen Rebecca Hammer September 2009
“It is a difficult task to give a summary about my reasons for returning to Culdees whenever I can. Basically - even if this is simple - it is about love, warmth and acceptance. The unspoken law at Culdees seems to be that you don’t judge anybody – you respect and even support one another in his or her
individual needs. This can be either in the special kind of work that you do among the projects listed up in the cornerstones in order to evolve or deepen your skills or in a way of personal ‘guidance’. Even if the aim is to finally open a school of Human Values here, it seems to already be one at the moment
just because of the special kind of people living here. This place enables you to get back to your heart, to learn what it beats for and to see how many possibilities open up to you to put the often so-called ‘dream’ into reality. It is about setting your values on the right things and learning to listen to your
inner voice.” - Yvonne Bruehmann, (volunteer from Marburg, Germany)
“I have been living at Culdees for over 5 years now and have seen the land and the community in all their seasonal variations. For 10 years previously I had been travelling the Scottish Highlands searching for a spiritual community with no rules or dogma but whose members shared a vision of living in harmony with nature and our fellow humans. This place, set amongst stunning scenery, has risen to meet my expectations and daily we are struggling with the mechanics of making it work. The result, after 3 short years of attempting to create a self-sustaining, self-regulating environment against the penetrative backdrop of contemporary culture, is a place where many people from all the continents gather to experience peace, connectedness with nature, healing and joy. The quality of life here is of an exceptional level. Fresh air, exposure to the beauty of light patterns of the loch below, panoramic views, trees, wonderful food, the quaintness of the buildings and their idiosyncratic decoration every corner bulging with some treasure from afar; spontaneous music often emanates from these rooms as many musicians frequent the place and rejoice in the innate inspiration of the space. However the strength must come from the core and there is the Culdees family. We believe in human values - and the finest expression of these values (when it comes to relating to others) is the model of the family which is encouraged here. We want families to come here and the atmosphere is like that. There is support, acceptance and love and there is also growth and encouragement into new areas of awareness which can be unsettling. Ultimately I find healing and I feel that that is what we are doing here, for visitors, for the land and for ourselves. Learning to live, work and develop together.” - Marcus Moon, (resident at Culdees)
“In my view, Culdees is an alchemical vessel for a diverse variety of elixirs, from permaculture to tourism, gardening to self-development. To describe my impressions and experiences here, I have to be poetic – it is a place where dreams and realities can meet, mix and grow - both on individual and shared collective levels – where art meets life, and life in turn can come to resemble art, through a process that contains both courage and magic. The possibilities here are as endless as the spirit which animates them. Its not so much that you
stay at Culdees, but more that it stays with you, wherever you are or however long you decide to stay:- an island of beautiful rugged enchantment in the heart of Scotland." - Kevin Fleming, (volunteer from Singapore)
Getting Involved yourself :
As mentioned before, you are welcome to speak to us about getting involved in any aspect of the work at Culdees that appeals to you. For volunteers staying on a weekly basis, we provide them with food and accommodation (albeit for the moment in a caravan) in exchange for a minimum effort of 30 hours per week from them. Any additional work they can do is appreciated, but not necessary.
Useful Information
CULDEES - Boreland Farm - Fearnan by Aberfeldy – Perthshire - PH15 2PG Scotland
Phone + 44 1887 830519; Mobile + 44 7904 954116
Website: www.culdeesbunkhouse.co.uk
E-mail: contact@culdeesbunkhouse.co.uk
Website: www.culdees-ecovillage.co.uk
E-mail: contact@culdees-ecovillage.co.uk
It is possible that you like what you have read and although you cannot be directly involved with the work, you feel supportive of what is going on. You are welcome to make donations to Culdees for any particular part of the work that you feel you would like to support. By talking to us about the Gift Aid option, it means that Culdees can reclaim the basic rate tax paid on your donation. This effectively means that if you contribute £10, the Inland Revenue will give us another £2.80, making the total donation £12.80. Please see Charity page
UNIVERSAL HEALTH AND EDUCATION TRUST
Scottish Charity Number: SC013443
Thank you for tuning into Culdees
Revised ----- 06/12/2010-------------------------------------------------------------Please check for future updates.
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