Bootcamp #6 – Portugal, April 2024

Ethnography, Design & Sustainability

in partnership with Quercus – Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza

The Bootcamp “Ethnography, Design & Sustainability” was delivered by Namla and it took place in Lisbon, between the 3rd and the 10th of April 2024, hosted by the Toca Das Artes – Núcleo Cultural, a non-profit association that aims to design, organize, develop, implement and disseminate interdisciplinary cultural, social, artistic and pedagogical projects. It promotes activities at local and national level, as well as artistic residencies in the areas of music, visual arts, performing arts and literature, involving artists, cultural professionals and public and private institutions with the community, and it also has, in the LACS Anjos Space, a co-working space.

The bootcamp was developed in partnership with Quercus – Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza, an independent, non-partisan, nationwide Portuguese Environmental Non-Governmental Organization, that are united by a shared interest in the conservation of nature and natural resources and in environmental protection, from a perspective of sustainable development.

The question we focused on in this bootcamp was: How can we promote the participation of the younger generations as activists and volunteers, to ensure the sustainability of the association’s initiatives?

After a week of training and bootcamp, two innovative solutions were developed for the NGO and their problematic, focused of engaging groups of individuals, from young to old, to be more active and participative in the Quercus ecosystem and activities.

Drawing inspiration from this, artist Animal Waves (Joana Cruz) created a series of illustrations.

Conversation

It is through conversation and sharing ideas that we can evolve as people. As long as we continue to talk, we can believe in progress towards a better society. Thus, we both influence and grow.

Seeds

Once the seeds find their place, they undergo radical transformations. Living completely different lives, enriched by time. It is not just in the earth that we plant seeds, but in ourselves and in others. A seed has the capacity for absolute transformation.

Reflection

What separates us from animals is rationality, but this should not be perceived as a characteristic of superiority, it is just an attribute – like the bird that has wings.

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