“Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute experience.” Paulo Coelho
Here in Bali, GreenCamp is fortunate to be surrounded by a Balinese culture that is full of generosity and the spirit of giving. Not only in Bali – yet throughout the Indonesian archipelago – the tradition of generously giving one’s time to a community’s shared social or environmental cause is common. In Bahasa Indonesia, “kerja bakti” literally translates to “work done in the spirit of devotion,” and another term, “gotong royong,” speaks to the Indonesian tradition of working together towards a common cause.
GreenCamp Gardeners at Work
Often, “gotong royong” can be a simple task yet one that requires many hands in order to be done well, such as cleaning up garbage from a riverbank or hiking path. It can also be a more complicated task – like erecting a bamboo building! Here at GreenCamp, “kerja bakti” is part of all of our lives, and we are fortunate to be enriched with experiences gained from working together (often at tasks we might not normally do on our own) because of it.
There truly is something to be said for the value of learning through experience, as well as the value of giving to others. If you, like many, are inspired by the spirit of giving this season and are exploring ways of giving eco-conscious gifts that carry genuine meaning with them, consider an out-of-the-ordinary experience at GreenCamp as a gift for someone you love.
We have grown our offerings this past year and are enthusiastic about several of our offerings for next summer – perhaps one of these Camps or Courses may be a meaningful fit for you or yours:
Completely unique in the world of sustainable building & design, GreenCamp is proud to announce our third Bamboo U Course for adults from July 28th – Aug 3rd, 2015. This 7 day residential course will be led by GreenCamp with technical workshops delivered by expert craftsmen from Ibuku- the design firm spearheading bamboo building and design.
The course has a great balance of hands-on workshops and theory, and has received rave reviews from participants joining us from around the world.
A summer camp like no other, especially for young people interested in adventure, culture, and Indonesia’s amazing marine & terrestrial biodiversity. The South Sulawesi Sustainability Journey from GreenCamp is a truly special seaside camp open only to a small group of 12 young adventurers, ages 13 – 15. Led by expert facilitators, this is a carefully crafted one-of-a-kind journey from Bali to Sulawesi.
We hope that one of these offerings might be a good fit for those of you that are, like us, exploring how our traditions of giving to others this season can be done in ways that will enhance the life experiences of those we gift to.