2005-2008 At a Glance

In 2008, Erin McNichol and Ashley Walch visited India following in the footsteps of participants from previous years. This was the 4th program year meaning there were lots of excellent people and places to visit! Starting in Mumbai, they visited a local artist friend who uses natural dyes, builds furniture with paper, and is an expert in Ayurvedic medicine. They proceeded to West Bengal to conduct a work service exchange at Basudha. From there, they attended a 10-day silent meditation class at the Bodh-Gaya, the site where the Buddha reached enlightenment 25 centuries ago. They finished off their trip by visiting the cities of Varanasi and Delhi.

In 2007, Liz Fitzgerald and Kasey Butler engaged in the first IKE sustainable agriculture service learning project at Basudha in West Bengal, where they conducted research on indigenous rice varietals and participated in a Harvest Festival with local Villagers. They also participated in a Youth Jam workshop and a Gandhi & Globalization course, as have participants for the previous two years. These events took place at several locations in the foothills of the Himalayas. Kasey then extended her trip and visited the Paunar Brahma Vidya Mandir Ashram.

In 2006, Karly Burch and Rainbow Vogt along with project partner Aditi Ahlawat, expanded program contacts to establish a network of more than 30 organizations involved in the sustainability movement in India. They visited organic farmers throughout India and attended a variety of events such as the India social Forum and the Forum for the Powerless. Issues of particular interest for them were anti-coke/pepsi campaigns, education, and health.

In 2005, Tim Galarneau and Peter Christensen visited India and participated in a water ‘yatra’ (journey) where they met villagers along the site of a dam project. They engaged with students and faculty at universities in Delhi and Varanasi to share the CSSC model of student involvement. They also delivered aid to earthquake victims in Kashmir where they stayed with a saffron farmer.