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La Caravana Arcoiris por La Paz


A Story of Adventure and Realization


My name is Josh Trought. My home is an organic farm in
New Hampshire named D Acres. The farm project hosts
apprentices and work traders in an attempt to develop
a sustainable farm system and provide a realistic
learning center for acquiring organic farming and
sustainable living skills within the culture of rural
New Hampshire. Despite my prior experiences in
community living, during the first five years of the
project, I learned that the most difficult part of
sustaining a farm system is not the demanding physical
labor but instead the non-physical labor; the
interpersonal, the spiritual, the commitment to the
group, the land and rural community. To learn how to
address these non-physical elements of a group project
more successfully, I decided to travel to other
philosophically similar communities to view and
interact first hand.



Towards this end, I enrolled in a course on
sustainability presented at the Gaia ecovillage near

Buenos Aires, Argentina. During this course the
students and habitants interacted and personally

experienced the triumphs and dilemmas of community
life. I discovered that Gaia and the students were
experiencing many of the same quandaries that we were
encountering at D Acres. On the physical plane, a
positive cash flow can grease the wheels of an
organization. Money

can increase the material standard of living.
Extra-organizational revenue and investment can
provide the inhabitants with greater opportunities for
diverse food products, medical care, and amenities
that are comforting. The goals of a project can be
accelerated by extra-organizational financial
investments in labor and infrastructure, but long-term
will not be the determinant of success.



The non-physical dilemmas of a community are not as
easily notated on the balance sheet. I will attempt to
present a brief list of the reoccurring dilemmas that
group projects face. First, it is time consuming and
energy intensive to recruit and retain experienced
long term members for a project of this nature where
income is low and hard physical labor is expected. The
media, the general public, friends, and family can
support the project but long-term day-to-day
commitment is difficult to achieve. Also within a
group, there is always some disenchantment about the
hierarchy of decision-making and division of labor.
Those with greater levels of personal and financial
investment may feel disrespected while new members may
feel their input is ignored. Personality clashes and
disagreements over the day-to-day specifics can
escalate to the detriment of the project. While all
members can agree to the mission of a project, the
physical and emotional work required to manifest this
vision can drain the energy of the group.

??Steps Towards Solutions ????

One of the workshops offered at Gaia dealt with
consensus decision-making. This process provides a
powerful tool to deal with these non-physical
dilemmas. The workshop was facilitated by Alejandra
Balada, a sister of the organizer of the course.
Alejandra spoke of an enduring project that she was
about to rejoin. The project was a mobile ecovillage
that was currently in Ecuador. I saw a South American
HBO video on the group and over the next two weeks

realized this group would be my next stop.



Alejandra agreed to my company for the next five days
as we traveled between Christmas and New Years. We
spent over 100 hours in seven buses without sleeping
in a bed. We arrived in Olon, Ecuador to a magical
scene. A giant circus tent was erected directly on the
beach with rainbow flag proudly mounted from the top
post. Two colorfully painted school buses and a scout
vehicle augmented the base camp. Tents, laundry, dish
washing station and theatre props created a maze of
activity. Solar power provided lights and music for
the circus tent. Jugglers, fire

artists, clowns and stilt walkers from many countries
interacted as the days duties of cooking, cleaning,
and preparing for theatre presentations transpired.
This provided quite a special place to watch the sun
set over the Pacific and await the Gregorian New Year.


La Caravana Arcoiris por La Paz (the Rainbow Caravan
for Peace) is an intentional social project,

composed of a group of people from different parts of
the World. The caravan has been traveling the Americas
since 1996 in a changing number of vehicles developing
and implementing workshops, conferences, audiovisuals,
performances, training, artistic, and cultural events.

It is a registered NGO in Spain. It was conceived at
the Rainbow Gathering in New Mexico in 1995. The point
of departure for the caravan was the ecovillage of
Huehuecoyotl in Tepoztlan, Morelos, Mexico.
Huehuecoyotl was founded in 1982 by many members of
the "The Illuminated Elephants Traveling Gypsy
Company". The original bus that is the heart of the

caravan, Mazorca (corncob), was donated by Bea Briggs
of Wisconsin. The group intended to travel seven
months to the destination of Tierra del Fuego,
Argentina. After almost seven years and 13 countries
they are currently in Peru.


The mission objectives are diverse but interrelated.
The group endeavors to support and serve

as a bridge to connect cultures, movements,
organizations, bioregional networks and individuals

from around the Americas, fostering among them a
better ecological consciousness, a healthy and

harmonious life in relationship with Nature, as well
as self-management, peace and sustainability for local
communities, with profound respect for the Earth and
all the living creatures that inhabit her. The caravan
functions as a Living and Learning Center that
contributes to the creation and the empowerment of
information networks and initiatives that implement
activities related to these objectives. An objective
is to learn from ancestral indigenous cultures and
defend them. Acknowledge their customs, territories,
spiritual beliefs, protect their places, routes and

sacred centers, inspiring them to maintain their basic
values and to establish links with other ancestral
communities and other non-indigenous projects with
similar purposes. The caravan is model of mobile
sustainable ecovillage, which promotes community life,
arts, spiritual growth, all on the basis of respect
and understanding as a way to bring peace. In this
manner, the experience acquired by its members will
contribute to the creation of future social leaders
with consciousness and spiritual non-dogmatic
sensibility. In addition the group intends to promote,
support, rescue and learn sustainable alternatives to
development, new and traditional, related to the use,

protection, and improvement of renewable and
nonrenewable natural resources.


The members are as diverse as the mission but
interrelated as well because they join aware of the

mission. Over the seven years almost 300 people from

 more than 20 countries have been members of the
caravan.
People of all interests, ages, races and religious
affiliations learn and create sustainable living
habits and community building skills. The variety of
skills shared in the group changes on the basis of the
talents of the people present at any given time. The
talents include singing, dancing, juggling, puppetry,
acting, painting, and ceramics. Experts may include,
drummers and other musicians, theatrical producers,
costumers, alternative energy, bioregional
construction, and nutritional specialists.



Decisions in the caravan are made by the participants.
There is an established hierarchy to the

decision making process. There are currently three
types of membership: visitors, aspiring members, and
crew. The visitors are short-term passengers required
to contribute a modest financial contribution and
physically participate in the day-to-day operations.
Their ideas and opinions are welcomed during consensus
meetings to which they are invited but their
decision-making is limited. The aspiring members have
a long-term interest in becoming crew

members. The may impart opinions at the group meeting
but are limited in their group decision making
capabilities. This system gives precedent to the
established crew of the group. These "pillars" have
thoroughly demonstrated a sense of belonging to the
group, responsibility and commitment to the project
and its mission. This is a group that is attempting to
create a better way to make decisions, based on
consensus and guided the the experience of the older
members. The goal is to erase hierarchial
relationships, acknowledging the limitations that
newer people might have and improving communication
tools to create just agreements.



The infrastructure of the caravan currently consists
of two school buses, a scout vehicle, and a

trailer. The buses are equipped with a commercial
scale stove, water purification system, and storage
space for the audiovisual and records of the caravan.
There is a 500-person capacity circus tent that
provides space for theatre, workshops, and community
interactions. The buses are equipped with solar power
and have the capacity to transport the theatre
production equipment and the personal belongings of
the crew. Generally the caravan searches for a base in

the proximate localidad before setting off on the
road. The base consists of a secure location with

sufficient water. Prior camps have been the centers of
indigenous villages, university campuses, abandoned
schools, municipal buildings, and private homes.

Who Pays For This??


The expenses of the caravan are paid in a number of
ways. At times all that can be asked is to pass a hat
after a performance or donations of food. The members
also contribute fees established based on their status
with the group. The group raises funds from other
organizations, NGOs, private companies and
individuals. Group developed products such as recycled
and natural handcrafts, music, clothes, and other
services are marketed. Also workshops and conferences

are designed to pay at least the cost of the
operation. Marketing of audiovisuals produced by the

group is being explored as an avenue to receive
revenue. As with many such operations there is rarely
enough money to cover modest costs and the crew sees
few amenities.

?? Day to Day ??

Life on the caravan is an adventure. Day to day living
with creative folks from all walks of life,

with distinct ages, experiences and language abilities
can be exhilarating and tedious. The group is exposed
to breathtaking examples of Mother Nature. Successful
theatre presentations end with choruses of applause
and hugs from every child in the square. Members have
the opportunity to live and work in indigenous
communities. Lifetime friendships and loves are the
norm. But at times the members are physically exposed
to hardships such as mosquitoes, dubious food and
water sources, varied hours of meals, lack of bathing
facilities, lack of personal privacy, etc.. These
hardships are common for the people of the regions but
can be a shock to

volunteers not accustomed to this reality.
Participants come from diverse financial backgrounds.
Some travelers are accustomed to living amply with
less than $20 week and the associated amenities while
others might be hard press to live without a budget of
at least $500 a week. Within this web of
personalities, backgrounds, talents and experiences
are also the underlying differences in culture north
and south, Spanish and English. The rhythms,
sacrifices, ethics

and personalities of the group can vary greatly over
time depending on its current participants. What holds
the people together is the mission, the belief that as
a group you can help this world be a better place for
future generations.



The caravan is always interested in potential new
members and the return of experienced members.
Currently they are implementing a training and refocus
period every three months to

introduce new members to the mission and allow the old
members a period to stimulate the creativity that can
dissipate after months on the road. The caravan is
interested in people who have the financial means to
share in costs and willingness to work a minimal of 4
hours per day. The group allows no contraband, such as
illegal drugs. People with life experiences and
sustainable skills are welcomed particularly those
trained in theatre working with children, alternative
energy, eco-construction, motor vehicles maintenance
and biodiesel technology. To learn more about the
project, please contact www.lacaravana.org or
info@lacaravana.org





Lessons Learned



My trip to South America was a personal success. I
learned about my country and myself. I have
established great friendships and acquired knowledge
about how people survive without cash in hand. I am
continuing to learn about community, perceptions of
success and disappointments. I feel that people must
feel committed to the established mission of a project
to be successful. Then they must work and interact
with commitment but also need the freedom to come and
go to achieve their personal goals. I am reminded that
interpersonal respect at all levels of a community
hierarchy is a necessity for successful living. I see
that people take on different levels of participation
perhaps by nature, and that there must be agreement on
that level of commitment and the minimum required by
each project. Above all I realize there is a need to
set guidelines. Although I detest rules, there seems
to be a need to set parameters for interactions, and
to established interpersonal boundaries for people to
work in communities with a mission. These guidelines
need to be presented and understood by all the
participants and there must be established techniques
to deal with conflicts. The development of communities
and projects has no set formula. It takes time,
sacrifice and difficult moments to arrive at
arrangements and agreements that function. We are
only human but we can succeed with good intentions and
effort.



PAZ, LIBERTAD Y AMOR



Josh Trought