#gpzam2016

In true Greenpop fashion, tree planting always plays a BIG role at our Zambia Festival of Action - but there is more to experience here than “just” digging holes and literally getting your hands dirty. At the festival you can choose from a wide variety of workshops and activations to spend your time on that are both fun and educational for participants and locals. It is all about being innovative, sharing knowledge and connecting with people and nature to find creative ways to face the area's environmental challenges. With that in mind, here are 12 cool ways to dig in!

1. Asset Based Community Development (ABCD)

At our ABCD workshop we will focus on supporting two local communities by finding innovative ways for them to profit the most from their natural resources and assets. You will be a veritable expert on natural beekeeping, farmer managed natural regeneration and more after this workshop!

2. Natural Building Workshop

Are you interested in learning more about building with low environmental footprints using natural and upcycled materials? This is your chance to work   hand in hand with local Zambians to enhance your practical skills and knowledge about different materials, strategies, and design  of natural building.

3. Eco Enterprise 1.0 Workshop

Have you ever thought about starting your own green enterprise? This workshop introduces you to key principles, ideas and strategies for creating a social or environmentally friendly business.

4. Eco Enterprise 2.0 Workshop

If you have already attended the Eco Enterprise 1.0 Workshop and are keen to go further with your business plans you will enjoy this workshop! Professionals with an environmental and social background will share their experiences and mentor you in further developing your business idea.

5. Introduction to Permaculture and Small Scale Organic Agriculture

As Geoff Lawton once said, “you can solve all the world's problems in a garden.” We think it’s time to put that philosophy into practice! Together with local Zambians you will be introduced to the basic concepts, methods and strategies for implementing small organic agricultural systems following the ideas of permaculture.

6. Art and Creativity in Mobilising Change

This workshop is all about the power of collaboration and creativity! You are welcome to join live painting session, upcycling programs or get creative with public wall murals. Connect with people and see the potential of art to initiate environmental and social change!

7. Ilizwe Photo Club

Art is one of the best ways to express yourself. Following this principle a group of creative young Zambians will be using photography as a way to capture their inner voice. At the end of the festival their work will be presented in a public exhibition.

8. Tree Planting

As you know - Greenpop wouldn't be Greenpop if we didn’t include some mass tree planting action! So, of course, we have several opportunities at the festival for you to dig in and get your hands dirty!

In addition to working on our food forest, we will also be planting trees and plants at villages near the camp using the ideas of permaculture, agroforestry, and regenerative agriculture. You will help to create small scale food and medicine producing ecosystems that give locals an easier access to healthy foods.

9. School Activation Days

Learning is fun! Together with Zambian school kids you will be taking part in interactive educational sessions about a variety of topics including tree planting, solar cooking, biodiversity, seed planting and more!

10. Rocket Stove Cook Offs

Are you up for a little cooking competition? Test out and experiment with a variety of rocket stove designs to compare and contrast their effectiveness and inspire others to think about alternative cooking strategies.

11. Sunshine Cinema

Take part in a movie night of a special kind! Powered by solar energy the Sunshine Cinema screens short films about various themes to youth and rural communities.

12. Music and Rhythm Workshops

Time to clap your hands and swing your hips! Express your heart and soul through music and inspire others to (re)connect with people and nature by embracing their inner dancer!

Digging the workshops and activities we offer? Join us for our Greenpop Zambia Festival of Action this year and apply for your place now!

A Photography Workshop with a Cause

For two weeks in July, we’ll be hosting an exciting photography workshop in Zambia. Run by the Penda Trust, a charity that uses photography to create positive change, and Ilizwi, an organisation that runs photography workshops in underprivileged communities of Cape Town, this workshop will run within our Festival of Action in Livingstone.

Through the workshop, we’ll teach a group of young Zambians photography skills and encourage them to document environmental issues in their area. Our aim is twofold:

Photography skills: Through our workshops, we teach people basic to advanced technical photography skills and encourage creative self-expression and story-telling skills.

Environmental documentation: Through specific assignments, participants will document the causes and effects of deforestation and climate change in Livingstone and its surrounding areas. By giving the workshops a focus on environmental issues, we teach our young photographers both how deforestation is effecting their communities, and how they can be involved in raising awareness about this.

After running a successful pilot last year, this workshop will be the start of an on-going photography program in Livingstone. Through a continuation of the workshops, the Penda Trust and Ilizwi eventually aim to equip young Zambians with skills, connections and resources to study photography or filmmaking, or to gain employment in the creative industry.

Want to get involved? Here’s how:

Contribute to our project through our crowdfunding campaign! We offer some fun perks in return for your support, like printed images by Jeremy Loops, gorgeous photography books, and surprise packages from Zambia!

Has your phone taken over from your point-and-shoot camera? Happy to give your camera to a good cause? Let us know – we can put them to good use during our workshops!

Spread the love! You can follow the Penda Trust on Facebook and share our posts about the workshop – it all helps!

This project set me on a path I had for so long discarded, which now, I realize, is my true passion. I am saving up because I will be studying film production in London, so with that said, Ilizwi does more for young people than you realize. It will change the lives of many in ways you can not imagine, which is the beauty of it all.

“What I see are ordinary and some-not so-ordinary individuals willing to confront despair, power, and incalculable odds in an attempt to restore some semblance of grace, justice, and beauty to this world.”

~ Paul Hawken, Blessed Unrest

During the build up to COP21, the world has seen hundreds of thousands of individuals rising up, speaking out, and demanding a commitment towards a sustainable future. While these voices may have varying messages - from advocating for the divestment in fossil fuels to promoting local food production - all remain united under the banner of climate justice. And while we have yet to see the outcomes of this summit, the impressive scale of collective action which it has inspired cannot be ignored.

As history has proven, when individuals from all walks of life unite with a focused vision for action, the results are incredible. American women’s right activist Alice Paul once compared social movements to a mosaic in which each individual comprises a unique segment of the larger masterpiece of change and justice. As each brings their own history, culture, and experience, the end result becomes that much more robust. It's a beautiful way of thinking about it, isn't it?

Next June and July, the 5th annual Greenpop Zambia Festival of Action will once again contribute to the global blessed unrest by bringing together hundreds of inspired individuals from around the world to get active for the planet. We will be building something significant and we can’t wait to see which piece you will contribute to our mosaic.

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