Zimbabwe House Party!!

** PLEASE NOTE: This event is NOT at TLC Farm.**

A benefit to bring Tryon Life Community Farm to Kufunda Learning Village and the Berkana Exchange.

Join us on Sunday, April 13th from 6-10 pm at 1905 NE Going St to support cross-continental and cross-cultural learning, while eating Zimbabwean food, listening to great traditional Zimbabwean music, and learning more about the sustainability movement in Zimbabwe.

This benefit will support TLC Farm's involvement with the Berkana Exchange (see below) and Zimbabwean activists. TLC Farm needs to raise at least $1,500 to fund travel expenses for representatives of TLC Farm to travel to Kufunda Learning Village in May, and any funds raised in excess of travel needs will help allied activists in Zimbabwe visit TLC Farm in the future.

The benefit will include:

* a traditional Zimbabwean food for dinner, including groundnut stew, sadza, and Zimbabwean-style cooked greens;

* a slide show about Kufunda Learning Village, where TLC Farm volunteer Jenny Leis lived during her travels last year;

* great Zimbabwean music by Pachi Pamwe (http://www.myspace.com/pachipamwe) and Njuzu Mbira (www.cdbaby.com/cd/njuzumbira)

* silent auction items and a raffle!

* beer & wine for donation.

** PLEASE NOTE: This event is NOT at TLC Farm.**

** This will be a house party at 1905 NE Going St., in Portland. For a map click here.**

COST: $10-20 sliding scale donation (includes dinner). Volunteer opportunities available. Come ready to be merry!

For more info please contact: mattg[at]tryonfarm.org or call 503.245.3847.

[Note: if you can't come to the benefit, but want to make a donation to support cross-cultural sharing, please send a check (to TLC Farm, 11640 SW Boones Ferry Road, Portland, OR 97219) or make a donation online (at www.tryonfarm.org) and indicate that it is for the Berkana Learning Journey.]

Global learning opportunity: Berkana Exchange

TLC Farm is honored to be invited to the Berkana Exchange Art of Learning Conference happening this May in Zimbabwe! The Berkana Exchange facilitates connections between 13 "learning centers" located in various countries around the world: Senegal, Zimbabwe, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Greece, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. The centers all share a commitment to grassroots organizing, ecological sustainability, and healthy living and are doing inspiring work in their local communities.

Each year Berkana facilitates an Art of Learning Centering Gathering, which is an opportunity for representatives from each learning center to come together and share ideas and skills, create relationships, and weave together pieces of the global puzzle. The purpose of the gathering is: "To consciously, deliberately and collectively create a field of shared learning around the art of learning centering, which is the practice of hosting local spaces where people gather to explore and invent ways for communities to become healthy and resilient."

The gathering this year is being held from May 4-14 at Kufunda Learning Village, in Harare, Zimbabwea. TLC Farm connected with Kufunda when volunteer Jenny Leis lived there last year. To learn more about Kufunda visit www.kufunda.org or read Jenny's blog at www.journeydejenny.blogspot.com.

We are excited to participate and to explore the possibility of TLC Farm becoming the Berkana Exchange's newest Learning Center, and the only center in the United States. After thoughtful consideration we have selected farm residents Hope Medford and Matt Gordon to make the journey and represent us at the conference and are preparing them to share what we are learning in Portland. Do you have things you'd like Matt and Hope to share about TLC Farm or the wider community in Portland with other Berkana centers? Questions you'd like them to ask? Ideas for them to share? Don't hesitate to email berkana@tryonfarm.org, and stay tuned for stories of their travels and learnings.