Accessibility + Economic Justice 

This application process is a first step of deepening your relationship to place, asking you to consider local economic justice as a global issue. Please read this fully before applying for a bursary. We trust you to act with integrity in the early formations of our year-long+ community together.

Our desire is to make this work accessible to anyone who wishes to partake, so that finances will never act as a barrier to signing up. 

In recognition that social justice issues are often exacerbated by lack of access to life enhancing opportunities, we hope to create a pricing model that overcomes this to the best of our current abilities. It is by no means perfect and we will continually strive to find the most just economic model for this work. 

Social injustices are broad and deep across the globe and as an online programme we hope to attract people from diverse cultures, societies and worldviews. For this reason we are working hard to ensure access. Of course, access to the internet, computers and/or time are more difficult for us to support, so we acknowledge the likelihood that we are immediately speaking to a particular social group, as well as only English speaking kin.

Such a model requires an understanding, integrity and honesty from you to consider where you are at financially in comparison to others globally. One distinction is that of the fair sacrifice that might be asked to pay to participate in such a programme and its reflection on your commitment to fully participate. Compare this to the hardship of paying for access leading to the inability to buy food or make the rent. Sacrifice asks that you may need to cut back on other spending (coffees out, new clothes, a holiday) and demonstrates a commitment to the programme.

As Alexis J. Cunningfolk wrote in this resource, for this to work, “it relies on the principles of truthfulness, respect for complexity, and accountability. Community thrives when accountability is a central value, because that is where trust grows and depth work can be done. Teachers deserve to get paid and students deserve classes which recognise the multiple realities of economic access and privilege that exist.”.

We display one cost as this is the price that makes this work viable at its present scale. This is our work and we pay ourselves a very humble (partial) income from it, and we do all we can to pay our guest speakers a fair/just wage too (this includes refusal to meet extortionate speaker fees, regardless of status). 

We ask you to consider stretching yourself (i.e. making sacrifices) in order to access this work, but we trust that those who would enter hardship after payment will select the appropriate bursary. The outlines of these categories can be found below. 

The Global South are countries with low GDP and are typically negatively impacted by modern capitalism. They are states with a shared experience of exploitation and domination from colonialism and imperialism, where access to secure housing, income and healthcare are disproportionately limited.

Those living in the Global South as the middle classes or rich elite must consider themselves as inhabiting a Global Northern paradigm, therefore are highly likely to be paying fees from the Global North categories. 

When considering your position, think honestly about where you agree with the most statements. For example, having savings you do not wish to spend or having no expendable income due to choosing a luxury home/car may still position you in the top Global North category. Conversely, someone living in the Global North with insecure housing who struggles to pay for food and transport, will never receive an inheritance and has a family relying on their income may place themselves in the appropriate Global South category. 

Global North

“I live in a house I own (or rent a property or I choose to live otherwise), can always afford to eat and make rent/bills on time, I have a job (or do not need one), I may have debt but it does not stop me meeting basic needs, I have been on holiday or taken time-off in the past 2-years, I am likely to receive an inheritance, have access to regular healthcare, can typically buy items new and have saving (or the potential to save) and I have some expendable income (I can go out for coffee, cake, a meal, to the cinema most months).”

>> Please pay in full + consider gifting forward

“I generally meet my basic needs, but sometimes it is a struggle, I own or lease a car, I have access to work, healthcare and some debt (which sometimes makes meeting my basic needs a stress), I can go on holiday some years.”

>> Please pay in full (and book early to get a good payment plan)

“I struggle to meet my basic needs and have debt that makes this harder, my housing is unstable and/or I have to live in lower-end rentals, I qualify for government assistance and have no savings, I cannot afford a car or holiday, I will not receive an inheritance and have little/no expendable income.” 

>> Apply for a 50% bursary (£600) below

Global South 

Please use similar considerations to the above but within the context of a Global South paradigm.

“I live in a house I own (or rent a property or I choose to live otherwise), can always afford to eat and make rent/bills on time, I have a job (or do not need one) and I have some expendable income…” (Those living in the Global South as the middle classes or rich elite must consider themselves as inhabiting a Global Northern paradigm, therefore are highly likely to be paying fees from the Global North categories). 

>> Apply for a 50% bursary (£600) below

“I generally meet my basic needs, but sometimes it is a struggle, I own or lease a car, I have access to work, healthcare and some debt (which sometimes makes meeting my basic needs a stress), I can go on holiday some years.”

>> Apply for a 75% bursary (£300) below

“I struggle to meet my basic needs and have debt that makes this harder, my housing is unstable and/or I have to live in lower-end rentals, I qualify for government assistance and have no savings, I cannot afford a car or holiday, I will not receive an inheritance and have little/no expendable income.” 

>> Apply for a full bursary below

Our experience has been that time scarcity is in fact a large contributor to true accessibility to this work (not only signing up, but in truly partaking once on board). For this reason we ask that you deeply consider your ability to give the time needed to dedicate to this work (6 hours per moon cycle as a minimum). A lower fee should not be considered a programme trial and we do not offer refunds.

The course fee paid and the commitment level should be matched, so that all participants join us with a full commitment to attending the calls, following and studying the resources, participating in the forum and undertaking the embodied land/community work each month. If you will not notice losing the course fee, you are probably underpaying.

Despite our focus on economical paradigms, we welcome and honour your context regarding health, parenting, discrimination, activism, and so on.