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Community for a Sustainable World (CSW)
Our purpose is to support and develop sustainable self-reliant communities around the globe.
BOTSHABELO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
MUSHROOM EDUCATION (2020)
In 2018 we introduced the Botshabelo Community to oyster mushroom cultivation. Since then Botshabelo has worked through the steep learning curve of the fungi kingdom and began mastering their own growing operation. Having expressed an interest in implementing mushroom education into the school curriculum, as well as offering workshops for the village, our team is focusing our 2020 efforts on making this happen.
School Curriculum
With the knowledge and support of our subject matter experts, we will be designing a mushroom curriculum that can be implemented into the current school programming for students in grades 1-9. With a focus on designing accessible age-appropriate child learning programs, not only will the teachers be able to deliver the training, the students will be able to engage and understand the content.
During our visit this September, we will collaborate with the Mushroom Ambassadors and school teachers as we lead them through our proposed curriculum. This will allow us to adapt the learning as needed, make changes to the content, and enroll the teachers in mushroom education they will be leading in their classrooms. The mushroom curriculum is intended build on students learning year after year, eventually creating a community of mini mushroom experts. Below we’ve provided a high-level look at the proposed program.
Training materials will include teaching manuals, activity guides, student and teacher learning aids.
Grades 1 - 3
Content for this age group will focus on building familiarity, engaging students through play, individual and group activities, and introducing them to basic mushroom terminology.
Grades 4 - 6
Building on the content from the previous grades, these students will begin to develop their technical knowledge and introductory hands on skills. Individual, team, and partner work will advance students skills, deepen their curiosity, and provide opportunities for more creativity and play.
Grades 7 - 9
With a solid knowledge base, students in this cohort will continue to develop more advanced technical skills. Taking a more scientific approach to learning, students will get to explore the fungi kingdom more closely through lecture, reading, mentoring, and various hands on activities.
Mushroom Workshops
The second part of this project is to elevate the existing mushroom training program so that it can be delivered to folks within the village and surrounding communities. The purpose of this is to build marketable skills within the community that will support both the individual and Botshabelo.
Recognizing the need to simplify content, wording and the training process, over the coming months, we will collaborate with local experts to make the necessary edits. This includes updating materials with learnings from mushroom cultivation at Botshabelo over the last year and half. Once updated, we will work with the community to understand how to best bring these mushroom cultivation workshops to a larger audience.
Total Estimated 2019 Project Cost: $4000+
Project costs include:
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Growing materials and supplies
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Spawn orders
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infrastructure upgrades and maintenance
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Printing costs