MEET THE TEAM
Faculty, Staff and Partner Organisations
SULAK SIVARAKSA
Sulak Sivaraksa is the Rector of INEB Institute and author of more than 50 books in Thai and English on Buddhism, social justice, and social critique. He is a co-founder of INEB and the Spirit in education Movement (SEM), a member of the world Future Council, and an Honorary fellow in Buddhism at the University of Wales, Lampeter.
PRACHA HUTANUWATR
Pracha s one of the foremost alternative educators and trainers in Thailand. The author of a number of books in English and Thai, he is also co-founder of INEB and the current chairperson of Eco-village Transition Asia.
JANE RASBASH
Jane works in sustainable development in Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh and the African continent, using an empowerment and engaged spirituality approach. She lives in Findhorn Ecovillage and has taught Ecovillage Design Education in Findhorn, Sieben Linden, Myanmar and Thailand. She is a Board member of Gaia Education as well as Ecovillage Transition Asia.
KEIBO OIWA, PHD
Keibo is a cultural anthropologist, author, translator, environmental activist and public speaker. He lived in North America for sixteen years and holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from Cornell University. Since 1992 he has taught in the international Studies Department of Meiji Gakuin University. The founder of the Sloth Club, an ecology and ‘Slow Life’ NGO, he gives lectures and workshops on social and environmental issues.
NUTTAROTE WANGWINYOO
An M.A. graduate in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University, Nuttarote has become a highly skilled trainer and facilitator with 15+ years of experience with team learning, dialogue facilitation, personal awareness, leadership development, collaborative communication skills based on Non-violent Communication, Life Coaching, Vision Quest, as well as conflict transformation grounded in Process Work.
OUYPORN KHUANKAEW
Ouyporn is a co-founder and lead trainer of the International Women’s Partnership for Peace and Justice (IWP). Her trainings emphasize Buddhist feminist peacebuilding and non-violent action. She has trained generations of women activists and spiritual leaders in South East Asia, and prior to IWP she ran the gender program of INEB.
PETRA CARMAN, PHD
Petra is an independent researcher with interests ranging from human-nature relationship and ecovillages to prefigurative politics and social change. She has experience in community living and alternative higher education. Currently, she is convening the ALT's Master of Arts programme.
NATHA DANNONTHADHARM
Natha is a highly skilled and experienced facilitator and trainer in contemplative learning practices, focusing on meditation, Process Work, transformative education, dialogue, teambuilding, art and Co-active Coaching. His work is rooted in experience as an ordained Buddhist monk in the tradition of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu for over 10 years.
SUNISA JAMWISET (OM)
Om spent years as a member of Wongsanit Ashram eco-community, before starting her own community, Gaia Ashram on her degraded family land in NE Thailand. Her home is now well-known as a model of applied permaculture and sustainable living, with regular trainings based on head, heart, hand learning principles. Aom is also a key member of GEN (Asia) has also facilitated the set-up of the regional NextGEN – the youth-based movement of the Global Ecovillage Network.
KANCHANAPORN MEEYAI
Kanchanaporn is a certified art therapist with over a decade of experience sharing the therapeutic value of creative expression in art and music. She has developed and combined her knowledge of healing through sounds and in many different forms of art including body movement and voices into her practice.
YI-MAN AU, PHD
Yi-man is an applied theatre/drama education practitioner, trainer and researcher. She received her PhD from University of Melbourne and Master Degree in Applied Drama from University of Exeter. She has been involved in more than a hundred projects on applied theatre/drama education both in educational and community settings.
OUR NETWORK
The Awakening Leadership Training is an exciting and innovative programme which builds upon more than 2 decades of grassroots leadership, Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) and engaged spirituality education in South East Asia by Spirit in Education Movement (SEM), International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) and Ecovillage Transition Asia (ETA).
Internationally, we work in partnership with Gaia Education (UK) and Global Ecovillage Network (GEN), as well as being part of a wide movement of groups, organisations and individuals working towards systemic change for a regenerative world.
International Network of Engaged Buddhists
The INEB Institute is the Institute for Transformative Learning of the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB). The Institute is a result of the vast experience of training in the integration of Buddhism and social activism of the INEB community.
Spirit in Education Movement
SEM is a transformative learning organisation providing education in Thailand and wider Southeast Asia that is based on ecology, engaged spirituality and local wisdom. SEM was founded in 1995 with the aim to offer alternatives to mainstream education that are founded upon personal and societal transformation.
Ecovillage Transition Asia
ETA is a small initiative by a small group of like-minded people, promoting a transition to redesigned rural and urban environments and coexisting with nature harmoniously with the intention that it will lead to a more conscientious, empowered and spiritually rooted Asian society.
Global Ecovillage Network
GEN catalyzes communities for a regenerative world. It is a growing network of regenerative communities and initiatives that bridge cultures, countries, and continents.
GEN builds bridges between policy-makers, governments, NGOs, academics, entrepreneurs, activists, community networks and ecologically-minded individuals across the globe in order to develop strategies for a global transition to resilient communities and cultures.
Gaia Education
Gaia ED is an international NGO which provides students of all ages and cultural backgrounds with knowledge and skills to design a thriving society. We teach our students how to use energy and resources with greater efficiency, distribute wealth equitably, and make quality of life the focus of future thinking. Our learners become Changemakers, capable of playing active roles in transitioning their communities to sustainable and regenerative practices, lifestyles and infrastructures.
Ecoversities Alliance
The Ecoversities Alliance is committed to radically re-imagining higher education to cultivate human and ecological flourishing. Ecoversities seek to transform the unsustainable and unjust economic, political and social systems/mindsets that dominate the planet.