This is from my patreon post released 2 weeks ago to my supporters:
Yes! I couldn't wait until the August newsletter to share this news with you all. I will land in Kathmandu October 19 to receive a 10-day volunteer group and also participate and film Conscious Impact's first earthbag dome training workshop which starts in early November. There are some early plannings to stop in a couple other places before returning to North America by the tail end of December for a wedding.
Speaking of wedding, I am hugely grateful for my friends Amy & Harry (met through Conscious Impact in 2016) in contacting me just a couple weeks ago about photographing their special day, which has catalysed and secured my return for season (year) 5. I'm honored that friends continue to book me for their weddings, family portraits, and other fun ideas. These gigs and destinations allow me to have the time anchor points as well as financial resources to travel (often to a new environment), fuel my life, work, and to be of service on my own and alongside organizations/communities like Conscious Impact.
I wish to mention and thank Conscious Impact for funding my plane ticket to Nepal this year, a first and also a sign that we as an organization wish to continue (and increase) our investment in this team moving forward. The upcoming video that I've been working on and teasing you with snippets of is intended to help accelerate and bring all that and more to a reality. You'll no doubt be hearing even more about this soon. That said, your financial support through patreon will allow me to eat, transport, have lodging, work (in the cities), and pick up some replacement & new gear to make this mobile photo & video production team of one possible. ;)
I thought it'd only be appropriate to pair this news with a blog post on what we are looking forward to for this 5th(!) year of Conscious Impact. I figured I'd save you a click by copying the contents of 5 reasons to look forward to season 5:
1. The Homestay Program
Have you ever wanted to spend a full day and night living with a family in the Himalayas? Do you want a closer look at the daily life of a Nepali family? Season 5 will introduce a new Conscious Impact program in collaboration with the local government that will give volunteers a deeper immersion experience while offering local families another way to share their culture and raise money for their basic needs. We are SO excited to roll this out!
Milk tea is a morning staple of Nepali homes. Share this and much more with local community members in our new Homestay Program.
2. Empowered Youth
With 4 years of experience under our wings, Conscious Impact is now ready to expand our Youth Empowerment program. We hope that means more young women in our Girl’s Empowerment Program, more attendance in our After School Homework sessions, one or even two full-time Nepali staff focused on this work, and more volunteer engagement with local youth. We believe that children are the future, and we are committed to deepening our work with Takure’s youth in Season 5.
A Nepali student presents her work before the young Girl’s Empowerment Program.
3. It’s Coffee Time!
Season 5 promises to bring our first coffee harvest! While the first harvest may be small, it still means finally seeing the fruits of 4 years of work. Farmers will be inspired by the coffee beans and the income that comes with it, and we expect that in Season 5, more farmers than ever will want to plant MORE TREES! We aim to grow our Agriculture Program, to plant more coffee, and to diversify the trees we plant.
Narayan Bhattarai with his family and Agricultural Program Lead Greg Robinson. Narayan hopes that this 3-year-old coffee tree will give fruit this December!
4. Get Certified in Natural Building
After years of training local Nepalis and volunteers from around the world in natural building techniques, in Season 5 Conscious Impact will finally begin to offer formal courses in superadobe, earthbags, cob, wattle and daub, adobe, CSEB, rammed earth and bamboo construction. We are SO excited! On November 4th, 2019 we begin our first course, Earthbag Dome Construction and Certification. Read more at https://www.consciousimpact.org/earthbag-dome-training.
From November 4th-13th, Conscious Impact will host its first ever official Natural Building Course: Earthbag Dome Construction. Join us to learn to build your own home in just 10 days!
5. More of the Same!
That’s right, Conscious Impact is committed to continuing what we do and how we do it. In Season 5, our team will sustain our work in Agriculture, Youth Empowerment and Natural Construction. We will collaborate directly with the community to design and implement intelligent and effective development solutions. We will host volunteers from around the world in our environmentally conscious, nearly zero waste camp in the Himalayas, and we will do it all with huge smiles on our faces and hearts full of joy. That is who we are, and we don’t plan to change anytime soon.
We are looking for more volunteers. Learn more and join today at www.consciousimpact.org/volunteer.
Conscious Impact volunteers gather to share gratitude at our camp in Takure.