WEAVING ALTERNATIVES #18:
A periodical of the
Global
Tapestry of
Alternatives
LEARNING
AND EDUCATION
JANUARY
2026
The
contents of
this
periodical are
also available
online on this webpage.
Dear Readers,
We are delighted to share with you the 18th
edition of the GTA Periodical. In this edition, we turn attention to
deliberations
on learning
and education
drawing from
the work of
the Learning
and Education
Thematic
Group.
Within the GTA we seek to emphasize that the
process of
weaving
radical
alternatives
is itself a
process of
learning and
thus a central
part of the
work that is
done by
weavers and
endorsers. In
this edition
of the
periodical we
offer a number
of
contributions
from both
weavers and
endorsers
sharing their
work. The
articles
shared include
both learning
and education
and as editors
we recognise
that these are
not the same
thing. We are
reminded of
the caution by
one of our
ancestral
members of the
GTA, Gustavo
Esteva who
noted that
learning is
about having
the agency to
follow your
own path in
freedom whilst
education can
create a
dependency of
someone.
We recognise learning as a conscious and
intentional
act of being
present,
reconnecting,
and becoming.
It is a
practice of
resistance and
imagination as
people such as
bell hooks,
Ivan Illich,
Paulo Freire,
Jean Liedloff,
Casilda
Rodriganez and
Maria
Montessori
have written.
Learning
within the
context of
alternatives
therefore
begins with
recognizing
that the word alternative itself
implies that
there is a
dominant
system. The
current
dominant
system is
destructive,
hegemonic, and
deeply
entrenched.
Within the
GTA, we see
that
mainstream,
formal
education is
part of the
dominant
system.
However we
also recognise
that there are
opportunities
within the
cracks of this
system where
education with
alternatives
and
alternative
education is
arising, to
paraphrase
Erik Olin
Wright. It is
in these
interstitial
spaces that
many of the
educators
within the
Learning and
Education
thematic group
are working to
challenge the
system from
within and
foster radical
alternatives
that we weave
as the GTA.
This periodical first spotlights our weavers where
we learn from Crianza
Mutua Mexico how
weaving spaces
are learning
spaces and how
inter-generational exchange takes place. We also learn with Angging
Aban about
how learning
and knowledge
exchange and
production
takes place in
the weaving
processes of MASSA and how it emerges in encounters.
This is followed by a conversation with Franco
Augusto who
reflects on “A
life beyond
education” and
the dangers
and risks
associated
with
mainstream
education and
the ways we
can take
responsibility
for our own
learning.
These
deliberations
from Franco
are
complimented
by an article
distilling a
webinar
discussion by
Local Futures,
a GTA
endorser.
Written by Thais
Mantovani,
it offers
collective
reflections
from the
webinar on
re-imaging
education in
times of
transformation.
These
contributions
encourage us
to think how
we disrupt
mainstream
education
institutions
and encourage
radical
alternatives
in what we
teach and
learn and how
we learn and
teach.
Building on this transformative pedagogy, the next
two articles
offer
deliberations
on
emancipatory
learning.
Drawing on one
of the radical
pedagogies
within the
GTA, Zozan
Sima’s
article
follows,
sharing the
experiences of
women’s
emancipatory
pedagogic
approaches of
Jineolojî. The
next article
offers a
conversation
on the work of
learning with
the
more-than-human
as Blake
Lavia and
Tzintzun
Aguilar-Izzo share
their learning
processes
listening when
water speaks
with Hannah
Bickel.
In the last part of this periodical, we turn to
alternative
education
projects and
learning and
teaching of
radical
alternatives
in mainstream
education
institutions. Ana
Inés Heras shares
her lived
experience of
working with
tensions for
dynamic
learning and
collaboration.
This is
followed by a
collective
reflection
from members
of The Alternatives Project on
the need for
alternative
education.
Finally, we
conclude the
contributions
with a weaving
process in
popular
pedagogy, the
Next System
Teach-In
written by Deissy
Perilla.
We invite you to connect with the pieces shared in
this
periodical
holding our
vision of
learning as a
process that
is
intentional,
relational,
embodied, and
grounded in
justice. We
also invite
you to
accompany us
in imagining
and building
education as a
tool for
liberation,
not
reproduction
of the
dominant
system.
Learning is
not merely
about
acquiring
knowledge - it
is about
becoming able
to live - and
build -
otherwise.
Guest editors: Vasna Ramasar and
Hannah Bickel.
Editorial team: Madhuresh Kumar,
Beatriz von
Sanger and
Franco
Augusto.
Acknowledgement: This periodical
has come to
life largely
through the
efforts of
Hannah Bickel
who has
supported GTA
in carrying
out interviews
with several
of the
contributors.
Periodical
Articles
Intergenerational
wisdom:
weaving
sense-making
and learnings
in complex
times
Alcar
Zárate López,
Belén Díaz
Velasco and
Itzel Farías
Alcar,
Belén and
Itzel each
have their
story to tell
on how
intergenerational
wisdom is
woven into
their lives.
As part of
Crianza Mutua
México (EN:
Mutual
Nuturing
Mexico), they
reflect on
maintaining
the
relationships
between
ancestors, the
living, and
those yet to
come.
Keep reading ->
Learning
through
struggle and
solidarity:
takeaways from
the Movement
for
Alternatives
and Solidarity
in Southeast
Asia (MASSA)
Ananeza
(Angging) Aban
in
conversation
with Hannah
Bickel
Since its first conference in 2018, MASSA has
brought
together
communities,
activists, and
scholars
across
Southeast
Asia,
documenting
over 60 case
studies and
building
connections
across
borders.
Ananeza
(Angging) Aban
has witnessed
these
developments
first hand.
Her commitment
to grassroots
learning began
over two
decades ago
and has since
evolved into
an
interconnected
web of
activism,
community-led
causes and
academia.
Keep reading->
A
life beyond
education
Franco
Augusto in
conversation
with Hannah
Bickel
Argentina, 2003, A fifteen-year-old and his
friends are
rallying
against their
school’s
curriculum in
an attempt to
take their
learning into
their own
hands. No one
is listening.
This very act
plants the
seed of a
lifelong
process in the
boy’s life - a
process which
not only
confronts his
schooling, but
the very idea
of education
in
post-colonial
Argentina.
Keep reading->
Educating
for the world
we need
Thais Mantovani
This following text was born from a collective
process during
the Feminine
Futures
webinar,
hosted by
Local Futures,
an endorser of
the Global Tapestry of Alternatives and inspired by Thais Mantovani’s
presentation
on
regenerative
education.
Participants
from around
the world were
invited to
reflect,
dream, and
write
together. The
words below
are a weaving
of many
contributions—personal
insights,
ancestral
memory, lived
experience,
and radical
hope.
Keep reading->
The
women’s
emancipatory
pedagogical
approach of
Jineolojî
Zozan Sima
Topics such as ethics-aesthetics, free life in
partnership,
Xwebûn, the
transformation
of the male
are the
subjects that
generate the
most lively
discussions
and interest.
In these
courses, the
most intimate
issues, which
are often
referred to as
private life,
can be
discussed and
questioned
without any
anxiety.
Education is a
woman’s work
in its current
and historical
dimension, and
at the same
time it is the
most
fundamental
vital duty of
society. We
state this as
women of a
society that
has deeply
suffered the
pain of states
and sovereign
men taking
away this
basic vital
responsibility
from us.
Keep reading->
When
water speaks -
listening to
the stories
beneath our
feet
Blake Lavia, Tzintzun Aguilar-Izzo in
conversation
with Hannah
Bickel
What does Nature and their living inhabitants say
when they
speak? And
more
importantly,
how can we
listen when
they do? Blake
Lavia and
Tzintzun
Aguilar-Izzo
are amplifying
nature’s voice
and creating
powerful
narratives of
resistance and
hope. As part
of the Talking
Wings
collective,
they tell
stories from
the
perspective of
the
more-than-human
and its
ecosystems.
Keep reading->
Weaving
with
difference:
the importance
of tension for
learning and
dynamic
coalitions
Dr. Ana Inés Heras in conversation with
Hannah Bickel
For Ana, tension is never an obstacle to be
avoided.
Instead, it
offers
material to be
worked with.
Whether
through
dynamic
coalitions,
participatory
research, or
local
organizing,
Ana Inés Heras
is eager to
build dynamic
and democratic
coalitions -
whilst
acknowledging
that the
journey to get
there is far
from easy.
Hannah Bickel
dialogued with
Ana about her
upbringing,
her work and
the
contributions
that her team
make to
several
different
social
solidarity
groups, mainly
in Argentina,
yet working
also in
coordination
with people
located in
very different
geographies.
Keep reading->
The
need for
alternative
education
Frank Adamson, Rezan Benatar, Michael
Gibbons, Mark
Ginsburg,
Steven Klees,
Giuseppe
Lipari, Carol
Anne Spreen
and Deepa
Srikantaiah
The eight of us are members of The Alternatives
Project (TAP),
a diverse,
transnational
collective of
progressive
academics,
union members,
civil society
activists, and
social
movement
participants
concerned with
building a
global
collective
critical voice
focused on
education and
societal
transformation.
TAP envisions
and works
towards a
foundational
rethinking of
education and
society
globally.
Through TAP,
we seek to
support
building a
movement that
offers a
collective
challenge to
hegemonic
ideas and
policies on
education and
“development.”
We use our
research and
writings,
grassroots
action,
advocacy
campaigns, and
efforts to
connect with
those building
alternatives.
Keep reading->
Next
System
Teach-Ins as a
practice of
popular
pedagogy:
weaving worlds
from North to
South in the
Americas
Deissy Perilla
In 1975, Brazilian educator Paulo Freire made a
powerful
statement that
has endured
for decades in
the discourse
of thousands
of educators
and change
makers around
the world. In
his book
Education for
Critical
Consciousness,
he wrote:
“Education for
liberation
involves the
political
organization
of oppressed
people to
achieve power.
Only then will
there be the
possibility of
a new type of
education that
takes
seriously the
reality and
potential of
each member of
society. This
means thinking
about the
implications
for those who
educate and
the
changes—the
revolutions—we
need.” These
ideas, which
challenge
conventional
education and
understand
pedagogy as a
popular
practice—that
is, something
that belongs
to ordinary
citizens and
the general
public—have
given rise to
multiple
experiences of
popular
education in
different
regions.
Keep reading->
Updates
from the GTA
This section brings together short updates from
different
parts of the
GTA: weavers,
endorsers, and
thematic and
working
groups. These
notes offer a
glimpse into
the ongoing
weaving across
territories,
conversations,
initiatives,
regional
gatherings,
and shared
reflections
happening
across
different
nodes.
Much of this work is quiet, grounded, and ongoing;
from holding
space in
territories,
to organising
events, to
thinking and
acting
together
across
regions. Some
are just
beginning new
cycles of
activity,
others are
deepening
long-standing
processes. We
don’t try to
capture
everything
here, but we
hope these
brief entries
give a sense
of how the
tapestry
continues to
evolve.
Where possible, we’ve added links for those who
want to read
more or
connect
further. As
always, this
space is open,
if you’re part
of the GTA and
would like to
share
something in
future
editions, do
reach out.
As we present to you the update, we are reminded
by what Million Belay from the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa -
one of our
endorsers -
recently said
in an
interview,
food
sovereignty -
and by
extension, the
weaving of
alternatives -
is not about
rejecting
innovation,
but about
choosing its
terms. It’s
about
grounding our
work in
ecology,
cultural
confidence,
and collective
control,
rather than
accepting
market led
dependency as
progress and
modernity.
Agroecology is one such innovation, rooted in
respect for
land and
people,
improving
soil, health,
nutrition, and
resilience in
the face of
climate
shocks. AFSA’s
work -
building
communities of
practice,
supporting
agroecological
livelihoods,
and nurturing
territorial
and
cross‑border
markets - also
shows how
recent global
crises have
exposed the
fragility of
import‑dependent
systems, and
why grounded
alternatives
are not only
possible, but
necessary.
This spirit runs through the tapestry and many of
the updates
you’ll read in
this section
are a
reflection of
that. They are
not just
reports of
activity, but
are
experiments
and
initiatives
building quiet
refusals to
the dominant
systems,
embodying
everyday acts
of
imagination,
innovation and
steady efforts
to reclaim
futures on our
own terms.
New
publication:
Radical
Democracy —
recovering the
roots of
self-governance
& autonomy
In a time of deepening climate, economic, and
political
crises, the
call for
radical
democracy and
autonomy
becomes ever
more urgent.
This new
compilation,
rooted in the
work and
spirit of the
Global
Tapestry of
Alternatives,
brings
together
grounded
stories of
communities
reclaiming
power,
practicing
self-governance,
and building
solidarities
across
borders.
Far from abstract theory, these narratives speak
of lived
resistance and
transformation—from indigenous land reclamation to experiments in
participatory
decision-making and collective autonomy. The report reflects GTA’s core
commitments:
amplifying
alternatives,
nurturing
horizontal
learning, and
weaving
connections
across
struggles and
geographies.
Together, these stories challenge narrow
definitions of
democracy as
state-bound or
procedural,
and instead
invite us to
reimagine it
as a
relational,
morally
grounded
practice—embedded
in land,
culture, and
care.
This publication is both a reflection of the path
we’ve
travelled and
an invitation
to deepen the
journey. It’s
meant for all
those within
and beyond GTA
who are
working to
shift systems
and reclaim
futures.
Access to Details
GTA
at COP30,
Belém:
defending
alternatives
in climate
spaces
In November 2025, the Global Tapestry of
Alternatives
joined
grassroots
networks and
popular
movements in
Belém, Brazil,
to bring
critical
perspectives
and lived
alternatives
to the global
climate
debate. While
official COP30
negotiations
remained
trapped in
market
solutions and
technocratic
fixes, GTA
focused its
energy on the
People’s
Summit and
allied spaces
— amplifying
the voices of
indigenous
communities,
environmental
defenders, and
radical
movements
resisting
extractivism.
Across forums like the Radical Democracy &
Climate
Justice
session
(co-organised
with allies),
the Rights of
Nature
Tribunal, and
the
Ecosocialist
Encounter of
Latin America
and the
Caribbean, GTA
members spoke
of autonomy,
systemic
change, and
justice — not
as policy
slogans, but
as practices
rooted in
lived
resistance.
A special online seminar also challenged the
growing push
for
geoengineering,
unpacking its
risks and
exposing the
logic of
capitalist
continuity it
serves.
These spaces allowed GTA to reaffirm that the
solutions to
the climate
crisis will
not come from
within the
same system
that created
it. Instead,
they are
already being
built in
territories
across the
world —
through
solidarity
economies,
food
sovereignty,
community
governance,
and the
defence of
land, water,
and life.
Ashish Kothari reflected on this moment in his
article COP30:
When People
Step In to
Save the
Planet — a reminder that the real work is happening
outside the
halls of
power.
Access
to Details
GTA
in-person
assembly 2026
– Indonesia
The next Global Tapestry of Alternatives In-Person
Assembly will
take place in
April 2026 in
Indonesia,
under the
theme: “From
Many Worlds to
Pluriversal
Futures:
Weaving
Alternatives
Across
Territories.”
Following the first in-person Assembly held in
2023 in Kenya,
this gathering
marks a
significant
moment for
reflection,
deepening
connections,
and imagining
the next phase
of collective
work within
GTA. Weavers, endorsers, and allies from across regions will
come together
for a week of
exchange,
dialogue, and
celebration of
alternatives.
The Assembly will be co-hosted by Konfederasi
Pergerakan
Rakyat
Indonesia
(KPRI) and
MASSA
(Movement for
Alternatives
and Solidarity
in Southeast
Asia), in
coordination
with the GTA
team and local
partners.
Together, they
will form the
local
organising
committee,
helping ensure
the event is
grounded in
the context
and movements
of the region.
Updates
from GTA
Working &
Thematic
Groups
This section highlights recent work from GTA’s
Working and
Thematic
Groups.
These groups are open spaces — all Assembly
members are
welcome to
participate.
For details or
to get
involved,
contact the
group
convenors or
write to: con...@globaltapestryofalternatives.org
Working
Groups
Within
the Global
Tapestry of
Alternatives,
Working Groups
are spaces
oriented
towards
concrete
collective
work. They
focus on
developing
specific
outputs such
as shared
tools,
platforms,
publications,
or processes
that support
the weaving of
alternatives
across
regions. These
groups emerge
from
common needs
identified
within the
network and
are grounded
in practical
collaboration,
experimentation, and shared learning.
Thematic
Groups
Thematic
Groups within
the Global
Tapestry of
Alternatives
are spaces for
deeper
reflection,
dialogue, and
collective
sense-making
around key
systemic
questions
shaping
alternatives
to the
dominant
system. Rather
than being
driven by
predefined
outputs, these groups explore broader political,
conceptual,
and material
themes over
time. Through
deliberation,
research, and
exchange, they
help
articulate
shared
understandings,
imaginaries,
and pathways,
from which
concrete
initiatives
and
collaborations
may also
emerge.
We
invite you to
read the
updates and
reports from
our Working
and Thematic
Groups for the
period
September–December
2025.
Read the full report
Updates from our Weavers
The Global Tapestry of Alternatives is a “network
of networks”.
Each of those
networks acts
in different
parts of the
planet by
identifying
and connecting
Alternatives.
They are the
Weavers. In
the following
section, our
Weavers, the
networks that
currently
weaves it,
from India,
South-East
Asia,
Colombia, and
Mexico shares
updates from
their recent
activities and
actions.
Full
Weavers’
report
available
here->
Crianza
Mutua México
Crianza Mutua México (CMM) continues to nurture local-to-global connections
through
community-based
learning,
reflection,
and creative
expression. In
recent months,
CMM has
carried out
field visits
across
territories in
southern
Mexico,
facilitating
intergenerational
dialogues,
storytelling,
and shared
learning
spaces with
children,
women, and
community
elders.
The collective has been working to strengthen the
visibility of
grassroots
alternatives
through
updates to its
website and
mapping tools.
It has also
contributed to
international
conversations
on
pluriversities,
drawing from
lived
experiences of
autonomy and
community
knowledge in
Chiapas and
Oaxaca.
CMM recently supported a public gathering in
Oaxaca to
honour the
legacy of
Gustavo
Esteva,
including the
launch of new
publications
and
translations
of his work
into other
languages.
These ongoing
efforts
reflect CMM’s
deep
commitment to
local
knowledge,
cultural
resistance,
and
place-based
solidarity.
CMM members also participated in the GTA Virtual
Assembly held
on 11 December
2025.
Simultaneously,
other members
are continuing
fieldwork as
part of the
GTA’s
Alternative
Security
Project.
Internal
communication
within CMM
remains
active, with
an ongoing
commitment to
exchanging
knowledge and
weaving
connections —
grounded in
who we are and
the work we
carry forward.
Vikalp
Sangam (India)
Vikalp Sangam continues to be a vibrant
convergence of
alternatives
across India,
with regional
and thematic
Sangams
(confluences),
and other
events taking
place
throughout
2025.
Highlights
include an
'Alternative
Credit and
Economy'
confluence, an
online
learning
course on
radical
alternatives,
the annual
gathering of
the General
Assembly, and
a planning
meeting for
launching a
South Asia
level process,
with a large
regional
confluence
proposed in
2026. It also
continued its
dialogue and
exchange
programme with
MASSA as a Weaver, with one of its north-east Indian member
organisations
joining the
MASSA annual
gathering in
Cambodia.
Two new publications were released to support
wider
dialogue: a
Vision 2100
for South Asia Bioregionalism and a visually illustrated Framework on Alternatives. Both documents reflect the growing richness and
diversity of
perspectives
emerging from
within the
Sangam
process, and
are freely
accessible
online.
Meanwhile,
stories and
perspectives
on
alternatives
continue to be
added to the Vikalp Sangam website, now totalling nearly 2000 such pieces.
MASSA
– Movement for
Alternatives
and Solidarity
in Southeast
Asia
MASSA hosted its 6th Regional Assembly in November
2025 in Siem
Reap,
Cambodia, a
region where
local
communities
are actively
resisting
extractive
development
and deepening
regional
collaboration.
The gathering
brought
together
members from
across
Southeast Asia
to reflect on
shared
struggles,
collective
resistance,
and regional
alternatives.
The Assembly focused on themes of peace, culture,
and
solidarity,
and affirmed
the importance
of
transboundary
collaboration
in a time of
political and
ecological
uncertainty.
The event
served as a
critical space
to deepen
alliances
across
movements and
communities
facing similar
challenges in
the region.
A short report from the Assembly by Madhuresh,GTA
member,
titled, Weaving a Region of Hope:
Alternative
Regionalism in
Southeast Asia.
Updates
from our
Endorsers
An Endorser is an organization, collective or thematic network
that publicly
expresses its
support to the
GTA process,
and is aligned
to its vision
and values. Endorsers are invited by, or when self-invited, endorsed by,
the
Facilitation
Team, and then
approved by
the Assembly.
Learn
more about
Endorsers
May
First Movement
Technology
May First, a GTA endorser focused on building
autonomous,
movement-aligned
digital
infrastructure,
has spent the
past year
addressing the
urgent need to
reduce
dependence on
Big Tech —
especially in
light of
growing
awareness
around its
complicity
with
surveillance,
right-wing
politics, and
extractivism.
Keep reading->
Post
Growth
Institute
The Post Growth Institute continues to challenge
the logic of
endless
economic
growth and
invite deeper
reflection on
what truly
sustains life.
In a recent
episode of the
Better Future
podcast, Post
Growth Fellow
Michael
Mezzatesta
speaks with
PGI co-founder
Donnie
Maclurcan
about what it
really means
to move beyond
capitalism —
not just
structurally,
but
somatically.
Keep reading->
WoMin
Africa
Alliance
The November 2025 edition of Women Weaving a Just
World, WoMin’s
monthly
newsletter,
brings
powerful
reflections
from African
women and
frontline
communities
engaged in
struggles for
ecological
justice, land
rights, and
liberation
from
patriarchal
and
extractivist
systems.
Keep reading->
Leadership
for the
Ecozoic (L4E)
Leadership for the Ecozoic (L4E) is a
university‑based
network
working
towards
futures
grounded in
mutually
enhancing
relationships
between human
societies and
the broader
community of
life. Based at
McGill
University and
the University
of Vermont,
L4E welcomed
its sixth PhD
cohort in
September
2025, marking
an important
moment in the
growth of a
community of
scholars
committed to
Ecozoic
alternatives,
degrowth,
territories of
life, and
ecological
governance.
Keep reading->
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