In this rich and reflective conversation recorded beside the winter fire on Bundjalung Country, Australia co-hosts and Directors of Luminous Youth Erica and Paul explore their application of localising education. Drawing inspiration from the work of Helena Norberg-Hodge and the film The Economics of Happiness, they reflect on how place-based culture, education, and story can nurture the well-being of our children, families, and communities in times of great change.
Speaking from lived experience—Erica as a mother and initiator of Luminous Youth, and Paul as an educator and mentor—they trace how globalised education has eroded our sense of place, and how re-rooting ourselves in local ecology, story, and seasonal rhythms can reignite joy, wonder, and community vitality. Woven throughout is an invitation to reclaim learning as a sacred, shared, and deeply personal act—alive with relevance, beauty, and ancestral remembering.
🌀 Topics Covered
-
Localisation as a Cultural Movement
Reflections on World Localisation Day and the global-to-local shift as essential for planetary and personal well-being. -
Globalisation’s Impact on Traditional Cultures
Paul’s story of witnessing the transformation of a Himalayan village due to centralised education and corporate influence. -
Reclaiming Place-Based Learning for Our Children
Erica’s early realisation that most children’s books were filled with foreign animals and values, and her journey into creating a locally-rooted homeschool co-op. -
The Birth of Luminous Youth
The creation of a learning community where children are mentored by passionate local creatives, artists, monks, and healers—offering living examples of purpose and community contribution. -
Story as Living, Localised Education
How storytelling becomes a tool for embedding children into the landscape, offering emotional guidance and deepening ecological relationship. -
The Role of Animals and Landscape in Moral Development
Using stories of local animals (e.g., the barn owl, velvet worm) to transmit emotional intelligence and life skills linked to local places. -
Restoring the Village Model of Learning
The importance of children knowing and being mentored by real people in their local community—sparking memory, relationship, and belonging. -
Parenting as Relational, Co-Learning Journey
The power of learning alongside children—sharing awe, humility, and discovery as equal partners in the learning process. -
The Need for Seasonal, Locally Relevant Celebrations
How families can creatively adapt mainstream holidays (like Easter) to reflect the actual seasonal rhythms and ecological signals of their local place. -
Well-being Through Ecological Wonder and Relationship
Reclaiming joy, awe, and emotional resilience by becoming aware of the living world just outside our door—and loving it enough to protect it. -
What’s Ahead
A preview of future conversations about parental well-being, emotional fatigue, and how localization supports not only children, but caregivers too.
World Localization Day is an annual celebration convened by the international NGO Local Futures. On June 21, 2025 and throughout the month of June, Local Futures and an array of amazing Global Partners host in-person and online events to highlight localisation as a strategy for change. And not least, to celebrate the many efforts and initiatives that foster ecological economies, thriving communities and healthy local food systems.