Emergent Strategy 3: Self Directed Residency
May 8, 2020
When the pandemic hit, we made the decision to continue Place Corps but adapt to the circumstances. We spoke about this adaptability in the beginning of the year as an emergent strategy; we recognize that adaptability to what emerges is necessary for thriving. We refer to the definition of emergence as “the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. It is a system that makes use of everything in the iterative process” (Brown, Emergent Strategy). The foundation of Place Corps is designed to grow organically, be connected, and adapt to change.
As part of our emergent strategies, Place Corps has worked diligently to develop a self-directed residency at the Place Corps campus in response to a summer impacted by Covid-19. This residency provides Place Corps residents the opportunity to stay in the Hudson Valley beyond the 10-month Place Corps program to deepen their connection to their new found place, learnings, community, and to develop their next professional steps in service of their calling.
Our cohort has opted to extend their time at Place Corps for an additional three-month learning term. Residents are currently living and working at our Schnackenberg residence as a collaborative cohort operating with co-governance and applying their year-long learning to regenerative design projects on campus including: silvopasture, pollinator gardens, the homestead garden, developing water catchment systems and waste systems as well as working with new economies such as time banking and more. They are using this summer season to further test their new knowledge autonomously while considering their next professional steps in service of their calling to know, love, and serve their places.
“This pandemic has put into clear focus that the work we have set out to do at Place Corps, while relevant in “good” times, is vital in times of such uncertainty, suffering, and hardship. What this pandemic has brought into stark relief is how much Place Corps addresses and/or attempts to address many of the issues that so many people around the world are facing. From food sovereignty to a vibrant local community of support. From self-agency to deep compassion for others. From alternative economic models to the pursuit of justice for all. These are just a few of our core educational pursuits to improve humanity.”
Paul Rix, PC Educator