Organic Beats

The Otesha Project is a youth run organization that uses theater to mobilize young people to create local and global change through there everyday choices.

My first week with the Otesha Project was spent on the University of British Columbia (UBC) Farm with the 20 members of the Sunshine Coast Tour (my tour) and the 20 members of the Rocky Mountains Tour. We spent the week doing team building exercises, learning the performance we will do at schools, working on the farm, and just generally building our community and having fun. It has really been an incredible week of learning about myself and others.

This trip is going to be so much more than the magnificent bike tour I envisioned. The skit we are performing illustrates how our everyday food, clothing, water, entertainment, etc. choices affect our world. As we go through practice, I am realizing how much I still have to learn. While my current environment is so supportive of a sustainable lifestyle, I am excited for the challenge to live more sustainably when I return to the States.

Staying on the UBC Farm has been a really neat experience. The last three days I weeded an orchard, planted seeds, and collected brush as work exchange for the privilege of being able to use the farm as a campsite. It was great to get our hands dirty and see how well we already work together as a team.

Tomorrow is a day off (for showers and errands), and then Tuesday we will do a performance in Vancouver and then set off for Gibsons (Ferry and a 24K bike).

The tour journal will be here: http://otesha.ca/journals/tours+2007/sunshine+coast.en.html
and the route can be found here:
http://otesha.ca/bike+tours/tours+2007/sunshine+coast/route+calendar.en.html

I hope this post finds you all well. Cheers!

P.S. Organic beats is the name of our awesome clapping, stomping, singing circle that spontaneously formed our first night.