From a strict law degree to a re-imagined path, meet Ché-vanni Davids, founder of the Re-Imagined Learning Centre. He schools us about un-schooling. After going on a trip to a rural area in Mozambique called Inhambane, Davids realised that he had a different purpose on this earth.
“After returning from my journey I realised that you know what? I don’t have to become a victim to my dreams of yesterday. I can actually dream new dreams and I can actually grow.” Dropping out of varsity and establishing the centre he believes was something he was called upon to start.
Coming from a family of teachers, Davids felt it was sort of a tradition for him to be in the education field and that is how the Re-Imagined Learning Centre was born. Founded four years ago, the centre’s focus lies on self-regeneration and is a community-based project situated in Troyeville.
Davids describes it as a space to learn as a community through intergenerational learning and nature. “Old learn from young and young from old. It goes back to that African proverb that says, ‘It takes a village to raise a child but a child to raise the village,’ because the children of today are our future leaders.”
In terms of natural learning, Davids said it can be described as the practice of involving natural elements that are not usually found in urban Joburg. “We do everything here, urban farming and gardening, permaculture, regenerative garden design and we also have chickens, an egg-laying ecosystem and even beekeeping.
“There’s a whole lot here, we also get some indigenous plant and medical plant enquiries. “It’s a lot of art, a lot of creation and a lot of making so yeah, it’s through making and playing that we have our learning – everything from science to maths. It’s just that we moved away from finding it in text books to finding it in life.”
Situated on a historic spot, formerly known as the Troyeville Tea Garden, the centre is headed by Davids alongside two other permanent facilitators, businesses such as Nando’s head office and Victoria Yards do their bit by engaging with the learners as well.
Operating in an indigenous way, Davids welcomes any type of contribution for the betterment of the centre he calls this ‘Gift culture’. At the moment, he is working on a big project to involve the community more. “The centre is big on nature so we’re working on a website to start some workshops to enable community members to become self-regenerative.
“I want people to be part of the community garden, and make it an interactive place to learn about plants, create their own gardens and take it home, a place to learn how to make stoves out of stones, sand and clay, to help them deal with load-shedding and the high cost of living.”
The intention is to teach people to utilise the things around them, using indigenous practices that are also low maintenance. His hopes for the future and the centre are to have an education system that mutates, grows, falls and gets up again, the ability to work in the community context. Big on learning, he would also like to see un-schooling in practice in the near future.
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