ourselves as learners

We’re very excited about sharing the journey to explore the world inside and outside of ourselves.  We see ourselves as subjective beings on this path to learning, drawing on our firsthand life experience, while being aware that our experiences are shaped by the structures and systems of power in place that either offer us the benefits of ‘belonging’ or the consequences of not.  We are of the belief that all that we know and do not know is a result of our experience as agents in an environment.

Our greatest driver is the desire to strengthen our minds, spirits, and bodies (our heads, hearts, and hands) in service to understanding our part in upholding oppressive structures, while practicing a life of generosity, humility, and active participation, one that is dedicated to the constant creation of critical consciousness.

Our greatest barrier is our own resistance and fear of seeing ourselves through the different lenses with which the world sees us.  The difficulty of holding up a mirror and seeing ourselves honestly in terms of who we are and what we represent.

We want to shake our complacency, our silent acceptance of “the way things are”.  We refuse to be shackled by our socialization and sequestered to our comfort zones, where our ideas are never challenged and learning never happens.  We want to understand ourselves and understand others, in the hopes that when we see the different parts, hear the different pain, and sit honestly with our different fears without deflecting, that healing may actually start to happen.

Through taghmees we are aiming to offer a range of activities and trainings, designed specifically for adult learners, drawing on the concepts and principles of experiential learning.  Training topics will cover a range of learning areas and competencies, that enhance participants’ ability to engage in the world critically.

It has been our experience that school kills the joy in learning.  In Einstein’s words, “It is in fact nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry.”  For the sake of igniting our interest, we aim to make learning relevant to our everyday lives, tapping into our natural curiosity in the world around us.