Friends, Today, many pieces of a very complex puzzle will align as the first ever School of Dreams participant will step foot in Malawi and begins engaging with the magic we've all, in some way, big or small, contributed to by standing behind this unique concept.
On top of bringing gliders for future paragliding students for supervised ground-handling, Matthew will bring his passion for inspiring classrooms around the world about this wonderful form of free-flight.
Inspired? Registration for 2018 will open next January.
Today, you can Support this Project by:
Contributing Small or X-Small, Airworthy, Student gliders to the project
Grabbing an Adventure Bag, made from recycled paragliders by proud mothers of Malawi
Downloading any of Benjamin's inspiring Adventure Documentaries Today!
Thank you all! <3 Ben
'As for why the project speaks to me, it has a lot to do with my ending up with two new toasters this year. Yes I like toast a lot, and sure there's a fairly reasonable explanation (one's a toaster oven,) but I realized at some point that nobody really needs two toasters. We have so much luxury and comfort in our lives that not everybody shares, and I want to learn how to spread that around. And, with the state of politics in the US turning so many people inward and away from each other, I was compelled to reach out somewhere totally new to expand my world and my connections. I smile most when I'm flying or traveling, and from what I've seen so far Malawians smile most of the time no matter what, so it seems a natural combination. I've started practicing Chichewa, and one of the first websites I found list four different ways to say I am happy! That's reason enough for me.' -Alan [group:image:22869][/][group:image:22870][/][group:image:22868][/]
A paraglider dies after only 400 hours of flying, but what if they could fly forever? Well, after 14 years, and about 2500 hours of flying, I had retired six un-flyable wings to my closet and it was beginning to be a problem. I was holding onto them for sentimental reasons, unwilling to separate myself from the magical adventures each one of them encompassed. What else could I do? [right:image:22306]Years earlier, I had travelled to Malawi, Africa and helped a young man there become his country's first Paraglider Pilot. Since then I have struggled to find a way to help other foreigners feel comfortable in doing the same. To me, the path was always clear, but less clear was determining how the project could be funded. Unwilling to be under the thumb of corporate sponsors or take the standard approach, of soliciting donations of westerners for yet another project in Africa, I was in a moral standoff of sorts. And then one day I opened my closet only to have 40 kg of precariously balanced bags of old nylon come tumbling down and it hit me! I could take these gliders to Malawi, find people who needed work, teach them to transform them into something useful. Then together, we could sell them to support both their community and this unique paragliding initiative. [b]That's what happened, and over the past three years:[/b] - four hard-working moms have learned to sew - they have setup their own communal work space, complete with two foot-powered sewing machines - 20 un-flyable wings have been sent to Malawi - 250 bags have been produced and sold as a result - the program has become self-sustaining model of repurposing, dedication, and ingenuity. [show:image:22684] [b]Now that the bags are selling and the program is running, attention has gone into supporting:[/b] - the a Solar Powered Internet Centre for Youth, complete with a large table and four tablets with access to Wikipedia - 15 volunteers stay at The School of Dreams centre, further contributing to the program infrastructure and local economy - two young Malawians, in their desires to fly free, with another two slated for training in 2019 [right:image:23339]And so what about your wings? [b]Will they fly forever?[/b] Will that porous old nylon be transformed into jobs, useful items and the opportunities for the young men and women of Malawi to share your passion for free-flight? That's for you to decide! Either way, I am grateful to you for taking the time to read about what we have created and invite you to be a part of the magic in whatever way works for you. Here are a few useful links: - Check out the beautiful new [url=https://etsy.com/shop/TheSchoolofDreams]Adventure Bags[/url] - [url=http://theschoolofdreams.org/equipment_form]Donate a glider[/url] (flyable or not) to The School of Dreams - [url=http://theschoolofdreams.org/volunteer_form]Volunteer[/url] in 2019 Ben :) [group:image:22695][group:image:22709][group:image:22710][group:image:22712]
Adventure Bags & Pouches
