A Women's Learning Journey to South Africa

November 1 - 12, 2011

The Berkana lnstitute invites you on a Women's Learning Journey to South Africa, to ex-
pIore the roIe that women are pIaying in recreating community, government, and them-
seIves. This journey promises to be a provocative, inspiring and transformative personaI
experience as we encounter the promise and paradox of the New South Africa as it con-
tinues to strive to become a truIy Rainbow Nation" 17 years on from its hrst democratic
eIections.
South /rica, mor than most placs at this tim, rvals th human xprinc in all its com-
plxity-our capacity or hop in th ac o opprssion, or orgivnss that transcnos o-
humanization, or compassion that triumphs ovr aggrssion. Ths paraooxs ano choics
ar clarly sn in prsonal storis, in govrnmnt ocisions ano policis, ano in community
practics. Gtting to know South /rica is an xploration o th human spirit-thir story
rvals our story.
Vomn ar playing th pivotal rol in crating chang (as is tru worlowio now).Th South
/rican Parliamnt is 45% womn (th U.S. Congrss is 7%). /no in community atr com-
munity, womn as inormal laors hav stppo orwaro to solv local problms without
waiting or ormal authority or rsourcs. Thy hav walko out o limiting blis about
thmslvs ano thir communitis ano walko on to crat sustainabl solutions to sm-
ingly unsolvabl problms. Vomn o all ags hav uso thir ingnuity ano caring to ngur
out how to work with what thy hav to crat what thy no.
Our ltinerary: November 1-12
November 1-5: Johannesburg
V bgin by immrsing ourslvs ully in th contrasts ano paraooxs that ar South /-
rica. V will mt with womn in high govrnmnt ano corporat positions, womn in poor
townships who hav ovlopo solutions to community issus, ano young womn working
with social chang. V will har storis ano myths o olo /rica prormo by a young sto-
rytllr ano pot. V will ngag with top-lvl womn laors ano aspiring young laors
in a ormal sminar that xplors our oirnt xprincs as womn laors ano what w
can larn rom on anothr. V will spno tim in Joubrt Park, an allianc o social srvic
agncis crating a rbirth o possibilitis in th hart o Johannsburg. (Joubrt Park is
part o Th Prkana Exchang, a larning community o pionring laors worlowio, ano
is aturo in th book EOZY=cbEOZY=\.) V will visit th inspiring Constitutional Court
that mboois th spirit o th nw South /rica in its osign, ano visit th olo Vomn's Jail
on this sit that's bn transormo into spac or womn's rights organizations.
November 5-7: Game Park

V will bgin rncting on our xprincs o Johannsburg in th South /rican bush. ln
th prsnc o /rica's rich ano abunoant oivrsity o li, w will intrsprs gam orivs
with rst ano rnction: How oos what w ar larning hr rlat to our own work ano
laorship as womn?

November 7-11: Cape Town
Cap Town provios us with opportunitis to b with womn laors o all typs, as wll as
with artists ano authors. l Parliamnt is in sssion, w will hav th uniu xprinc o
obsrving a govrning booy whr womn compris narly hal o th mmbrs. V will
visit a oivrsity o communitis, rom townships whr racial inuality is still rampant, to
th anunt oowntown aras o this city that rival San Francisco. Evnings w can n|oy th
xubrant ano convivial nightli o Cap Town.
O th coast o Cap Town is Robbn lslano, th prison islano whr Nlson Manola ano
othr utur laors o South /rica wr imprisono or mor than twnty yars. /ll tours
ar conoucto by ormr prisonrs; thy oscrib how political prisonrs convrto this
brutal prison to a plac o stuoy ano prparation or South /rica's utur laors by thir
unwavring practic o non-violnc.
On th bautiul coast ast o Cap Town, w will spno a oay with th South /rican Fishr-
womn's /ssociation (with whom Prkana partnrs). Ths rmarkabl womn hao to nght
or thir constitutional right to bcom commrcial nshrwomn. Thy worko thir way
out o oir povrty ano abus to crat halth ano wll-bing or thir amilis ano commu-
nitis. ln aooition to commrcial nshing, thy hav crato oth pro|cts or womn to arn
incom ano ovlop thmslvs. (Vorlowio, womn rinvst 7C% o thir arnings back to
th community; mn contribut only 3C%.)
November 11-12: Cape Town
V spno th last two oays o th |ourny rncting ano intgrating what w hav xpri-
nco ano making plans or our own prsonal |ournys going orwaro. V will consior how
w ar constraino or inhibito rom oring our laorship; w will rnct on th womn's
laorship w hav |ust obsrvo in South /rica; w will xplor th ustions that coulo
support us stpping orwaro with mor courag ano clarity. /no w will clos with an /ri-
can ritual that anrms our intntions going orwaro.
About WaIk Out WaIk On and The Berkana lnstitute
This larning |ourny is inspiro by th book, EOZY=cbEOZY=\(/:SO`\W\U8]c`\SgW\b]
1][[c\WbWSa 2O`W\U b] :WdS bVS 4cbc`S <]e, by Margart Vhatly ano Dborah Friz.
Th authors invit raors on a larning |ourny to svn communitis arouno th worlo-
incluoing Johannsburg ano Cap Town, South /rica-to mt popl who hav eOZYSR
]cbo limiting blis ano assumptions ano eOZYSR]\ to crat halthy ano rsilint com-
munitis. This book is baso on Mg ano Dborah's work with Th Prkana lnstitut.
Th Prkana lnstitut ors this larning |ourny as part o our ssntial work in conncting
ano supporting path braking laors arouno th worlo who strngthn thir communitis
by working with th wisoom ano walth alraoy prsnt in thir popl, traoitions ano n-
vironmnt. V onn a laor as anyon willing to stp orwaro to crat chang in thir
worlo. V know that th laors w no ar alraoy hr.
How do l sign up7
V can accommooat 25 participants on this trip. To larn mor or to sign up, plas con-
tact Laurn Parks at laurnbrkana.org or call 6C3-66-294. Dposits ar ou by /ugust
5, 2C.
How much does it cost7
Th pric o this |ourny is $59CC. This incluos looging, most mals, grouno transporta-
tion, activity s ano your night rom Johannsburg to Cap Town. lt oos not incluo your
intrnational night, trip insuranc, prsonal xpnss or gratuitis.
How do l purchase airIine tickets7
Participants ar rsponsibl or making thir own air travl arrangmnts. Th |ourny b-
gins ano nos rom two oirnt airports in South /rica, ano tickts will no to b pur-
chaso accoroingly. Participants will arriv in O. R. Tambo lntrnational /irport in Johanns-
burg (ORTl/) ano opart rom Cap Town lntrnational /irport (CTl/). (Your Johannsburg
to Cap Town night will b booko by us ano is incluoo in th cost o th |ourny.) l you
woulo prr to purchas a rounotrip tickt in ano out o Johannsburg plas contact us
ano w will provio you with inormation about th local airlins, which can ny you rom
Cap Town back to Johannsburg.
For more information, visit us at www.berkana.orQ/Women2D11

About your hosts
MeQ WheatIey
/lthough Mg is wll-known or hr books ano tachings, prhaps lss
visibl is hr op hart connction to South /rica. Sh has bn going
thr to larn, to work, to oiscovr sinc 995, on yar atr Manola
bcam prsiont. lt's in South /rica that sh larno to bar witnss
ano to ncountr th xtrms o human bhavior in storis o unspak-
abl brutality unor aparthio to transcnont orgivnss as th op-
prsso ano th opprssors bgan working togthr in nw rlation-
ships. Sh's ovlopo nouring rlationships with womn laors, participato in Prkana's
work thr, ano lo thr prvious larning |ournys to South /rica. Sh continus to larn
rom this nation's volution, rom its nrst oays o bright hop ano bounolss nrgy to it's
currnt oilmmas o how to mak th promis mor ral or mor popl.
Marianne Knuth
Mariann is passionat about supporting popl in coming togthr in
mor authntic ano li-anrming ways to connct to prviously unsn
possibility. Sh is an xampl o 'Valking Out ano Valking On' rom
hr work with co-crating Pionrs o Chang, a global larning com-
munity committo to ostring unorstanoing, capacitis ano rlation-
ships noo by youngr practitionrs stpping orwaro to crat th
chang thy want to s in th worlo; to co-crating Kuunoa Larning
Villag, a laorship larning cntr aimo at th cration o locally
rooto solutions to community sl-rlianc challngs in Zimbabw, ano byono. Sh has
spnt th past 4 yars living ano working in South /rica, whr hr work has ocuso on
multi-stakholor oialogu primarily in th chilorn's sctor. Sh rcntly rturno to Zim-
babw rom South /rica. / common thrao in all o Mariann's work ano xplorations is a
op commitmnt ano conviction that thr is incroibl wisoom ano walth in /rica, that
w can all bnnt rom conncting to. Mariann ano hr husbano Paul hav th plasur o
raising twins, Josph ano Emily, born Sptmbr 2CC8.
The Berkana Institute
Whatever the problem, community is the answer