Global Oneness Project

01/04/2024

The End of a 17-Year-Long Journey

For the past 17 years, we’ve been dedicated to sharing stories from around the world. Throughout our journey, we’ve traversed almost every continent, documenting the lives of individuals and communities whose experiences shed light on how we can embrace our common humanity. It has been a true joy to share these stories with you and we are so grateful to you for all your support over the years.

Global Oneness Project has ended this 17-year-long journey at the end of 2023. The good news is that our website will remain online, serving as a free archive library for years to come. Our goal is that our stories and lessons will remain available and continue to support educators and students.

If you have registered as a user on our website, keep an eye out for an email in the upcoming week that will provide specific instructions on how to archive and download your collections.

Throughout the year, I’ve been reflecting on my experiences with educators and students, both inside and outside of the classroom. I plan to publish two more essays as part of a series, "Our Education Begins With Us," that weaves the essence of education with an exploration of storytelling. What stories have the potential to bring us closer to one another and to ourselves?

I truly believe in the transformative power of stories in shaping students’ journeys in this world. The renowned writer and professor Joseph Campbell described this power when he wrote that stories and myths help you “to put your mind in touch with this experience of being alive.” We can hope that when students explore their inner selves, they will, in turn, contribute to the interconnected web of life through compassionate action, stewardship, and service.

Thank you for all you do in the service of learning.

Cleary Vaughan-Lee
Executive Director
Global Oneness Project

01/03/2024

"I have a reverence for nature. It was the season of roses and they were in full bloom. I rode my bike through the woods to a rose garden in my city. I had a feeling of wonder— there were thousands of roses, hundreds of hues, the smell of infinite fragrances, and the humming of innumerable insects. I caught a glimpse of a beautiful rosebush. I set my camera ready, I bent forward, intensely aware of everything around me, and waited for the perfect frame and the perfect moment when an insect would come and stay on my selected flower. A ladybug came. This powerful moment reminded me of the beauty of the symbiosis between all the beings of nature. We are nothing without this connection and link. I am nothing without it.

I know that when inspiration comes to me, I have to capture it and not let it slip. I learned how to recognize when I have inspiration. The film and the Earthrise photo informed me and inspired me to always seek new perspectives when shooting photos.

My beautiful city is important to me. It is where I grew up, where all my loved ones are living, and where I learned photography. I would like my place to be remembered for its beautiful gardens and flowers. I would like my city to be remembered for its commitment to protecting the environment, to protecting the planet, because we only have one—whether it is seen on a galactic scale, like in Earthrise, or on a minuscule scale, like a rose."
—Tom Nesti (17) Nantes, France

From artifacts to portraits and landscapes of the living world, explore student artwork to encourage meaningful conversations, and foster empathy and curiosity in the classroom with our Student Gallery.

https://www.globalonenessproject.org/gallery/

01/02/2024

For millennia, Native communities have successfully stewarded, shaped, and cared for the land, but centuries of colonization have disrupted their ability to maintain traditional land management practices. These five films follow Native American Tribes across deserts, coastlines, forests, and prairies as they restore traditional land management practices. The stories document the sustaining traditions of Hopi dryland farming in Arizona, the restoration of buffalo on the Blackfeet reservation in Montana, sustainable forestry on the Menominee reservation in Wisconsin, the revival of Native food forests in Hawaii, and the return of prescribed fire to the landscape by the Karuk Tribe of California. These time-tested practices from North America’s original inhabitants provide essential solutions during our global climate crisis.

Our feature "Inhabitants: An Indigenous Perspective" by Costa Boutsikaris and Anna Palmer now includes high school lesson plan "Indigenous Perspectives on Restoring Our World" in which students will engage in learning experiences to explore the message of each story, the importance of Native perspectives, and how a deeper relationship to the earth is essential for the future of our planet and all of its inhabitants.

The curriculum includes background information on each Native community, their land management practices, discussion questions, writing prompts, and exercises connected to the SDGs. Standards are also included.

https://www.globalonenessproject.org/lessons/indigenous-perspectives-restoring-our-world

12/30/2023

The World Happiness Index measures happiness through six variables:
Money (spending power).
Health and life expectancy.
Social support (having someone to count on).
Freedom to make life choices.
Freedom from corruption.
How generous one acts and feels.

Is there anything missing from this list that you feel should be recognized as an indicator of happiness?

The short film, "Mr. Happy Man" by Matt Morris, documents the life of 88-year-old Bermudian, Johnny Barnes, who devotes six hours of his day greeting passers-by at a traffic circle in the capital city of Hamilton, with the hope of spreading positivity and joy as well as being of service to others.

The pursuit of happiness can seem arduous, requiring effort and time to reach one’s goals. Yet, sometimes, happiness can be simple, experienced through moments of love and attention.

Find this film and high school lesson plan here: https://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/films/mr-happy-man

Meet 88-year-old Bermudian Johnny Barnes, who devotes six hours each day to an endearing traffic ritual.

12/29/2023

"Learning can often take on an invisible and personalized form, known only to the student who is going through the process. Art critic John Berger’s analogy of memory as a radial process, where numerous associations converge on a central event, captures the dynamic nature of memory."

Memory serves as a powerful narrative tool in storytelling, intricately weaving a character’s remembering and forgetting. This mysterious nature of memory is intriguing, as it divulges secrets from distant times and places, constellating new inquiries and insights.

"Memory’s Radial Path to Learning," an essay by Cleary Vaughan-Lee, is part of "Our Education Begins With Us"—a collection of essays that explore how stories are at the heart of our education.

https://www.globalonenessproject.org/stories/our-education-begins-us

12/28/2023

“I wanted to make a film that celebrates the spirit of African women as often they are the unsung heroes of a flawed society.”

In the heart of Limpopo, South Africa, the “Vhakegula Vhakegula”—or the village grannies—lace up their soccer shoes and kick their way through centuries of taboos. These women are serious about the game of soccer as well as the bond of community through laughter and song. They are waging a singular fight for a decent life, true health, and the opportunity to live joy amidst a brutal world.

'Alive & Kicking: The Soccer Grannies of South Africa', a film by Lara-Ann De Wet.

https://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/films/alive-kicking-soccer-grannies-south-africa

12/27/2023

“Being a weaver and a homesteader is a lifestyle that’s based both in remembering and trailblazing.”—Jessica Green

"The Art of Weaving" by Jeremy Seifert is a glimpse into the life and work of Jessica Green, an innovative weaver and homesteader who lives in the Sandy Mush Community of Western North Carolina. This region of Appalachia is known for its deeply rooted traditions of weaving and artisanship. Green’s traditional weaving patterns—also known as ‘recipes’— take inspiration from the designs of Colonial American coverlets. She aims to “deconstruct and reinvent to discover a craft that feels like my own retelling of the past.” Carrying forward a mostly women’s tradition of craftsmanship, Green takes pride in being a part of a nationwide resurgence of local artisan weavers. In the face of overwhelming economic pressure from corporate mass producers, Green is working “to bring a threadbare history back into consideration.”

https://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/films/art-weaving

12/26/2023

"I have always been fascinated by bird nests. When I was younger, I would try to make them on my own but, unsurprisingly, I never could quite manage to. The technique, time, and effort that a bird puts into building a nest is something that I try to emulate in my artistic practice. I’m a filmmaker and the work that I do often involves weaving random pieces of stuff together into something beautiful. A bird can see the value in a single piece of thread or a piece of trash. I think that is something we should all aspire to. I found this nest at a particularly low point in my life. It was a reminder that good things take time to build.

The living world is constantly telling us what it needs, but often, we don’t listen. Taking the time out of our day to put everything down and be in nature is something that a lot of people don’t make time to do. As humans, it is our responsibility to fight for a more equitable world where everyone can take the time to connect with the living earth that we are all a part of. We have a responsibility to fight against the corporations and oil magnates who are knowingly causing harm to this planet that we all call home. We already know what the living world is saying. Listening to it is another matter altogether."
—Rose Lehrman (17) from Michigan, U.S.

From artifacts to portraits and landscapes of the living world, explore student artwork to encourage meaningful conversations, and foster empathy and curiosity in the classroom with our Student Gallery.

https://www.globalonenessproject.org/gallery

12/25/2023

Season's greetings to all of our educators, collaborators and greater community.
May this be a time of reflection, gratitude and abundance with people held dear.

Image from our Photo Essay "Shadow Within" by Christian Houge, which explores man's relation to the wolf and ultimately, to himself, and includes a High School Lesson Plan "The Man and the Wolf."

https://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/photo-essays/shadow-within

12/24/2023

'Get on the highest rocks,
whistle with all your strength,
backwards, towards childhood,
and see if the echo remembers.'

'Silbo gomero', also known as 'el silbo', is a form of communication that has been used by residents of La Gomera, an island off of Morocco’s Atlantic coast, since before European settlers arrived in the 15th century.
El Silbo ('silbo' is Spanish for whistle) is an ancient whistling language used by shepherds and farmers to communicate across hilltops to warn of fires, announce events, and tell neighbors to bring over wine.

'El Silbo' by Angello Faccini.

https://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/films/el-silbo

12/23/2023

An ancient prophecy of the Indigenous peoples of Quichua, Ecuador, speaks of a time when the eagle and the condor fly together - a time when western technological advancements, symbolized by the eagle, will support indigenous wisdom, symbolized by the condor.

Don Alverto Taxo, a Quichua elder and Iachak (community leader/healer) tells us the time of this prophecy is upon us, and invites us all to bring what is in our hearts out into life—a beautiful message to consider during the festive season.

“An Invitation” by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee.

Listen to the whole message: https://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/films/invitation



https://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/films/invitation

12/21/2023

The Hadzabe of Tanzania in East Africa are one of the last remaining tribes of hunter-gatherers in the world. Their numbers are now fewer than 1,500 and are threatened due to encroachment of neighboring pastoralists and agriculturalists as well as a misunderstanding and discrimination by the outside world. Genetic testing indicates they may represent one of the primary roots of the human family tree, more than 100,000 years old.

"Since connecting with the Hadza, I’ve been drawn to the connection between sustainability and indigenous wisdom - they are, in fact, inseparable; my wish is to evoke a deep questioning of complacency, especially society's universal lack of integrity within this connection. I hope to educate and visually engage viewers with a clear narrative, to explore nature’s operating systems, and to reawaken our cellular memory of our relationship with the wild."—Nicol Ragland

"The Hadzabe of Tanzania" by Nicol Ragland.

https://www.globalonenessproject.org/library/photo-essays/hadzabe-tanzania