The Natural Heritage Society of Oamaru Inc runs an array of projects under the umbrella of Transition Oamaru and Waitaki District, with the aim of facilitating a transition to more sustainable ways of living.
The Sustainable Skills Summer School, to be held from January 23 to February 7, is a key initiative, aimed at providing the community with a strong base of skills that promote self-reliance and resilience.
Organiser Phill Kay said the intention of the courses was to build resilient, interconnected communities that used their skills and resources in a more communal, sustainable way.
It was encouraging to see new tutors taking part, as well as past tutors return, with some offering new courses, Mr Kay said.‘‘It's a fairly substantial programme and there's a good range of courses,'' he said.
‘‘It's really focused on practical skills, including areas of self-reliance that we haven't done before.''
New courses include mindfulness and meditation, Tuina (Chinese medical massage), yoga and online-related courses.
‘‘We've got social media, setting up online craft stores; we've got business development skills; we've got publishing online - it's all about self-reliance,'' he said.
‘‘There's a good range in each of the areas that people can go and get some real skills that they can use.
Many people based in Oamaru were using the internet for business as a self-reliant form of income.‘‘It's the best combination,'' he said.
‘‘Oamaru is a cheap place to buy a house, but you might need to make your own work and the internet is a sure part of that.''Already, courses were filling and in many cases, places were limited.
‘‘A lot of the courses are run often in [the tutor's] home, or in a venue they've got,'' he said.
‘‘They're not large courses so we'd encourage people to get in early to avoid disappointment, and that's not just a catch-phrase.''This year's school also includes a free film festival, on January 23
‘‘It's a whole day of TED talks and short films ... that's our big addition this year,'' he said.
Full details about the 2016 Sustainable Skills Summer School are available at www. sustainableoamaru.org.nz.
