By Miirabaii Price
Beginning in February, 2018, Asheville NC Proutists conducted a 9-week Prout Study Circle using Tools to Change the World, Study Guide Based on the Progressive Utilization Theory (Prout), Level One, co-authored by Dada Maheshvarananda and Mirra Price. In this launch of the new Prout curriculum, we had as many as six participants, and as few as two participants, besides the facilitators. Hiranmaya, Dada Maheshvarananda, and Miirabaii co-taught the sessions.
We studied the Five Fundamental Principles of Prout, Balanced Economy, Cooperatives, Minimum Necessities of Life, Dharma, Wealth Cap, and Yama-Niyama as well as learning Activist Tools for Social Change like Telling Our Stories, using Winning Words, journaling, public speaking, starting cooperatives, creating consciousness-raising groups, and One-on-One Interviews. At the beginning of each session, we conducted discussions on different social issues, including poverty, unemployment, holistic health, depression and chronic stress, wealth inequality, debt, unpacking privilege, critical study, pollution and climate change, and crime.
Facilitators wished to make the Prout Study Circle as participant-centered as possible. Each study circle session included much discussion and group work to make the content relevant for participants. We encouraged members to keep a journal in which they wrote questions about the readings and course content. We incorporated homework, which included extra readings and viewing videos on topics covered in each week’s session. Outside projects were assigned in which participants interacted with people outside the group to ask their opinions about the social issues and Prout solutions we were studying together.
Several participants expressed their desire to continue to learn about Prout and to be part of a Prout project to help the local community, possibly a cooperative. Tools to Change the World and a companion Facilitation Guide will be available soon in a printed version and as a pdf on several Prout websites. You, too, could start your own study group wherever you live around the globe. Contact Miirabaii at miirabaii@prout-global.org to obtain your copy of the study guide. Let’s all sprout Prout!