ALIVELIHOODS & ALTERNATIVES IN A WORLD OF CRISES

TRAVELLERS' UNIVERSITY
NURTURING YOUTH TO BECOME TRANSFORMATIVE LEADERS

At Travellers’ University, we believe in the transformative power of youth leadership to create meaningful social change. Our unique approach uses Travel as a Pedagogy, designing immersive, experiential journeys that blend grassroots wisdom, hands-on learning, and deep inner reflection.

We empower young learners to explore the profound connections between themselves, the communities they engage with, the systems they are part of, and the rest of nature. By nurturing critical perspectives, providing practical tools, and creating spaces for purposeful action, we unlock the immense potential of youth to address the pressing challenges of our times.

Our vision is to cultivate a generation of conscious leaders—individuals who live with purpose, work with integrity, and lead with compassion. Together, we strive to build a more sustainable, equitable, and just world.

The programmes at Travellers’ University are more than just journeys—they are transformative experiences that inspire new ways of thinking, being, and shaping our collective future.

Join us as we reimagine what’s possible.

THE WORLD WE LIVE IN

We live in an era of metacrisis, a time of converging and compounding challenges. Socio-economic inequities, ecological collapse, political authoritarianism, and a crisis of wellbeing are deeply interconnected, reshaping the world as we know it. In this rapidly changing landscape, how do we cultivate the resilience, wisdom, and agency needed to navigate systemic disruptions and co-create a regenerative future?

The crises of our time demand more than solutions; they demand a fundamental shift in how we see, think, and relate. At Travellers’ University, we are reimagining human response to crises as a journey of awakening, (un)learning, and co-creating; one that equips changemakers to respond to the metacrisis with clarity, compassion, and collective power. The future is not predetermined; it is shaped by how we learn, connect, and act today.

Will you journey with us?

TRAVEL AS A PEDAGOGY FOR LEARNING

True learning must go beyond four walls; it must awaken a deeper understanding of our place in an interdependent world. Our mission is to broaden perspectives and deepen awareness, guiding learners to recognise their role within a dynamic, living planet.

We immerse our community of learners in the pluriverse—a tapestry of diverse worldviews, cultures, and ecological wisdom—to spark curiosity, challenge assumptions, and foster humility in the face of complexity.

Through experiential, travel-based learning, we engage with transformative knowledge and cross-disciplinary tools, nurturing critical thinking, self-reflection, and the courage to act.

ALIVELIHOODS

Alivelihoods offer a transformative power, a way of working and living that nurtures the self, community, and the planet. In a world facing complex crises, can our livelihoods become a force for regeneration and aliveness?

Alivelihoods are more than just livelihoods, they are pathways to personal fulfillment, collective wellbeing, and ecological harmony. They invite us to live intentionally, learn continuously, and engage in resistance, reformation, reimagination, and recreation. Through this pursuit, we can co-create a thriving world where work is not just a means of survival, but a source of vitality for all life.

PROGRAMMES

Explore the plural responses

to the metacrisis in terms of

`one’s ways of being, doing and becoming, in a residential setting.

Take a journey of the collective

to meet and learn from

inspiring alivelihood practitioners driving change in the grassroots.

Take the leap to pursue

the alivelihood of your choice

by broadening understanding, deepening skillsets and joining

a community of practitioners.

ECOSYSTEM BUILDING

At Travellers’ University, we recognise that addressing the metacrisis cannot be undertaken by a single organisation or a handful of individuals alone. It demands the convergence of diverse actors—organisations, movements, and individuals—working across sectors to share narratives, exchange learnings, and pool time, resources and energies.

Committed to co-creating such collaborative spaces, Travellers’ University actively engages in ecosystem building to facilitate collective visioning and action.

Some of the key networks and processes through which we contribute to ecosystem building include Vikalp Sangam, VartaLeap Coalition, Bodhi Sangha and Kerala Gathering. Through these engagements, we seek to strengthen the web of relationships necessary for meaningful, deep transformation rooted in solidarity, shared purpose and collective wisdom.

TRAVELOGUE

Alivelihoods & Alternatives in a World of Crises | Residential Workshop | May 1-4 | Kerala

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Meet Ashik Krishnan at the Learning Societies unConference.

Ashik Krishnan is an educator, venture socialist, and weaver of people, communities and stories. Ashik is the co-creator of Travellers' University, where he designs and facilitates various experiential learning programmes oriented towards imagining an inclusive and just world.

Ashik is also the co-creator of Learning City Thrissur, which imagines liveability, aids localisation and promotes an active citizenry in Thrissur, Kerala, and of Keeday, a micro-solidarity forum for youth working on socio-environmental projects in India. Ashik is associated with Vikalp Sangam, a platform to bring together movements, groups and individuals working on just, equitable and sustainable pathways to human and ecological well-being.

A proponent of democratising knowledge, he actively works on curation and documentation of knowledge. Working on new ideas and weaving youth networks are what makes him feel alive and present.

Watch out for the sessions on 'Travel as a Pedagogy for Learning', 'The Pursuit of Alivelihoods', 'The Search for Radical Alternatives' and 'Designing and Building a Learning City' Ashik will be hosting at the Learning Societies unConference.

Register for LSuC 2025 from June 18th to 22nd at Kumaraguru Institutions, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu here: www.shikshantar.org/lsuc

@travellersuniversity @learningcitythrissur @vikalpsangam @alivelihood_ @learningsocietiesunconference @untilitwasnt_

There is a beauty to people and organisations with varied contexts, strengths and experiences gathering for collective imagination and work. Vikalp Sangam has been one such space for us at Travellers' University harnessing and contributing to the strength of the collective. The facilitation team members of the VS General Assembly met in Pune from 6th to 8th of June to discuss and work upon the various processes within VS.

@travellersuniversity @vikalpsangam @untilitwasnt_

What exciting four days they were! We hosted the first 'Alivelihoods & Alternatives in a World of Crises' workshop at Farmer's Share, Shoranur, Kerala, from May 1 to 4. In these four days, we looked at the metacrisis, the intersecting and overlapping nature of multiple crises, and the plural responses to the same, in the form of alivelihoods, livelihoods that nurture people and planet, and alternatives to dominant systems that are exploitative and extractive.

We looked at the hero in us, the calls to adventures we first refused but later took up, and how those journeys served us and made us. In these four days, we looked both inward and outward, and attempted to forge actionable pathways towards a just and fulfilling future beyond abstract hopes.

Words of reminders and affirmations on the images by @hopehealingarts

@alivelihood_ @farmersshare @untilitwasnt_ @_achildofgaia @agnus_alive @moms.space_ @thangamaryy @archana.1.7 @d_soursweetlife @podigai.nemo @sukan196 @myrrnian @snowy_christophel @_enemjay_ @nehaaaa_8_ @sudakshinakuppi @returntohuman @thespektrov @kutty_chaplin @beingbandhav @a_permaculturist @utushar2022 @ig0kul_

Alivelihoods & Alternatives in a World of Crises

🌍✨ Craving a world that works for all? ✨🌱

Join Travellers' University for the "Alivelihoods & Alternatives in a World of Crises" workshop — a space to imagine systems beyond despair.

Whether you’re burnt out by the grind, disillusioned by inequality, or hungry for purpose — this is for you. Let us move beyond “what’s wrong” and co-create "what’s possible".

🗓️ Secure your spot now:
👉 https://www.travellersuniversity.org/aaiawoc

Tag someone who’s ready to reimagine the world. 🌟

@travellersuniversity @alivelihood_ @farmersshare

Feeling disconnected from purpose in a world full of challenges? 🌍 From inequality ⚖️ to environmental collapse 🌱, our current systems fall short in addressing the urgent issues we face. The 'Alivelihoods & Alternatives in a World of Crises' workshop by Travellers' University invites you to explore practical solutions that can create meaningful change ✨. It’s time to rethink how we craft livelihoods that support both personal fulfillment and ecological balance 🌿.

Join us to reimagine systems beyond extraction and build a just, fulfilling future 🌟. Together, we’ll work towards actionable pathways that nourish people and the planet. Don’t miss this opportunity to design a meaningful journey for positive change.

For more info and to register: https://www.travellersuniversity.org/aaiawoc

@travellersuniversity @alivelihood_ @untilitwasnt_

Do you crave purpose but feel that societal structures fail to bridge ideals and action? Our world grapples with urgent dilemmas: Can we eradicate exploitation and build equity? Can progress coexist with ecological balance? Is education merely job prep, or can it nurture critical, compassionate thinkers? Must life revolve around survival, or can we harmonise material and emotional needs? Are relationships fated for conflict, or can they foster connection? Is discontent inherent, or can lives be rooted in purpose?

History’s philosophical and ideological answers have proven inadequate, leaving many convinced that utopian visions are unattainable. Yet today’s crises—rampant inequality, ecological collapse, consumerist emptiness—plague both the marginalised struggling to survive and the privileged grappling with existential voids. Our unsustainable reality demands holistic alternatives that integrate personal, social, and ecological well-being.

The 'Alivelihoods & Alternatives in a World of Crises' workshop by Travellers' University invites you to explore these intersections: understanding global metacrisis, reimagining systems beyond extraction, crafting livelihoods that nourish people and the planet, and designing personal journeys toward meaningful change. Beyond abstract hopes, let us forge actionable pathways to a just, fulfilling future. Join us.

To know more and to register: https://www.travellersuniversity.org/aaiawoc

@travellersuniversity @farmersshare @alivelihood_ @untilitwasnt_

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TRIBE SPEAKS

"This workshop taught me about sustainable traveling and hacks. How to travel with less money and respect the local cultures and people. Also, space, where we were hosted, was beautiful and the program was designed in a way that it let us connect to nature."

-Mohit (Initiated into the tribe in Aug '18, TTT)