Schools Are Our Modern Commons
What is the commons? Centuries ago in England, much of the land was owned by either the royal family itself or by noblemen who were given vast tracts of land in return for service to the crown. Historically, there were large areas within these holdings that were designated as “the commons,” where peasants and local villagers could collectively manage and use resources like firewood, and could hunt, farm, and graze their animals on the land. In the 18th century, the nobility began a process called “the enclosures,” where this previously commonly held land was fenced off and became unavailable to the people whose livelihoods depended upon it, triggering massive poverty and social upheaval.
This concept of a collectively managed space, where the needs and interests of those who live within it determine how it is used, has continued to be severely restricted since the time of the original enclosures. Much of our world is now held in private hands, from homeowners, landlords, small-scale farmers, and local businesses to huge multinational agricultural areas and global corporations. The land itself and many of the essential resources that our natural world provides have now become commodities that produce profits for those private interests — often in direct opposition to the needs of the vast majority of human and animal communities in the region, and to the detriment of the complex biodiversity that makes our natural world healthy and resilient.
Standing in contrast to this trend of enclosure and privatization are our public schools. Established in this country as an essential cornerstone of the democratic process, they are our modern commons, the heart of our neighborhoods, where the needs of the students, their families, and the wider community are freely addressed with responsive input from all concerned. Our teachers, administrators, and public school systems know that education is not a purely academic process, as it encompasses the whole child. The skills, social and emotional competencies, and positive vision that these children bring to their relationships with others will largely determine the health of our communities in an increasingly uncertain future. In addition to supporting students with incredibly diverse needs in their academic progress, our public schools are hubs for providing their families with everything from winter clothes to medical and social services to emergency food supplies.
LivingKind has been furthering the critical functions of this, our modern commons, for decades. Our many no-cost, innovative programs in public schools teach about the deep interconnectedness and inherent value of all living beings. These programs offer youth opportunities to engage directly with issues of concern in their neighborhoods through service learning and actions. Our Compassionate Communities Food Justice for All program is currently working with schools in NYC, Indianapolis, and Chicago, helping them become powerful stewards of their urban commons by inspiring their students to develop projects like creating school and community gardens, planting pollinator-friendly native species, composting and tree-planting, stocking local pantries and free fridges, and advocating for culturally affirming, accessible food options for their families that are healthier, more humane, and more environmentally sustainable. All of these projects not only protect and nurture our neighborhoods and their inhabitants, but they also push back against the enclosure of public space and enhance public control over the current conditions of our lives and the trajectories of our future.
As our next-generation stewards are learning and exercising the interpersonal, academic, and practical skills involved in researching, planning, and executing these projects, they are also building a social and environmental infrastructure focused on the rights of all people — rather than corporations and market institutions — to control how our land is used and who its resources benefit. Communal garden spaces, collectively managed food access, and the vibrant cultural expression of sharing traditional ingredients and dishes all bring neighbors together, countering the isolating effects of disempowerment and marginalization, and fostering a renewed sense of belonging that enriches all aspects of community life.
The inequities, exploitation, and ecocidal extractive practices that industrial agriculture promotes are incompatible with a sustainable food system, thriving neighborhoods, and a healthy biosphere, making food justice a core tenet in the movement to build reparative connections between our human communities and the natural world we must nurture in order to survive. Climate chaos, ongoing degradation of the biodiversity of our natural habitats, a global pandemic, and increasing inequities in access to the resources of our living home impress upon us the fact that we are truly one world. What that world will look like as we move through the current crises and confront the challenges that we know are ahead will depend on the courage, vision, and principles that guide our youth, as they will inherit the job.
In partnership with our publicly funded and administered schools — representing the ideals and practices of a desperately needed commons that is open and collectively managed for the benefit of all – LivingKind, and its many programs that promote a world held in trust for the good of all living kind, will continue to work towards the better world we deserve and know is possible.
