Black Mountains College (BMC) has been founded in response to the climate crisis, and is designed to foster creativity, imagination and adaptive thinking, in the rural surroundings of the Brecon Beacons National Park.
The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, Sophie Howe, and the President Emeritus of Quest University Canada Professor, David Helfand, welcomed the initiative at the launch ceremony on the Festival site.
It is the brainchild of writers Ben Rawlence (pictured) and Owen Sheers, whose aim is to offer further education courses, teacher training and a new approach to undergraduate study. Students will work on skills, not subjects. They will confront real-world problems in small class sizes capped at 20 in an immersive, outdoor environment.
The poet, author and playwright Owen Sheers, Professor in Creativity at Swansea University, said:
“The planet is in crisis. We need to transition to a new kind of economy founded upon cultural change, and we need to do it fast. BMC will be an international centre of thought leadership, producing graduates schooled in holistic thinking capable of meeting the major challenges of our and future generations.”
A major fundraising campaign is underway for a campus in the Black Mountains. Doors are scheduled to open in September 2024.
Photo by Sam Hardwick
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