“Permaculture is an ethical design science that mimics nature to supply all our human needs, whilst benefiting the environment,” Geof Lawton.   Permaculture is an evolution of consciousness, a journey that improves not only our relationship as humanity, but also guides us to live in harmony with the environment around us. In short to impr...

I was looking for an internship for my school, and opportunities to study abroad. With Richmond Vale's program I got both at once, as well as a chance to explore my interest in sustainable communities I work as an environmental educator, teaching subjects like ecology, wildlife identification, and sustainability. I learned a lot in practice from my...

What did you do before coming here? 7 graduated from high school and worked to save up 1 finished a BA degree 1 a journalist and social worker 3 worked as an economist, cook and waitress. 1 returned from travelling 1 teaching English as a foreign language What made you take the decision to join? That it is about environment and living sustainable T...

“A little bit of Monica in my life... A little bit of Erica by my side... A little bit of Rita’s all I need...” The song Mambo No. 5 blasted through the blue minibus that took me all the way from the south of St Vincent to Chateaubelair in the far north-east where I’d booked a sustainability tour of Richmond Vale Academy, a non-profit research and ...

Apparently if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. Or maybe it is like this that if you love what you do enough, you’ll work every single moment of your life at it. I have been lucky enough to have known what I wanted in my life and its work to be and even luckier enough to have had the opportunity to pursue it. To have had...

I was at Richmond Vale Academy for almost 2 years. (end of 2007 until feb 2009). That was to say the least, the best experience of my life. When I arrived I came across a academy with people of different nationalities and different languages. At the beginning I found it very challenging, since the participants themselves managed the academy routine...

My experiences in Richmond Vale Academy were nice but also challenging, I leaned how to live in a community.  Community living made me feel like I belong somewhere - Also because everyone is passionate. We are conscious about how we best can help each other and the community as well. Living in RVA was good because I had to clean, going to the ...

Why did you choose this program? ​ When I started to look for volunteering opportunities, I was mainly interested in projects focused on environmental actions and climate change. Apart from the actual work done within the project, it was important to me to choose an organization that was well established and transparent. RVA's Climate Compliance Co...

"Know that if someone is not living bravely,  they will resent your courage.  If someone is unhappy,  they will resent your joy.  If someone is hiding from the truth,  they will resent your honesty.  Move on. Keep moving." - Maggie Smith All my life I have been a people pleaser – trying to make people happy or have peo...

Many of the high school students who are close to finishing their studies have a big question in their minds: What do I want to do after this? That was also the question asked by Aster Davis, a young man from Chateaubelair who suddenly found the perfect answer to that question in the most simple way. During his last weeks of high school, Richmond V...

Expectations vs reality for a student at RVA Before coming here, I had a very vague, unclear idea of what my life would be like for the next 6 months living in St. Vincent as a student at RVA. In fact, I made it a choice not to read the details of the program and other people's posts about their experiences living on the island. I wanted to start t...

Calvert: I am 19 years old living in Layou and I have done a 6 months course at RVA. What we do here is to learn about Global Warming and Climate Change, about how some companies are destroying the planet – especially the fossil fuel companies. I'm in the RVA climate change COMPLIANCE CONFERENCE TEAM and I'm going to say a bit about what I have lea...

At the end of my 6 months program, I decided to come back to RVA as a teacher for the November team. But why this decision and what does it mean to be a teacher in another kind of school? Going home/ traveling for 2 months before coming back to RVA has given me time to reflect on my ambitions, my visions for the future and the way I want to live my...

RVA Climate Compliance: 1 month programme evaluation Expectations: From attending the 1 month Climate Compliance programme at RVA I hoped to learn about Permaculture in relation to sustainable farming. I wanted to see how it works in practice, getting to grips with the day to day management of the farm and gardens, whilst picking up new ideas and d...

By Karolina St. Vincent, the place about whitch I have been dreaming for a long time I am in the place about whitch I have been dreaming for a long time (without even knowing that it exists). One might wonder why St. Vincent is so special. To begin with, the nature here is just breathtaking. No matter where you turn, you are always surrounded by mo...

By Sara Auerbach I chose the Climate Change Activist Program, because it was an opportunity to do something different and to engage in meaningful action. There were a few things that I hoped to gain from my experience at RVA: Clarity. I hoped the program would give me a better picture of how I wanted to move forward both career wise and i...

Since the very first moment I got to RVA I could breathe coherence and peace. I use to live in a society (and still do) where talking about how things should become is a pleasurable hobby that does not have anything to do with results, but with critiques. Ultimately critiques to myself. I use to live in a society that kills my hopes of dreaming a b...

By Juliana, new student, CCC Team #15 “It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life and in change there is power.” - Alan Cohen This quote very much reson...

I have been working with Stina and practicing "basic" exercises with her four horses: Jack, Spirit, Elena and Magic. Through this it has become more and more clear that there are just a few essentials to build up a real connection with horses. These are: lots of fun, be open minded, enjoy every single step, and be full of life. But the harder I try...

Oscar from Venezuela - What is RVA about? Well, the answer to this question is different for every person that has been there or is there right now. RVA means something different for each of these people. What I can tell you is what RVA was for me and how I saw this place during my stay. RVA is a place for giving and getting great things back. Duri...