Academia De Serra
Novo Horizonte, Bahia, Brazil.
“We envision a world where competition and extraction are replaced by collaboration and regeneration."
Gemstone and crystal commerce can be unwittingly contributing to harmful practices detrimental to mining communities. Intense competition may exploit people and environment with few at the source benefitting from the natural resources. Consumers wary of negative impacts of the industry may prefer to avoid mined gems and minerals all together, and stakeholders in opaque supply chains often ‘unintentionally’ label products and practices as ‘ethical’ based purely on word-of-mouth, hence turning a blind eye on the problems on the ground.
For the mining community of Novo Horizonte, Brazil, this is sadly a problem they know all too well. This small town with scattered villages in the Bahia state of North Eastern Brazil, is home to high-quality golden rutilated and smoky quartz deposits. Once a gold mining town, Novo Horizonte has thrived for over the last 60 years on the extraction of high-quality quartz, including golden rutilated quartz. This resource has become deeply woven into the town's identity, employing roughly 13,000 people across the mining value chain.
OUR SOLUTION
The Academia da Serra - a non-traditional school that provides alternative education for a coherent system that supports everyone, while harnessing and respecting resources gifted by mother earth.
Our ground-breaking holistic approach will demonstrate how gemstones can build community, strengthen economies, improve health, and create a sustainable future for all. To achieve this, we will focus on:
1] EMPOWERMENT for individuals at the grassroots level, we provide them with the necessary resources to share their experiences of sustainable living in harmony with the land.
2] EDUCATION for business, while harnessing nature's gifts, including ancient knowledge and practices that are congruent with the earth cycles.
3] RESTORATION of ancient practices, aligned with technology to restore natural cycles while rekindling the relationship between humans and nature.
4] REGENERATION and creation of cohesive ecosystems that serve as viable business models, appealing to companies and small businesses in the industry that are already striving for sustainability and yet do not know where to start.
Academia da Serra will guide and educate women and youths in the arts, lapidary, entrepreneurship, and a touch of alchemy. You can become a member and be the change.
MISSION: THE ACADEMIA
Our unique proposition draws upon values that will support us in creating a sustainable, equitable, and life giving future for inhabitants of Novo Horizonte and beyond.
We envision a world where competition and extraction are replaced by collaboration and regeneration, and we will work with our core values to get us there:
CREATIVITY / The Academia creates a space learning from their natural world, each other, and seasoned Guides and Lapidary artists.
UNITY / The Academia also provides a space for all to practice their skills and build their businesses, bringing unique gemstones to local and international markets.
COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT / As a close partner with the municipality and mining co-op, The Academia helps miners learn and practice safe mining and provides resources to combat silicosis.
TRANSFORMATION / We Teach Healing Arts and Business Education in Novo Horizonte, Brazil alongside lapidary, jewelry, regenerative business practices, and responsible mining and create an ecosystem of business that are interdependent and connect people from all walks of life..
REGENERATION / Students, Community Members, and Visitors improve their financial, social, physical, and spiritual well-being as they experience the magic of the mountains.
This is a golden opportunity to join us on this journey and transform the landscape of the gemstone industry.
JOIN THE MOVEMENT
We are ready to weave a community connecting Businesses, Arts and Education, starting with our networks creating a ripple to create new ones.
By engaging partners who align with our values, we will create a Cohesive System that supports all parties involved with Equanimity and Sustainability for both Earth and Humans.
This is For the People, For The Planet, For Prosperity.
Is it for you?
NEXT STEPS…
This movement of transformation will take us on a journey through meaningful milestones and initiatives:
INITIATIVE 1 : GEARING UP
Silicosis is a fatal consequence of inadequate or absent safety masks during mining activities, including cutting and polishing. This initiative will kickstart our overall project, making it accessible for all to contribute. Education for the mining community - from both a holistic and scientific point of view - will be at the heart of this initial stage.
Whether you’re a jeweller, industry specialist, brand, or consumer, we are welcoming your contribution towards this initial seeding stage. You can choose to purchase a mask with education for a miner specifically, or make any donation you choose.
INITIATIVE 2: :STEPPING STONES
If you’ve found Crystal Clear, then it’s likely that you already know about the problems with tumbled stones. They are the highest volume item traded within the crystal industry, yet their supply chain transparency is worryingly opaque. According to Future Market Insights, the crystal industry is projected to grow by 56% by 2033. So something needs to change in the industry.
This is why we are launching Stepping Stones, a step in the right direction towards creating a fully-operational lapidary facility and marketplace for quartz products, whilst piloting solutions to improve gemstone traceability.
Many women of the Novo Horizonte mining community collect low quality quartz from mine tailings to sell for next to nothing. We will help these women learn to grade and tumble stones, which can be sold directly to crystal wholesalers or retailers for increased profit. We will ensure that all tumble stones are mined in accordance to Crystal Clear Criteria, which will validate origin and fair trade, whilst responsibly adding value at source.
Would you Like to be the first to hear about the progress of the Stepping Stones Initiative? Members will gain exclusive access to the purchase the first round of these tumbled stones.
We aim to raise enough capital in our first round to fund the Academia da Serra for the first two years until sales from the Academia and alumni are enough to sustain the costs. Through it, we will create a sustainable, equitable, and life giving future for inhabitants of Novo Horizonte and beyond. Investing in the initiative means investing in the wealth, health, and biome of this ancient mining community, while building a model framework to roll out globally...