Samson Turinawe

Mission Statement / Vision for Universal Love Curriculum

A collaboration in-process between the Gene Keys Syntropy Hub, Samson Turinawe of Universal Love Alliance of Uganda, a devoted group of Ugandan wisdom keepers and educators, and Rosy’s sister, Dr. Marilee Aronson, PsyD.

To support the development of the inner wisdom keeper in all students by:

• encouraging the celebration of both universality and diversity;
• enlivening and empowering students through reconnection with the richness of their cultural roots and heritage;
• and facilitating embodied learning through experiential exercises that provide access to the power of nature and creativity and cultivate wholeness and interconnectedness.

The Universal:  We breathe the same air, we smile, we bleed, we cry, we rejoice. No matter what age we are or where we find ourselves, we need to grow, to move from the unknown to the known, to expand and evolve. We need to learn how to think critically, how to make good decisions, how to resolve conflict and how to approach life’s inevitable challenges. We need self-awareness, self-confidence and self-respect. We need to learn how to practice love, how to hold responsibility and how to have a positive impact on the world around us. We need to learn to partake in the natural cycle of give-and-receive. We need to connect with the web of life.

How we come to understand who we are as humans, how we approach our common fate, how we serve each other in unity versus divisiveness are the universal questions this Curriculum aims to address.

• Who are we? Are we our bodies? Our minds? Our feelings? Are we spirits?
• Who are we in relation to each other?
• Who are we in relation to existence itself, to the Creator?
• How do we come to recognise our common humanity? How do we act with compassion and respect for the dignity of all beings? How do we come together in love, sympathy and compassion?  

While book-learning best comes from books, learning about life best comes from living! The Universal Love Curriculum provides hands-on, embodied experiences that engage mind, body, heart and spirit and encourage students to discover their own truths and values that they can apply in their everyday lives. Through active and creative engagement, students will journey through the Curriculum’s landscape as they learn about themselves, each other and the world around them. Although exercises and activities will vary widely, taking students in different directions, the Dream Arc and the Art of Contemplation will provide an overarching treasure map for the students’ educational journey.

The Dream Arc is an interactive online learning experience currently being used by a wide international, primarily adult community. Through inner and outer engagement activities, The Dream Arc has been designed to expand participants’ creativity, unlock their intuitive wisdom and connect them to the deep ancestral power of the earth and her creatures. The Dream Arc engages participants in dream exploration, sacred play, collaboration and vision manifestation. It enlists dynamic involvement with nature, honouring its diverse manifestations and especially encouraging the development of relationships with animals.

Accessible, practical, applicable to all and profoundly life-affirming, the Dream Arc provides a fitting model that captures the essence of the Universal Love Curriculum. Both seek to elevate the universal and celebrate the multiplicity of life’s expressions, revere ancestral strength and indigenous wisdom, tap into individual gifts and unique qualities and provide a wide range of experiential activities. This Curriculum adapts the Dream Arc experience to Ugandan youth, weaving it with their African heritage, taking them in and out of the classroom to unleash the light of their true nature. The Dream Arc has 12 categories of exercises that fit well with the Curricular structure that is described below.

Animals:  The Universal Love Curriculum enlists the students’ engagement with the world of animals. Animals provide a pathway to self-exploration and growth, as students identify qualities and traits they relate to and admire. Animals serve as a portal to curiosity, compassion, myth and metaphor. They expose students to and connect them with different lands, wisdom traditions and ways of living. They provide students with deeper insight about their own culture and land as they learn how their people have traditionally related to these animals. They allow students to explore their own associations and fantasies. As students work with different animals throughout the Curriculum, they will engage in individualised learning and share in each other’s discoveries. 

The main intention of this Curriculum is to call forth the inner wisdom keeper of the children, teachers, schools and communities who work with it, and bring about a more loving, compassionate and prosperous world as a result.

We at Gene Keys Publishing have a deep dream to co-birth this Curriculum in a way that empowers our Ugandan/African brothers and sisters who have dedicated their lives to serving people in need and opening the hearts and minds of people who have the power to meet those needs. We envision Samson and his collaborators piloting ULC in their communities and schools, and with the support of the Dream Arc and Gene Keys community, leading the way in bringing a profoundly loving education out into the world. 

While ULC is sourced in African indigenous wisdom, we can see how over time and in collaboration with other educators in other countries, it could be adapted to reflect indigenous wisdom of other cultures as well.