Pracha Hutanuwatra & Jane Rasbash's Legacy TRAINING
Program Date
This is an intensive residential program held at Wongsanit Ashram from September 26th – October 11th 2026.
This legacy training program is inspired by the teachings of Late Pracha Hutanuwatra, an engaged Buddhist activist, and Late Jane Rasbash, former active member of Gaia Education. They both were vital contributors to the ongoing development of our Ecovillage Design Education and Training of Trainers curricula, sourced from their pioneering work in Mindful Facilitation.
This program offers participants invaluable skills in mindful participatory facilitation, community building, and more. It’s designed to empower leaders, educators, and community workers who are committed to sustainable and regenerative futures.
This program is one of the most comprehensive and intensive Gaia Education Training of Trainers (ToT) available and a vital step on your journey to becoming a certified Gaia Education Trainer.
Discover how this training can empower you and inspire you to become a certified Gaia Education Trainer. Find out more and register here to secure your spot. Be part of the change and connect with like-minded individuals who share your passion for empowerment, sustainability, and community building.
Who is Pracha Hutanuwatra?
Pracha Hutanuwatra was an engaged Buddhist activist, social critic, new paradigm leadership trainer and mentor. Pracha established the intensive Training of Trainers where participants gain skills, concepts and attitudes to work in their local communities, appropriately identifying needs and actions with the local people towards sustainable, regenerative futures.
Our dear teacher and mentor Pracha Hutanuwatra passed away on 13 May 2023. He has left behind a huge legacy in the many students, colleagues and friends whose lives he inspired to ‘be the change’.
“Decision making is education
Relationship is education
Self-cultivation is education”
– Pracha Hutanuwatra
Read more about Pracha Hutanuwatra here.
who is jane rasbash?
Jane Rasbash was a prominent figure in the field of education for sustainable development, with a focus on empowerment and engaged spirituality. Jane co-facilitated Training of Trainers with Pracha Hutanuwatr for over 15 years. This work has been instrumental in promoting participatory facilitation across Asia and internationally. Based in Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland, Jane’s expertise in Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) and Grassroots Leadership Training has left an indelible mark in Myanmar, Thailand, and Bangladesh. Jane was also passionate about Nature connection and the Work that Reconnects.
Jane served as a Board member of Gaia Education for 10 years and during her time, demonstrated her commitment to fostering positive change. As the main guide for ‘Mindful Facilitation for Empowerment,’ she brought her wealth of experience to empower participants in their journey towards sustainability and positive transformation.
Jane Rasbash, our dear friend and colleague passed away on 31 October 2024, exactly on the day of her birthday and on the day of Samhain.
What is Pracha Hutanuwatra & Jane rasbash's Training of Trainers Legacy?
This special Legacy ToT will stay as true as possible to Pracha and Jane’s incredible teachings that they developed over decades. Every aspect of human interaction needs facilitation.
Mindful participatory facilitation is an invaluable skill for leaders in a shifting paradigm as it is equalizing and empowering rather than hierarchical and dominating. In this experiential training participants will co-create a safe space and gain ample facilitation practice in a supportive environment.
Participants will deepen their awareness and experience in how to teach, facilitate and train people, by enabling collaboration among a community of learners. Participants will flourish in a dynamic balance of mindfulness practice and open experimentation within the design and facilitation of holistic education sessions.
The course will inspire you to know what you are most deeply called to teach and why this kind of empowerment education is critically important for the future of life on Earth. The training will be certified by SEM College & Gaia Education. Content will be adapted and designed to meet the needs of participants drawing from the following topics.
What topicS OF LEARNING WILL this ToT cover?
This training forms one of the requirements to become a certified Gaia Education Trainer.
* During the Practice Teaching topic participants will facilitate their sessions in English
* The Sustainable Development Goal topic is an optional 3 hour module for Gaia Education Certification
About the Learning process?
- Participatory & Experiential
- Contemplative & Reflective
- Creative & Transformative
- Active & Practical
- Intensive
Our educational approach is as important as the contents of the course, where learning, playing, working and meditating together in a community of practice, merges to foster compassion, intellectual understanding and social commitment. Three pillars support the approach:
Meet the Program Team
Sunisa Jamwiset Deiters (Om) lived and worked as a facilitator at Wongsanit Ashram under close Pracha’s guidance for 8 years, and later moved to Panya Permaculture project in Thailand. She helped create the Next Generation of Global Ecovillage Network of Asia & Oceania (NextGENOA).
She founded Gaia Ashram with her partner, Tom Deiters, in 2013. Since 2010 She has been facilitating and co-facilitating courses and programs related to Deep Ecology, Ecovillage Design Education, and Permaculture across Asia.
Petra Carman, PhD, is a dedicated facilitator and independent researcher in social, community, and environmental psychology. Her journey is marked by a deep exploration of human-nature relationships, including immersive experiences in ecovillages, as well as active involvement with Awakening Leadership Training—a collaborative program between the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB) and Spirit in Education Movement (SEM) for the past 7 years.
Petra’s profound connection to engaged spirituality and various mindfulness and meditation practices fuels her passion for alternative education and empowerment-focused processes. In her role as a facilitator, Petra emphasizes holistic and embodied approaches to knowledge, guiding participants in their own transformational learning journeys, nurturing mindfulness, empowerment, and personal growth.
Tu Hong (Heaven) is a seasoned facilitator and co-founder of Shandao, an NGO dedicated to fostering participatory engagement in China. With a Certified Top Facilitator credential, she brings extensive experience working with NGOs and activists. Her journey into mindful facilitation was deepened through participation in the SUPER-T program and the Buddhist Education for Social Transformation course. Since becoming a core member of Pracha’s TOT team in 2017, she has been instrumental in nurturing leadership and empowering others through mindful facilitation both in Thailand and China.
Who Would benefit from this Training of Trainers program?
- Those who look for personal empowerment and leadership training
- Facilitators looking to become certified Gaia Education Trainers in order to host or deliver EDE programs
- Teachers and facilitators who are interested in participatory and empowering methods of delivering content
- Facilitators who are looking for methods to draw collective wisdom from group learning processes
- Community workers who want to engage deeply with their teams
- Eco villagers who are looking for facilitation skills that help to build a community
Program Venue
This program is not held at Gaia Ashram but at Wongsanit Ashram, Nakhon Nayok Province. Wongsanit Ashram is our partner organization.
Wongsanit Ashram was founded in 1984 by social activist Sulak Sivaraksa and colleagues, as a spiritual activist community devoted to developing and promoting a model of sustainable living that is grounded in engaged spirituality, cultural diversity, and environmental integrity.
Food: Wongsanit Ashram serves delicious Thai food using ingredients from the garden and local market. Vegetarian, vegan and dietary restrictions can be accommodated.
Accommodation: Thai simple style shared accommodation is included in the course fee.
Course fee
- Full Fee
57,000 THB
- Early bird ticket, Register and pay deposit before 30th June 2026 (only 5 tickets available)
52,500 THB
Food & Accommodation are included. All fees are to be paid in Thai Baht.
How to register
Step 1 : fill out the registration HERE
Step 2 : make a deposit payment of 10,000 THB to secure your spot.
After the payment we will send you confirmation email and information package for your preparation to participate in the program.
contact us
gaiaschoolasia@gmail.com
WhatsApp : +660805791006
WeChat : thisisomsunisa