atlas ↗People decide.
Tools support reflection. Interpretation and responsibility stay with people.
An open framework for practice & learning
Give shared work
a memory.
Make decisions, record what happens and learn together.
SYFERS helps communities and cooperatives turn everyday experience into something the next person can build on.
Developed from the practice of Sulitânia, Portugal.
Begin with a question
What did we agree,
and why?
- 01Bring a proposal
Put the question and its context in one place.
- 02Record the decision
Keep the reasoning and responsibilities alongside it.
- 03Return and reflect
Help someone joining later understand what happened.
What does this
place need?
- 01Understand a place
Bring land information and available sources together.
- 02Develop a plan
Explore living and restoration, including open questions.
- 03Follow what changes
Keep observations connected to the work on the land.
Where are we
as a group?
- 01Take a shared look
Explore sixteen conditions for working together.
- 02Discuss the differences
Notice strengths, tensions and unanswered questions.
- 03Revisit over time
Follow your own development, without ranking groups.
Illustrative workflowPeople keep the judgement.
01 / The method
Experience becomes
shared knowledge.
Start with a real question. Try something, record what happens and revisit it together. Share what others can use, including what did not work.
- Plan
- Act
- Observe
- Reflect
- Adjust
- Share
02 / The instruments
Start with the work
you want to do.
Six instruments with distinct jobs.
Access and available features differ.
RRL also works independently of a Lab. Plans and records support decisions; they do not grant permission.
01ChartMake activities, agreements and decisions traceable.02PeopleCare for relationships and communication preferences.03LedgerBring funding opportunities, applications and reporting together.04CompassReflect on your group’s practice through sixteen conditions.05LensFind knowledge in documents and return to the sources.06RRLConnect land, living and restoration in Portugal.
03 / How we work
Useful records.
Clear boundaries.
Sources stay close.
Keep observations, assumptions and decisions distinguishable.
Sharing is deliberate.
Recording and publication are separate decisions. Protect personal and sensitive information.
Part of a wider practice
Syntrociety connects.
SYFERS supports the work.
Syntrociety is a network of independent Living Labs taking shape. SYFERS is its open framework for practice and learning.
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