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A.d.a.p.t framework

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The Western Slope Institute Field Semester in Regenerative Design is intentionally built on the A.D.A.P.T. framework—a regenerative development cycle that integrates inner and outer systems change, personal growth, and ecological resilience and change. Developed from research and practice in panarchy theory and the adaptive cycle, A.D.A.P.T. draws on the recurring patterns of transformation found in living systems. It is both a map and a method—guiding participants through an experiential journey that mirrors nature’s own processes of renewal. ​​​The A.D.A.P.T. framework translates ecological principles into a practical process for regenerative design and human development:​

 

  • Awareness – Observing systems, self, and context with fresh eyes; building ecological literacy.​

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  • Design – Crafting place-informed, systems-aligned interventions that enhance life.​

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  • Aim – Clarifying goals, aligning personal purpose with ecological and community needs.​Practice –

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  • Taking action through iterative engagement, feedback, and adaptation.​

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  • Transformation – Integrating lessons, evolving identity, and seeding future cycles.

The A.D.A.P.T. Framework is a regenerative design perspective based on the adaptive cycle used to understand how natural and human systems go through cycles of growth and stability followed by phases of change before regionalizing, growing and stabilizing again.  This process builds resilient systems and allows for ongoing evolution even through major disturbances to the system.  The A.D.A.P.T Framework incorporates concepts from living systems science, transformational learning, experiential learning, neuroscience, ecopsychology, and nature-based human development to develop the regenerative designs skills necessary for healthy socio-ecological systems while unlocking your unique potential. 

Design Phase

  • Transition from a focus on the individual to understanding and enhancing healthy meaningful relationships.

  • Develop a more secure sense of self through shared involvement with other participants, engaging in powerful group activities, and experiential-based learning.

  • Build a "Living Systems"perspective.

Practice Phase

  • Apply new skills and talents

  • Engage in the design and delivery of a capstone regenerative design project with a local partner organization.

  • Refine and practice your personalized A.D.A.P.T life design plan.

  • Identify and plan for your next steps in life aligned in with passions.

ransform

Aim Phase

  • Uncover opportunities that align with your true self.

  • Identify mentors.

  • Develop new capabilities

  • Prototype new life designs

  • Start to test and refine your newly discovered interests

  • Bring value and meaning to others in your community.  

Awareness Phase

  • Develop an awareness of self and the patterns we generate

  • Paradigm shifts

  • Identify personal values

  • Threshold rites of passage experience

  • Learn to understand and map the bioregion 

  • Engage in personal assessments

  • Mindfulness activities 

Transform

Change is inevitable in life.  By constructing the course work in this program around the stages of the A.D.A.P.T. Cycle students will develop the skills and capabilities to handle future life changes and challenges in resourceful and meaningful ways while remaining true to themselves, their values, and their inner purpose. 

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The Western Slope Institute Field Semester in Regenerative Design is intentionally built on the A.D.A.P.T. framework—a regenerative development cycle that integrates inner and outer systems change, personal growth, and ecological resilience and change. Developed from research and practice in panarchy theory and the adaptive cycle, A.D.A.P.T. draws on the recurring patterns of transformation found in living systems. It is both a map and a method—guiding participants through an experiential journey that mirrors nature’s own processes of renewal.

Origins in the Adaptive Cycle & Panarchy


In ecology, the adaptive cycle describes how complex systems—forests, watersheds, human communities—move through recurring phases of growth (r), conservation (K), release (Ω), and reorganization (α). Panarchy extends this concept, showing how these cycles nest within one another across scales, with change in one level influencing and being influenced by others.

 

The A.D.A.P.T. framework translates these ecological principles into a practical process for regenerative design and human development:

​

  • Awareness – Observing systems, self, and context with fresh eyes; building ecological literacy.

​

  • Design – Crafting place-informed, systems-aligned interventions that enhance life.

​

  • Aim – Clarifying goals, aligning personal purpose with ecological and community needs.

​

  • Practice – Taking action through iterative engagement, feedback, and adaptation.

​

  • Transformation – Integrating lessons, evolving identity, and seeding future cycles.



Why A.D.A.P.T. Shapes the Field Semester


The Field Semester is more than a series of courses—it is a lived embodiment of the A.D.A.P.T. cycle. The structure of the semester itself mirrors the natural arc of the adaptive cycle:

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  • Weeks 1–4 (Awareness): Immersion in the bioregion, mapping ecological and cultural systems, cultivating reflective practices.

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  • Weeks 5–8 (Design & Aim): Integrating systems literacy with personal purpose, developing design skills grounded in place.

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  • Weeks 9–12 (Practice): Applying regenerative design in partnership with local organizations, iterating in response to feedback.

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  • Weeks 13–16 (Transformation): Bringing projects to fruition, synthesizing learning, envisioning next chapters in the student’s regenerative journey.



This cyclical design ensures that participants are not just learning about regenerative development, but are living it—moving through the same phases of observation, creativity, experimentation, and renewal that sustain healthy ecosystems.

Mimicking Cycles in Nature


Nature thrives through feedback loops—processes of adaptation that allow systems to remain resilient in the face of disturbance. The A.D.A.P.T. framework embeds this same dynamism into the educational experience:
Just as a forest regenerates after fire, students learn to see disturbance and uncertainty as fertile ground for innovation.

Like a river reshaping its course, they learn to adjust design pathways based on real-world conditions and stakeholder input.

Nested within the larger socio-ecological system of the bioregion, their work impacts and is impacted by forces at multiple scales—mirroring panarchy’s insight that transformation is always relational.

Catalyst for Participant Development


The A.D.A.P.T. cycle is as much about inner growth as it is about outer action. Students:
Deepen self-awareness and ecological consciousness.
 

  • Align personal narratives with the needs of the bioregion.

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  • Practice adaptive leadership and collaborative problem-solving.

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  • Leave with a transformed sense of identity as regenerative practitioners, capable of entering future cycles with clarity and confidence.


Relationship to Regenerative Design


Regenerative design is not about static solutions—it is about continual co-evolution between people and place. The A.D.A.P.T. framework operationalizes this ethos by ensuring:

 

  • Designs are informed by living systems thinking.

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  • Implementation is iterative and participatory, with stakeholders as co-creators.

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  • Outcomes are generative, leaving the ecological and social systems healthier than before.


In this way, the Field Semester becomes a microcosm of regenerative practice itself: a cycle of awareness, creativity, application, and transformation, nested within the larger, ongoing cycles of the Western Slope bioregion.

© 2023 by The Western Slope Institute. 

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