Southwest Learning Centers was incorporated in New Mexico in 1973 as a non-profit educational resource for underserved communities in the region. The organization’s primary areas of focus include multicultural education, community development, and native arts and cultures. SWLC has been an incubator for a number of programs that have spun off to become their own non-profit educational organizations.

 

SWLC has presented conferences, workshops, classes, mentorship programs and special cultural events. Research and cultural preservation projects have been key to achieving broad outreach. This has included the publication of resource materials and an archive documenting the interrelationship of communities, cultures, the environment and the regional economy. SWLC owns Green Earth Publishing, LLC, which publishes Green Fire Times, a respected monthly print and online publication that uniquely contributes to New Mexico’s media landscape and has been used as part of the curriculum in schools, colleges and universities. greenfiretimes.com

 

Southwest Learning Centers has also conducted sustainable agricultural research and education programs. In 1985, SWLC’s Talavaya heritage

seed bank project won an award from the United Nations Environment Programme.