Look back with us on a project that our friends hosted in Norway. They are already busy thinking about a follow up – so if you are into this kind of stuff stay in the loop by subscribing to our newsletter at the bottom of the page.
And now dive into the project reflection with us:
As we look back on the transformative journey of the Erasmus Belongingness+ hosted by Mundekulla Vänner at Mundekulla Course & Retreat Center, we’re filled with inspiration and hope.
This project explored the topic of Belonging – on an individual and collective level – working with Art, Embodiment & Nature Connection.
With awe we witnessed what transformative potential can be released in individuals, in the collective field of a group and potentially in the world, by co-creating spaces where we explore and cultivate belonging anchored in authentic connection with ourselves, each other, and the natural world.
Facilitators and youth workers, altogether 33 people from Norway, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Romania, Ukraine, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, France and Italy were immersed in this 10 days training course together, which now brings each of us the challenge of moving with our tender hearts and newfound discoveries (the deeper sense of authentic belonging) towards implementation of learnings in our home contexts and work with youth – whom are our end target.
In processes of creative practice and embodied dialogue through mediums such as painting, moving, sounding, improvisation theater, writing, poetry, installations – we explored our experiences of separation and belonging, our relationship to the natural world and our biological heritage, while at the same time deepening our connection to life through the creative process.
Together we had deep transformative experiences and important insights into how we can facilitate deeper connection and inclusion spaces for the youth we are working with, and the sense of belonging within ourselves and our communities.
We invited our questions about belonging, and our personal yet deeply universal feelings of separation, fragmentation and lostness, to be held within the safe container of our field based on allowance, deep listening and welcoming presence.
We reclaimed our birthright to belong in diverse expressions and experiences – our laughter belongs, our tears belong, our playfulness and shyness belongs, our grief, our pain, our exiles…they belong. We can stand on our own two feet, at home in ourselves and we can see if we dare to let ourselves fall – and discover that we are received by the ground of a loving other.
Through the creative process participants were invited to inhabit themselves fully, thus step into their embodied and creative participation in life. And what celebration of aliveness it became!
The journey culminated in a Participatory Art Event, where we invited the local community to explore these questions with us. We presented our findings from the training and did a collective dialogue to harvest from our experiences together.
The topic of Belonging resonated in all of us in unique yet universal ways, and we all felt the impact in our bodies, hearts and minds of opening up to this deep human longing. The answers to our questions of belonging are maybe not to be answered, but to be lived in our work, as we build community and collaborations, and it will travel to the youth through our embodiment of the knowledge, skills and insights we gathered during these days – and beyond.
Big celebrations for the engagement, trust and willingness to come together with such dedication to our process and learning.
Thank you to everybody who was part of this incredible journey, all participants and partner organizations -Jonglirium e.V., Dinamica, GEN-Ukraine, Micile Bucurii, Moave, Gen-NL, New Wellness Education, African Way and Cat Farm – it would never have been possible without you.
Our journey doesn’t end here. We are committed to continue our work, build networks and communities to support a deepening global awareness of interconnectedness, and collaborations that bridge the gaps.
This course was supported through the Erasmus+ Youth in Action programme, Key Action 1, Mobility of youth workers.
If you wish to learn more about the programme and its opportunities, have a look here: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities