In This Issue

    Welcome to This Issue

    Dear Readers,

    Welcome to the March issue of YS eNews. Despite a late snow flurry at the beginning of the month, Spring is coming to Dornach. In the YouthSection it is easy to feel the new life and energy of the coming season.

    February was a busy month in the YouthSection House. With endless Fastnacht fife and drum festivities going night and day in Basel, in quiet Dornach the beginning of the month found team members hard at work with their various projects.

    In mid February about 100 young people came to Dornach from all over Europe to take part in this year's February Days with the theme "Thinking and Meditation." After four fruitful days of discussion and exploration, participants and organizers alike were pleased with the success and depth of what took place, and were already looking to next year's meeting.

    Meanwhile in London the Prometheus Youth Initiative of Great Britain held their second meeting to touch base on various youth initiatives happening worldwide. And across the pond in New York, Think OutWord a peer-led training in social entrepreneurship held a small conference on associative economics, social renewal, and the threefold nature of the human being and of society.

    This month the YouthSection is pleased to be hosting the second meeting of the theme "Health: Individual and World" as well as a follow-up of our New Year's Foundation Stone Meditation Study Group with Elizabeth Wirsching during the Easter holiday. We will also be hosting our second Dinner for the General Secretaries of the Anthroposophical Society world-wide.

    Work continues on this year's new take on the summer conference experience, festival.forum, taking place in July which will showcase the young individuals that are behind the fruitful work of today's inspiring world-wide initiatives.  And YIP continues to move in a positive direction towards becoming realized in August 2008.

    We hope you enjoy this Issue. Keep connected, we love hearing from you...

    Greetings from Dornach,

    The YouthSection Team

    Credits

    Youth Section eNews
    March, 2008
    Volume 6, Issue 3

    We hope you enjoyed reading this issue of Youth Section eNews.

    Youth Section eNews is a free, monthly email publication.

    Event dates are subject to change.

    February Days: Thinking and Meditation

    By: Márcia Ferreira

    Is thinking an activity that I do, or is it something that happens to me? At some point after birth, there is a the moment when one realizes he or she is part of the world-- and not the world itself--the process of identification as an individual in the world begins! I think for myself! I make my own decisions and follow my truth. Until... I meet other people, other points of views, other truths...

    Around 100 people met at the Holzhaus in Dornach for the four days of February Days 2008. It was the 4th meeting of the conference designed by young people looking for insight and deep meaning in Anthroposophy as it lives today. Members of the Executive Counsel and Section Leaders at the Goetheanum participated in creating the conference along with a core group of young people who attended, organizing the structure of the days, the theme, choosing the texts to study, etc.

    Thinking and Meditation was the theme for this year’s February Days. We chose to study one text written by Rudolf Steiner in 1912, “The Threshold of the Spiritual World: Concerning the Trust which one can have in Thinking, and concerning the Essence of the Thinking Soul concerning Meditation.”  This text was the central point of our time together; our meetings, morning lectures, reading groups and even the coffee breaks involved these four pages of text.

    It's not such an easy task studying Rudolf Steiner's Spiritual Science; the texts are written in a very particular way, the themes are deeply connected to the conditions of humankind. Therefore February Days was created with the understanding that especially when one is young, it can make a huge difference to study within a group, where you have the chance to not only explore the content, but also to have some time together for chats and discussions about what unfolds in front of and within each of us during the process.

    This year’s text explored thinking and its many possibilities and variants through the relation between thinking, feeling, and willing, the three-fold view of the human being. Ok, 4 pages about thinking. How can one need more than an hour to finish such a study? Well, we had four days and there are still many questions echoing within.

    After some time exploring and explaining the nature of thinking and its qualities and the trust that one must have in ones own thoughts, the text lead us to the question: what do I do here, in the middle of my life, thinking alone, by myself? After some observation we had a feeling of a strong connection between people's thinking. We are not alone, there is something much bigger connecting us. Connecting our thoughts.

    Each one of us is going through life, taking care of our truths, our ideals, our striving and thoughts. Yet each individual’s thoughts are woven together and building something in the cosmos that opens the possibility of being truly capable of taking ownership of one’s thoughts through conscious and active thinking. In this way, Steiner differentiated that while I can say that “I think,” there is also something larger that “thinks in me.”

    Therefore, I personally believe we must be careful what we think. Thought is not a toy. But it can be managed as a tool. A good, meaningful  one. It requires a sense of responsibility  that approaches our generation in other spheres as well. We more and more need the ability to be responsible for our actions, and likewise our thoughts, and their effects and reactions in the world. While the conference has ended and we can each see how much lies in front of us to be done as individuals and how rich it is to carry this responsibility together.

     

    Think OutWord

    By: Molly Luvender

    Now is a time of unprecedented upheaval in the social biography of humanity. The way that we live in connection to the environment, the spirit, each other, and the systems that we have unscrupulously set for ourselves, is malign. A change of direction is imperative. As we move toward this impending need for conscious action on a global scale, there is a weight that rests upon a younger generation, and an ardent force emanating from it.

    "... you have chosen to incarnate now, to be here for it." These were the words spoken by Gary Lamb on Saturday February 23rd, to a group of 32 young people who came together in Harlemville, NY, for the first ever meeting of Think OutWord.

    Think OutWord is a peer-led training in social entrepreneurship for young adults that is inspired by the teachings of Rudolf Steiner on associative economics, social renewal, and the threefold nature of the human being and of society. We’ve come together to gain deeper insight into the disease of the social organism and to explore ways by which we can help bring health to it. This initial conference was a chance for young people interested in Steiner’s social thinking to meet each other... to recognize one another as colleagues and find a way forward together.

    Though the weekend began with blustery weather, participants travelled from as far away as Michigan and Washington D.C. In the evenings we heard two lectures by Gary Lamb, of the Institute for Social Renewal: Rudolf Steiner as Social Reformer and Activist and The Threefold Nature of the Human Being as the Basis for Social Initiative. During the day we met for discussion groups, journaling, and presentations by participants on Steiner’s Toward Social Renewal and an essay by Robert Karp. Our time was also filled with songs, games, “social sculpture” with the artist Michael Howard, simple, delicious meals, and snow-ball fights.

    The weekend was felt by all participants to be an illuminating success in forming the framework for this initiative. We look forward to uniting forces with the abundance of good work that is taking place all over the world.

    For further information about Think OutWord visit www.thinkoutword.org.

     

    Prometheus Youth Initiative GB

    By: Antonia Fagan

    On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, 9th February, the Prometheus Youth Initiative of Great Britain held their second meeting at the Temple Lodge in London. On entering the Temple Lodge one no longer feels as though in the hub of London, and the buzz of the city completely fades away.

    Like most organised youths we had a timetable; and like most inspired youths we didn't follow it! In the morning when we arrived we were fortunate enough to have a fantastic lecture by Herr Schroder on the subject of Evil. For me, and I think the rest of the group will agree, it set the tone of the weekend, not evil but what an inspiring man Herr Schroder is!


    The sun was shining so we sat outside whilst introducing ourselves to one another and discussing our thoughts and hopes for the initiatives. Naturally most of the talking was about the morning lecture, and also how to relate the inspiring ideas to ‘our’ everyday lives.


    After a delicious lunch, Rose, our special guest from the Youth Section at the Goetheanum, gave us an insight into the inter-connectedness of the many youth initiatives throughout the world. She also presented the exciting new programme YIP (Youth Initiative Program: “one year of making sense”). We were all inspired by the new programme and the question most of us wanted answered was, "When does this start ‘cause I'm there." This type of opportunity is something that many of the group were interested in and were inspired by. Roses’  presentation gave everyone plenty of food for thought. In the afternoon, Saphira joined us and showed us a slide show of the project in Monte Azul, Brazil. Hearing about this successful project provoked many inspired questions.

    The evening began with a talk by Peter van Breda on Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice." Peter gave a unique perspective of what I subsequently class as one of Shakespeare’s master works. Peter enabled an accessible relation of the play to every day life. After a very long day with much discussion, ideas and inspirations, dinner was relatively quiet while we tried to digest the day.  


    The sun was out again on Sunday morning as we sat in a wonderful Christian Community Service, the Act of Consecration of Man, after which in order to offer our thanks to Peter van Breda, Herr Schroder and the staff at Temple Lodge, members of the initiative played some music followed by a congregational lecture by Herr Schroeder  on the new discoveries in the field of Neurotechnology. The lecture was a wonderful way to end a very fulfilling and motivating weekend.

    In conclusion I would like to say thank you to Peter van Breda and Herr Schroder and to all the wonderful youth who came and contributed to a successful weekend. Any young people interested in joining us, the next meeting will be held in April, date to be confirmed.


    For more information please contact: proyouth@live.co.uk

     

    Night and Day Consciousness

    By: Elizabeth Wirsching

    When I wake up early in the morning, it is as if I have drifted onto the shore. Here the endless nocturnal experience of time encounters the restricted, finite time period at the start of the day. A shimmer of light has appeared, and the perception of my journey during the night is reduced to a fleeting memory. But there is "something" that has remained, "something" that has no name, cannot be grasped in a concept – a sense of some greater connection of which I was quite naturally a part. Now I carry this feeling of "something" within me, and am confronted by situations in life where I am able to dimly sense "something."

    Echoing resonance
    In conversation with a young woman, in which she is telling me of what moves her; the eyes alight, the hands gesticulating eagerly, I can feel her enthusiasm within myself. How does one explain that? There is only the word "something," for that which has moved me in her. How do I absorb this earnestly enough for it not to just remain an echo that slowly fades as her presence disappears from my mind?
    Just as the light does not disappear when I no longer observe it directly, so also does a meeting with another human being, as I have described it, not cease to live inside me. It lingers on and I can perceive a faint echo when I allow the memory of her to arise in me again. Then it disappears again, and can arise once more at a later date without effort on my part. How do I remain true to such an experience? How do I practice this? I might ask myself: what is she doing, where does she live, or what are her interests? At our next meeting, remembrance arises once again, and contact is immediately established; "something" has in the meanwhile condensed, and our conversations can build on that.
    Perhaps a new friendship is formed? Or, surprisingly, a certain assurance in specific themes with which I have been concerning myself recently, but which we might never have touched in our talks. Or maybe even a new initiative following on a question placed at exactly the right time and exactly the right moment?
    All this solely because I have really concerned myself with a certain "something." These more subtle meetings with others I may not have at all times, but perhaps more often than I am aware. This echo brings that "something" into motion, and "something" that was invisible before has now become more perceptible, inn the same way that I find myself on the shore side each morning – the echo of the night still tangible in the air and light, the day gradually intensifying.

    Expectation
    When I wake up early in the morning, I feel myself as if landing on the shore. "Something" out of my sleep lingers on and gradually disappears, I feel and I know: I was somewhere quite different in the last hours. I feel I have been rejuvenated although I have not been awake to it at all.
    I recollect a special experience I had as a child. I greatly admired my great-grandmother and visited her as often as I could. Thank God we lived in the same town. On the previous day I was always so exited, and looked forward so much to seeing her again and to sitting on her lap, listening to her voice, that I could not fall asleep. I would walk backwards and forwards through our house, and found it peculiar that I could know exactly what the following day would bring, what I proposed to do – breakfast, school and then the visit to my great-grandmother. And between then and now – what was to occur there? The night? This indescribably long time spent in a land outside of all memory. Yet I knew: before me lies the night; I have no idea what happens during the night. The day, too, lies before me, but of this day I know exactly what I must do, although it has not yet taken place. This enormous thought somehow left me powerless, but nevertheless, sleep somehow came in the end, and the next morning I awoke full of eager anticipation for my visit to my great-grandmother.
    Now, full-grown, the child is gone, and such thoughts come to me rather rarely. But I nonetheless do make similar observations - or do I not? The boundless joy and expectation of that which has not yet taken place, of that which is still to come. It could be a meeting with people who mean something to me, or a conference in which I am taking part, or a journey that I have planned. All of these "something’s" which have not as yet been born, lie prepared and waiting nonetheless. A sense of all this is certainly present in any case.

    Focusing
    When I wake up early in the morning, I feel as if I have landed on the shore side. "Something" coming out of the depths of sleep lingers on and gradually fades away. I attempt to express a thought, which has moved me inwardly over the last period of time in a sentence: "Time and Space meet on the shore side."  A sentence made up not only of letters, but one which forms itself in to a picture that I own.
    Such little pictures have something very special. If we cultivate them inside ourselves over a longer period of time, they become more and more alive. A greater capacity for attention has grown in me for particular situations where I come across this theme. What was previously only a sentence has now unfolded to show whole worlds, just like a Chinese box.
    The night runs parallel with this intensification, like a good friend who has faithfully remained throughout the time in the wings. In the great Space of the night I model my inmost thoughts myself, and these are born anew on the shore each morning, where I can hear them as an echo spreading its atmosphere over the course of the day.

     

    Words...

    Words...intends to be a reoccurring space featuring poetry and creative writing.

    This is the second and third installments of three from "There are ships, sailing across the sky (alt. across heaven) by Ruhi Tyson.

     

    II
    We have a son you and I, a little son
    just last november we were still alone
    now you can’t leave your books out
    like you used to do
    just think of Gunnarssons Ships,
    sailing across heaven
    which he tore to pieces yesterday…
     
    The oven’s burning
    200 degrees warm
    baking a saffron-cake
    our flat is really small
    so everything is within reach
    and soon its christmas here
    but its been difficult this year
    with all the presents
    with a lot really,
    difficult with diapers to be washed,
    with far too little sleep and with
    the fever that comes sometimes
    putting the fear of death in me…
     
    and I’m too tired now for real images
    too tired to read my favourite poetry by Lorca
    its fish-sticks that we cook for dinner  
    not whole filets of pike, that says it all…
     
    but for now he sleeps, our son, here in the cradle
    and he’ll be sleeping yet for
    one more hour
    lying as he does upon his back
    and snoring softly like most babies do
    its pointless to try to guess his dreams
    but later, when he wakes, it is the first time in a week
    he doesn’t cry…
     
    We have a son you and I, a little son
    a son that looked so proud among the
    bits of pages
    do you remember the word he held? 
    heaven printed in black on deep-blue
    paper part of the cover and of our 
    reality at once…
     
    Its four o’clock pm. and late november
    beyond our door the darkness 
    suddenly is pierced
    by our mad neighbours screaming, its
    not just devoid of any light but its hardly an appeal
    and at the moment we know nothing yet of
    how he’s but a day removed from death
    know nothing whatsoever yet of sirens, breaks 
    when cars arrive and heavy feet that 
    race up stairs, through corridors and
    then slow down once the inevitable’s
    become clear
    On death and dying in the midst
    of being read lies on our table like a 
    prophecy and then the fever too, returns 
    and our fear is mingled with our neighbours dread
    and with that feeling
    of somehow being guilty of what’s happened…
     
    But for now our son is sleeping in the cradle one more hour
    lying as he does upon his back and 
    snoring softly like most babies do 
    The cake is perfect
    it too a sign
    all golden in the kitchen and I can’t suppress a 
    ”damn, this cake is nice”
     
    and then I feel your arm around my waist and see you
    look at me, eyes harboring the ovens warmth
    we’re standing there so close, close like we used to do
    but now its not as easy anymore
    (and you say) ”Hush, no more words from you, my 
    hands are on your chest of their own will”
    The little evening feels suddenly just like a 
    very well-proportioned square
    and your two hands are
    like a shading tree
    ”I don’t give up that easy”
    you point out to me
    and as the faithfulness overcomes me that brittle lightness 
    I keep showing
    turns so soft
    ”please dry my cheek, it seems
    that something here inside me broke,
    we have a son together you and I, a little son…”

    and in the kitchen sits a saffron-cake
    golden and cooling on a copper plate
    (pointing the day and minute out for us)
    and everywhere you touch me I grow peaceful
    filled with a longing now to read
    from Lorcas poetry out loud
    but in the cradle our son is sleeping
    full of his yellow dreams and so I whisper
    whisper slowly and deliberate:
    verde que te quiero verde.
    Verde viento. Verdes ramas.
     
    (approx. 
    Green, that’s how I love you, green
    green the wind and green the branches. 
    Quoted from the poem Romance Sonámbulo from the collection Romancero Gitano)

    III
    The evening and water come ashore with you
    -pieces of a little rowing boat
    I’ve been waiting for you on
    a tuft of grass that’s large and hard like the head of a sledgehammer…
    Been picking horsetail
    counting stars
    even though I always get a different sum
    from that quarter of the sky where all the signs are unknown to me
    You’re walking slowly, perhaps they’re rather heavy
    travellers to bring along
    and as I watch, the movement grows and ambles through
    my eyes with an expansiveness
    that’s overwhelming…

    ”Don’t you also want to bathe?”
     
    but I’ve forgotten how to swim
    and how to row and sail, I’ve forgotten
    what my feet are called and where right is at and where the middle
    lies and what
    it means with
    close and 
    distant
     
    And everything is silent…
    the evening and water come ashore with you
    the final rays of light still shimmer on your brow
    -pieces of a little rowing boat
    and it rustles in my horse-tail filled embrace
    when you sit down with me
    shivering and naked
    ”are you that tired?”
    you ask me softly
    breathing lightly on my chin and neck, caressing
    me that way

    ”No, but I repaired a boat just now with  
    odd stars that I found while counting  
    evening and water came ashore with you
    -pieces of a little rowing boat
    that I have nailed together and I  
    didn’t burn my hands at all”
     
    ”I love the upright,
    vertical direction
    that you gave it”
     
    ”It is the only one
    that I remember…”
     
    and then, with one hand resting on your waist
    I draw some signs towards the sky  
    using the other  
    although its still a secret what I write
    you whisper in my ear that forgetting is a friend

    I still recall how you get dressed 
    beginning with the top and everything returns
    to normal size, and later, in the car
    and ancient Ford Escort
    you take our road-map out and ask me to go home
    by other roads than those we know
    and the evening becomes night
    and the water that was a lake becomes a sea
    the nails illuminate every place where we
    have ever touched eachother
    and we are filled with a sincerity like canvas-sails, all cobalt-blue
    outside beneath the roofs stand our ancestors as always, waiting
    Tomorrow we will be there in their midst…
     
    and I’m not frightened anymore
    even though I know now that we won’t make it home
    and in the rear-view mirror I can see I’ve lost 
    my wrinkles and my sorrows
    You are like you were when we first met
    kneading a piece of wax distractedly
    and humming to it with that sweet
    tone of yours
    I have to stop the car right then
    just so that I can look
    at your hands carefully, their movement
    is pure poetry
    and there the night
    turns slowly into dawn
    and then the sea
    becomes an endless sky…


     

    A Chat with Gert

    By: Ani Hanelius

    I sat down with retired YouthSection cook and much loved honorary team-member, Gert Schuckmann, one morning in the Teestube while she was busy knitting (as she is most mornings) to talk to her about her life, her work, and her relationship to Anthroposophy.

    Ani:  Good Morning, Gert. Let’s start with the beginning...When and where were you born?
    Gert:  I was born in Germany, in Offenbach am Main, in  March 1927. But I grew up and went to school in Stuttgart. I am the second of five children.

    Ani:  What was your first experience with Anthroposophy?
    Gert:  I went to a Waldorf School in Stuttgart up until 5th grade. I had to leave at 5th grade because then Waldorf schools were forbidden by the Nazis. I knew Anthroposophy through my mother. When the Waldorf school was closed, we asked within ourselves, why? And when I went to a state school and noticed the differences, found that the answer was Anthroposophy.

    Ani:  And how did that make you feel?
    Gert:  If one tried to reject national socialism, it was difficult because one was not allowed to openly express distaste. But one did everything one could inwardly.

    Ani:  When was the first time you came to Dornach and to the Goetheanum?
    Gert:  I came to a conference in Dornach once but I moved here in 1957 after the war ended in 1945.

    Ani:  Do you have any children?

    Gert:  No children. But six grandchildren. (laughs) In 1957 I came to Dornach to help a friend who was having a baby. That baby is now 50. I was only supposed to be here one year, but it’s been 50 years and I haven’t left. That man also has a brother and each of them have three children. One man lives in Bern with three grown daughters, the other in Stuttgart with one son and two daughters who are still school age.

    Ani:  When was the first time you came to the YouthSection?
    Gert:  I had been in the building a few times before 1999, but it was then that I started cooking lunch here.

    Ani:  Do you think of yourself as an “Anthroposophist”?
    Gert:  Yes...as much as one can say that.

    Ani:  Do you miss cooking?
    Gert:  Yes and No. Three years ago I started only cooking two times per week. People sometimes say to me, “Oh, please just cook one more time!” But I always say No, because I know when to stop. It’s better to stop early.

    Ani:  What is your favorite thing to do?
    Gert:  (knitting...) Knitting! I knit hats, scarves, socks and gloves for children in Poland. I just sent off a package with a trusted person from the Agricultural Section who brings them on his visits to a biodynamic farm that started seven years ago. The next batch will go to America to an Indian Reservation (called Pine Ridge in South Dakota). And after that to a woman who has started over ten Waldorf kindergardens in Kosovo. The first knitting project was for people in Siberia on the Balkan Sea.
        (Gert begins to tell the story of the Kosovo project...) There were two women who fled Kosovo during the war there and came to live at a refugee camp in Solothurn. At the same time a Waldorf teacher from Solothurn took his class to play games with the children at the same refugee camp where these two women were. The two women were enthralled and asked, what the teacher was doing and why he was doing it? Then as soon as they could, they returned to Kosovo and began a Waldorf kindergarden in their apartment.
        
    Ani:  Do you know how many things you have knitted over the years?
    Gert:  (sighs) I learned to knit socks in the Waldorf school in 5th grade and have been knitting them for people ever since. During the war I would undo old sweaters and re-knit them into socks for people who had lost everything. I knit things for family and friends...I knit every pair of socks those two boys (her friend’s children) wore until they were 10 or 12...and I would knit knee socks for their father too! ...I could knit in my sleep....I have knitted a few times around the world in the length of yarn!


    Note: If you would like to learn more about Gert’s knitting projects or to contribute in any way, please contact the YouthSection.

     

    Calendar of Events 2008

    Event dates: 2008/04/30 23:00 to 2008/09/29 23:00

    By: Ani Haneilus

    Spring is bursting in Dornach and we at the YouthSection are very excited about what it has in store.

    May:
    May 9-11, 2008. Mensch Werden, Young First Class Members Meeting, YouthSection, Dornach.

    A chance for First Class Members under 35 years old to meet in the context of the Class Lessons. To exchange impressions and deepen understanding.

    May 24-25, 2008. Heartbeet Youth Conference, Hardwick, VT, USA. 

    An anthroposophical youth conference at Heartbeet Lifesharing. Theme: Facing Karma – in Life and in Rudolf Steiner’s Mystery Dramas. With lectures/talks by Stephen Usher, Sherry Wildfeuer, Rachel Schwartz and Hannah Schwartz.  www.heartbeet.com

     

    June:
    June 7, 2008. World ELIANT Day

    A collaboration between the Youth Section and ELIANT

    On this day signatures are to be collected actively in the streets of every large city in Europe and in the World.
    Who: We are looking for younger people who are interested to spend one day actively collecting signatures.
    Why: To express our commitment to civil society in Europe: our main goal is to establish a legal basis for cultural diversity in the fields of education, agriculture and medicine. To achive this we need 1 Million Signatures.
    Where: Throughout Europe particularly, but also supported by the international community. Each major city or area will have a coordinator.
    More Info: www.eliantaction.com
    Contacts: Giulia A. Critelli                     Elizabeth Wirsching
                     Eliant  Campaign                  YouthSection
                     www.eliantaction.com          www.youthsection.com
                     info@eliantaction.com      elizabeth@youthsection.org

     

    July:
    July 17-21, 2008. Young Economists Course, Goetheanum, Dornach.

    The idea behind the Young Economist Course is to let successful and experienced Anthroposophical businessmen and scholars give a living picture of the Anthroposophical thoughts and practices concerning business and economics. The course is intended for students who study economics and (young) people who are active in business but everybody with a strong interest in economics is welcome to attend. Speakers include Mathieu van den Hoogenband (CEO Weleda), Rudolf Mees (ING), Cornelius Pietzner (Vorstand member), Stephen Usher, and Tiemen Woutersen. Contact: Els Woutersen, Els_Woutersen@yahoo.com www.goetheanum.org

     

    July 20-Aug. 1, 2008 ENGAGEMENT and CONSCIOUSNESS '08. Stuttgart, Germany.

       With Orland Bishop and Nicanor Perlas. Two weeks of training for young people on the development of a deeper consciousness.

        Facing the challenges of our time requires the development of a new consciousness and new social capacities for a generation of inspired young people who want to dedicate their life and energy to the shaping of a sustainable future, authentic responsibility and the striving for true freedom. www.engage08.de/eng



    July 22-24, 2008. Annual Initiative Meeting, Goetheanum, Dornach.

       “Why do I do what I do?” At this meeting we are expecting not only to hear what each initiative is about, but also to gather/experience what questions, challenges and future steps come out of the work that is done in each initiative. We are also interested in personal questions and what impacts participants see their actions and initiatives having in the world. There will also be space for an exchange and discussion--World Café, free initiatives, and different kinds of performances. www.youthsection.org



    July 26-31, 2008 festival.forum-Showcasing Youth Initiative, Summer Conference, Goetheanum, Dornach.

        Join us in July 2008 for a festival.forum where people of all ages are invited to experience contributions from young individuals involved in youth activities around the world. With an open program of diverse possibilities, the festival.forum will give the opportunity for every one to choose their individual schedule every day. Our wish is to reach out beyond anthroposophical, national or generational borders. www.festivalforum.blogspot.com www.youthsection.org

     

    MANFRED BLEFFERT California Courses 2008


    Summer Music Training                                   7/28/08 - 8/16/08   $1000
    Instrument Building and Music                   7/28/08 - 8/1/08     $450
    Painting and Sculpture                                 8/4/08 -  8/8/08      $350
    Pedagogical Study through the Arts         8/11/08 - 8/15/08   $350

    The work of Manfred Bleffert is known in the States through the delicate tones of his gongs, glockenspiel, cymbals and other percussion instruments. For the last thirty years, Manfred Bleffert has been working throughout Europe as a composer, musician, painter and sculptor.
     
    For the first time, Manfred will offer artistic courses in the United States. From July 28 to August 16, 2008, four courses will be held in Santa Rosa, California. This innovative artistic work will serve as a vehicle for developing new experiences of the world and one's own humanity. Through practical and contemplative work, participants will gain deeper insights into the processes and products of the arts. Each course will be a transformative experience!
     
    Registration now at www.manfred-bleffert.net!

     

    August:
    August 25th, 2008. Beginning date YIP--The International Youth Initiative Program, Järna, Sweden.

       “One Year of Making Sense!” ...A new social entrepreneur training in Järna, Sweden, for youth aged 18-25 who want to create positive social change in the world. A course in how to bring your own initiative into being. This initiative is planned and carried by the international network of people in cooperation with the YouthSection.  www.yip.se

     

    Aug 25th or Sept. 1, 2008. im-pulse.eurythmy. Beginning date.

        An international Eurythmy training course designed for Waldorf graduates with a love of eurythmy and extensive experience in it. A dynamic and broadly designed curriculum brings you to master eurythmists in eurythmy centers in Europe and South and North America. While the main language of the studies will be English, eurythmy work will also be done in the local languages (German and Portuguese/ Spanish). The home base of the program is the modern, beautiful, expansive Akademie fuer Eurythmische Kunst in Aesch, ten minutes from the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland. www.impulse-eurythmy.org www.goetheanum.org www.youthsection.org