YouthSection eNews: YS eNews May, 2009 (Connect Part 1)

: Photo: Christof Laceulle

It feels like a baby has been born ... The conception happened – the idea was formed. Then months of preparation, planning, organising – how, when and where would this new being arrive? And then the aunts and uncles started to come and show their support, the reality set in, the people who would help with the delivery were ready and believed it would happen. The anticipation built. And then it was born, with many a contraction, with some beautiful moments and some painful … but it arrived. This gorgeous child – Connect. Wow it came with energy, with laughter, with smiles and joy. It came and created space, brought with it people who glowed, people who believed, people who were extremely inspiring! We have now set this child free into the world, and ripples of its effects can be felt around the globe. Go strong Connect. It was a pleasure knowing you. I have faith in you. (Silvia Zuur)

: Photo: Moritz Anselmann

Hello Friends!

In this issue of the YouthSection eNews we feature all the action from the recent Connect Conference at the Goetheanum. Connect is a conference for class 12 Waldorf students from around the world. This year's theme was "come shape it with us," giving students the possibility to exhibit their class 12 projects, as well as offer workshops, performances, talks and conversation groups to their peers.

Connect comprised of: around 500 students from 22 schools representing 16 countries, 143 morning workshops, 44 afternoon conversation groups, eight talks on the big stage, the largest exhibition of Waldorf class 12 projects ever, around 25 helpers from abroad, around 20 people on the team, three main organisers, seven classes performing on the big stage, more than 10 countries performing in the night café, 450 alcohol-free cocktails, 500 litres of milk (partly donated), 180 tram tickets (sponsored), 1620 tram rides ... and much much more.

The eNews editors and Connect organisers would like to sincerely thank photographers Christof Laceulle, Moritz Anselmann, Silvia Zuur and Eva Sunniva Trapman for their fantastic pictures used in this issue of the eNews. They would also like to thank the participants of the "Burning Words: Writing for the World" workshop for their amazing creative writing pieces, some of which appear below. Thanks also go to the students who provided feedback via email and the Connect Conference group on Facebook.

Of course, we couldn't fit in all the photos from Connect. Click on these links to see more pictures, as well as videos.

The next eNews will be from our friends in Finland. As usual, if you have any questions, comments, advice, stories or events you’d like share with us (and possibly see published in the YouthSection eNews or on our website), then send an email (preferably with picture) to: enewsyouthsectionorg Please also feel free to forward this eNews to those who may have an interest in YouthSection activities worldwide. To subscribe to the YouthSection eNews, click here or on the word ‘subscribe’ above. To unsubscribe, click here. If you are having problems viewing the eNews, or would prefer to read this issue or previous ones through our website, click here.

Best wishes from the YouthSection team in Dornach, where the sweet music of Connect can still be heard ringing in the air.

www.youthsection.org

Photos: Christof Laceulle

Stillness immersed in chaos surrounded by light flickering in and out of the tired clouds. Feelings and fears and joy linger in the densely fresh air. Waiting for an experience that has already happened – a moment within time. Stories overlapping as hands are shook – an exchange – an opportunity – a gift. Fullness body, liveliness dancing around each other in a tangled knot of excitement and anticipation. Alone on a crowded hill speckled with life and mothering birth. FRESH TIME. Slowing down. Speeding up, changing with the wordless thoughts bombarding my calamity. Cyclical motion rotating through balance challenging the thoughtlessness colours hurling themselves as solid objects towards life. ALIVE. To be here. To not want, but only to be. To find peace in the commotion. A slowing down. A goodbye to restrictions. An interpretation of forces. Senses feeling the senses. Squinting towards the blinding light that emerges from the indecisive clouds. (Emily Stewart-Wilson)

: Photos: Christof Laceulle

From April 19–23, the Connect Conference 2009 challenged over 500 people, mainly class 12 students from Waldorf schools all over the world, to work on this question: What kind of world do you want to live in? It is a question of our time, and it’s one we can ask every moment for lifetimes to come. We didn’t solve any major world crises (at least not that I know about yet!), but we found that we do have the capacity to create spaces in time where people can ask questions like this, where they can practice being the way they want to be, and where they can push to the edges of their everyday experience of the world. In spaces like this, Connect can happen.

The Connect Conference invites whole classes to come to the Goetheanum. The program is full, from student-led workshops to theater and eurythmy performances in the great hall of the Goetheanum. Connect has happened three times before (2003, 2005, and 2007). A new team organised this fourth one: Katha, Che, and I took on this challenging experiment. For us it was a dramatic learning experience, and a time of beautiful creativity. Many evening dinners and long train rides yielded conversations about society, about responsibility, about fundraising, and also about ourselves.

What was the shining star of the whole event? That’s impossible to say, but there were more than 143 workshops over the four mornings of Connect. Each student who came to Connect was invited to share their class 12 project in a workshop or presentation, and they did. We saw the meaning of the word professional: “a person who is expert at his or her work,” in action. I feel encouraged about the whole human race! A lot of the time there is not much to be hopeful about, and most of the time young people get a bad reputation (you know – “disrespectful, obnoxious, immature”), but after the experience of Connect I have a hunch (or rather, I am convinced) that actually the hope we can have for creating a sustainable, livable future lies in the innovative, energetic and sincere attitudes and actions of young people.

But it’s not just young people. We’re all in it together, and every single person took on a task at Connect – teachers, students, parents, children … We had over 7,000 Swiss francs worth of organic and biodynamic food donated to the conference from local farmers and shops. That means we had 350 kilos of potatoes and 300 kilos of carrots that had to be washed, peeled, and cut throughout the week in order for all of us to eat. During the closing, Che asked everyone who had peeled a potato to stand up. I have to tell you, very few people were left sitting, and they probably had really good excuses (when I say very few, I mean that about 450 people stood up!). What I’m getting at in a round-about way is this, and it’s something we all know to be true: if everyone does their part, and a bit extra, then we’re going to be just fine. Even better, we’re going to live in a society that we all want to live in, because we all had a hand in creating it, not just a few people. I think for everyone who took part in this conference, it was an experience of some kind of personal development. It was designed actually in a way that would push everyone to that edge, because each and every one of us was responsible for creating Connect.

We live in a society that doesn’t actually value individuality or community, rather some bizarre mix of the two in which the amount of consumption a person does is how valued they are. We want to practice living in a world where people can truly be themselves, and where we actually live in community. That’s what we tried out at Connect this year, and I think it was a success. Next time, we’re going to risk even more and try even newer things, because by continuously taking courage and stepping to that edge, we can let human creativity flourish. (Caitlin Balmer)

: Photo: Moritz Anselmann

For me, as a student, this experience was like no other. It was amazing beyond words. It has given me a new appreciation of (and insight into) opportunities that are offered in our lifetime. To students who have the opportunity to attend the Connect Conference in years to come, all I can say is "go". Don’t hesitate or pass up this opportunity, because it is so worth it. It has been one of the most unforgettable moments to represent our school and our country. I have never felt prouder :) (Georgia Reihana – Michael Park School, New Zealand)

: Photos: Christof Laceulle

For those who weren't at Connect, I have tried to write about what happened during this conference, but there is just too much to say – it feels too big for words! So, in some ways, what I have written has come out as an overwhelming list of wonderful things. And for the reader it might feel like it is just too much! However, I think that this is alright because this is probably how each person who participated at Connect felt – that there were just too many good things happening. So if my list gets a little too much, just skim over it and let your eyes pause on a few things to get a taste of Connect.

The days started with singing, led by Jonathan Ploeg, in the main hall of the Goetheanum. It was a great way to wake up in the morning, and I still have "Everybody singing a song, everybody signing a song..." playing in my head! From morning to early evening we could also hear the sounds (and participate in the creativity) of the Craft Village (an area set up for woodcarving, blacksmithing, stone sculpting ... and more). The theme of the Craft Village for this year was "Dig where you stand," and placed a focus on ‘up-cycling’ (rather than merely ‘re-cycling’).

In the mornings and afternoons there were inspiring talks with wonderful titles such as: The more you carry yourself the more you carry the world; From ashes to gold; Warriors without weapons; Why I think we need (to) Connect; Making a place for change: the power of youth; Freedom and responsibility. These talks were given by an array of insightful people including Reinoud Meijer, Orland Bishop, Bodo von Plato, Kiara Nagel and Pieter and Jonathan Ploeg.

In the afternoon, workshops and conversation groups were held by people in the YouthSection network. These workshops and conversations covered a diverse range of topics, including The art of fools; City planning; Don't just think, make change!; The ecology of imagination; Creating change from the inside out; Understanding our relationship to new technologies; How to Know Higher Worlds: a modern path for developing yourself; Money in the 21st century: an associative perspective!; Basic income: come and explore.

Each night at 8pm over 500 people poured into the main hall of the Goetheanum to experience performances in many languages and styles. These were definitely an amazing part of the conference. Performances included the musical "Orfeu de Concição" by the Brazilian class, "Power: a Temptation" (a eurythmy piece based on Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings) by the Austrian class, the South African class singing an excerpt from "Sophiatown: South Africa during the time of apartheid" (the full performance had to be cancelled due to sickness), the New Zealanders and friends performing the Haka (a traditional Māori dance), and the Belgium class leading a choir evening titled "I see you."

After the performances there was the Night Café. Each night had a different food theme, from crêpes, to raclette, to cocktails (alcohol-free). Some nights there were live performances, with class 12 bands playing, as well as other local musicians. On the other nights there were DJ’s who got everyone on the dance floor.

However, the real highlights for me were definitely the class 12 workshops. To see the creativity, expertise and depth of them gave me great hope for the future. A lot of the students’ workshops centred around their class 12 projects. These are projects they had been working on for a year or more. The themes that were chosen were powerful, artistic and focused on creative ways to make this world a better place. I feel that all of the themes deserve to be listed here to try to give you a picture of just how amazing these class 12 students are. Here are the workshops listed in the program:

Femina: women's rights in Latvia; Water: basis for life or economical future market?; Fashion collection for men: inspired by Japanese paper folding and geometry; Modern dance; Plastics as a prodigy of our day: right steps to the safe use of plastics; Chorus singing; The politics of water; The four temperaments in drama and music; Go Waldorf!: a website for the Waldorf network (gowaldorf.org); Cattle breeding in South Africa: healthy and proper ways of breeding cattle; Advertising: seeing through the world we live in; The position of Waldorf schools in our society; Why the mistletoe can't hardly conquer the oak tree: a study of mistletoe and the mistletoe-therapy for cancer patients; Becoming yourself: a study of Jane Austen and women's social positions; What is money?: how can society be shaped more equally? motto: the economy has to serve the people, not the people serve the economy; Creating and designing space: how can living space be created, thus allowing people to live in a human way?; Swedish midsummer: flowers and dancing; Kite-making: Genkis kites; Conversation through dance: eradicating the language barrier with the help of dance; Journalism: creating a newsletter; Theater improvisation: acting in unexpected situations; Climbing and caving agility: learning how to climb higher and higher (just like in our lives); Stretching: developing flexibility; Soccer; Making felt bags; Photography; Building an eco house: how to build an ecologically friendly house; Music composition; Singing Czech folk songs; Irish dancing; Water and globalisation: water in our time of globalisation; Eurythmy and modern dance: how to choreograph and combine the two; Out of many, one sculpture: building one sculpture containing different national features. (In addition, many other workshops arose spontaneously during the conference. These workshops were also very impressive.)

Even though my list is long, I'm sure that I have still forgotten a lot of the things that happened, but I hope that this has given you a small glimpse of the magnitude of Connect. I believe that what happened at Connect was a powerful deed for the world, and I'm sure that we will be seeing its effects for many years to come. Thank you to the organisers and to all who came, participated, contributed and supported – from near and far. (Katie Dobb)

: Photo: Christof Laceulle

These rocks, these giants, are sleeping elephants. The land has woken around them and breathes around them. There are voices from angles to different angles which move in circles, there is no other. There is sound in all these buildings, these elephants. There is sound in every fragment of the light which hits the eyes. Breathing sounds. Light sounds. Green sounds and yellow sounds. Feet in sand and feet in grass, little feet on bikes, just next to the elephants. They touch with all of their bodies all the time, as the sky creates their skin. There’s light – green light, yellow light – around these sleeping elephants. Around these sleeping elephants we wake and haven’t stopped waking. (Milla Braat – Holland)

: Photos: Moritz Anselmann & Christof Laceulle

Connect was a very good possibility for me – how to get to know the many colours of life! … very creative atmosphere and very much sunshine around. Awesome! (Bety Kosova – The Czech Republic)

: Photos: Christof Laceulle

The sound of colours. Round the power of never everywhere. Changing building. Happiness. The laugh of a child and the noise of a bee go up in the never ending sky. Can there be loneliness on such a moment? A group. A monument. Everything fits. A hundred different things that make this world going. A flower, a flower field. One person alone but you can see he isn’t lonely. Life. Energy. Life-energy. (Sanderijn De Smet)

Connect Part 2 Coming Soon...