Titirangi Youth Gathering, New Zealand

By: Rosa Scarlette

Relating through color

Mixing manure for the heap

Clay works in "relationship"

Charcoal Workshop

This year’s New Zealand Youth Gathering was held in Auckland at the Titirangi Rudolf Steiner School - a beautiful location, surrounded by bush and slightly hidden from the world. Thirty nine people made this their home for one week. The main theme we were working with was ‘relationships’: in society, with friends, family and close partnerships. We did a lot of talking, opening communication lines with a lot of personal sharing, which was possible because of the positive space which was created by the group, ably facilitated by professional counsellor David Garb. There were also practical activities so as to complete the components of ‘thinking, feeling and willing’. This is the part I am going to talk about as it is something that really made an impression on me.

In order to explore and deepen our relationship both to the community of our hosts and to the earth itself, a Biodynamics workshop was led by Eli Halley. One of the tasks the group achieved was to make a compost heap for the school, infusing it with the biodynamic preparations which were kindly donated by a local farmer. This was an activity very much based in the body, being physical work: collecting cow pats, mixing them with water to spread through, stacking the straw and so on. It was at the same time a spiritual practice, recognizing the esoteric forces of the universe and how we can work with them for the healing of the earth.

The clay work was very different, more an expression of our own individuality. It was led by Elizabeth Wirsching, originally form Norway, currently residing and working at the Goetheanum in Dornach. Starting with a chunk of clay, we had total freedom to create a form which expresses how we feel about relationships. Then came the hard part. We had to combine our piece with another piece in the room and make a relationship between the two. Some of us had to take apart some of our forms, while others managed to morph the two without much disfiguring. The outcomes were amazing. In most cases the final piece was more expressive than the single had been and each had a really solid and beautiful connection. I found that this was a really enjoyable and eye opening experience.  To think in forms can give you a totally different perspective, can reinforce something for you or can help you get past a block that you may have had.

A charcoal workshop explored the relationship between light and dark, looking at how light enters a void and starts to illuminate form. This was led by Deborah Docherty, who has been working with water colour and charcoal for over 6 years. The first day we sketched a faint light coming from an overhead light source a long way away, the second was more like day light falling, and the third was strong light. We also did this with colour, light blue turning to deep magenta in the shadows.

A different artistic activity encouraged us to work in a more communal manner. Here each person applied a small amount of colour to a page; then visited the pages of each member of the group and added colour to their work. The result was 39 drawings, each of which was a creation of the whole community – a mirror perhaps of how individuals can both contribute to and draw support from a wider social group.

At the closing of the Gathering, the strong desire was expressed by the group to hold another similar event next year. In the intervening time, regional groups in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch intend to build on the enthusiasm generated during the Gathering by forming study groups.

South Asian Pacific Initiative Meeting and Conference

By: Elizabeth Wirsching

IM Participants build "relationships"

So it has happened: for the first time young people from New Zealand and Australia came together to share with each other the different initiatives and projects from their countries.

We met on a monday evening around the evening meal-table, getting to know one another, many of us for the first time. We all felt the "it" in the air: that special “it” feeling that we would explore over the next couple of days. The desire to meet brought together a diverse group: Gosia, John and Katie came from Perth, Australia; Julia, Michael and Lisa from Melbourne, Australia, and Jocelyn from Sydney, Australia. Heloise and Sue came from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, Anna and Rachel from Auckland, New Zealand and Jonas from Kerikeri, New Zealand; and also Satoshi from Japan and Elizabeth from Dornach.

Economy and Initiative
The main theme for the morning time was: Economy and Initiative, workshopped with Noel Josephson from the biodynamic institution Ceres and Brian Sanders from the Prometheus Bank. We entered into the depths, history and challenges presented in dealing with money: from the power of dollar and the euro, to the personal use of money. We realized that it is hard to define "money", and in connection with initiatives it has the potential to be seen as a tool to support the good will of human beings. I was struck by the importance of the work Jesse Osmer (a YouthSectioner) has been doing over many years. Noel pointed out that the question of money is a task belonging to the english speaking world.

Since those workshops, another thing that is echoing in my mind is a short reflection from the last day: A decision can never be made by a group, but only by an individual. A group can support a decision made by an individual. Something to explore for the YouthSection!

Lets move!
Every morning we had Eurythmy with Sue Simpson (the General Secretary of New Zealand). It is amazing what eurythmy can do to a group of people when it is connected to the theme. We entered into the sounds of the word “money” in different languages: english, polish, german, norwegian, japanese and french, and discovered how the idea, the giving and receiving, and the will to connect with earth were present in the word in all the languages.

Let the hands speak for themselves
Gosia, John and Katie are a team that will organize a youth art conference in Perth just before Easter 2008. They introduced a workshop on their theme working with clay. Clay can be formed individually over time, contemplated, listened to and slowly finds its own shape in the exchange between your hands at work and your soul listening. Then you can take your piece of art, let it connect with another person’s piece of art and see what happens. Does the presence of the other change mine, and am I willing to let it do so? In this way we explored a new way of communication.

Sharing and Initiative Meeting
In the sharing of initiatives the wonderful process of fulfilling a task found its expression: search, fail, try again, struggle, succeed, continue and then DO IT. In both Australia and New Zealand there are existing Youth initiatives, with some new ones coming up. They are active in conferences, study groups, projects and questioning...Moments of Gold. By the end of the meeting we had made note of some new initiatives within the group. Katie wants to publish a diary with the soul calendar verses from Rudolf Steiner in it, and Lisa and Jocelyn will help. Rudolf Steiner’s three talks to young people will be published in Australia soon, Lisa Divine (a Priest in the Christian Community in Melbourne) and Elizabeth will take care of this. We finished in a good and inspired mood.

Health: Individual & World

By: Ani Hanelius

"Health" Participants take a walk between discussions

Exploring the theme of "health"

In late January a group of young people came together in Dornach at the YouthSection to meet. While this is a very common experience, given the setting, what set this meeting apart was both who was there and why: All those there had individual and global “health” in mind.

The impulse for the meeting came from two medical students studying in Germany who had the wish to bring together young people studying and/or working in various fields and disciplines in the Anthroposophical movement over the theme "health of the individual and health of the world." All agreed that this theme is one of great importance to all areas of life and work, and that individuals from the fields of medicine, education, farming, music and the arts, have much to contribute and teach each other in their search for answers and insight.

Another aspect of the impulse for this meeting was the idea to eventually hold a conference which would create a similar space for meeting and collaboration between young individuals from various disciplines over the same theme, each participant bringing their own views and insights from their field to the concept of health and sustainability for the individual and the world. The following article is a compilation and summary of some of the comments made and of the discussions that took place at this first meeting.

Among those around the YouthSection conference room table were two German medical students, a bookbinder and educator from Sweden, a South African musician/student/farmer, three Americans (two students and one a trained Waldorf teacher), a Brazilian Eurythmist, and a biodynamic farmer and wine grower, a musician, a carpenter and a YouthSection team member and a handful of others from Germany. Yet while the diversity of the participants’ professions and experiences was clear, what was truly exciting was the fact that they were all brought together over the same interest and concern for the meeting’s over-arching theme.

A pivotal question was: “What is our concept of health; and what is healthy?” In regards to this question of "health", Ruhi a bookbinder and educator from Sweden, noted that by being born on the earth in dark matter (i.e. a physical body) everyone is engaged in a healing process, and likewise, the Earth is also in need of "co-creative activity" in order to become what it needs to. Guy a YouthSection team member from South Africa, quoted Goethe, “Life is Nature’s most beautiful invention, and death is a trick it plays in order to have abundant life,” in connection to Philipp's point that “illness is part of being human,” and it is not a question of healing everything: death belongs to life, and being unhealthy belongs to being well. The question is: how can we live in this polarity and develop our abilities to do what our lives and destiny require us to do, not for selfish gain but in order to serve the world?

Speaking out of his experience working on the farm at a Camphill Village in South Africa, Guy noted the way agricultural and horticultural work can intervene towards positive social health in both the life of an individual and the whole. Likewise Ruhi, noted the importance of education as a means for overcoming obstacles, calling it a “quiet form of healing”. He spoke about the potential of education as therapy , and that it can provide a threshold in which the development of the individual leads to a contribution in healthy social activity, noting that education has the potential to be a supportive structure for a healthy organism.

This lead to other important questions: What is the social value of meeting together?  How does one place oneself in the whole in a useful way; and how does an individual place himself in the world and give health rather than taking it? What does it mean when people meet with such an awareness?

Each individual human being is today confronted with specific tasks: facing the relationship between the human being and the planet; to once again recognize spirit in the physical; and to experience the world as a living being whose destruction must cease. Ruhi noted that “everything has a way of communicating, the problem is we don’t listen very well.” Therefore, part of the larger human task is to develop the capacity of listening and making space for the other. Further, the human being in meeting the other, finds his own path and creates a space to meet in questioning consciously with another, and through meeting in consciousness, can develop perspectives of action and an understanding of how to bring about change.



In March this group will meet for a second time to once again come together over collective questions regarding individual health and the health of the world. The hope is that following the next meeting a working group will be formed that will take on the organization of a conference over this theme, hopefully to take place some time in 2009. Such a conference would potentially bring young people together from all different fields of work and study to meet, discuss, and connect over their shared interest and concern for health. After the initial ideas and inspirations that came from this first meeting of diverse individuals who all share a common question and concern about what health is in today’s world, any further meetings will surely prove to continue to be very interesting, inspiring and fruitful.

A "Slightly Different Study Group"

By: Guy Collins

What a challenge to try to sort through ways of studying together with other people. Over time we have some tried and tested ways of working in “study groups” which seem to work well for some people, but often we slip into an old pattern without realizing it. Yet many people, and especially those of the “younger generation,” are finding that they need and want to try a whole new method.

Last term we in the “Slightly Different Study Group” attempted to do just that, by putting a new twist on the traditional "study group" and exploring the question of how young people want to meet today. Our form was like this: begin with an opening game or exercise, then discussion and conversation, and lastly a contribution in the form of an excerpt from a book, poem, etc.  Through the next week, our thoughts and reflections from this piece to lived with us and inspired our conversation the next meeting.  By reading something different every time we met, it led to an ongoing discussion which continually had new “colours,” enhanced by the different contributions of various participants. A recurring theme in our discussions was the question of how to remain positive in a world that has so much ugliness and pain in it.

This term, some of the participants wanted to study something on a more ongoing basis.  We kept the form of reading at the end of the session, and began a lecture by Rudolf Steiner entitled, “The Work of the Angels in Man’s Astral Body.” What has transpired is very interesting in that it has been difficult to maintain a more personal mood of conversations as the group because more of a “study” of a lecture. We now notice that we want to understand what the lecture says and not necessarily use it as a springboard for conversation.  This presents the exciting challenge of working to return to the initial intention of this group: opening space for personal experience to come to the foreground through conversation.

I share these thoughts because it is a big question of mine as to how one can work with the question of “group study”.  How can young people meet in a meaningful way? This was the question behind starting this work/study group. To some extent the first term had this quality. I look forward to seeing the balancing aspects of working with a lecture as a springboard for personal exploration, and encouraging and inspiring the qualities of listening, conversation and personal sharing.

Spreading Initiative in America

By: Ani Hanelius, Kathleen Morse, Caitlin Balmer

Recently at an IDEM meeting held at the Youth Section in Dornach, Switzerland, a small group of five people from various places in the United States and South Africa got together to have a conversation about the potential for and current Anthroposophically inspired youth activity in the English speaking world, and specifically in the United States.

The conversation began with the acknowledgement that there is limitless potential in the United States for bringing people (and specifically young people) together over common striving and/or impulses of larger, more global concerns.  However, one of the main obstacles for bringing people, especially those who have a common background of Anthroposophy or Waldorf education, is the sheer size of the country. But even though size and distance make establishing connections very difficult, it is important to realize that such networking is not only possible, but crucial.

In discussing the importance of national networking among American Waldorf students and young people in general, and brainstorming ways that such connections might be established, we began to visualize a meeting of Waldorf high school students from around the country. The idea for an American “Connect” (12th Grade Class Conference) has long been dormant in the minds of young people and educators alike. (There have been a number of 12th grade conferences in the US. with the most recent being in Chicago 2004 or 2005, but not offically "Connect".) Our impulse sprang from the concern that many American Waldorf students unfortunately have a very cynical attitude towards their “special” brand of education, stemming from little understanding of the impulses Waldorf Education springs from, and a feeling of isolation amid the larger context of the American education system. Therefore, the idea of a meeting of Waldorf students from various schools nation wide, coming together both to meet one another and build bridges while  hearing about various youth activities and social impulses that work globally, was thought to have the potential to spark the impetus for a change of attitude once students start making connections and realize what an amazing gift they have been given in their education.

We thought that the first step towards such a meeting might be for one or more young people associated with various initiatives and impulses to visit schools around the country and plant seeds.  This would hopefully raise awareness, interest and enthusiasm among students for such work and possibly inspire a larger meeting. In this way, one could inform American Waldorf students of the possibility for meeting other such students, spark their interest, and hear and engage them in discussion about global initiatives and their own, as a way to break through the prevailing cynicism that exists among many American Waldorf students today.

The idea then arose that following such visits a smaller “Insight Meeting” could potentially take place where two or three “delegates” from each Waldorf high school nation-wide would come together to gain further insight into various global happenings, as well as be a founding group for a later larger conference for Waldorf 12th Grades. These “delegates” would then return to their schools with new information and enthusiasm for establishing further connections, and their enthusiasm would hopefully inspire and nurture the same in their peers.

The conversation around these ideas of larger meetings ended with the decision that rather than force something to happen prematurely, it’s best to allow them to ruminate and gain momentum for the time being. In April, Kathleen Morse will return to the States and begin making initial contact with and visits to various Waldorf schools, sharing with students her own exciting international networking experiences as well as information about global youth initiatives. As these visits progress we will then be able to asses interest in and determine the appropriate plan of action for meetings and conferences to be held in the future.



Another exciting discussion that took place during this meeting of English speakers, emerged from the question: “What is the task of the English-speaking world in the Anthroposophical and wider global community today?” The idea arose to hold a meeting or conference for English-speakers and non-English-speakers alike to explore the questions of how the “English Folk Soul” manifests today among common feelings of landlessness, felt by many people who’s national identity was founded in colonization. What unites the people of America with those of Australia, South Africa, Jamaica, Ireland, Sri Lanka, England and all the other countless English-speaking peoples world-wide? Discussions would explore the qualities of the English language as a form of communication, including various differences in interaction, the role of humor and “irreverence”, as well as exploring various topics to do with history, culture, Identity and globalization.  

Despite being very much in its infancy, this idea is exciting as it addresses many of the questions that arise among those that speak English as a first language in Dornach and Europe. The suggestion was made that if such a meeting were to take place, it should be in a relatively central location, taking into account the expense and distance required for travel so that it might truly be a meeting point accessible to all.

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

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