My name is Jonathan Alexander Ploeg, born in Hilversum, the Netherlands. When I was nine we moved to Haarlem. I went to the Waldorf school in Haarlem, which I really enjoyed. I was always busy with theatre at school, and after school I decided that it would be really awesome to go to theatre school.

At the same time, something in me desperately wanted to go to Africa. And so, through a friend of mine, I got to know this orphanage in Tanzania where I eventually went in April 2007, after I did auditions for different theatre schools in the Netherlands.

Someone once said, "the African continent knows a lot of different illnesses. One of them is being homesick." And that is what struck me after I came back from Tanzania. I was homesick – I wanted to go back to Tanzania. That is were my focus on life totally changed. Being focused on theatre totally changed into being focused on the world's bigger issues. And that's what I'm still focused on, for as long as possible.

Now I'm 21 without starting a study yet. A lot of people are getting concerned about my future. My answer to their concerns is that times have changed, and probably I have changed. Nowadays it can be easier to do what you really like, without having to be concerned about a basic income. Also, we no longer necessarily learn a craft which we will continue doing the rest of our lives. So a study nowadays doesn't mean that you will be working on that very subject for the rest of your life. These are some essential changes that have happened over the last years, and acknowledging them is very important for both the older and the younger generations.

Also, some things inside me changed, especially after my trip to Africa. I started to understand that today it is not about surviving anymore. It is not about studying, focusing, getting a job and living your life – it is about more than that. It's about caring, sharing and being social in a sustainable way. Therefore we all have to cross borders in order to approach those things that are probably even more interesting than doing a study or learning from a book.

The society we live in gives us a lot of chances to unfold our true potentials, do what we really want and contribute to the future. Also, it makes it way more difficult with every step we take. Globalisation is going on – the world is slowly getting united as a whole, which shows us the values of different cultures and people, but also the gaps that have to be bridged in order to live with each other in a sustainable way. I see it as our generation’s task to make the first steps to cross borders, acknowledge different values, and talk to each other on a human level – to work together towards sustainability.

My name is Natālija, and I am in love with life. In Spring, 2008 I finished Waldorf school in Latvia and now I am part of the Youth Initiative Program (YIP) in Sweden. I speak Russian, Latvian, English and um pouco de Português.

I have short, curly hair and eyes the color of the ocean. I love summer and snow, storms and silence. I love dancing, and I know the Latvian folk dances, which are lots of fun. Joy. Fun. Laugh. Love. Movement. Beauty. Nature. Friendship. Connection. Conversation. And connection.

My biggest passion about Connect is Connect itself – the idea of connecting youth from all over the world and bringing conscious realisation of the possibilities that all of us have. Sometimes I get ‘fretted’ by the big world, by all the mess and unknown paths that I can get lost in. I feel small and powerless, lost and helpless.

But with a little help from the Youth Section, YIP and Connect (just by meeting wonderful people full of energy and inspiration), all the world fits in my hand and I know I can make a change.

Instead of looking at the world in a negative way, Connect is seeing all the possibilities to make positive changes in the world. It is our responsibility to take an initiative! Just go for it and DO IT!

A Taste of a Class 12 Contribution

About my workshop:
It's modern dance. It's based on breathing and relaxing the body and the brain. We'll start with warming up the body and doing some improvisation exercises, sometimes two on two. Then we're going to do some modern dance exercises to get used to the movement and idea of modern dance.

The last part of the workshop I'll teach a choreography which we will perform at the end of the conference.
 
About me:
I'm Simone, I'm 17 years old and I've danced 13 years of my life. I'm living in The Hague, The Netherlands.

I dance 14 hours a week: modern dance, classical ballet and urban/hiphop. I want to be a dancer after I've finished school.

I have been a Waldorf school student my whole life. Teaching this workshop is part of my project for school.

I came to the February Days without a good idea of what to expect because the anthroposophical movement is a new world, which has been fairly unknown to me ... When I arrived at this event, I tried to be as open minded and interested as I could be and let every experience sink in as much as possible, but at the same time keep a healthy critical view at everything that took place. I soon noticed that it was not hard to do this because in general people were just as open to me, and I quickly had the feeling of being in a trusted and safe environment.

... I can't say in what way anthroposophy will become a part of my life, or in what way it will give me a different look at the world and its inhabitants. But I do know that a new flame has awoken in me and that I have the will to be more conscious about my own thoughts and feelings and the way this reflects on the outer and inner world and back to me. I am very curious in which direction this will lead me this year and the years to follow. Maybe I will be able to tell you about that next year!

(For Gregor's full article, click here.)