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17-20 November 2011: Visionautics facilitate the first meeting of the Learning Partnership “Hosting Transformation” in Berlin.
It seems long ago when the Visionauts Jutta, Boris and Valentina were writing the application for the EU Grundtvig Learning Partnership in January 2011. Then, faster than you would expect, the grant is won, the logistics are organised, and the gathering is already happening. On the 17th of November, the 19 partners walked in the door of K-Saloon, in Bergmannstrasse, Berlin. Here is where the Academy of Visionautics hosted for 3 days the first of seven meetings that will take place in each of the countries of the partners’ organizations.
Over a period of two years (2011-2013) the learning partnership aims to collect and reflect upon best practices on facilitating sustainable innovation and active citizenship, while creating a strong network between the organizations involved in different fields of adult education (visit the blog post “Ready for new partnerships”, if you want to know more about our partners).
Beside their diversity, the participants share the feeling that “it is my responsibility…to live my call and help others to do the same…”, as Molly, from the Art of Monastery- an in-residence art project that works in the intersection between creativity, contemplation and collaboration- says. Indeed, the participants are moved by the passion for facilitating the transformation of individuals, business, and organizations in order to contribute towards a more deeply democratic, creatively self-expressive, and sustainable way to be, live and work together. They meet during the Learning Partnership to get better in what they do.
In Berlin the participants focused on getting to know each other, also facilitated by the Visionauts in this by the informal atmosphere of the organized dinners, and by bike rides in the city and to the local initiatives.
On the 17th, the meeting opened with the seeding of the intentions of each partners for the next two years: “what do we want to see growing together?”.
During the next two days, intervaled by warm ups, singings, and energizers, the participants introduced themselves by telling about their passions, their specific approaches (multisensorial learning, non violent communication, art of hosting, systemic thinking, deep ecology, learning journeys, expressive arts, empowered fundraising, journaling, etc.) their educational offer, and their burning questions. The participants were following the principle of using “stories as transformational tools” (Kanada, Embercombe).
And with the stories, the questions that are at the core of the action and of the inquiry of each organization, come to surface: “What does it mean to live in this time and what are we being called to be?” (Kanada, Embercombe); “How to sustain the process of the youngest so that they find their more authentic self and their internal trust?” (Pernilla, YIP); “How do we facilitate the unlearning process for our students so that they find intrinsic motivation and feel free to act in the lack of structure?” (Jord, Knowmads); “How can we create a new picture of the system and build concrete alternatives to the one we have now?” (Sylvia, Plenum).
Overlapping interests emerged from the circle of stories allowing an easy decision on the direction to take in the next meeting happening in Amsterdam from the 26th of February until 1st of March 2012.
On Wednesday evening, during the open event “Eat and connect”, each organization gave a short introduction to the local public and further connections have been established.
The last day of the program was dedicated to the closing ritual and final arrangments: the participants broke arrows as a symbolic act of overcoming challenges that might arise along the way.
And now that all the arrows have been broken, we look forward to hit the goal of a partnership full of learnings and transformations!