By now, if you are following my posts and adventures, you know that I like a good story. The week I am going to describe has all the elements of a good one: an inspiring place, an interesting cast of characters, a good solid plot, and a mystery to solve.
It was the second edition of “Nature of EVS”, training course for ex volunteers, mentors, trainers and coordinators of the European Voluntary Service programme, which we wanted to explore in a number of dimensions.
You can find the course description in detail here, or read the story of the first edition, which happened in July 2015 in Czech Republic, here.
So what was different, this time? Well, first of all, we were in Italy. And it wasn’t July, but November. And the people were (well, almost everybody) different. These are the perfect conditions, I guess, for a different experience, right? And for us in the team it was really supposed to be like that. We dived into the week not having a precise programme defined, just a few fixed ideas; and even more, we knew we didn’t want it to be anything like the first edition.
It’s a bit risky as an approach (and it certainly implies a lot of flexibility… and a few more late evening meetings), but for us it’s a central aspect of our work. A programme in “non formal education” must be centred on people and on the process, so we really try to do it. I think it’s basically impossible to calibrate a week-long programme on a group, before you actually meet the people. Yes, you can make assumptions, and have a few things ready in advance. But there must be space for flexibility. In so many programmes you see everything already decided from the beginning – to the fine details. Even things like “team building” or “party”. How can you guess if the group will actually turn out to be a team? Or if people will be in the mood for a party exactly that night?
But enough with my speculations. So, especially when working in a team where there is a high degree of trust and a good communication, we are trying to follow this fluid, more organic approach to designing the schedule. Which leaves some people confused, because by the time the programme is (almost) definitive, it’s also almost time to leave. But allows us to respond to the group’s needs and requests very fast, and in some depth.
We knew we wanted to provide a fresh and original look into the matter of EVS, by taking in consideration its complexity and in at least 4 dimensions: Work (the professional aspects, networking, information), Spirit (reflection, art, inspiration, spirituality), Tools (learning and sharing skills, methods, how tos), and the Social dimension (learning through emotions, sharing, and feelings). Plus Nature to connect them all.
Ah yes, Nature. It was one of the main components of our programme (it’s even in the title), and at least half of our activities were aimed at developing a deeper understanding and connection with it. Nature, not only seen as the natural environment in which we live; but also as our inner nature, the complex of our own feelings, perceptions, conflicts, thoughts.
We were in our hostel in Sermugnano, again. The place feels like home by now, and it’s lovely. Hosted the group nicely, and the warm weather allowed us to spend as much time outside as we wanted. Long siesta breaks after lunch where people were resting and talking outside – it felt like a complete gift.
And once again, another big element of our course was Service and Care. It’s a fixed space in the programme, every morning, where the group takes care of the place, of itself and of people’s individual needs by performing a number of jobs. Kitchen in Sermugnano is always one of everybody’s favourites:
As well as garden, which is also the opportunity to leave a mark and improve the place for the next generations to come:
We enjoyed the possibility of having once more as a guest trainer our friend Vania Castelfranchi, author and director of theatre Ygramul in Rome. With him, we explored a few tecniques to get to know each other and to learn how to interact in a playful and authentic way
and one of the most interesting parts was probably catching people who were jumping off a table exploring trust in the group,
followed then by a night walk exploring the concept of “Totem“, which we had to find walking in the forest, blindfolded.
The session ended in the local cemetery. No wait, I didn’t mean in that sense. Anyway, it was a very strong experience and brought lots of learning opportunities and reflections.
Totems, the way we used them, are the thin line between certainty and doubt; light and darkness; questions and answers. They are things, but they talk about us. They can be the key to understanding many things. People had to find their objects, but the day after they had to deserve them, first by communicating with them,
then by actually conquering them against a powerful enemy.
We were going to use this concept again and again during the course, until a very powerful closing activity on the last day. It left a very strong mark on the group.
Other programme elements included sessions that were more informative about the EVS in general, aimed at those people who had questions and wanted a few answers,
inputs on concepts like the “Hero’s Journey“, the Pesso Boyden System Psychomotor, or the Four Shields of Human Nature,
with time dedicated also to exploring Ceremonies, Rituals, and their connection with different human cultures and the natural cycles.
We included Open Space and Parallel Sessions to try and meet the needs of such a diverse group.
And as I said, we spent lots, lots of time outside and in connection with the place and the landscape around it,
Also thanks to the many inspiring insights and lots of time for personal reflection and sharing, we managed to craete, I think, a deep and special connection between the group and the place.
A very special activity consisted in one full day of “Pilgrimage”, intended as a tranformative journey, or maybe even a personal ritual. We walked 11 kilometers, from Sermugnano to the amazing location of Civita di Bagnoregio, and it was an interesting experience!
The walk was good, the second part of it through the wonderful Valle dei Calanchi, which presented Civita as a wonderful Reward right at its end.
I mentioned a mystery at the beginning of the story. And it’s true. Something unfortunate happened: a few people in the group had to report so some money missing from their wallets.
It is very unusual, I have to say, and I work really a lot with groups. The feelings of trust and safety in the group are fundamental for the learning and community experience. But this time, something went in a different way.
The feeling was that the mysterious thief was a member of the group. Instead of using such a strong word, the group started to call it “the dwarf”, hoping that he/she/it would appear back from the shadows and give back what it took by putting the money discreetly in a box. It didn’t happen. So in the end, the only solution (not shared by the whole group, but reached through a consensus) was to collect money again and somehow repair the harm done.
Well. It felt like a stain on the experience, and I know that some people were really affected negatively by it. But looking at the positive side, it gave us the opportunity to practice (a lot) of facilitation techniques and decision making processes within the group. All in all, it was an interesting process in the process.
At times it felt like a big game of Werewolves, or some other simulation exercise. One person actually thought it was all part of a plan from the trainers to test the group!
Thank you but no. We also play dirty tricks sometimes, but this would definitely have been way too out of line, even for us.
But maybe as a consequence of the unexpected extra thriller in the plot, we got a great karaoke party that night! And it was a treat.
A few other things to mention: fruit picking – and sometimes downright stealing not necessarily always within the boundaries of respecting other people’s private property
But it was all part of the general playfulness of the group, and definitely the quality that I keep with me when I think about the week.
Hey, we even managed to have a final evaluation session based on the Italian culture of aperitivo
Which was very creative. The results looked like this:
So… connection with the nature? Checked. Exploring EVS from different points of view? Checked. Developing new contacts and hopefully a few quality projects in the future? Checked. Understanding its value as a personal journey and the way it refers to human myths, natural cycles and rituals? Checked… I guess.
It’s different for everybody.
And that’s the way it is supposed to be, because… that’s the Nature of Evs!
To say nothing of the cat 