From I to Us

Building on ten years of experience as an intentional community, we explore tools and practices that empower individuals while supporting collaboration, belonging, and shared responsibility. We aim to adapt and apply methods used in ecovillages—such as non-violent communication, sociocracy, and collective decision-making—to youth work and organisational settings. Our shared goal is to support the transition from “I” to “us,” enabling groups and communities to face challenges together with purpose, resilience, and hope.

OBJECTIVES

• Exploring, exchanging and experimenting with tools which can empower individuals, especially young people, into seeing, realizing and implementing their full potential.
• Exploring, exchanging and experimenting with tools which can bring empowered individuals together, into collective perspective, in which “I” can be transformed to “us” bringing a sense of belonging, purpose and hope that together we can better serve our societies, our planet and face current local and global challenges.

Among tools which will help us to achieve the first goal are those working with personal needs, talents, dreams and values. Among tools serving the second objectives are for example Non-violent communication, Sociocracy, various ways of collective decision making, group processes and dynamics (including power dynamics and privileges).

PARTICIPANTS PROFILE

The training course is designed for 24 participants from Bulgaria, Estonia, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, France, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Portugal, Italy, and Spain who:

• Are youth workers, educators, activists, project coordinators, or young leaders actively involved in their organisations and communities.
• Have experience working with young people and understand their needs, challenges, and realities in local contexts.
• Are motivated to develop their skills in the areas of sustainability, personal development, community living, group facilitation, and youth work.
• Have a good command of English, enough to actively participate in discussions, workshops, and group activities.
• Are available and committed to take part in all phases of the project — preparation, the 6-day training course, and follow-up activities.
• Contribute to diversity in terms of age, gender, and geographical background, helping to create an intercultural and intergenerational learning space.

ACCOMMODATION:

Arterra Bizimodu (https://arterrabizimodu.org/) - intentional community and educational center in rural area, which provides shared rooms and locally sourced, ecological food.