The Art of Wintering - Before things take shape ( Somatics - Contemplative practices - Dance improvisation)

Inspired by the rhythm of winter, we will explore the relationship between activity and rest, productivity and spaciousness, individual expression and collective experience.
What does it mean to be part of a group without losing our own rhythm?
How can we create spaces where different needs, energies and ways of participating can coexist?

Through movement, improvisation, somatic practices, writing, contemplation and nature-based exploration, we will investigate how creativity, connection and new possibilities emerge both through intentional action and through listening, observing and allowing space for the unexpected.

For youth workers, facilitators, artists and others working with people, this reflection invites us to consider how our own rhythms, expectations and relationship with productivity shape the spaces we create for others. How can we recognise when a group needs action and when it needs time to pause, process or simply be? How can we support people through periods of uncertainty, change or low energy without rushing them towards solutions or visible outcomes? By becoming more aware of these different rhythms, we can develop more responsive ways of working with groups. Creating space for reflection, recovery, creativity and growth, while respecting that meaningful processes do not always unfold at a predictable pace.

​How does this topic relate to youthwork and facilitation? 

Youth work increasingly takes place in conditions of uncertainty, stress, fragmentation and rapid social change. Supporting young people's mental health cannot only mean learning more techniques for helping others. It also requires youth workers to develop their own capacity for presence, self-awareness, relational sensitivity, regulation, listening and staying open in situations where there is no immediate solution.

Embodied and collective practices can offer another kind of resource: not another method to apply, but a way of cultivating the capacity to stay present with complexity, uncertainty and difference.

They can also create spaces where people experience being part of something larger than themselves — where knowledge is not only produced individually, but emerges through bodies, relationships, attention and collective experimentation.​

For us, this is particularly relevant today: How can we create conditions in which people can think, feel, move and imagine together?

Methodology:

Somatics – Dance Improvisation – Contemplative Practices – Nature-based Exploration

Through movement, improvisation, somatic practices, writing, contemplation and nature-based exploration, we will investigate how creativity, connection and new possibilities emerge — both through intentional action and through listening, observing and allowing space for the unexpected.​

​FOR WHO? 

The knowledge and practices explored in this training are relevant for youth workers, facilitators, artists and trainers because their work involves creating spaces where people can participate, connect, explore and grow in different ways. They constantly navigate between individual needs and group dynamics, activity and rest, structure and openness, guidance and allowing space for what emerges.

Their role is not only to provide activities and outcomes, but also to create environments where young people can develop autonomy, creativity, self-awareness and a sense of belonging. The training invites participants to explore how different rhythms, needs and forms of participation can coexist, and how creating more spacious and responsive environments can support meaningful engagement, resilience and connection.

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We aim to have 28 participants from Slovenia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.

Participants must be over 17 years old and have a communicative level in English so that they can participate fully in the program.​​

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Project Partners: ​

VulcanicaMente - Italy 
Dreams for Life - Romania
Unfold e.V. - Germany
Terre de Nuages - France
Trib Arte - Spain
SZOME - Hungary
4Arts Therapy - Slovakia

​This training course is funded through the Erasmus+ Programme; travel costs up to a specific maximum allowed amount will be fully reimbursed.

Slovenia: 28 EUR (56 EUR for Green Travel*)
Italy: 211 EUR  (285 EUR for GT*) 
Germany, Spain, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, France: 309 EUR  (417 EUR for GT) 

Last drop of information: 

Application deadline: 10th of November at 12 pm
Selection results: 17th of November
Arrival day: 21st of January by 7 pm
Start of the program: 22nd of January 
Last day of the program: 29th of January
Departure day: 30th of January by noon

For More Information, visit this page: 

https://www.moave.si/wintering

Application form link: https://forms.gle/7cqhxS9b3qS7MpWu7