Participating in the youth exchange SOLACE Strengthening Our Lives Amids Ecological Crisis has been a very enriching experience. We stayed at a small eco-community Grain&Sens in France with beautiful natural surroundings, delicious food, and amazing people. The structure of the week was loosely following the Spiral work developed by Joanna Macy. We moved from days centering around preparing the ground, planting the seeds, coming from gratitude to honoring our pain for the world, watching it grow, going forth, and harvesting all that we have learned. We connected deeply with each other through morning circles, reflections, vulnerable conversations, and free time filled with games, laughter, and bonfires. One of the most impactful sessions for me personally was the activity called The Council of All Beings in which all participants went for a walk in the forest and found an object or being to fully embody. Then we talked together about how we feel about the state of the world and the behavior of humans from the perspective of these beings. I was a mushroom representing mama mycelium. We experienced a great variety of embodying activities that enabled us to transform the pain, grief, anger and fear into gratitude, resilience, hope, and a plan of action regarding the climate crisis we live in. It was powerful to know that other people share the same feelings as me. I left the exchange more hopeful that there is a possibility to build a better future on this planet together if such inspiring humans are living here like the ones I met during SOLACE.
Best AI Website Creator
