Deep Connections – Erasmus+ training course

Download Deep Connections – Call for participants

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Dear Wanderer,

Thank you for opening this letter. Let us begin with this reading.

“Man has little needs and deeper needs. We’ve fallen into the mistake of living from our little needs til we have lost our deeper needs in a sort of madness. Let us prepare now for the death of our little life and reemergence in a bigger life in touch with the moving cosmos. We must get back into relation through daily ritual. We must practice again the daily ritual of dawn and noon and sunset, of kindling fire and pouring water, for the truth is, we are perishing for lack of fulfillment of our greater needs. We are cut off from the great sources of our inward nourishment and renewal. Sources that flow eternally in the universe. Vitally the human race is dying. It is like a great uprooted tree with its roots in the air. We must plant ourselves again in the universe.”

D.H. Lawrence

Deep Connections is an international training for youth workers who want to become agents of cultural transformation, and act as facilitators of nature based holistic human development, by using the framework of ecocentric/soulcentric development. This course is a space for restoring and nurturing deep connections with Ourselves, the Earth and the Others.

The training course will bring together 25 participants from: France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain.

This document is the CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS, and in it you will find information about:

• From where we begin and our intentions
• The way we are going to work
• The right people
• The place and our future home
• The guides
• Practical aspects (travelling, costs, preparation)
• Application procedure
• Contact

From where we begin and our intentions

Nature, our home, the place of restoration, healing, empowerment, and visions. Rilke once said: “If we surrendered to earth’s intelligence, we could rise up rooted, like trees.”

“Deep Connections” is an invitation to get in touch with the Earth’s intelligence, that we find within and without ourselves.

Crafted with soulful passion, integrity, and professionalism, “Deep Connections” is a profound immersion that will bring the participants in deep explorations of three realms:

• The personal Inner World (the realm of soul, of personal resources, gifts, powers, dreams, visions, longings, personal callings, and mission).
• The Earth (the realm of the natural world and of the more than human beings).
• The Others (the realm of the human community, of deep and authentic relations).

The process is envisioned for engaging and enhancing the four human dimensions: the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual.

The training is based on ecocentric/soulcentric human development (the way of nature and soul).

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver

Deep Connections is an invitation:

• To live into a way of being that is authentic, deep and sacred, that serves our greater needs, that is grounded and rooted into the natural principles, that invites maturity, imagination, service and wildness.

• To restore and expand the great sources of inward nourishment and renewal. We will explore our psyches and cultivate our inner resources and potentials.

• To prepare for the death of our little life and reemergence in a bigger life in touch with the moving cosmos and our souls. We will feel into what is no longer serving us and into what is calling us to manifest in the next phases of our lives, making space for the gifts of our souls to emerge and come into the world.

Through this course we intend the followings:

• To create a space of deep transformation and learning, in which the participants can evolve at personal and professional level.
• To develop the knowledge of those involved, in ecocentric/soulcentric development.
• To engage the participants in the process of skills development in the themes of the project.
• To inspire and motivate the participants to become agents of cultural transformation.
• To support the participants become multipliers of ecocentric/soulcentric human development.

The way we are going to work

Our approach is called ecocentric and/or soulcentric development and it’s a human development approach that is placing the nature and the human soul at the center of its actions. We combine elements of eco-depth psychology, inner work, nature connection, rewilding, indigenous wisdom, non-religious spirituality, art and principles observed in nature.

The themes and topics

We will work with a bundle of topics and themes, such as:

• Nature based psychological models and tools: understanding the human psyche, our behaviors, and how we function at deep level.
• Soulcraft practices: wholing and self-healing work, underworld and upper world spirituality, soul-based work.
• Self-exploration: connecting with the inner world, our talents, gifts, passions, dreams, longings and personal mission.
• Meaningful relationships: learning how to support and empower others, by deep listening, asking questions, mirroring, and offering unconditional support.
• Elements of non-violent communication: developing empathy, connecting with the feelings and needs of the others.
• Nature connection: experiencing practices and activities for deep nature connection and learning from the natural world.
• Artistic ways of expression: getting in touch with our inner artist and exploring artistic ways for authentic self-expression
• Movement and embodiment: getting in touch with the intelligence of our bodies, exploring ways of self-expression and authenticity through movement.

Practices and activities that will be offered

Nature explorations, solo time in nature, presentations, interactive discussions, reflection groups, working in pairs, mentoring practices, journaling, symbolic art, music making, singing, drumming and rhythms, storytelling, rituals and ceremonies, fasting, contemplative practices (silence, meditation, praying), sharing circles and the way of council, dancing, embodiment, authentic movement, poetry, nature connection activities, hiking etc.

The right people

This course is for those who feel a strong resonance with what we have to offer. It is especially for professional youth workers who are active in the youth field (youth workers, trainers, educators, NGO leaders and mentors) who are willing to explore and develop themselves and after that to resourcefully inspire and empower others, in nurturing and life enhancing ways.

The participants must be over 18 years, actively participate in the youth field, and have a good level of English.
Eligible participants must have legal residency in one of these countries: France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain.

The place and our future home

The program will take place in a beautiful and wild area, in the Carpathian Mountains, near the village Măguri Răcătău. A village located at an altitude of 800 m and 45 km from Cluj-Napoca. We will be accommodated in several wooden cottages. The participants will share rooms of 3 persons or more and the bathrooms are common. The meals will consist of vegetarian food.

The guides

Bogdan Romanică – from Romania

Bogdan is a human development guide, trainer, and mentor, from Romania. In his work, he is intuitively combining elements of psychology, nature connection, experiential learning, outdoor education, storytelling, and art. He loves exploring nature and the human soul. He feels in his element when inspiring and empowering people to become the trues versions of themselves. He has worked locally and internationally in the field of human development since 2010. He developed his craft by engaging consistently in deep and meaningful work and training with the Animas Valley Institute from the USA (organization founded by Bill Plotkin), the Mankind Project, Illuman and other organizations and teachers. Born in Romania, he feels deeply connected with the lands where he lives, the hills, mountains and forests that spread not far from his city, Cluj-Napoca.

Sandra Horea – from Romania

Sandra is a human development guide and mentor who creatively and heart-fully invites people to be in intimate and meaningful conversations with their Soul. She calls humans to fall in love with nature, metaphor, symbol, feeling and therefore with themselves and live their bigger lives delivering their gift to the hungry world. As a guide, she creates purposeful spaces of self-discovery incorporating in her work her experience regarding depth psychology and soul-based practices, eco-centric development, embodiment, storytelling, poetry and deep imagination. She has a wide experience of 12 years in working with youth and adults in facilitating spaces of personal and community transformation. She graduated the Wild Mind Program (focusing on eco-depth psychology of wholing and healing) within Animas Valley Institute from the USA and at the moment she is studying within the same organization, furthermore the mysteries of psyche within SAIP – Soulcraft Apprentiship and Initiation Program, an in-depth study of soul-initiation practices and guiding skills.

Practical aspects (travelling, costs, preparation)

The arrival day in Cluj-Napoca is 14^th of November (no later than 16.00) and the departure day is 22^nd of November (after 12.00 from Cluj-Napoca). There are 7 full training days. The training location is one hour away from Cluj-Napoca.

The project is financed by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, thus all the activities, accommodation and food are 100% covered by the EU grant. The travel costs will be reimbursed to the participants after the course in the amount limit presented in the table below.

* Green travel: means of transportation with lower carbon footprint, such as trains, busses, carpooling. Green travelling may take longer but is a necessary action for the environment.

Each participant is asked to offer a financial contribution, on a sliding scale from 60 to 120 Euros (each person will choose according to possibilities).

Each participant must have a comprehensive travel and medical insurance, covering both the travel and the stay from the first until the last day of the way back home. The insurance should be covered by the participants.

COVID related aspects: The participants must arrive at the location in a COVID free situation. If testing is required, the testing costs will be covered by the project budget.

If you plan to arrive earlier or leave later your expenses for accommodation out of the days of the training will not be covered by the project.

The participation in this training requires a preparation phase.

Those who will be accepted in the training should follow an online learning process (reading different materials, articles, watching videos) related to the topic of the training.
The participants will receive several suggestions for personal work before coming to the program (e.g. journaling on certain questions, self-time in nature and several other invitations). Applying to this program also requires the commitment to follow the preparation process.

A vision with a task

After the training course we want to pay special attention to the dissemination activities. We want to create a powerful impact through our project. As a continuation of the experience, each participant will have to implement at least one ACTION in their own community (dissemination event/workshop for youth).

NO alcohol – NO drugs policy

The practices and activities that will be made during the training, require our full mental and physical capacities. Thus, we invite the participants not to consume alcohol and drugs during the whole training duration.

Application procedure and deadline

If you feel a deep calling to participate in this training course, you must fill in the application form available at this link:

https://forms.gle/zGTEYoABQkxmb4Qi6

The deadline for applications submission is 17^th of September 2022 (included).

The selections results will be published the latest on the 22^nd of September.

Contact

Primary contact – Bogdan Romanică (Romania) – project coordinator and trainer

romanica.bogdan@gmail.com    +40745585415

Secondary contact – Sandra Horea (Romania) – trainer

sandra.horea@gmail.com

“You enter life a ship laden with meaning, purpose and gifts.

sent to be delivered to a hungry world.

And as much as the world needs your cargo,

you need to give it away.

Everything depends on this.”

Cargo – Greg Kimura