SOUL – the craft of soulcentric development is an international training for youth workers who want to become agents of cultural transformation, and act as facilitators of soulcentric human development. This course is a space for restoring, nurturing and expanding our connection with Ourselves, the Earth, the Others and the Great Mystery that prevails everything.
This training course will bring together 24 participants from: Ireland, Poland and Romania.
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.”
“SOUL – the craft of soulcentric development” 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, “SOUL – the craft of soulcentric development” 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 the principles, concepts and tools of soulcentric human development (the way of nature and soul).
SOUL – the craft of soulcentric development 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 the craft of soulcentric development.
- To engage the participants in the process of skills development in the themes of the course.
- To inspire and motivate the participants to become agents of cultural transformation.
- To support the participants become multipliers of soulcentric human development.
The way we are going to work
We are going to experience and explore soulcentric development, which is a human development approach that places 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 main tools
Soulcentric development is based on two main instruments (The Nature-based Map of the Human Psyche and The Soulcentric Developmental Wheel), that were developed by the American depth psychologist Bill Plotkin, in two of his books. We will explore and work with these instruments by using a wide variety of practices, activities, and discussion.
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, deep imagery journeys, 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: Ireland, Poland and Romania.
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, that provide basic conditions. The participants will share rooms of 3 people 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 intuitively combining elements of eco-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 the 4th of October (no later than 16.00) and the departure day is 13th of October (after 12.00 from Cluj-Napoca). There are 8 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 below.
| Nr. | Country | Nr. of participants/country | Travelling budget/person |
| 1 | Romania | 8 | Covered from Cluj-Napoca to the location |
| 2 | Poland | 8 | 320 Euros (green travel) |
| 3 | Ireland | 8 | 360 Euros |
| A total of 24 participants from 3 countries. | |||
* 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.
*Due to the climate situation, we request the Polish participants to travel only green travel, therefore we cannot reimburse plane tickets from Poland.
Each participant is asked to offer a financial contribution, on a sliding scale from 50 to 100 Euros (each person will choose according to possibilities).
Each participant must have 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.
If you plan to arrive earlier or leave later your expenses for accommodation outside of the days of the training will not be covered by the project.
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).
IMPORTANT: NO alcohol – NO drugs policy
The practices and activities that will be done during the training require our full mental and physical capacities. Thus, we invite the participants not to consume any 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/DjgArYk3rW3gBSBU7
Please, fill in the application form as soon as possible.
Contact
Primary contact – Bogdan Romanică (Romania) – project coordinator and trainer
romanica.bogdan@gmail.com
This training is a part of a long term project called “Soil, Soul, Society – holistic approaches for youth development”, prepared and implemented by Dreams for Life from Romania, Siolta Chroi from Ireland and KobieTY from Poland.
