From the beginning of time, women and men gathered separately, to connect, learn from each other and explore what it means to be a woman or a man in the world. In modern society, the ways of initiation into womanhood and manhood are often lost, unknown or outdated. Often, women and men live disconnected from their essence, power and purpose.
A movement of restoring women and men’s work is growing globally, responding to people’s needs related to womanhood and manhood.
An initiative that contributes to this movement is the project “Wo(men) Empowerment”, that is developed in cooperation between Fundacja Wyobraź sobie from Poland and Dreams for Life from Romania.
“The Art of Women and Men Circles – training for facilitators”, as part of the above-mentioned project, is a training course for human workers who want to become facilitators of developmental programs that focus on separate work with women and men.
The training course is a practical and experiential learning journey that has the following intentions:
- To explore ideas, concepts and stories related to womanhood and manhood.
- To explore tools and concepts that facilitate the empowerment of women and men on specific topics.
- To develop knowledge, skills and attitudes that would allow a human worker to facilitate development programs for women and men.
- To expand the personal consciousness of those who will participate and go beyond the limiting stories related to what it means to be a woman and a man.
- To develop a community of human workers who want to develop programs for women and men.
The course will focus on the following themes and topics:
– Group facilitation (group work): we will address elements connected with group dynamics and explore the ways that connect people authentically and make groups united and cohesive.
– Mentoring and coaching skills (one to one work): we will work with elements connected with deep listening, asking questions, mirroring and guiding individuals in their unique life journeys.
– Deep connections: we will explore ideas and practices that bring people into deep and honest spaces, where they can heal, discover and transform.
– Femininity and masculinity: we will explore ideas related to womanhood and manhood, femininity and masculinity. We will explore the world of feminine and masculine archetypes as well as the stories (personal and collective) that are linked with them.
– Specific practices and tools: we will explore and experience specific practices and activities that can be use in effective ways for working with women and men.
Practices and activities that will be offered.
Women and men circles, nature explorations, presentations, interactive discussions, reflection groups, working in pairs, mentoring and coaching practices, journaling, symbolic art, music, singing, drumming and rhythms, storytelling, rituals and ceremonies, contemplative practices (silence, meditation, praying, mindfulness), sharing circles and the way of council, dancing, embodiment, authentic movement, poetry etc.
All these practices will be contextualized to the specific work with women and men.
Dates
The program will take place between 2nd and 8th of November 2023,
- 2nd of November – arrival day in Cluj-Napoca and traveling to the location.
- 3rd to 7th of November – training days (5 full days);
- 8th of November – departure day
Profile of participants
This project is for professional human workers who are active in the field of adult education (mentors, trainers, coaches, educators, NGO leaders and counselors) who are willing to explore and develop themselves and after that to resourcefully inspire and empower women and men, in nurturing and life enhancing ways.
The participants must be over 18 years, actively participate in the field of human development, and have a good level of English.
Eligible participants must have legal residency in one of these countries: Poland and Romania.
There are 16 places available, 8 for Poland and 8 for Romania.
Location and accommodation
The training 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 at Valea Paradisului guest house (***). The participants will share private rooms for 2-3 people, with private bathrooms. The meals will consist of vegetarian food.
The trainers
Bogdan Romanică – is the founder of Dreams for Life and Men of the Earth. He is a human development guide, trainer, and mentor, from Romania. In his work, he intuitively combines elements of psychology, nature connection, experiential learning, outdoor education, storytelling, archetypal work and art. 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 (organisation founded by Bill Plotkin), the Mankind Project, Illuman and other organisations and teachers.
Anna Książek – trainer, coach, activist, storyteller. She spent last years travelling and collecting stories of changemakers from all over the world. She has worked with women for many years, creating a space for growth and discovery. Passionate about topics connected to changemaking, global education, self-development, women empowerment, social entrepreneurship. Collaborated with various organisations for example Ashoka, Amnesty International, Scouting. Currently trainer and collaborator of Fundacja Wyobraź sobie.
Andrea Pucci – is a chemist, researcher and permaculturist. He has collaborated for several years with Fundacja Wyobraź sobie, on topic related to self development and changemaking and he is co-founder of the ExChange the World initiative, which motto is “Create your story; change the world”, meaning that self-understanding and self realisation of the individual is the only sustainable way to change the world for better. He has been working as a trainer and facilitator in over 20 courses since 2015, developing his experience and understanding of group care and group processes.
Practical aspects (traveling, costs, preparation)
The arrival day in Cluj-Napoca is 2nd of November (no later than 17.00) and the departure day is 8th of November (after 12.00 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.
- 195 Euros/person for participants from Poland
- Transport from Cluj-Napoca to the location and back.
Personal contribution
There is a participation fee on a sliding scale between €50 and €100 (depending on your possibilities).
We do not want finances to be a barrier to participation, so please contact us if this is an issue.
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 want to participate in this training course, you must fill in the application form available at this link:
https://forms.gle/rnWF6YUfF2zAFxhq6
The deadline for applications submission is 19th of September 2023 (included).
The selection results will be published on the 21st of September.
Contact
For Romania – Bogdan Romanică – romanica.bogdan@gmail.com
For Poland – Anna Książek – ksiazek.anna@gmail.com
