Embodied, Contemplative, Relational: Pathways to Youth Wisdom

In 2024, the Youth Section co-organized the “Youth Education Days” in the Netherlands with the Iona Foundation and the De Bildung Academie. This involved bringing together teachers and students in youth programs, colleges and learning centers to talk about youth pedagogy. Preparing for this I had conversations with leaders of youth programs and orientation years, inspired by aspects of anthroposophy, and I saw they were carrying a major pillar of the work of the Section. Looking around the circle in the Netherlands we saw we were carrying a common task. How could we better incorporate their wisdom and initiative into the Section? This led to a commitment to continue these efforts and to establish an association dedicated to youth pedagogy where we could learn from and inspire one another. I reached out to a small circle to help me with this: Matthew Briggs –-Trust Head, Hiram Education and Research Team (Ruskin Mill Trust); Katrina Hoven –-The Youth Section at the Goetheanum; Jacob Hundt –-Director and Faculty at Thoreau College, Driftless Folk School and Microcollege Podcast; Lukas Schaaf –-Stuttgart Jugendseminar; and Saar Frieling –- Faculty at Leiden University of Applied Sciences. After a series of conference calls getting to know one another’s work and inspiration better we turned toward preparing a second event. I am delighted to share that “Embodied, Contemplative, Relational: Pathways to Youth Wisdom” will take place from October 30 - November 1 at Unernehmen Mitte in Basel, Switzerland. We intend to host an annual gathering of this circle of colleagues and to share what we learn with the wider public every year. An association like this has a unique point of departure for discussions and what it can offer. If we consider, for instance, The Alliance for Youth Worker Associations, we find that the member groups are almost all aligned with nationalities, even though the association has a European orientation. A vision of youth work inspired by a contemplative view of the human being and the world can help us turn toward the transnational essence of the task, inspired by the young person and a deeper vision of human nature itself. While there are some kindred initiatives, for instance The Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education, framing youth work as a service to aid in the unfolding of youth wisdom represents a unique orientation. 

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