On Sunday, September 24, 2023 we arrived in Stokershorst to follow the CLIPS training.
CLIPS stands for Community Learning Incubator Program for Sustainability. There are twenty-five of us living in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany, who received an invitation to participate through the five participating organizations Habitat & Participation, GEN-NL, Cooperative Oasis, Samenhuizen and Miethäuser Syndicat.
The training was divided into different layers: from the I to the We, and via Intention to Structure and Practice. Time flew by quickly. That’s how it works in a driven group of people who want to learn from each other. One thing was certain: the cook was the secret glue. His meals made everyone happy.
By half way through the training we had become a united cohesive group. Our shared Dragon Dream had taken care of that. We dreamed of communities working together for a sustainable world. That same day we entered into a dialogue with a plant or animal through an exercise from deep ecology. Sociocracy then gave us a clear structure that, in addition to efficiency, transparency and equality, also honors every individual.
On Thursday we received great tools to manage conflicts. They sometimes say that conflict is an invitation to forge deeper bonds. Well, these tools turned out to prove the statement right.
It was an intensely beautiful week with a fantastic final party. So many talents and so many possible follow-up projects!
This was a week that longed for more, that brought hope and courage for the future. Thank you all. See you later!
Sofie Baeke
