Are you forever sad since you missed our 10 year anniverasary party? Do you love Christmas so much that you can never get enough celebration of it? Are you sick and tired of 2017 and want to revel in the fact that it's almost over? Are you missing your euforia friends? Do you just love to dance drink and party? Then this party is for YOU! Save the date for the December 12th evening "euforia everything party" at the Happy Bern Lab house. More info coming soon... Contact yoko@euforia.org if you want to co-create the fun and craziness that will happen.
Impulsfabrik: Changemaker der Uni Zürich erhalten Unterstützung
Du studierst an der Universität Zürich? Du weisst nicht wohin mit deiner Kreativität? Du willst ein gemeinnütziges Projekt an der Uni lancieren? Dann ist die Impulsfabrik dein Wunschziel!
Als brandneues Beratungsteam wollen wir dir ein „Changemaker“-Dasein an der Universität Zürich ermöglichen und fördern. Wenn du eine Idee hast, wie die UZH zu einem besseren Ort wird, oder dein (neuer) Verein Grosses vorhat – die beiden Mitarbeiter der Impulsfabrik unterstützen dich auf jeden Fall dabei, deine Pläne zu fertigen Projekten zu formen.
Aufgrund unseres Gründungsjahres 2017 sind wir noch nicht sehr sichtbar auf den sozialen Medien. Erreichen kannst du uns dennoch bereits unter impulsfabrik@vsuzh.ch. Wir helfen gerne und freuen uns auf deine Impulse!
PS: Die Impulsfabrik wird übrigens auch am diesjährigen imp!act Zürich, gemeinsam organisiert durch das lokale imp!act Team und den Verband der Studierenden der Universität Zürich (VSUZH) vor Ort sein und ihr Projekt näher vorstellen. Uni-Studierende, die ihr Projekt nach imp!act weiterverfolgen, haben die Möglichkeit, finanzielle Unterstützung zu beantragen und von der Impulsfabrik bei der Realisierung ihres Projektes Unterstützung zu erhalten. Anmeldung zum imp!act hier.
the unleash project: this is what happened at the first weekend!
The first weekend of the 2017/18 cycle of the unleash project has successfully happened! Over 30 people explored together attitudes, skills and knowledge to unleash potential for wellbeing and impact at the personal level. Different experts shared their knowledge in four workshops:
Presence and Self-Connection - your body as a compass (Johanna Risse)
Johanna showed us how to sort out the different feelings we have and to embrace them no matter if they're good or bad. She tought us how to connect with our body through listening, breating, moving and making sounds. We explored how our body reacts when different thoughts and emotions come up and how we can embody them but also shake them off and let go. We played with different kinds of music and movements and practiced to be fully present and to use our body as an inner compass.
Personal vision – Exploring drawing as a tool (Simon Kiener and Marietta Scheurmann)
Simon started with a personal story: a person with two faces of life, one of them looks silent on the desk and the other is like a wolf in the mountain, who lives far from a village, alone, dangerous but very curious about the village. The story showed a simple black and white picture, but it helped us to imagine colorfully about the two faces of the same person. It, therefore, shows us that painting is a great way to grow our imagination. It is only us who can color by ourselves our own story, in our own color. We drew your personal story and then shared with a partner. The task was to tell our partner (and vice-versa) what we saw in his or her picture. Only one picture (some time with some cycles and square) but they can speak 10' or even more about what they saw magically. Finally, some of the participants confessed that they believe they are able to draw (what they hadn't thought before).
In the second part, we split our life into three steps: Our birth, We in the present moment, we as 80 years old. We reflected about questions such as "What is your "hero genie" story?" "What are you doing now?" "Who are the people accompanying you on your 80 birthday party?" All of the life path makes us realize deeply about what the important thing of our life if and that we may not pay attention to reflect on the different perspectives of our life path.
Overcoming: Befriending your inner critic (Greta Rossi)
Most of us have experienced this sensation of a voice at the back of our awareness that tells us that we are not qualified enough for that job, that we do not deserve the love of our partner, that we are not beautiful enough, smart enough, courageous enough. Sometimes we can control these thoughts, but other times they seem to overwhelm us and dictate our reactions. That voice is the voice of our inner critic; we all have one – it is part of the human experience. With Greta we explored this inner critic:
- When did it first appear
- Are we aware of it?
- What is our relationship with it and how do we deal when it appears?
We reflected deeply on our self-limiting beliefs and habitual thoughts to maintain a healthy relationship with their inner critic, an essential element to wellbeing. For the practice experience, we were in the safe space with another participant to share our own inner critic in a humoros way which allows for transformative and healing experiences to take place.
Actualizing - Tools for self-management and effectiveness (Urs Scheffer and Jan Mezger)
With Urs and Jan we collectively explored tools to achieve our visions and goals. Firstly and most importantly, they showed the example of several famous entrepreneurs and companies, like Steve Jobs. They shared how the attitude of the individual is what makes the biggest difference when it comes to just having great ideas vs. bringing them into life. Among those were "Keep it sexy and simple", "Just do it" and "Think broader".
Urs and Jan suggested to start reflecting on "What kind of attitude would help me for my current vision/objective to move into doing?" After a break-out reflection session, we shared the attitudes we discovered we need in order to move from vision to doing:
- Don't stay in your head - get down to your desk and visualize and plan how your idea will actually look in real life!
- Don't keep it to yourself - get out there and start talking about the idea, and you might get some allies and get into collective prototyping!
- Quick prototyping and feedback – don't make it complicated. Think how to try out your idea or vision in a simple step, get feedback and then adapt.
After focusing on the attitudes, we collectively shared practical tools to start bringing our ideas and visions into life, among others objective journals, to-do boards, action formulation, motivation boosters and snoozer tools.
Action Learning and Reverse Coaching Session
We finished the weekend with a reverse coaching session where participants prepared in pairs how to apply the learnings in their «real life».
We want to say thank you to our amazing host team, to all the facilitators and especially the participants who co-shaped this weekend with us.
The next weekends will take place:
> in Bern from November 3-4 (Team Level)
> in Romandie from February 2-3 (Institutional Level)
> in Romandie from April 6-7 (Societal Level)
Participation is also possible if you couldn’t make it to the first weekend! Interested? Get more infos here.
(r)evolution lab: This was what happened at the first weekend!
Talking alone about the world’s problems won’t solve them - but collaboration might
If I had to sum up the kick off weekend of the (r)evolution lab programme 2017/18 in one sentence, this would be it.
With participants and facilitators from Switzerland, Senegal, Germany, Eritrea, Belgium, Egypt and Romania, the first (r)evolution lab weekend became a space where people of different cultures and backgrounds could come together, exchange, tackle social, political or environmental problems, dream and prototype a transformative event…together.
In times of discrimination, ethnocentrism and hostility towards people who are different from us, (r)evolution lab has created a safe space for open exchanges, co-creation and radical collaboration and has thus brought beautiful initiatives to light. Topics such as responsible, ethical and sustainable mining in Eritrea, refugees inclusion and integration or overcoming discrimination against LGBTQ teens in Swiss schools and sports clubs are just a few of the issues which were discussed and which will be the starting point of a transformative action, project or event.
And here lies the beauty and miracle of this programme: it engages the unengaged, it empowers individuals to tackle these challenges bottom-up, starting with their own communities or work environments. It was mind blowing to see how out of thismelting pot of cultures, nationalities and backgrounds, common hopes for the future emerged: freedom not only of speech but of pursuing ones dreams and vocation, the right to education, putting a stop to discrimination of any kind etc.
But (r)evolution lab is not just about the talk it is about the walk as well, it is about making a real impact. After receiving inputs and tips on project management, program design, pitching, facilitation and wellbeing strategies, the participants have left this first weekend having gained a toolbox and a framework that will help transform their inspirational ideas into transformative events, addressing global challenges locally. And if at a first glance this approach might seem utopian or even insignificant like a tiny drop of water in an ocean of needs and problems, why do we forget that an ocean is but a multitude of tiny little drops?
So that being said, thank you to everybody who joined us on our quest to a fairer, better world!
You missed this (r)evolution lab season? Join the next one, taking place in spring 2018! More infos here.
Written by Oana Fetsch who is part of our wonderful (r)evolution lab host team.
Welcome Marlène!
Hello you!
My name is Marlène and since today I’am officially part of the euforia team.
I’m 22 years old and I come from Cap-Verde (a small country in Africa), I’m born in Romont (also a small city in Fribourg).
If I had to describe my self quickly I would say that I'm open minded, I tend to be optimistic most of the time and that I love traveling.
Since 2015, I’m a student at the HEG (Haute Ecole de Gestion) in the International Business Management departement. When I started my studies, I was an employee in a shop, but after almost two years working there I felt like I needed some changes, I needed something new and releated to my studies. After reading through Euforia’s add for volunteers I didn’t understand what was the organisation doing exactly but I thought "Hey! That sounds exciting, I can be useful! This might be for me". And now here I am ready to start this new adventure with you!
The marketplace is officially launched!
We are excited to announce the official kick-off of the marketplace (working title), the main outcome of our reinventing journey we have gone through the last year*! After many hours of brainstorming, preparing, testing and programming we can present you the first prototype of the platform (with some projects already online!).
Why?
The aim of the marketplace is to create a place where all the potential within the people, partners and projects of the euforia community can become emancipated, where the community members can support each other, and where we seek to let euforia's value and philosophy influence the "outside world". The aim of the marketplace is also to create a system that gives people the possibility to organise a different way of work life with purpose at the center.
What?
The marketplace is an online and offline platform where changemakers, organizations and companies can meet and create sustainable and socially-responsible projects. The platform offers the following services:
Online:
- Individuals and organizations can upload their concrete projects (or project ideas) and find resources (people, money, expertise) to realize them.
- Changemakers who are looking for engagement opportunities (paid and/or on a voluntary basis) can find projects they're interested in and apply to become part of them.
- Experienced individuals can sign-up as experts and gift their time (on an in-kind donation basis) as consultants to projects with their expertise.
Offline:
Two different kinds of Share & Grow Nights give the opportunity to individuals and organizations to take the Marketplace into the "real world":
- Share & Grow BEING: These meetings are about just being and being supported by the community, to talk about who we are, what we need and how we feel.
- Share & Grow DOING: The aim of these meetings is to come together, pitch ideas, connect in project groups and prototype together.
The Share & Grow Nights will regularly take place in different cities in Switzerland. The dates will be published on our event page and on Facebook.
The marketplace is the next level of the unleash project and (r)evolution lab. It combines the offline learning platforms and trainings with concrete follow-up opportunities and unleashes the huge potential of the euforia community and network. The only requirement is that the projects meet our values.
Ready, steady, go!
The marketplace was officially launched on September 14 in Bern. You can see here the video of the kick-off session.
The first projects have now been uploaded and the applications come in continuously. Are you already part of it? Visit the marketplace here and check out the offers, or upload your project idea!
(*read more about the journey here).
Welcome Matt!
That's me on the left. The others are my three favorite people in the world: My wife of 31 years, Nancy, and our sons Patrick and Chris. We are from the state of Minnesota in the United States, but moved here to Geneva 3 years ago when Nancy took a job with the International Labour Organization, a branch of the United Nations. Patrick and Chris are college students back in Minnesota, but we manage to visit each other often.
I love living in Geneva, and we take every opportunity to travel and experience as much of the European continent and culture as possible. In my free time, I enjoy hiking in the mountains (including race-hiking, my new favorite athletic activity), swimming, cooking, wine tasting (which I know nothing about, but like to do anyway) and writing in my blog, SwissSojourner.com.
Most of my professional career has been spent in the area of transportation policy and financing, in both the public and private sectors. Working for the Minnesota State Department of Transportation, I created and then managed a state grant program designed to support public-private partnerships in which private sector beneficiaries of public transportation infrastructure projects (road and bridge improvements, mostly) support public financing through their own contributions of funds or land donations. This program continues to flourish today. I am continuing to work in the public policy arena here in Geneva through my own 1-man consulting business.
I am excited to be volunteering at euforia, because I believe strongly in the cause. And as an American citizen, I feel especially driven to contribute in my own small way to an organization that promotes collaboration to “imagine, design, and implement bold solutions to today’s most pressing social, environmental and economic challenges.”
Get to know the facilitators of The Unleash Project: Greta Rossi
As a person who can inspire you and may change your opinion when you discuss with her, Greta decided to rejoin again The Unleash Project this year. After a huge success of her training last year, she will be back for a session on "Letting go - Befriending your inner critic" at the Personal Development weekend in Zurich. We are grateful that she took the time to talk with us and give a powerful message to the future participants.
Please tell us about your experience for the Unleash project last year?
It was overall a very positive experience! I enjoyed leading a workshop on personal wellbeing in Bern, but above all, I loved seeing my colleagues in action and learning from their ideas and experience. It felt like The Unleash Project was built in such a way that everyone was able to give and receive knowledge and expertise – everyone was a learner.
Why did you decide to "come back" to The Unleash Project this year?
I am curious to see what this second edition of The Unleash Project will bring to the world based on the first year and I absolutely want to be part of this. I am very grateful to have been invited to facilitate another workshop, this time in Zurich, and I look forward to engaging with all other facilitators and participants!
We understood that the topic of this year is "Letting go - Befriending your inner critic". Please tell us a little bit about this training.
Have you ever experienced a voice at the back of your awareness that tells you that you are not qualified enough for that job, that you do not deserve the love of your partner, that you are not beautiful enough, smart enough, courageous enough…? Sometimes you can control these thoughts; but other times they seem to overwhelm you and dictated your reactions. That voice is the voice of your inner critic; we all have one – it is part of the human experience. This training will invite participants to reflect deeply on their self-limiting beliefs and habitual thoughts to maintain a healthy relationship with their inner critic, an essential element to wellbeing.
What are you looking forward to this training?
This training can be very powerful and intense, so I am looking forward to creating a safe space with all participants to allow for transformative and healing experiences to take place.
You are Co-founder of ImpactAimers. You may guide the young entrepreneurs through an exploration of their passion and talents to develop essential competences. In this aspect, what do you think about the role of The Unleash Project and its impact on the world?
The Unleash project is particularly important because it helps people to understand the interconnectedness of their work in relation to themselves and others, their community and society, and the wider world. There is no separation, only connectedness. So we must learn to improve our relationship with ourselves if we wish to bring about positive change in the world. This simple concept is by no means easy to grasp so I am grateful that The Unleash Project creates a space for people to experiment and learn together.
Do you plan to join The Unleash Project in next year?
If you’ll invite me back, absolutely!
Besides various engagements, you were Youth Coach. Indeed, making a change, helping transformative people are what we really need to make a better world. If you can send a message to the young people in our society now, what do you would like to say to them?
My message to the young people in our society now is not to wait to take the first steps as changemakers. You don’t have to follow traditional paths until you are fifty and then start “giving back” to the world. The world needs your passion and your courage, your energy and your talent, your motivation and your creativity… and it needs you now. Having said so, don’t rush – take your time to understand yourself better, to discover your purpose, and to choose a path that will allow you to honour your values. We live in a time of urgency, but we must confront chaos with calmness of being.
Remember — don't wait to take the first steps as changemakers! Sign-up for the first weekend of The Unleash Project (22 - 23 September in Zurich) now!
Greta is the co-founder and Chief Empathy Officer (CEO) of Ākāśa Innovation, a not-for-profit social enterprise in London that prepares, inspires and empowers a new generation of changemakers to co-create a world for all life to flourish in. Greta is also the co-founder of ImpactAimers, an initiative that empowers young changemakers through immersive residential experiences; and of Recipes for Wellbeing, an initiative that aims to create and spread a culture of wellbeing in the field of changemaking. Additionally, she is the European Regional Coordinator of ChangemakerXchange, a programme by Ashoka, and the Project Manager of the 2017-2018 Social Innovation to Tackle Fuel Poverty programme, a partnership between Ashoka and the Schneider Electric Foundation. Greta holds a BA (Hons) in International Relations and is a qualified coach and facilitator in radical collaboration, and a fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).
The interview was made by Quynh-Giang Nguyen who is part of our wonderful volunteer host team.