Three of the 734 participants talk about the International Student Conference at the Goetheanum. Collected by João Batista Signorelli.
Francesco Mai, 19 years old, from the Liceo Rudolf Steiner Milan in Italy
Our question on the second day was: “Does connecting to the world start with a connection to ourselves—and can you find the world in yourself?“
We are part of a whole. It’s impossible to be separated from what is outside. What is inside is connected to what is outside. If we look inwards, we are also looking outwards. If we go inside ourselves, we can also know about the external world. Once, I looked in the eyes of a small child and I could see a whole universe. In every person, there is a whole world of forces that are fighting and encountering each other and creating something beautiful.
Can the conference help in this process of finding the world within ourselves?
This conference brings me another point of view which is a key that opens a door. Behind it is a world that I can visit and experiment with. For me, this event is just an indication of a path. I have the freedom to look and follow this path or another. Basically, the conference is an instrument that gives us some direction, and we have to choose.
Are you enjoying the conference?
Yes, I really feel the sense of community. The people who are speaking are here because they have something deep to tell to the youth. I really like it when people meet each other for the same purpose, and goodness is that purpose.
Ai Matushita, 17 years old, from the Hokkaido Waldorf School in Japan
How are you enjoying the conference?
I love this place, the buildings and the nature. There are so many people here from so many countries all over the world. I feel “around the globe”. Hokkaido is an island in Japan where we are more separated from the world—we don’t feel what is happening so much. In Europe, people talk more about events in the world. It’s interesting for me to hear people talking about such things.
Our question on the third day was: “Is peace the absence of war? How can we create and maintain peace?”
I don’t really know about war. I never experienced it, but I think even when bad things happen in the world, peace is something within you, not outside of you. You could be peaceful even if there is war, but it would be more difficult. If there is inner peace, there will be less war. Peace and war could even be in the world at the same time. It would not be all peace, and it would not be all war. I think talking with your friends and people around the world will support peace. Communicating with, thinking about, and caring for other people, will take invite and cultivate peace.
Antonio Miguel Chavez, 17 years old, from the Acacia Waldorf School in the Philippines
Did you learn anything new during the conference?
I went into the storytelling workshop, not knowing anything about it. A story is very close to the heart. In that workshop, I was able to be vulnerable and open. Through the work we did, I learned how people feel about their story, how the audience feels about the story, and how to make and deliver a story. I was able to make it very interesting for some people because there was an exercise where we also had to tell stories. We were able to enhance and improve our skills of storytelling. And, of course, I learned how to make more friends and how to socialize even better than before.
This year’s theme was “Taking Heart—Finding Our Way Together.” Can we find ourselves in the world?
The only way we can find ourselves in the world is if we do something. Not everything can be done for you. So something as big as that is for you to find out, and you have to do it, to go out there, out of your comfort zone, and just do everything you can to make the world better.
What would you call the next conference?
How about “Taking Hands and Getting Through It Together”?
Images All pictures from the Youth Section.
