One of the tasks proposed for the Youth Section 100 years ago was the creation of a program aimed at people as young as 16, to explore what youth wisdom is and how it unfolds. How can we continue to deepen, and expand what began at the International Student’s Conference 2024?
We can’t help but point out what resources are needed to organize an event like this. At a time when ecological anxiety is omnipresent for many young people, why bring 700 people from all corners of the world together for just five days? Furthermore, we can only imagine what it meant financially for families and school communities to make it possible for their children and students to attend such a conference. The fact that Switzerland is one of the least affordable places to visit also influenced the preparation of the conference.
Nevertheless, there is no doubt that this event was important for the young people who took part in it and that it will bear fruit for them and for society as a whole in the near and distant future. We, the team from the Youth Section, have also produced a booklet with articles and a video about the conference. Together these can give a little insight into what took place at the Goetheanum this spring. However, many of the relationships, the encounters, and the wonders of this experience cannot be captured in words or on paper. These media forms are a way of communicating and reporting, but they cannot reflect the whole picture; they lack the depth and experience of a young person, let alone the experience of 700 young individuals.
How can we move forward, acknowledging this tension: On the one hand, there is a clear intention for such gatherings to take place for young people seeking their way into adulthood. On the other hand, we recognize the reality of the resource issues involved.
It is impossible to recreate any of the unique moments. Even if we got exactly 734 people within the same demographics to meet again in the same place in two years’ time, their questions, their impulses, and the world around them would have evolved. Perhaps this is precisely where the potential lies.
It is not necessary to recreate these moments in exactly the same way. In other words, we don’t need to gather 700 students in Dornach to create a space for the questions, enthusiasm, and fears that young people have today.
What special qualities shine through when we begin to broaden our horizons? The Waldorf SV, the board of student’s representatives of Waldorf Schools in Germany, organizes student conferences twice a year in Germany. Can we look beyond our national borders and imagine something like this happening around the world? What would the gift to a community be, when hosting a group of high school students as guests? How could regional gatherings be supported so that the unique color of a place and its wisdom can flourish? How can we weave our intentions together if this were to become a reality?
Web ISC 2024
Translation Laura Liska
Image The eagle from the tale of the Peacemaker: it awakens the soul. Photo: fridimedia (Frithjof Möhle)
