The BABEL project, an initiative of Green Friends France, has started! From Dec 5th – 7th around 60 participants of all ages gathered at M.A. Center France for the first activity weekend. The project, which is supported by the “Youth in Action” Program of the EU, had been organized and directed by four AYUDH members.
The main topic for the first gathering was “Wood as a Great Resource for Now and the Future.”
The weather was nice and sunny, with a wonderful light spreading throughout all the fields around the Center.
Three different outdoor-workshops were offered:

The first group planted 24 trees during the two days in the Center garden. These trees had been sponsored during Amma’s recent European Tour. Those who came to plant them said that it was a wonderful experience for them, like giving life to a child. It was beautiful to see the empty space in the garden coming back to life and getting a brand new energy. During a small ritual lead to “baptize” the newly planted trees by Bri Dipamrita who heads the Center, everyone chanted “lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu”, praying for the peace in all of Nature and in all beings.

The second workshop was dedicated to introducing a new ecological technique, the so-called Rameal Chipped Wood technique (RCW).

Chipped wood derived from many different trees was spread on the vegetable garden. It is essential to stabilize and heal the soil in an area exposed to various chemicals by extensive industrial activity. RCW is not only good for the environment but it is also very aesthetic. It was a lot of fun to create nice mosaics with different colors in the garden. The atmosphere was very joyful and the enthusiasm was contagious. This workshop lead to a lot of sharing between people of all ages.

The third group was instructed to use joinery tools to design wooden signs, which show the name of all the different trees that had been planted. By the end of the two days great pieces of art had been created.

The weekend was a sterling success. The youth had the opportunity to get to know each other and to share experiences, doubts and feelings.

The first evening, the four organizers gave a presentation of the BABEL project followed by discussion and interaction. The second evening we watched the DVD “L’homme qui plantait des arbres”, inspired by a book of Jean Giono, a famous French writer. This is an inspiring movie about a man who by tirelessly planting trees, created a better world around him. This made everyone think about the deep meaning of what they were doing during the weekend.
It would be great if even more youth would join the BABEL project, especially during the weeklong Retreat in July 2009.

 

To get in touch with the organizers, please write to: babel@greenfriends-france.org