La Ferme du Plessis, France

From July 24th to August 1st AYUDH and GreenFriends welcomed in la Ferme du Plessis more than 150 youth from all over the world to propose two events, adressing with two different approaches of the various dimensions of ecology.

Entitled “Embracing Life – Living in the Respect of Nature”, the 6th European Youth Exchange of AYUDH welcomed in total 73 youth from 8 European countries and was co-sponsored by the European Commission’s “Youth in Action” programme.

The programme included inspirational talks by Br. Shubamrita and Bri. Dipamrita mainly focused on the values that can help us integrate our respect for Nature into our daily lives. Additional talks on our relationship to energy consumption by Mathieu Labonne, expert on carbon governance, and on water consumption by Pierre Taillandier and Clarisse Gimat made the youth aware of the complexity and origin of some of the major ecological challenges faced in the world today. Question and answer sessions complemented the talks and gave the youth the opportunity to enquire deeper and discuss the questions adressed.

Four different workshop modules were offered to the participants of the youth exchange, and each participant could choose one workshop from each module, that were standing for the different dimensions of sustainability. They were called the “CARE” workshops, which stands for:

C – Community Service: In these workshops the youth could contribute to a sustainable community in different ways, like working in an organic vegetable garden, doing organic cooking or ecological restoration of the heritage site of la Ferme du Plessis.

A – Artistic: In these workshops the youth could develop and express their creative potential through painting, drumming or singing. Some youths were introduced to the ancient technique of tainted glass crafting, used in the cathedrals for times immemorial.

R – Revitalization: These workshops addressed the different dimensions of stress-management, enabling the youth to develop their creativity and productivity in study or at work. The IAM or IAM Youth Meditation, Tai Chi Chuan and Nei Gong, 5 Rhythm Dance, Non-Violent Communication or the “flow” workshop helped the youth find their inner strengths.

E – Ecology: These workshops were dedicated to environmental protection and maintenance of biodiversity, like building a “hotel” for insects, organic gardening on balconies and window shelves or recycling plastic trash into valuable fashion items.

For many youth this marked the 6th year of getting together for this European Youth Exchange. The deep bond that had formed amongst the youngsters through all these years was deeply enriched by the new participants who blended in the group seamlessly, bringing new inspiration and cultural enrichment to the group.

A cultural visit to the nearby cathedral of Chartres, bonfire, games and soccer matches gave the youngsters the opportunity to relax, recharge and enjoy the diversity of cultures, nationalities and languages of those present. The young participants were encourage to discover the diversity of cultures through international breakfasts, national country presentations and intercultural discussions.

The youth present held several project development sessions during the week to make their action for society more durable throughout the year.

To capture the spirit of the camp, the youth composed a song during the camp:
“Life is a chance, take it
Life is Love, share it
Life is a hymn, sing it
Life is a dream, make it real
Life is a must, do it
Life is a challenge, face it
Life is beauty, admire it
Life is bliss, taste it
Life is precious, protect it
Life is a mystery, embrace it
Life is a promise, fulfill it
Life is a fight, accept it
When life gives a hard time, smile!
Life is happiness, embrace it
Life is beauty, admire it
Life is joy, celebrate it”