English in Community – An Update
(by course tutor Harula Ladd)
It has been my pleasure and privilege to teach on English in
Community, a rich and dynamic college programme which offers
non-native speakers the opportunity to improve their English in
a creative and holistic way, integrating personal development
and living in community with more formal language learning.
July saw a varied group from seven different native countries, including three from Ukraine, with ages ranging from 16 to 60, singing songs and reading inspirational poetry in the mornings and weeding and planting in the gardens in the afternoon! Their level of English spanned a range of levels so, along with my co-teacher Sam, we split them into two ability groups for lessons. Feedback was very positive and our completion was full of laughter and tears as well as a beautiful song our three teenaged students had composed themselves...in English! We were all very touched, not to mention impressed as they bravely sang before a full dining room at Friday celebration dinner.
This was my first experience of teaching in this way and I feel very grateful for having had this opportunity and for the joyful and loving energy we were able to create within the classroom, which makes learning so much more enjoyable and effective. September will see us welcoming a smaller group of eight students for the Autumn programme, beginning September 2nd. It promises to be just as interesting and meaningful, with students coming from as far afield as Thailand and Japan, as well as Southern Europe!
My experience of the programme is that it is a unique and wonderful medley of language development and the opening of the heart and mind to new experiences and views of the world. Getting to know the last students as well as I did I am in no doubt that they return to their own communities with far more to offer than a recitation of the irregular verbs in all their forms...but they could do that too of course!
(By English in Community Co-ordinator Chrisanthe Georgiou)
It's great to be on board! The English in Community programme is undergoing transformation on all levels and I am really excited to be a part of it.
There are concrete changes benefiting students (past, present
and future) and community alike and this makes my heart sing!
Already, EIC students take part in their very own Experience Week in the first week of their programme. We are now very pleased to announce a bridging of the gap between programmes which will allow our students to flow with ease from one programme to the next. What does this actually mean? Well, if one of our students is interested in deepening and lengthening their stay in our community then by having participated in EIC they can automatically apply to do LCG (Living in Community as a Guest), This will allow students of English as an additional language to continue to update their skills whilst getting the full benefits of living in our spiritual community and eco village.
Our next EIC programme is in March 2007.”
Everybody is an Artist and Healing through Art
(Personal and professional development through painting, drawing
and clay sculpture work, by course tutor Karin Werner.)
It still gives me shivers of pleasurable surprise, although I should expect it by now, that a plain piece of paper on a board immediately opens a door to infinite possibilities, all within reach, all equally absorbing, guiding each person towards where he or she wants to be.
In that, the two courses seem inseparable. The guided activity of art-making in a supportive group creates joy and confidence, and it is also the one thing that brings self-directed healing from inside out. Befriending art materials in their subtleties, for instance, slowing down enough to listen to the brush’s wish for just so much paint or water or colour and no more, no less ....... is all part of the process of getting to know oneself in a focussed dialogue. The dialogue is then extended to the natural world, to a co-creation with tree, river, landscape to come to a deeper understanding and expression. Finally it teaches visual perception which our ready-made images normally cannot reach. Obstacles are transformed and lessons are learned through the medium itself if the immersion is a whole-hearted one.
This year, in HEALING THROUGH ART, we looked at the phenomena of light and dark through many different artistic lenses and then worked along an individual healing path. Powerful images were created by observing the dark Findhorn River with its white floating foam; by making white marks on black paper, and written intentions were slowly brought to light through colourful expression. There is a natural wholeness in art when it activates different parts of a person or even a whole group in sequences until a cycle is complete. Art work points to the future, it makes visible what has been dormant and wants to come to life. The role of the facilitator is to set the flow in motion and to guide and support its rhythmic course at every step, apart from teaching some necessary skills on the way. This year's group found that if they had four weeks instead of two it would be just fine!
From 2007 onwards, EVERYBODY IS AN ARTIST will be more fully integrated into the concept of healing through art, and therefore it takes on the role of a Foundation Course. It seems important that there is a basis for one's eagerness to really 'see and do' in all circumstances of life. Often accomplished and budding artists alike need to get into the practice of art making from a very different angle than the accustomed one. It takes learning through positive enjoyment to access the healing qualities inherent in art. In the Advanced Course of HEALING THROUGH ART previous practice in the fine arts is therefore essential, leaving space and focus for the continuous development of a theme, first of all on a personal basis but also for the application within a professional context.
Findhorn Community Semester
FCS Autumn 2006
The College welcomes to the Findhorn Community Semester programme
2 September – 9 December 2006
Ariele Affigne Meghan Power
Lauren Erdman Michelle Price
Emily Alger Ian
Shaw
Kara Cox Sarah
Steinberg
Caitlin Herlihy Wesley Nutter
Russel Katz Rachel
Moore”
(By FCS Program Focaliser Melissa Goodbeer)
We are now five weeks into the Autumn Findhorn Community Semester Program, and so far the experience has been individually and collectively felt as a graceful, empowering journey. After three semesters I am able to see the bigger picture and the potential value of the FCS program to the whole community, as an opportunity to support the development of sustainable future leaders.
Twelve dynamic students ranging in age from 17 to 22 are currently living in the Findhorn Park Campus. They are learning and sharing the tangible reality of what it takes at a fundamental level to develop a community/eco lifestyle, through the Human Challenge of Sustainability Program. Time and time again I am reminded of how awesome this program is. I am grateful to be a part of the productive changes which this program is creating - positive outcomes for all of our futures.
(By FCS Community Focaliser Erin McNamara)
I write this on a Thursday morning, using the spare time before we accompany the students to the local recycling and re-use centre to pick up bikes for the semester. Yeah people-power!
What a joy it is to be a part of this journey. To watch as the students gradually land in this community, aspiring ecovillage, centre of light, and, for them, college campus. And as I journey with them, my own experience of Findhorn changes too. My perception of this place which I’ve called home for 4 years is broadened, challenged, stretched, and touched by our group angel quality of EXPANSION.
I made the decision to step into this role, to take on this job, from a place of deep trust, and that trust was not unfounded. As I grow and change to fill the role of Community Focaliser, I feel immensely grateful to be a part of this programme of awakening awareness, these awesome young people’s lives, and a global movement towards peaceful, sustainable living.
College Staff
We welcome to the Findhorn Community Semester programme Erin McNamara, to the Learning English in Community programme Chrisanthe Georgiou, and to the College office Fiona Potter-Irwin.
We also say goodbye to Kate Macduff, who is in the process of winding down as Business Manager to work as a herbalist at Healthworks in Forres, and who has moved to Findhorn Village to run a B&B on the Bay.
Fiona has taken on the part-time
admin support role – she has been living in Forres for three
years now and has a career background in the civil service. She
also works in private practice as a counsellor, and we’re
very happy to have her in the College team.”
Chrisanthe has been living in
the community for two years. After taking part in the Foundation
Programme in March 2005 she joined the Park Kitchen team. She
already has strong links with the college as she was seconded
out to teach on the EIC programme in March 2006 and loved it!
Her new role in the College includes updating resources, consolidating
the course curriculum, and reviewing marketing strategies
, as well as holding
the energy and focus for the programme and its students. Chrisanthe, Greek Cypriot in origin, was born and grew up in London. She has taught adults and children over the last 16 years in England and Italy.
Erin has been living and working as a member of the Foundation for 4 years. Her extensive experience in a variety of Foundation positions gives her the wide overview, and depth of understanding, to help semester students extend their learning beyond the specific courses, into the skills and opportunities of community life.
After a busy summer of college programs, training as a life skills coach and family visits, Diane, our college director, is enjoying the darker, longer evenings and the quieter time of winter. She has been living in the Findhorn Community for 2 years now and enjoys the vibrancy of community life and the beautiful local Scottish countryside. Diane’s passion for developing and supporting the fantastic programs and faculty of the college is truly appreciated by us all.
Melissa received her ancestral visa whilst on holiday in South Africa this year. After her return she was awarded a bursary from Ecological Solutions to attend a 2 week Ecovillage programme in Sri Lanka, scheduled for next month. Melissa is continually engaged with and inspired by the FCS programme.
