Spring conference of the Social Therapy Working Group

Spring conference of the Social Therapy Working Group

from 09.–12.03.2023 in the community Altenschlirf, Germany

At the spring meeting of the Social Therapy Working Group, colleagues from Switzerland, Austria, Holland, Italy, Sweden, Ireland and Germany met at the Specialist School Campus am Park, which belongs to the “Gemeinschaft Altenschlirf”.
https://gemeinschaft-altenschlirf.de
https://campus-am-park.de

In addition to reports on the current situations in the countries and collegial consultation, we experienced an enchanting cultural program with an inclusive theater production by the “Gemeinschaft Altenschlirf” of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”.
We got insights into the “Gemeinschaft Altenschlirf” at its two locations (Stockhausen and Altenschlirf) and on the way to the theater we made a stop to visit the Gemeinschaft Bingenheim and the office of the Anthropoi Bundesverband (Federal Association) “from the outside”.

We were also invited to a community conference of the three communities Altenschlirf, Sassen/Richthof and Münzinghof.
https://lebensgemeinschaft.de/sassen
www.muenzinghof.de

The background is that a research project with the Youth Section at the Goetheanum took place here and we wanted to learn about their findings and new insights.
Through this research project, a joint conference of these three institutions is held at regular intervals.
In this conference we were able to get a picture of three institutions which follow and implement a very strong impulse of the anthroposophical life and work community. There were many speeches from executive staff who addressed the key issues around training and community development.
In addition, we were able to get sentiment pictures through the people with assistance needs who were involved.

  • We were left with questions like:
  • Who is this, the community?
  • It is interesting to do things together … What do we do together?
  • How do you get from the form to the content of a community?
  • What culture lives in a community?
  • To increase the individual so that I and the others do well … How is this connection, this pendulum swing formed?
  • Identity questions: Who am I really? Who all am I not?

In terms of content, we dealt in small units prepared by the Social Therapy Working Group members themselves with the topic of feelings (study of the soul), anthroposophical inner work about the School of Spiritual Science as a source of resilience and the concept of the “Camino” (a signpost for contemporary social therapy) by colleagues from Holland.

Eurythmically we have dealt with the current weekly verse, among other things, which we would like to continue in the future.
Likewise, we wish to continue the inner work about the School of Spiritual Science in the professional field. The first substantive article by Paulamaria Blaxland can be read in English at this link.

The extensive study of resilience over the last two years is finished for now and we will provide a summary on “Human and Organizational Resilience” by Udo Pfeil for the Council’s network after the next meeting of our Social Therapy Working Group in October 2023 in Dornach.