“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.”
― Pico Iyer
One afternoon during the Winter school, a participant approached me and said;
'What was just happened today, at this point of time, is worth coming all the way to attend this program'
Few people cried on the last day, and myself being a facilitator had to wear out all formalities and hugged that individual. A day before the last day of the winter school, a girl said she had found a purpose in her life. She thanked me for being the reason she was able to grab this opportunity. Another individual found it refreshing and rejuvenating to be able to come out of her comfort zone and attend something very special like Winter School. A few individuals shared how they found it magical when everyone in the team embraced them and took them along.
Everyone in the cohort found the space that we have created as non-judgmental and inclusive. Most of them said they have made friends for a lifetime. A few requested us to curate similar spaces in their own communities and organizations. For someone, being here was a dream.
During the Gratitude circle, someone hugged me, thanked for giving a space and taking him along.
There were moments during the winter school which I find it difficult or impossible to express in words. There were moments that can't be captured through the lens of a camera.
To talk about the well conduct of something, to share how successful it is, some images and long captions might be needed. But is some cases, it is stories that tells the impact. Photos are static and personal, but stories connect people and narrate how it has been and give a hint about how it will be in the future. I have heard so many stories during those 9 days, stories of people finding a better version of themselves, stories of people finding something to hold on, stories of discovering a leader inside them, stories of Hope and Optimism...
Thanks to all those wonderful human beings out there who have supported us to organize Winter School for Social Transformation. Stay tuned for Next Edition in May 2022