[{"id":2157,"date":"2026-09-07T10:14:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T08:14:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/?page_id=2157"},"modified":"2026-09-07T10:14:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T08:14:23","slug":"silent-talk","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/silent-talk\/","title":{"rendered":"Silent Talk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Silent Talk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/02-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-MainPickPresse-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2160\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/02-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-MainPickPresse-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/02-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-MainPickPresse-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/02-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-MainPickPresse-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/02-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-MainPickPresse-1.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Silent Talk<\/strong><br><strong>Perspektiven erleben. Dialog erm\u00f6glichen.<\/strong><br>Wie k\u00f6nnen Menschen unterschiedlicher Generationen \u00fcber gesellschaftliche Fragen ins Gespr\u00e4ch kommen? Und wie k\u00f6nnen insbesondere junge Menschen ihre Erfahrungen so vermitteln, dass andere ihnen aufmerksam zuh\u00f6ren?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Das Projekt Silent Talk entwickelt daf\u00fcr ein interaktives Bildungs- und Dialogformat weiter: das Silent Lab. Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene entwickeln eigene auditive Gruppenerlebnisse zu Themen, die sie besch\u00e4ftigen. Andere Menschen erleben ihre Perspektiven und kommen anschlie\u00dfend dar\u00fcber ins Gespr\u00e4ch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Starkmacher e. V. begleitet die jungen Entwickler:innen fachlich, p\u00e4dagogisch und technisch. Die Themen, Erfahrungen und inhaltlichen Perspektiven stammen von den beteiligten Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Silent Talk wird durch die Stiftung der Deutschen Fernsehlotterie gef\u00f6rdert. Die Projektlaufzeit ist vom 1. September 2024 bis zum 28. Februar 2028.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Was ist ein Silent Lab?<\/strong><br>Ein Silent Lab ist ein interaktives H\u00f6rerlebnis f\u00fcr Gruppen. Alle Teilnehmenden tragen kabellose Kopfh\u00f6rer und h\u00f6ren gleichzeitig eine eigens produzierte Audiospur. Geschichten, Stimmen, Musik, Ger\u00e4usche und Sounddesign werden mit Impulsen f\u00fcr Bewegung, Entscheidungen und nonverbale Begegnungen verbunden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Die Teilnehmenden h\u00f6ren nicht nur zu: Sie bewegen sich durch den Raum, nehmen unterschiedliche Rollen oder Positionen ein und erleben, wie sich Entscheidungen und gesellschaftliche Bedingungen auf Menschen auswirken k\u00f6nnen. Dadurch sollen andere Perspektiven emotional nachvollziehbarer und komplexe Themen auf einer pers\u00f6nlichen Ebene zug\u00e4nglich werden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Das gemeinsame Erlebnis bildet anschlie\u00dfend einen konkreten Dialogimpuls. Unterschiedliche Wahrnehmungen, Erfahrungen und Positionen k\u00f6nnen sichtbar und besprechbar werden. Das Silent Lab ersetzt den Dialog nicht, sondern schafft eine gemeinsame Grundlage daf\u00fcr.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Von Jugendlichen entwickelt<\/strong><br>Ein zentraler Bestandteil von Silent Talk ist die partizipative Produktion: Die Silent Labs werden nicht f\u00fcr Jugendliche entwickelt, sondern von ihnen selbst gestaltet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In begleiteten Produktionsworkshops w\u00e4hlen Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene ihre Themen aus, bringen eigene Erfahrungen und Sichtweisen ein und entwickeln daraus Geschichten, Texte, Rollen und Interaktionen. Je nach Produktionsprozess wirken sie auch bei Sprachaufnahmen, Sounddesign und Audioproduktion mit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Starkmacher e. V. stellt daf\u00fcr methodische Bildungsbausteine bereit und begleitet den Entwicklungsprozess. Die beteiligten Fachkr\u00e4fte unterst\u00fctzen bei Dramaturgie, Storytelling, Interaktionsdesign und technischer Umsetzung. Die inhaltliche Perspektive und die daraus entstehenden Silent Labs werden jedoch ma\u00dfgeblich von den jungen Teilnehmenden entwickelt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So werden Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene nicht nur zu Rezipient:innen eines Bildungsangebots, sondern zu Autor:innen und Produzent:innen eigener Erz\u00e4hlformate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ziele des Projekts<\/strong><br>Silent Talk m\u00f6chte:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>jungen Menschen Raum f\u00fcr ihre Themen und Perspektiven geben,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ihre kreative, kommunikative und mediale Handlungsf\u00e4higkeit st\u00e4rken,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Begegnungen zwischen unterschiedlichen Generationen erm\u00f6glichen,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Perspektivwechsel und gegenseitiges Verst\u00e4ndnis ansto\u00dfen,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>gesellschaftliche Fragen interaktiv und emotional zug\u00e4nglich machen,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>das Silent Lab als partizipatives Bildungs- und Dialogformat weiterentwickeln und erproben.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Kooperationen und Einsatzm\u00f6glichkeiten<\/strong><br>Partizipative Silent-Lab-Produktionen werden gemeinsam mit Partner:innen aus Jugendbildung, Schule, Kultur und Regionalentwicklung realisiert. Bislang arbeitete Starkmacher e. V. dabei unter anderem mit der Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar GmbH, Das Andere Schulzimmer gUG und dem Pink Future Festival Trier zusammen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Silent Labs eignen sich beispielsweise f\u00fcr:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Schulen und au\u00dferschulische Bildung,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jugendzentren und Einrichtungen der Jugendhilfe,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Museen, Ausstellungen und Kulturorte,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fachtagungen und Kongresse,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>internationale Jugendbegegnungen,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>generationen\u00fcbergreifende Dialogformate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Je nach Kontext kann ein bestehendes Silent Lab eingesetzt oder gemeinsam mit einer Gruppe ein neues Format entwickelt werden. Das aktuelle Silent Lab Portfolio umfasst u.a. Produktionen zu Demokratie, Generationengerechtigkeit, Klimagerechtigkeit, Schulabsentismus und Klassengesellschaft.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ursprung der Methode<\/strong><br>Das Grundprinzip des Silent Labs wird seit 2016 von der italienischen Organisation Non Dalla Guerra eingesetzt, um Fluchtgeschichten f\u00fcr junge Menschen erfahrbar zu machen. Starkmacher e. V. griff den Ansatz im europ\u00e4ischen Projekt DIYverse auf und entwickelte gemeinsam mit internationalen Partner:innen einen Leitfaden f\u00fcr die Produktion und Anwendung. Silent Talk f\u00fchrt diese Vorarbeiten weiter und r\u00fcckt die eigenst\u00e4ndige Entwicklung durch Jugendliche sowie den generationen\u00fcbergreifenden Dialog in den Mittelpunkt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Einblicke<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"771\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"2163\"  src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-771x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-771x1024.jpg 771w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-226x300.jpg 226w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-768x1020.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal.jpg 964w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"2164\"  src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01-Pick_SilentLab-WS-International-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01-Pick_SilentLab-WS-International-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01-Pick_SilentLab-WS-International-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01-Pick_SilentLab-WS-International-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/01-Pick_SilentLab-WS-International.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"771\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"2165\"  src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/03-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-771x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/03-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-771x1024.jpg 771w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/03-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-226x300.jpg 226w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/03-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal-768x1020.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/03-Pick_SilentLab-WS-DenkGlobal.jpg 964w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"2166\"  src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/03-Pick_SilentLab-WS-International-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/03-Pick_SilentLab-WS-International-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/03-Pick_SilentLab-WS-International-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/03-Pick_SilentLab-WS-International-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/03-Pick_SilentLab-WS-International.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Kontakt<\/strong><br>Sie m\u00f6chten mehr \u00fcber Silent Talk erfahren, ein Silent Lab einsetzen oder gemeinsam mit Starkmacher e. V. eine partizipative Produktion umsetzen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tom Woschitz<br>Projektleitung Silent Talk<br>Starkmacher e. V.<br>E-Mail: <a href=\"mailto:t.woschitz@starkmacher.eu\">t.woschitz@starkmacher.eu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Projektlaufzeit: 01.09.2024\u201328.02.2028<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>F\u00f6rderung: Das Projekt Silent Talk wird durch die Stiftung der Deutschen Fernsehlotterie gef\u00f6rdert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"406\" data-id=\"2171\"  src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DFL_Logo_Marke_Eins_Blanko_HG_Blau_CMYK-1024x406.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2171\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DFL_Logo_Marke_Eins_Blanko_HG_Blau_CMYK-1024x406.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DFL_Logo_Marke_Eins_Blanko_HG_Blau_CMYK-300x119.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DFL_Logo_Marke_Eins_Blanko_HG_Blau_CMYK-768x305.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DFL_Logo_Marke_Eins_Blanko_HG_Blau_CMYK-1536x609.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/DFL_Logo_Marke_Eins_Blanko_HG_Blau_CMYK-2048x812.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Silent Talk Silent TalkPerspektiven erleben. Dialog erm\u00f6glichen.Wie k\u00f6nnen Menschen unterschiedlicher Generationen \u00fcber gesellschaftliche Fragen ins Gespr\u00e4ch kommen? Und wie k\u00f6nnen insbesondere junge Menschen ihre Erfahrungen so vermitteln, dass andere ihnen aufmerksam zuh\u00f6ren? Das Projekt Silent Talk entwickelt daf\u00fcr ein interaktives Bildungs- und Dialogformat weiter: das Silent Lab. Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene entwickeln eigene auditive Gruppenerlebnisse [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2157"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2157"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2172,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2157\/revisions\/2172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2039,"date":"2025-12-22T14:44:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T13:44:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/?page_id=2039"},"modified":"2025-12-22T14:44:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T13:44:35","slug":"impact-stories-actions-that-echo","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/impact-stories-actions-that-echo\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact Stories: Actions That Echo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Impact Stories: Actions That Echo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7833-1-copy-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2040 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7833-1-copy-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7833-1-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7833-1-copy-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7833-1-copy-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_7833-1-copy-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Strengthening Entrepreneurial Spirit<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How do community kitchens, networking events, sharing stories around the fireside, preparing food and eating together, travelling to new places, creating art and being in nature promote entrepreneurial enterprise development?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coming together as 4 different organisations spread across the world using different methods for similar societal issues has been incredibly useful in causing us each to look more deeply into the work that we do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having visitors looking in on you and your work and asking questions, sheds a new light on things you may have previously overlooked or never even considered as noteworthy. Likewise, observing these organisations at work in their contexts, enables us to understand our own context more clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The focus of this project on strengthening the entrepreneurial spirit of young migrants for the development of inclusive and sustainable enterprises, had us all asking a lot of questions of each other around what we have found to be most effective in this arena.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Firstly we had to define some vocabulary, as it became quite clear early on that there were some discrepancies between how the European and South African participants understood certain terms, like youth, sustainable, entrepreneurial, migrant<em> <\/em>etc and so the starting point was to clarify these meanings between us. This process in itself gave us much more understanding of each other&#8217;s realities.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What has remained a discussion throughout the project is the difference between promoting entrepreneurial enterprises, and strengthening entrepreneurial spirit. I will speak here about Amava Oluntu\u2019s personal journey with this over the years and why we have settled on the latter as our main focus.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a country with one of the greatest wealth divides in the world and corresponding unemployment rates, there is much emphasis placed on entrepreneurship as a way out of this predicament. Indeed we have very high rates of entrepreneurship, and it accounts for a large part of our economy and employment numbers. There is also a high failure rate of entrepreneurial enterprises, which means we have a continual cycle of building up and falling apart in the entrepreneurial landscape, which correlates with our resilience and quick responsiveness to immediate needs, with less attention on long term solutions and fixes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our education system reflects the same lines as our wealth divide, with some of the finest education in the private schooling system; and our public schooling system offering the spectrum of excellent to extremely poor, correlating directly to the economic and sociopolitical geographies of the schools themselves. So, based purely on the family you were born into, your future trajectory is forever affected by the education system that your family can afford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While the youths we work with have mostly been through the poorest end of the education system and live in incredibly challenging and under-resourced living environments still structured along apartheid spatial divides with the odds stacked hugely against them, they also have huge amounts of creativity and passion and are no strangers to entrepreneurial activity. Most survive on a combination of 4 or 5 different \u2018hustles\u2019 that generate income, spanning arts, music, sports, food and developing and selling products and services.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the main defining qualities of entrepreneurs &#8211; adaptability, resilience, adversity, creativity, innovation, experimentation, risk taking &#8211; are the very same skills required to survive in challenging living conditions where surprise, stress and uncertainty are abundant. South Africans are renowned for their ability to \u2018make a plan\u2019 out of anything, or even out of \u2018nothing\u2019.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In our early days of supporting youths to develop entrepreneurial activity, we were partnering with local business schools who offered traditional small business start up training, and while this worked for those who had been through the middle and upper ends of the public school system, it wasn&#8217;t hitting home at all with those who had been through the poorer end of the education system, and often left people more despondent than when they began, feeling incapable and sometimes even causing them to give up on ideas that they had previously been successful in moving towards.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shifting our focus from promoting the formation of enterprises through traditional business school style training, onto recognising and acknowledging the incredible levels of entrepreneurial activity the youths were already engaging with as valid and worthy, and promoting the qualities and behaviours that support entrepreneurial success, meant that the youths could gradually improve the things they were already doing rather than being led to believe that they needed to be different to what they currently were in order to \u2018succeed\u2019.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we focused our attention more onto self awareness, project management and communication skills, creating access and expanding networks through the simple act of gathering in diverse groups and the organising required, over time we have witnessed each other grow, slowly and sustainably, into healthier and stronger individuals and communities better able to self organise. While this method might produce a much slower trajectory of visible entrepreneurial enterprise development, we have seen it lead to healthier individuals and communities who are better equipped for whatever endeavours they wish to pursue, moving at a growth rate that best suits their individual circumstances.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theresa Wigley, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Creatures Project <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before going to Muizenberg, we had begun a project focused on creatures, dreams, and<br>storytelling. The project unfolded in several phases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Writing and character creation workshops to create a bestiary based around a fantasy world;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating a story and the materials to bring it to life (sounds, photos, drawings, etc.);<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating a digital book where you are the hero, with the help of a digital workshop specialist;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating visual creation workshops for chimeras based on works exhibited by Ayda Su-Nuroglu, an artist;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A final exhibition of the creations and the digital book.<br>To achieve this, we organized six-month workshops aimed at collective development among the teenagers, as well as sharing the knowledge and techniques of the artists and educators<br>involved in the project. Indeed, specialists in writing, drawing, cyanotypes, digital technology, as well as educators and librarians, have mobilized around this creation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The final exhibition took place one week after our return from Muizenberg, which was a perfect opportunity to put the acquired knowledge into practice.<br>Two tools were reused. The first consisted of providing more material for the public during the presentation workshops. We actually organized drawing and cyanotype workshops during the exhibition to allow teenagers who had not participated in the project to have a place. During a workshop at the BAT in Vryground, we realized that giving more material to the participants allowed them more freedom in their creation because they were not constantly obliged to ask others what they were missing. We implemented this practice in order to free the creativity of the<br>most timid\u2026And it works!<br>We then organized a discussion session between the various partners, funders, and project participants. During our stay in South Africa, we were struck by a cultural difference between our own and the Anglo-Saxon culture when it came to adopting an energetic, positive, and rewarding stance. We don&#8217;t have the same ways of evaluating or considering achievements, and the approach we encountered during our exchange was reinvigorating!<br>So we tried to modify our perfectionist evaluation methods to allow more room for positivity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milena Lachmanowits, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4635-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2056 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4635-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4635-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4635-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4635-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4635-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-TW-20240923_165958-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2054 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-TW-20240923_165958-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-TW-20240923_165958-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-TW-20240923_165958-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-TW-20240923_165958-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Copy-of-TW-20240923_165958-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Care To CHANGE: a \u2018participaintory\u2019 mural on Fish Hoek Beachfront<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Acknowledging that change is ever present, and that we can influence change for the good of both environmental and human wellbeing, the Care to Change graffiti mural focuses on positive actions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The site is the Law Enforcement Building on Fish Hoek Beach, Southern Peninsula Cape Town. The basic design of the painting is the word CHANGE in huge letters. In the light blue fill of the letters is everything we want to move towards. In the dark blue drop shadow of the letters is everything we want to move away from. A large eagle owl represents the indigenous wisdom of the ages, and is a prompt for us to choose change for good.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This project was a hands-on experiment in participatory methods, collaboration, and the power of public art to spark dialogue. The painting was facilitated by mural artist Claire Homewood @carecreative_.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Invites went out to networks of youth\/ environmental organizations. The diverse painters include youth from a number of schools such as Fish Hoek High, Kommetjie Home School, Blasc Academy and Plumstead High. Activists from environmental organisations such as WESSA, The Green Connection, 350.org&nbsp; and The Southern African Faith Communities Environmental Organisation added their paint strokes with messages of what will make a better world for all, co-creating a weave of options and opportunities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During 5 months, over 100 people had the opportunity to join the painting and add to the momentum of CHANGE. Layer by layer the painting emerged.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claire Homewood, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Use the Silent Lab Tool <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the past two years, L&#8217;Engraine has been developing projects around digital culture. The idea is to open our activities to as many people as possible, and using digital tools is a valuable way to do this. This tool attracts young people and teenagers, allowing us to draw them into educational and creative programs. During our stay in Mannheim, we discovered the Silent Lab tool during a workshop. Following this workshop, we discussed using this method in other settings.<br>Upon returning to France, our team was particularly interested in using this tool. We decided to consider a long-term project after the end of Seeds4youth. To begin building connections and understanding this tool, we organized a short writing workshop before the festival, focusing on myths from the four participating countries. We recorded this creation in two languages and made it available during the closing festival. We had very little time to create this resource, and it wasn&#8217;t intended to be a formal educational tool. It was more of a poetic and creative exploration aimed at familiarizing users with the tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, this initial experience was interesting, and we realized that the participants greatly enjoyed it. We therefore wish to develop this tool further by offering longer workshops, spanning several weeks, aimed at creating educational content related to the environment, democracy, and any social issues raised by the group. This exchange of practices in Germany opens up numerous avenues for development and perhaps even future collaborations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milena Lachmanowits, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20251004_172501-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2057 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20251004_172501-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20251004_172501-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20251004_172501-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20251004_172501-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20251004_172501-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"771\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-job-shadowing-IMG_20240621_161356-771x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2053 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-job-shadowing-IMG_20240621_161356-771x1024.jpg 771w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-job-shadowing-IMG_20240621_161356-226x300.jpg 226w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-job-shadowing-IMG_20240621_161356-768x1020.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-job-shadowing-IMG_20240621_161356-1157x1536.jpg 1157w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-job-shadowing-IMG_20240621_161356-1542x2048.jpg 1542w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-job-shadowing-IMG_20240621_161356-scaled.jpg 1928w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>The Bull of Life<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was present, it helped me carry on without thinking, an energetic way of going forward, water flowing endlessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A secret was well hidden, in the food, the flowers and a fire dancing around us in the air:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIl piccolo attore voleva morire ma aveva dimenticato che il pubblico chiede sempre un \u201cbis\u201d. E il pubblico ottiene sempre quello che vuole.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"867\" height=\"470\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2041\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.png 867w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-768x416.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 867px) 100vw, 867px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Words coming back from many years ago, as if nothing had changed, nulla \u00e8 cambiato finch\u00e8\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cambio ! Apollo and Dyonisos are having a chat in the background, sharing a drink in a fancy restaurant while they discuss the origin of umami flavor: is it the soup or the seaweed that first started it ? Let\u2019s cook !<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"419\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2-1024x419.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2043\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2-1024x419.png 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2-300x123.png 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2-768x314.png 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-2.png 1368w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s dance !<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Serge Bolze, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Forum Theatre \u2013 Trying it Out and Being Inspired<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In France, Laurelou introduced us to Forum Theatre, a method where participants act out real-life situations and experiment with different ways of responding. We tried it for the first time outdoors, in the beautiful Orchard \u2013 the sun, the trees, and the space made it feel alive in a way a classroom never could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From the very first scenario, I was hooked. I remember one moment in a school classroom: we presented a short scene, and a student suddenly stood up and changed the story in a way none of us had expected. Others joined in, offering ideas and stepping into different roles. Issues like sexism and racism came up naturally, and the room was buzzing with engagement. It was amazing to see students exploring these topics safely, creatively, and honestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since that day, Forum Theatre has kept popping up in my mind. I\u2019ve been thinking about it constantly in my own work with young people, imagining ways to give them a voice, encourage dialogue, and explore difficult topics. Seeing the students so eager to participate made me realize how powerful this method can be. I\u2019m excited to continue learning and applying it \u2013 it feels like a tool that can keep growing, just like the Orchard itself, and open up new ways for young people to express themselves and connect with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sarah Pint, Starkmacher e.V., Germany<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_191940-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2055 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_191940-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_191940-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_191940-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_191940-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_191940-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Impact Stories: Actions That Echo Strengthening Entrepreneurial Spirit How do community kitchens, networking events, sharing stories around the fireside, preparing food and eating together, travelling to new places, creating art and being in nature promote entrepreneurial enterprise development? Coming together as 4 different organisations spread across the world using different methods for similar societal issues [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2039"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2039"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2058,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2039\/revisions\/2058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2030,"date":"2025-12-22T12:07:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T11:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/?page_id=2030"},"modified":"2025-12-22T12:07:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T11:07:04","slug":"impact-stories-where-people-meet-and-methods-grow","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/impact-stories-where-people-meet-and-methods-grow\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact Stories: Where People Meet and Methods Grow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Impact Stories: Where People Meet and Methods Grow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20241001_141125-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2032 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20241001_141125-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20241001_141125-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20241001_141125-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20241001_141125-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20241001_141125-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>South Africa Hosting <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We did our planning during the end of the winter months &#8211; the wettest winter in Cape Town since 1967. Spring and the arrival of our SEEDS4youth guests was a welcome blessing to us and a much anticipated sharing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The hosting gave us an opportunity to weave together our projects, collaborators, sights, sounds and culture all into a very full SA programme. We spent many weeks with post-its and large rolls of paper mapping out all we wanted to do, editing it down to what we could actually do in the timeframe. What was important for us was giving a sense of the wild nature connection we have here &#8211; the role that nature plays for us is very important and filters into our work in many ways. An understanding of the history of this place was also vital and so we needed to make sure we gave a sense of that both through the places we visited and the conversations we had. Of course we needed to also give an experience of the variety of tastes that our multicultural home offers so we added in multiple eating adventures and flavours.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There were many highlights: seeing everyones appreciation for the opportunity to be in South Africa, feel the sun on their faces and the fresh sea air &#8211; I loved that moment where people really connected to the land and felt what that is\u2026. Something you can&#8217;t explain but has to be experienced.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here we practice a lot of circle speaking, listening to each other and making sure to give all voices a chance to express themselves. We definitely did a lot of sitting in circles. Our Food Jam worked amazingly at bringing everyone together in a fun cooking experience of teamwork, experimentation, dance and celebration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our visit to Vrygrond affected everyone deeply. To see people living in poverty, walk amongst our fellow humans living in such a reality and still be greeted with smiles. It&#8217;s hard to really see what the affluent world is built on and how real the struggle is for some. This day also gave our European colleagues in this project more understanding of what and who we are working with when we talk about \u2018youth\u2019 in our context. The art process at Butterfly Arts helped everyone to digest the experience and was also encouraging and hopeful to see an organization making such a huge difference in the Vrygrond community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Challenges were mostly within our own SA team. The dynamics between partners and how to work together. It was a time of change for our local projects and the hosting brought our energy and focus to see what is and isn&#8217;t working, what needs to shift and what needs completing. This was a blessing in the bigger scheme of things. We were quite honest with everyone about these challenges and changes because as parallel organisations we can really learn from each other when we share the realities and truths.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personally I loved having everyone here. I love doing the thinking beforehand into what was and wasn&#8217;t important to include in our programme. To reach out to our network and see how we could collaborate to bring things together. I enjoyed my role as coordinator even though there were some hairy daily moments of managing logistics, changing plans, balancing multiple individual needs and still keeping in mind what was needed for tomorrow\/ next week, etc etc. It was full on and fast paced but amazing and I would definitely be up for more hosting. We have a real magic here. In our diversity, inbetween the harsh realities, amongst the many sites of awe inspiring nature\u2026 there is a connection to the heartbeat of life which is a resource that is bountiful and one which is a pleasure to share with those interested in experiencing it and taking that expanded knowledge and understanding home with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claire Homewood, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Mannheim, we met the community development manager for the Neckarstadt district, which is very multicultural. She works for the city and is responsible for improving the quality of life in her reference area, based on the needs of all its residents, regardless of their identity or situation. What struck me was the similarity of her job as a territorial manager with what I experienced when I worked in Quebec. Indeed, accepting the notion of &#8222;community&#8220; is central to local urban social development. Building a community means creating connections in a given area to improve the quality of life there. Building a community means acting together to actively transform our living space. And this community is a grouping of the many that compose it. Different communities that exist depending on people&#8217;s situations and identities. The territorial manager spoke to us about the community of sex workers in the red-light district, for example, about ethnic communities, and about collective associations mobilized around participatory vegetable gardens, for example. In these cases too, the idea of \u200b\u200bcommunity is to act together, between people concerned, to improve specific living conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This was significant for me because in France, the idea of \u200b\u200bcommunity is very poorly perceived. As if self-interest were an affront to living together. As if mobilizing to defend one&#8217;s specific living conditions necessarily represented a democratic counter-power and called into question both republican unity and the universality of law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following this meeting in Mannheim, I believe even more strongly that uniting within a territory to defend its specific needs means participating in a society and a state that adapts to meet social needs and fosters democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8222;A society is democratic if it recognizes itself as divided, that is to say, as being crossed by contradictions of interest, and which sets itself the task of associating each citizen equally in the expression, analysis, deliberation and arbitration of these contradictions.&#8220; Paul Ricoeur, in Ideology and Utopia, 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laurelou Pelletier, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ToWo-5235925546460901618-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2033 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ToWo-5235925546460901618-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ToWo-5235925546460901618-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ToWo-5235925546460901618-768x578.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ToWo-5235925546460901618.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20250512_111027-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2034 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20250512_111027-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20250512_111027-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20250512_111027-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20250512_111027-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH_20250512_111027-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Context Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Studying the context is essential.<br>Asking ourselves where we are, what defines the spaces we move through, and who populates them is the first step toward understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Mannheim, the urge to question every passerby was strong. In people\u2019s eyes, I could see long roads walked and small habits formed, day after day, in this diverse and welcoming city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Analyzing a context while being immersed in it can be complex, stimulating, and at times disorienting. That\u2019s why we look for frames \u2014 reference boxes that help us define boundaries, only to later challenge and go beyond them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the <strong>TUMO Center in Mannheim<\/strong>, I discovered the evolution of a hands-on, future-oriented initiative. A place where young people explore digitalization through both artistic and scientific lenses, supported by cutting-edge equipment and carefully designed spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The concept originates in Armenia, where the TUMO model was born, bringing with it detailed know-how and methodological guidelines. In Mannheim, it is led by <strong>Starkmacher<\/strong> with strong support from public institutions. And yet, each day presents a new challenge: reaching and engaging young people, staying faithful to the original vision while <strong>adapting it to a new, specific context<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s an ongoing process of analysis \u2014 and this is what makes the impact both dynamic and lasting.<br>Because analysis is not just a starting point \u2014 it is a practice that helps us constantly uncover new layers, new voices, and new sparks of light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ivana Ristovska, Eufemia, Italy<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Cooking Workshop<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Turin, we discovered collective cooking workshops. The association Il Gusto del mundo<br>organizes shared cooking sessions with diverse audiences. We collaborated with a group that included people with mental health issues, international volunteers, and our Seeds 4 Youth team.<br>The group was supervised and supported by Paola, Stefano, and Flavio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the workshops that spoke to me began with a roundtable discussion about &#8222;what do you put on your pizza?&#8220;<br>Each person suggested their favorite pizza, and together we went shopping for the workshop. The following hours were spent making pizzas in a professional kitchen, as well as preparing desserts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The goal is to cook and then eat together. This is a vector for integration (people are often in<br>situations of social exclusion), cohesion, and social connection. Cooking then becomes a medium for sharing, discussion, and the creation of a safe space.<br>In France, with L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, we currently do little work on using gastronomy as an educational tool. The experience we had at Il gusto del mondo gave us the desire to create connections to address this.<br>In September, we will be working with an association called Le champ des possibles, which uses cooking with people in migration situations. We will cook together in the afternoon around a theme and then we will organize a shared meal in a festive atmosphere in the evening!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milena Lachmanowits, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SB-Gusto-Del-Mundo-DAY338-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2031 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SB-Gusto-Del-Mundo-DAY338-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SB-Gusto-Del-Mundo-DAY338-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SB-Gusto-Del-Mundo-DAY338-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SB-Gusto-Del-Mundo-DAY338.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"577\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250930_103001-577x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2035 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250930_103001-577x1024.jpg 577w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250930_103001-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250930_103001-768x1364.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250930_103001-865x1536.jpg 865w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250930_103001-1153x2048.jpg 1153w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250930_103001-scaled.jpg 1441w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 577px) 100vw, 577px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Big Game <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;re increasingly developing the great game tool during our gatherings. It&#8217;s about creating an<br>atmosphere, a setting, a theme, and playing with it. Participants are assigned roles and must create a space that they will decorate according to the atmosphere they wish to create. Typically, there are six or seven<br>different spaces and about ten organizers. The audience moves from one location to another to solve a riddle that will end the game.<br>The idea is to create collaboration: collective development of a riddle, the setting created by the group, and the audience must interact to reach the solution\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond that, the game develops creative skills and gives each member their own role (actor, decorator, mediator). The game&#8217;s theme also has an educational value, as the topics covered aim to introduce participants to a specific area. In the case of our stay in Aniane, the idea is to share knowledge about French farming and winemaking traditions.<br>The game lasts approximately two hours and ends with a large gathering where the teams present their findings to the group. The outcome is collaborative, and no winner is chosen.<br>During our festival, we would like to introduce this great game in several languages with the help of our foreign partners. In addition to introducing the tool, it will allow our audience to learn from our guests about language, culture, and tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This will also be an opportunity to work on artistic expression, which is one of the key themes of our project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milena Lachmanowits, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Seeing home through the perspective of others <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The beauty of travelling is that it always changes the idea of \u201chome\u201d, both in the mind of those who arrive and those who welcome them.<br>For travellers, the destination\/stopover is something new, something they did not know before, it is distance, complete immersion in a different and previously unimaginable way of life.<br>For those who welcome, it is a way to see their everyday life through the eyes of the traveller. Those who welcome others have the pleasure of seeing their city through the eyes of those who do not know it, and this makes everything seem different and gives it a new value. This value can range from the simplest things, such as the aesthetics of the city and the details of the streets that are not usually noticed in everyday life, to one&#8217;s own identity, what one does in life, one&#8217;s work and the problems one faces.<br>If we always stay among ourselves, inhabitants of a single place, who can see us? It&#8217;s a bit like always staying at home. When we welcome someone, we can finally rethink ourselves and surpass ourselves, we can understand who we are and we can notice the oddities and beauty that surround us in everyday life.<br>And at the table, for lunch.<br>For this alone, it is worth meeting, as we have done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Flavio Vigna, Eufemia, Italy <\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-IMG_2355-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2036 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-IMG_2355-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-IMG_2355-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-IMG_2355-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-IMG_2355-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/CH-IMG_2355-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Impact Stories: Where People Meet and Methods Grow South Africa Hosting We did our planning during the end of the winter months &#8211; the wettest winter in Cape Town since 1967. Spring and the arrival of our SEEDS4youth guests was a welcome blessing to us and a much anticipated sharing.&nbsp; The hosting gave us an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2030"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2030"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2030\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2037,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2030\/revisions\/2037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":2015,"date":"2025-12-18T14:23:48","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T13:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/?page_id=2015"},"modified":"2025-12-18T14:23:48","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T13:23:48","slug":"impact-stories-conditions-for-participation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/impact-stories-conditions-for-participation\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact Stories: Conditions for Participation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Impact Stories: Conditions for Participation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4689-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2027 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4689-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4689-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4689-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4689-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4689-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Flexibility, Adjustment and eye-to-eye level<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I find myself in a classroom full of curious children, 4th grade as I remember. I don\u2019t understand a word in French but from what I understand in reading bodies and faces, there is an exciting exchange happening. Milena, the facilitator of the Kamichibai-Workshop, is sitting on an eye-to-eye level with the children and guides the entire room smoothly through the plan of the day.<br>What the children don&#8217;t know: we had several detours on the way to the school and there was still one crew member missing for the story that was about to be told and played. Milena went along and while she was in the process of introducing us to the kids, she simultaneously adjusted the program to the circumstances, in a calm and humorous way.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My first take away in this experience is: stay flexible and go on. Most things in life don\u2019t exactly go as planned, adjustments and flexibility are very important attitudes and practices, especially in social and educational work-settings with many human-to-human interactions.<br>The second take away from this experience is Milena&#8217;s way of approaching the children. Throughout the workshop she physically moved on the same level as the children, and when she was interacting with them, she seemed to approach every single one of them in a direct way. It moved me to see the way that Milena was talking to the children and how she opened up the process for wild imagination and brainstorming and how she managed to shape these images into a nice form of a story. She also approached the quieter children, therefore it was made sure that no child was left unheard.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All in all, the participatory workshop and its outcome was very impressive. The Kamishibai-Workshop was a great experience in terms of collaborative work among adults and children, where adults create a frame but the children decide what is being said and told. Children&#8217;s voices are often unheard or not considered in political debates and decision making. The Workshop is an example of how story telling can work as a great tool to make unheard voices heard. Democracy means participation, and Storytelling is an empowering method that we experienced as a great example of implementation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jule Reicherter, Starkmacher e.V., Germany<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Chocolate, Poetry &amp; Beats \u2013 A local youth activity<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the evening of April 15th, 2025, the Commons Studio in Muizenberg was transformed into a\u00a0 sanctuary of flavor, expression, and connection during our Chocolate, Poetry &amp; Beats\u2014a journey that left hearts full and taste buds awakened by nutritional cacao.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We worked hard to create a welcoming space beginning with a ceramic bowl for washing hands. Next we had prepared words in typewriter font printed onto sticky paper. Guests could choose 2 or 3 words (like fridge poetry) and stick them onto a peg which became their name tag. This gave everyone a unique alter ego (chocolate inspired) for the evening. Our main intention was to focus on the way \u2018Food can Gather\u2019 and weave people together.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then, there was our welcome drink: a very special drinking chocolate, rich in nutritional depths. We prepared little pots of additions such as cinnamon, ginger, cayenne or salt as a dash to suit different tastes. This drink was intended to provide an ice breaker moment and allow the magic of cacao to begin opening hearts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ice was broken and people began to mingle\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was the hostess so I gathered everyone around the long work table which we had set up to be laden with everything we needed for the chocolate making. First I asked everyone to introduce themselves with their chocolate name. This brought everyone into the circle. Then I explained about the different forms of raw cacao: the bean, the paste, the butter and the powder. There was a bit of each in little bowls so as I explained and introduced them we passed them around so people could smell and taste &#8211; it&#8217;s surprising. I explained the main process and the further ingredients we needed: coconut nectar, vanilla and salt. Some had never seen a vanilla pod or knew that it grew on a tree. We chatted about how chocolate, when kept in its raw state, has many health benefits<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The melting and the making &#8211; the slow melt over the double boiler gave everyone more time to chat and help themselves to soup. One cannot be hungry when making chocolate as it&#8217;s a powerful substance, so best to fill up first. The soup was made from seasonal ingredients and spiced with a cape curry flavour &#8211; topped with extra nutritional toasted seeds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The stirring began as the cacao butter melted &#8211; from creamy white to clear, fragrant chocolate filled the air. When completely liquid we added vanilla and cacao powder to taste, the flavours filled out and then added sweetness and salt. Our thick chocolate appeared and we taste tested until perfection. The air was now electric with anticipation for chocolate play.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All kinds of moulds appeared and chit chats continued as we polished them up\u2026 ready for pouring. Everyone was invited to creatively concoct sculptures of chocolate and mixed in extras &#8211; spices, nuts, seeds, dried fruits etc\u2026. The music that our ChocolateDJj played provided extra encouragement and as we prepared molds for setting, the buzz that the cacao had stirred now flowed into poetry and the typewriter was alive with words and inspirations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cracked out and the joy of seeing chocolate in sculptural solid form fluttered through our group. Each was invited to make up a little package, adding flowers and stringing together the poetry pieces and postcards for the perfect takeaway.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What I loved the most was the diversity of people and how there was such a warm, creative and chocolatey atmosphere for appreciation. Simple coming together and enjoyment of each other and love of chocolate with new depths. Chocolate, Poetry &amp; Beats proved that magic happens when we gather with intention, open our senses, and allow creativity to flow freely. It was a night to remember\u2014and a beautiful reminder that community, like chocolate, is best when shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claire Homewood, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG-20250416-WA0002-1024x726.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2022 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG-20250416-WA0002-1024x726.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG-20250416-WA0002-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG-20250416-WA0002-768x544.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG-20250416-WA0002.jpg 1295w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_112404-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2024 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_112404-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_112404-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_112404-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_112404-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_112404-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Digital Culture <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mobility in Germany and the organization of the stay in France have led us to open new<br>perspectives when it comes to digital creation.<br>We had the opportunity to welcome a woman from the library network with whom I had the<br>pleasure of developing several projects. In the context of mobility, she presented us with a method for creating sound content and making objects talk.<br>For our activity that lasted only 2 hours we took advantage of this technique and experimented in a very basic way with the tool. Each participant chose a plant that he assigned himself to, then recorded a short text on the Seeds4youth project. The idea was to understand the mechanism in order to develop it on a larger scale afterwards. We used our talking plants for the final exhibition<br>of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This initiation made me want to develop digital artistic creations. Last year we produced an interactive digital book in which you are the hero with the teenagers of the surrounding villages.<br>This creation took place over 6 months and involved painting, writing, photography, and sound recording. We had then organized a big restitution day to access the book. We then recorded poetic texts set to music by the inhabitants, which we made freely accessible through QR codes in the village and in nature.<br>The fact of speaking about objects can give continuity to these beginnings of digital creations by allowing staging of written texts and life stories. I don\u2019t know yet under which bias but the fact of apprehending the activity of plants that speak opened me to these creative perspectives. In Mannheim already, the discovery of the Silent Lab had given me the desire to collaborate around this tool and create educational workshops with this support.<br>I don\u2019t know yet how and what form but the next activities developed will use these new tools for an educational, creative and social purpose. We hope that our new European and South African partners will be on board to build collective projects with the acquired tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milena Lachmanowits, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Artists as Builders of Social Cohesion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our French mobility moved me in ways that I never expected. I thought I would learn about theatre, and nature connection and artisanal land and food practices and cooperatives, and that we did, but I what astounded me was the strength of the social cohesion and how participation and collaboration are embedded so deeply in people that they are largely unaware that there is anything remarkable about it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So many of us have to work so hard, just to get to that starting point, before we can even begin to create anything. Creating upon a foundation where everyone intrinsically understands and values the act of collaboration was such a pleasure, and reaffirmed the unending hard work to get to this way of interacting back home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I thought about this a lot throughout our time in France, in an attempt to understand how to achieve this. As usual I think that there are layers and layers of factors, some light and some dark, which each deserve a story of their own.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A huge contributor, is having all of one\u2019s basic needs met. When large amounts of your daily energy are consumed with survival, there is not a lot left to do anything else with. When your every day reality feels like there is not enough resource to go around, or when enough is never enough, many resort to competition rather than collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Social cohesion within and between communities eradicates a whole host of problems that no amount of government spending will ever be able to eradicate. Witnessing the effect that institutionalised support that both ensures basic needs are met, and supports artists and associations to create and connect, certainly made me wonder out loud why this is not standard practice the world over.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theresa Wigley, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250925_173609-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2025 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250925_173609-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250925_173609-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250925_173609-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250925_173609-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250925_173609-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250929_115416-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2026 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250929_115416-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250929_115416-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250929_115416-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250929_115416-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20250929_115416-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Welcome and expression<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On May 16, we held a workshop on gender equality in the social and solidarity economy. I disagreed with the facilitator on the substance of his presentation, and what seemed most important to me was being able to express it. Why do spaces allow for more or less expression? I think it&#8217;s the way of welcoming and introducing oneself. I recognized a way of welcoming and introducing oneself to the group that was essentially identical to my own, despite cultural differences. Could there be something universal in the way of allowing people to feel good in a group? A way of welcoming that allows people to listen, to participate, but also to express their disagreements without endangering the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Things that might seem like common sense are absolutely not practiced in all the workshops or meetings I have attended in my life. Drinks and a little food are available. A possibility to move around the space, to sit as we please and wherever we please in the room, to be comfortable in our bodies. Doesn&#8217;t this allow us to be truly available to what is happening, to feel good in our bodies? Why can&#8217;t we take off our shoes or sit on the carpet in all meetings? What does this call into question, what would it confront?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, the way of introducing oneself: the facilitator introduces themselves, and invites the participants to do the same. This, again, may seem like common sense, but not everyone does it, which sets up dynamics, either collective or vertical, which do not allow one to feel equal with the facilitators to express any disagreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laurelou Pelletier, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Impact Stories: Conditions for Participation Flexibility, Adjustment and eye-to-eye level I find myself in a classroom full of curious children, 4th grade as I remember. I don\u2019t understand a word in French but from what I understand in reading bodies and faces, there is an exciting exchange happening. Milena, the facilitator of the Kamichibai-Workshop, is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2015"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2015"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2028,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2015\/revisions\/2028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1999,"date":"2025-12-10T14:20:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T13:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/?page_id=1999"},"modified":"2025-12-10T14:22:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T13:22:15","slug":"impact-stories-food-and-community-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/impact-stories-food-and-community-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact Stories: Practices of Working Together"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Impact Stories: Practices of Working Together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251107_194700-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2001 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251107_194700-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251107_194700-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251107_194700-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251107_194700-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251107_194700-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>The Art of Networking with Passion &amp; Purpose<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The purpose of Community Gathering?\u00a0 The process of stirring the movement towards an event. The lead up, build up, fullness of activity, hosting, delegating, teamwork, trust, clean up, pack away. All parts of holding space.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is something I&#8217;ve always enjoyed and done very naturally. It takes effort but the weave of connections and points of collaboration along the way makes it worth the investment in time and energy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is an intangible feeling of when people gather and sparks move in mycelium networks around the time and space.&nbsp; What might pop out to impact positive change down the line? What support could flow and which power-filled person could be grounded into nourishing action? The best ingredient for the collective compost of possibility in community gathering is definitely diversity.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we can hear the elders, make space for the children, give youth the platform and spark everyone else to get with it:&nbsp; make participation a part of \u2018always life.\u2019 Then maybe there is a way for urban communities to grow stronger and weave together a fuller sense of what can be.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our SA multiplier event on 7 Nov 2025 had all the sparks of spontaneous combustion needed to plant little seeds of reminders in us that it&#8217;s all worth it and that each moment of gathering layers up a multi-coloured spectrum of a big possibility cake.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claire Homewood, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Writing workshop<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In early December, our mystery novel, the result of writing workshops held at the Aniane library this year, will be published. We are fortunate to have English texts in this book, written by our European guests. The story revolves around a mysterious investigation set against a backdrop of unresolved family conflicts. Participants used local myths to create a collective historical narrative. During their visit to France, we opened the workshop to volunteers to demonstrate one of our educational methods. The goal was to create a mystery story collaboratively over several<br>months. This exercise develops skills in teamwork, group creation, sharing speaking turns, and respecting boundaries. Our guests were able to observe the workshop&#8217;s pedagogical approach as well as its institutional structure. The Aniane library network provides free and open access to all<br>activities, allowing for broad and intergenerational participation. For the French participants, the presence of international students fostered a new perspective and sparked curiosity about languages and cultures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To preserve a record of this experience, the English writings were kept and included in the<br>published book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This experience allowed us to appreciate how fortunate we are to have cultural programs funded by the public sector. The completion of this book inspires me to continue this experiment on a larger scale, and perhaps even with several countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milena Lachmanowits, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_110115-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2005 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_110115-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_110115-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_110115-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_110115-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_110115-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_173107-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2004 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_173107-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_173107-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_173107-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_173107-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_173107-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Youth Worker<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Did you have an amazing time in Germany?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you want to move to Germany?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I Loved my time in Germany, it was so interesting, all the experiences. I branched out to new networks, made new connections. But, the experience pushed my roots in deeper. Deeper into my love for home, our land, people and context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everywhere has challenges, and I love ours. It&#8217;s wild, but wildness gives gaps for freedoms you don&#8217;t appreciate until you witness the loss of freedoms people never knew they had.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the longest time I&#8217;ve been making my own path up as I&#8217;ve gone along. Why do I feel I need to pursue a project? Because I just have a feeling I need to. Not sure why &#8211; just felt important. And that\u2019s how I&#8217;ve woven together the fabric of my professional life. Always been super inspired to involve young people along for the journey, so they can benefit from the spaces, places, people&nbsp; &#8211; just as I have through the amazing mentors I&#8217;ve had in my never ending learning journey as an artist, facilitator, co-creator, collaborator and changemaker.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I got my eye set on an awesome vision of the future and for me collaboration and group work is the key. This means inter-generational learning &#8211; love working with elders and love working with youth. Through meeting my \u2018youth worker\u2019 colleagues on our Seeds journey, something has come into focus for me: the context, structure, supports, potentials of framing my own understanding of the work I do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What Germany taught me was that being a youth worker is a real thing &#8211; in a place where structures are secure and things seem tangible I found I could better see myself. It took leaving my home base to figure that out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claire Homewood, Amava Oluntu, South Africa <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Hard Work<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In May in Mannheim, we met with various professionals involved in social and community work, and sometimes in cultural and artistic practices. What jumped out at me during one of these meetings was the same difficulties that I&#8217;ve seen many people face in my country as well. The same questions. That is to say: &#8222;How can my activities reach the people I want to reach?&#8220; This is a question, in terms of mediation and cultural action, that doesn&#8217;t take place in all environments. For example, the South African association that was with us told us that this wasn&#8217;t a question for them. Why don&#8217;t free and participatory cultural offerings reach their audiences?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Following this exchange, I believe, even more than before, that mediators must take the time to create connections, in countries where people are not always well received (racism, discrimination, etc.), in countries where people are afraid of being downgraded, where people are afraid that their neighbors will take their places, as if there weren&#8217;t enough for everyone. In countries where integration, even assimilation, is advocated. How should we react then when cultural mediation proposals invite us to be who we are in all our specificities and to expose it to the light of day? Perhaps we haven&#8217;t learned to live this way. To be included, and not inserted or assimilated. To have a place that doesn&#8217;t take it from anyone and that doesn&#8217;t put us in danger. Perhaps the proposals of cultural mediators are coming up against barriers that have been built up for a long time and that it is not just a question of proposals that are out of touch with needs, but of learning that has not been implemented in a society, and of links that do not exist, of trust that do not exist between institutions and people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laurelou Pelletier, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_134555-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2002 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_134555-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_134555-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_134555-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_134555-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251001_134555-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MA-7-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2003 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MA-7-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MA-7-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MA-7-768x578.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MA-7-1536x1157.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/MA-7-2048x1542.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Upcycling<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Team B, the extra team, the bonus team, the one that didn&#8217;t feel like trudging up the mountain, decided to launch an activity. The day before, the buffet was still full after the networking event. Our fridge was overflowing with salads, carpaccio, hummus, and other cold, hearty dishes. We then set about transforming all these leftovers into new, more delicate dishes. Through my eyes, sparkling with the desire to find myself undoing, making, mixing, surrounded by chefs, I will tell you the story. The transformation is underway, here is its story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I almost forgot to introduce the team! Surgeons: Paola, extraordinary, a Madame Z who doesn&#8217;t know it yet. Balance of flavors. Zaid, for whom everyone stands up, the man who recovered everything, and the magic happened. Assistant chef Sergio Leone. Calm and rigorous. And finally, the rigorous, talented, helpful, and discreet Marion, the event photographer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>THE METHOD. It was almost a high-level operation, a meticulous dissection that took place in the kitchen on Albert Road. First, we laid out all the leftovers on the table and found their names. It was all about perspective.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/0403b591-871f-4347-bd56-381e64f0c406\" width=\"315\" height=\"237\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The operation was delicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every gap was filled with finely cut pieces. What to do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Step 1: DISASSEMBLE<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What a mission this was! Skillfully orchestrated by Italy, the team meticulously separated each element. They removed every spice, yes, every spice. It took over two hours, and I&#8217;m not exaggerating. For the containers, we didn&#8217;t use sterile bins, but ceramics to collect the molecules, vitamins, and other condiments.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our bodies were put to the test!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/410ff9e6-e3ea-4046-8275-e5c950005f8f\" width=\"108\" height=\"143\"><br><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/7fb813c6-19a7-469f-b1e4-60f238d291eb\" width=\"127\" height=\"169\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/6ed22bbb-4ba6-4978-bd31-fd4770c19474\" width=\"121\" height=\"160\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/86a56bd8-d860-4478-8064-fad3c4c0b4b0\" width=\"160\" height=\"147\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Step 2: THE RECIPES<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything needs to be transformed, but what to do?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Who wants to take care of the feta? The raw onions? Who will get the butternut squash? The chopped parsley?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The decision is made, the die is cast, the pairs are formed, the ingredients are scattered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tonight&#8217;s menu will be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gluten-free Japanese gnocchi&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Butternut squash gnocchi<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beetroot salad<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beetroot and peanut hummus<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mushroom pasta salad<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Spicy fritters\u2014our own version of \u201cthrow everything in\u201d\u2014with Master Zaid&#8217;s sauce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Step 3: THE MIXTURES<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Feel the novelty being created under your fingers, bringing it back to life. Recycle, take action to revive, reanimate, breathe life into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blend the butternut squash, mix in the feta cheese and mushrooms, mash the potatoes. The new dishes take shape, the smells mingle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/8a08adb7-1d2a-483f-9ac2-1516f23b0624\" width=\"144\" height=\"157\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/57f9b60a-5f0d-465f-ae00-6d61cbcc2b74\" width=\"128\" height=\"168\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/e7c846c3-9e1f-4f92-9f62-61e4bbba9a7d\" width=\"143\" height=\"172\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Step 4: ADDITIONS. EXTRA GRAINS OF SALT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The secret touch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/e864e5f1-0b7e-491c-a06f-e445d28f170d\" width=\"96\" height=\"135\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/0d5ed0fc-1e32-46e5-adac-b83912230379\" width=\"120\" height=\"138\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We had to add a few new vitamins to reignite the spark. Condiments, eggs, and spices to bring life back in a big way, with boldness, richness, spice, flavor, chili, and a pinch of salt. In short, with panache!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Step 5: MANUFACTURING AND ASSEMBLY<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/0b67908c-cbee-44f1-8df1-ee4e1fabf50f\" width=\"171\" height=\"162\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"blob:https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/d8e7b986-c929-4423-b181-c3da18e36cf1\" width=\"167\" height=\"155\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To complete this step, you need patience, agility, and flexibility. Whether we were comfortable or not, we rolled, flattened, and shaped each gnocchi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Step 6 COOKING<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Everything was used! Ovens, frying pans, saucepans. Everyone pitched in to perfect the cooking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Final step: TASTING<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gluten-free Japanese gnocchi: 500g potato\/100g cornstarch + salt<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gnocchi: Steamer + flour + 2 eggs + salt<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Salad: Beetroot, olive oil, salt, garlic, peanuts<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cooked pasta salad + cheese + garlic mushrooms + 12 eggs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zaid&#8217;s fritters: Pasta vegetables + tomato onions + hummus Ginger + ginger + onion + chickpea flour + cumin seed, coriander + fennel + 3 eggs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"771\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-771x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-771x1024.jpeg 771w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-226x300.jpeg 226w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-768x1020.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image-1157x1536.jpeg 1157w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.jpeg 1205w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The dishes were reshaped and reformed, and the traveling ingredients were found. The guests figured out who was who, but Marie Ange Nardi was missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The final result was devoured too quickly. There was no time to photograph the event. The cycle continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mission accomplished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What a day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Marion Aube, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Impact Stories: Practices of Working Together The Art of Networking with Passion &amp; Purpose The purpose of Community Gathering?\u00a0 The process of stirring the movement towards an event. The lead up, build up, fullness of activity, hosting, delegating, teamwork, trust, clean up, pack away. All parts of holding space.\u00a0 This is something I&#8217;ve always enjoyed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1999"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1999"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2007,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1999\/revisions\/2007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1990,"date":"2025-12-03T15:22:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T14:22:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/?page_id=1990"},"modified":"2025-12-03T15:22:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T14:22:35","slug":"impact-stories-seeds-of-connection","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/impact-stories-seeds-of-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact Stories: Seeds of Connection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Impact Stories: Seeds of Connection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salagou.jpg--1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1993 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salagou.jpg--1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salagou.jpg--300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salagou.jpg--768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salagou.jpg--1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Salagou.jpg--2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Togetherness Makes the Impossible Possible<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Working with youth as they navigate all of the challenges and complexities that present themselves on the journey to independence, what comes up time and time again, is huge appreciation for spaces that bring people together, whether that is with a specific focus and intent, like a workshop or networking event, or a purely social gathering, or the simple act of working alongside each other in a shared workspace &#8211; the act of gathering helps people to feel like they have access to a much bigger realm of support and care.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Someone to walk into a new and intimidating space with, someone to ask questions of, someone to teach you a skill, someone to share your own skills with, someone who notices if you show up or not &#8211; these communities of care are essential to our well being and confidence to pursue things that might otherwise feel too scary.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This project has created such a community for me, and I feel not only connected to the four participating organisations, but also to their extended communities. Visualising all of these interconnected nodes of action and creativity, feels very empowering as it illustrates how small pockets of action, when connected to each other, can very quickly become massive movements, and then it indeed becomes possible to change things that previously seemed insurmountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theresa Wigley, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Listen and Sea \u2014 How a Method Travels When We Share It<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes a method has its own journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two years ago, I first learned about the <strong>Silent Lab<\/strong> approach during the Erasmus+ project DIYverse: an immersive listening format using silent-disco headphones to shift perspective and invite reflection. We later integrated it into Starkmacher\u2019s work in Mannheim, shaping and adapting it to our local needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the SEEDS 4 Youth mobility in Cape Town, the method found new companions. I met artist <strong>CareCreative<\/strong> through Amava Oluntu, and very quickly our conversations moved from \u201cthis is interesting\u201d to \u201cwhat could we build together?\u201d Her strength is visual storytelling rooted in environmental care; mine is crafting immersive listening experiences. Two completely different practices \u2014 yet driven by the same desire: <strong>help people connect more deeply with the world around them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Across the months of the project, this exchange became a thread we kept returning to. And threads, when followed, often lead somewhere unexpected. Claire connected the method with her work with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.africanbioacoustics.org\/\"><strong>African Bioacoustics Community <\/strong><\/a><strong>(ABC)<\/strong> who research and work with nature recordings. Suddenly, Silent Lab had a local heartbeat: a soundscape shaped by the place itself.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What followed was a wonderful collaboration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>We developed a concept to combine ABC recordings, Mural painting and the Silent Lab<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ABC shared their recordings<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Toni Giselle Stuart contributed her amazing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.poetryinternational.com\/en\/poets-poems\/poems\/poem\/103-30844_OCEAN-HOME\">poem \u201cOcean Home\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>I produced the <strong>Silent Lab journey<\/strong> in Germany,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Claire prepared a creative workshop that would translate listening into art.<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And on <strong>02 December 2025<\/strong>, the method lived a new chapter. The first <strong>\u201cListen and Sea\u201d Silent Lab<\/strong> was implemented in Capetown, where people experienced their own coastline through sound and then painted what they heard. Their pieces became part of a public mural \u2014 a visual echo of an underwater world that often goes unnoticed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For me, the most powerful part of this story is not the tool itself, but <strong>the way it grew<\/strong>. A method learned in one country, developed in another, and brought to life in a third \u2014 shaped by people with very different skills, all contributing what they could.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is a reminder that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>knowledge multiplies when shared,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>collaboration makes ideas sturdier,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and creativity expands when we trust others to carry something forward in their own way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The journey of Silent Lab showed me how far a method can travel when it stops belonging to one person and becomes a shared effort. It\u2019s a quiet kind of impact \u2014 built not through control, but through connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thomas Woschitz, Starkmacher e.V., Germany<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-12-03-at-15.01.35-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1995 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-12-03-at-15.01.35-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-12-03-at-15.01.35-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-12-03-at-15.01.35-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-12-03-at-15.01.35-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/WhatsApp-Image-2025-12-03-at-15.01.35.jpeg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_113440-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1991 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_113440-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_113440-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_113440-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_113440-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251002_113440-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Talking Plants? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ja totally\u2026.We made plants talk in France &#8211; with a lady who is employed by the state to make libraries cool by running tech centered projects with young people. How awesome is that compared the photocopies well meaning A4 info sheet on what our local city library strives to be and offers in point form.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What she showed us was a Bare Conductive Touch Board Pro Kit that can make plants \u201ctalk\u201d by turning their natural electrical conductivity into touch-activated triggers for audio, lights, or interactive experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how it works and how you can use it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why Plants Can Be Sensors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most living plants contain moisture and electrolytes, which means they are slightly conductive. When a person touches a leaf, they change its electrical signal. The Touch Board senses this change through capacitive touch\u2014the same technology used in touchscreen phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How the Touch Board Pro Kit Makes Plants \u201cTalk\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Connect a leaf to an electrode. Using the kit\u2019s Electric Paint or a simple alligator clip, you connect any leaf\/stem to one of the board\u2019s 12 touch electrodes. Each electrode can represent a message or sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Capacitive sensing detects human touch. When someone touches the connected plant, the electrode\u2019s capacitance changes. The Touch Board interprets that as a \u201ctouch event\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. Trigger a sound file.&nbsp; The Touch Board has: A microSD card, A built-in MP3 player, Speaker output. Each electrode can play a different audio file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It can also trigger recorded messages, music, explanations, or storytelling.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>&nbsp;What You Can Make the Plant \u201cSay\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can store up to 12 unique sounds. We each recorded a 7 second clip explaining what the SEEDS4youth project is in our own language.&nbsp; In the end our pot plants spoke multiple languages and touched on many different explanations and interpretations, showing the diversity of our team.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are so many applications for this idea and I really can&#8217;t wait to experiment!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claire Homewood, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Building Up<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve always loved looking at maps \u2014 they show us the world in miniature, with lines and shapes that tell stories of landscapes, cities, and human connections. Yet, some maps only come to life when you walk through them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the case of the Zentraler Mannheimer Lehrgarten, a 2.5-hectare space where nature, education, and social inclusion come together in a project that leaves a meaningful impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of the Erasmus+ KA2 project SEEDS 4 Youth, I had the chance to explore this garden as a learner, a team member, and a change-maker. We experienced how environmental practices can bring people together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the Zentraler Mannheimer Lehrgarten, the beneficiaries of social inclusion projects didn\u2019t just work the soil \u2014 they also built spaces. Each structure tells a personal story: someone who held a hammer for the first time, someone who discovered the value of teamwork, someone who learned how to read a plan and turn it into reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Building Up: building together, <em>brick after brick<\/em>, with nature and with people. And this is how they transformed a garden into a place that cultivates skills, solidarity, and a shared vision for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ivana Ristovska, Eufemia, Italy<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"724\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Zml-aktuell-klein-1024x724-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1992 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Zml-aktuell-klein-1024x724-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Zml-aktuell-klein-1024x724-1-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Zml-aktuell-klein-1024x724-1-768x543.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_150116-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1994 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_150116-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_150116-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_150116-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_150116-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251005_150116-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>What now? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here we are at the end of this project, which lasted almost three years from the initial drafting to its final completion.<br>We went through many stages to understand, organize, distribute, and implement the various parts of this adventure. Beyond a mobility project, this adventure has generated numerous creations: content, methods, and connections. By pooling our skills and moving forward step by step, we gave real meaning to this experience at the individual, association, and network levels.<br>We learned about the realities of the social, political, and economic structures of the countries we traveled through, acquired tools and organizational skills, and built a solid network. Quite naturally, we divided tasks and responsibilities and progressed until we produced meaningful content.<br>We are at the end of this process, and many ideas and desires are emerging. Having built all of this inspires me to go further, to use this collective creation and this network for new educational projects that build upon this one. I have some ideas in mind but I&#8217;m being patient to finalize this one and let the rest take its time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, while writing this last impact story, the question comes to me: What now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milena Lachmanowits, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Impact Stories: Seeds of Connection Togetherness Makes the Impossible Possible Working with youth as they navigate all of the challenges and complexities that present themselves on the journey to independence, what comes up time and time again, is huge appreciation for spaces that bring people together, whether that is with a specific focus and intent, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1990"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1990"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1996,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1990\/revisions\/1996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1971,"date":"2025-11-26T12:48:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T11:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/?page_id=1971"},"modified":"2025-12-03T09:49:47","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T08:49:47","slug":"impact-stories-voices-visions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/impact-stories-voices-visions\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact Stories: Voices &#038; Visions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Impact Stories: Voices &amp; Visions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Food-Prep-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1976 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Food-Prep-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Food-Prep-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Food-Prep-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Food-Prep-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Food-Prep-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Pleasure to welcome<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the great joys of this project, which I hadn&#8217;t anticipated, was the pleasure of organizing the welcoming of foreigners.<br>I didn&#8217;t think I would feel joy in showcasing our activities, our way of life, and our people, and yet it was a rich experience. When we operate within our national frameworks, the reflex is often one of criticism. We emphasize the negative, whether it be in public policies, aid to organizations, the connections between people, or the difficulties in developing projects.<br>Beyond the associative sphere, the perception of ourselves and others is critical. We see ourselves as rebellious, grumpy, lazy, or angry. The reality I observed was that all the hosts took enormous pleasure in meeting our volunteers. The majority tried to speak English, ask questions, and show what they had to show. I was very moved by this welcoming spirit and very surprised to feel it so deeply within myself.<br>There was joy in creating shared moments, and there was pride in showing what we had created.<br>It seems rare to feel such genuine and appropriate pride. Often, devaluation or criticism prevails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through this experience, the project strengthened self-confidence, faith in what was being offered, and faith in the kindness of others, emphasizing the beautiful and positive aspects rather than pervasive self-criticism. It&#8217;s not a tangible educational tool, but a fundamental experience for<br>moving forward!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milena Lachmanowits, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Unpacking Words.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When groups come together from different lived realities, cultures and places, it is wise to come to a common understanding of the words used to describe the common goals of the project right at the very beginning. It would probably be wise even when we are in homogenous groups of what we deem like-minded people. Words like \u2018sustainability\u2019, \u2018youth\u2019, \u2018success\u2019, \u2018entrepreneur\u2019, \u2018transparency\u2019, \u2018participatory\u2019 can have vastly different meanings to different people. The word that I found myself wanting to understand better on this project, was <em>\u2018migrant\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Migrant<\/em> in my mind, sat next to the word labour, and was attatched to apartheid spatial divides that dictated who could live where, based on the colour of their skin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Migrant<\/em> resulted from the separating of families as men went to work in mines and factories, and women went to clean white peoples homes and offices, to meet the need of systems imposed upon them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Migrants<\/em> were the people who\u2019s lands that had healthily sustained them for hundreds of years, had that land violently stolen from beneath them, or plundered and left in complete disrepair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Migrant <\/em>referred to the continuous movement of people over time in an attempt to survive a system that does not have their best interests at heart &#8211; to feed their families, to achieve their dreams, to survive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Migrant<\/em> sounded oppressive, whilst <em>migratory <\/em>sounded more like freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we each unpacked what memories, experiences and preconceived ideas we attached to words, we were also able to identify how much emotion can sit within a word, and that each time that word gets spoken or written or read or heard, all of these bodies of emotion are evoked. This practice has helped me to have much deeper and more empathetic conversations, and has certainly enriched my experience of the project and the work that I do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theresa Wigley, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20240915_161203-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1975 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20240915_161203-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20240915_161203-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20240915_161203-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20240915_161203-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20240915_161203-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/La-Abielle-Verte_Compost-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1973 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/La-Abielle-Verte_Compost-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/La-Abielle-Verte_Compost-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/La-Abielle-Verte_Compost-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/La-Abielle-Verte_Compost-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/La-Abielle-Verte_Compost-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Work With, Not For \u2014 Lessons from L\u2019Abeille Verte<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visiting L\u2019Abeille Verte in Lod\u00e8ve felt like stepping into a living blueprint of what a social economy can look like when it truly serves people. The organisation is part of France\u2019s <em>Territoires Z\u00e9ro Ch\u00f4meur de Longue Dur\u00e9e<\/em> initiative \u2014 a network of \u201cEnterprises with a Purpose for Employment\u201d that transform long-term unemployment benefits into funding for locally useful jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The concept sounds simple, but its effect is profound: people who have been out of work for years are invited to co-create activities that meet real community needs \u2014 from recycling and repair to eco-gardening, composting, or digital services. The only rule: these new jobs must complement, not compete with existing businesses. In other words, the focus is on filling the gaps, not the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visiting their different sites, workshops, garden plots, second hand stores, it was clear that this model rests on a deep trust in people. Instead of assuming inactivity, it assumes the opposite \u2014 that every human wants to contribute, to bring something valuable to the collective. Public money isn\u2019t spent to keep people afloat; it\u2019s invested to let them participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I found it brilliant that the idea has now proven itself beyond Lod\u00e8ve, already spreading to Belgium and inspiring municipalities in other countries. But what stayed with me most was not the scale; it was the mindset. The project doesn\u2019t ask, <em>\u201cHow do we give people jobs?\u201d<\/em> but <em>\u201cHow do we recognise the work people are already willing to do for their community?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For my work at Altes Volksbad in Mannheim, this insight hits home. As a community manager, I often think about how to involve people meaningfully \u2014 not just as visitors or users, but as co-creators. L\u2019Abeille Verte reminded me that participation doesn\u2019t start with invitations or programmes. It starts with trust: the belief that people already hold ideas, energy, and skills worth weaving into the fabric of a place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The visit left me inspired and a little humbled. Social innovation, I realised, doesn\u2019t always mean inventing something new. Sometimes it\u2019s about rearranging what already exists &#8211; resources, people, space &#8211; until it begins to work <em>with<\/em> the community, not merely <em>for<\/em> it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tom Woschitz, Starkmacher e.V., Germany<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Girlz Crew: Graffiti in France&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It took a bit of pre-planning: Milena to connect with the municipality, find a wall, get permission and communicate with the teachers and&nbsp; group of teens who would participate.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our wall was at the entrance of a sports complex and therefore needed a sporty feel. We had only one (hot) afternoon to achieve our \u2018participaintory\u2019 mural and luckily everyone arrived full power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a whole different experience facilitating a group where my words were being translated and I had no idea the tone or real meaning that my facilitation was being delivered.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We had a fantastic group of teenage girls, none of which had every spray painted before. I did my best to keep them in the main shapes (they were totally free to paint inside the lines), but there was no stopping the electric energy that just wanted to bust out.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We had a visit from the police, a local female politician who painted with and,&nbsp; a few mini dramas with kid dynamics: which needed to be figured out with the help of interpreters. But by the end of the afternoon we had a painting and a super happy girlz crew!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2026some worlds of the city hall about the workshop:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8222;The way this day went was perfect: allowing the young people total creativity, without too much intervention, just with a simple instruction &#8222;decorate inside&#8220;, I loved her gentle way of working and the result is fantastic. We are delighted to have shared this moment with all of you.&#8220;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claire Homewood, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251001_164123-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1972 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251001_164123-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251001_164123-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251001_164123-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251001_164123-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251001_164123-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_172941-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1977 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_172941-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_172941-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_172941-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_172941-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_172941-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Video<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A video presentation of the project will be created to share our experiences over the past two years. Theresa will film life&#8217;s moments, both small and large, that she will compile and organize into a final presentation.<br>We were assisted by Theresa to create our own interviews about our vision for the project. Three questions were posed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is this project about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What has been the most interesting lesson learned in this project so far?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What have you found particularly effective in developing young people&#8217;s entrepreneurial skills?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We paired up and shared our feelings. Once these discussions were complete, we were able to begin producing the videos. The format was simple: answer these three questions in the language of our choice in four minutes or less.<br>The exercise was interesting in several ways. It allowed us to reflect on what we had<br>accomplished so far and to compare it with a different perspective. Much like the stories we<br>publish about this project, the video was an opportunity to clarify our ideas and recall the lessons and skills we acquired.<br>Beyond this aspect, the video gave us a new experience in confronting a camera. Although the videos were made in a basic way (using our smartphones, in a public space, and between us), speaking and organizing thoughts while being filmed is an adventure. Filming others is also interesting, and the care taken to highlight each person&#8217;s words is important.<br>I would like to reuse this tool in the youth groups I support. The objectives could be diverse: discussions on themes, assessments, a group presentation tool\u2026 Everything needs to be thought out, but the image medium, via the phone, based on a simple frame and in a short format, seems good to develop. I like the idea of creation shared by the various videos filmed by the participants.<br>We will probably use it during the Aniane festival in October to familiarize ourselves with the tool and benefit from a memory of the moment through images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milena Lachmanowits, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Impact Stories: Voices &amp; Visions Pleasure to welcome One of the great joys of this project, which I hadn&#8217;t anticipated, was the pleasure of organizing the welcoming of foreigners.I didn&#8217;t think I would feel joy in showcasing our activities, our way of life, and our people, and yet it was a rich experience. When we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1971"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1971"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1989,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1971\/revisions\/1989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1959,"date":"2025-11-19T14:20:53","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T13:20:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/?page_id=1959"},"modified":"2025-11-19T15:00:58","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T14:00:58","slug":"impact-stories-growing-both-as-individuals-and-as-organisations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/impact-stories-growing-both-as-individuals-and-as-organisations\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact Stories: Growing, both as individuals and as organisations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Impact Stories: Growing, both as individuals and as organisations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Parallel Times<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond all the activities and our busy schedule, there are downtimes, abstract times, free times, and times of life. Through the mobility we were able to experience, we always had to share rooms, breakfasts, lunches, and also a house. We had to get together in personal cars, in each other&#8217;s apartments. We shared our homes, our thoughts, our innermost selves. Sometimes even our snoring, our bathrooms, toilets, housework, the layout of our closets, and even our smells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond what the exchange and discovery of our working methods and different cultures already represented, this project allowed us to discover ourselves. I mean ourselves and others. All these little things, these shared spaces, made a big impression on me. Although I am used to living in a community, it is often people we choose. Here, they became people I let into my private life by force of circumstance, and I loved it. I loved observing and experiencing this strange communal life, dotted with people who gradually became my friends. I enjoyed sharing their daily lives, their moments of downtime, what they liked and didn&#8217;t like. I enjoyed seeing how Zaid used his essential oils, how Claire had a tidy bed and folded clothes, I enjoyed sharing my morning toothbrushing routine, and putting all these brushes in the same pot (much to the chagrin of some). I liked that Teresa got up early and had a life before mine. Even sharing Sara&#8217;s double bed to rest during nap time was an experience in itself; it was simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I liked the trust that developed over time, the kindness in everyone&#8217;s eyes that went far beyond a simple exchange for activities. Everyone&#8217;s recipes that we all got to taste, the bursts of laughter in Mannheim when we built a hut to hide from the morning sun. The methods for storing clothes in closets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The way some people drive, move around, anticipate, and what they carry in their bags during activities. In Aniane, the motto was: always carry your swimsuit in your bag, because you never know if you&#8217;ll come across a river during the day. Some were ready to jump in at any moment, others less so.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I had the opportunity to visit other people&#8217;s homes during this project, and to feel closer to them on these occasions. Opening up your space is not always easy, and there are close friends who have never come to my house. I loved it, I enjoyed the small dishes we put on the table, or the simplicity of welcoming and showing our homes and friends to the other members of the project, showing them the bars we frequent, the friends we have, the paths we walk every day. And seeing their perspective on all of this, realizing that our daily lives have more facets when seen by others, and that we no longer see them as we did before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s these little experiences, these connections in everyday life, this love that blossoms between people who have shared almost three months of their lives, deep within themselves, that is also what the project is all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was an incredible mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Marion Aube, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_104438-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1962 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_104438-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_104438-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_104438-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_104438-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250925_104438-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-06-at-11.32.16-1024x681.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1960 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-06-at-11.32.16-1024x681.png 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-06-at-11.32.16-300x199.png 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-06-at-11.32.16-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-06-at-11.32.16-1536x1021.png 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-06-at-11.32.16.png 1880w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Ingredients for a Festival, South France<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For many years I was part of a collective of positively charged, enthusiastic, community collaborators in Muizenberg who connected over the idea that \u2018Festival\u2019 was an amazing method to facilitate connection, relationship building and resilience within our community of Muizenberg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Between 2009 and 2010 we hosted 4 street festivals with the themes of \u2018CREATIVITY, COMMUNITY &amp; ECO-AWARENESS\u2019. Our approach was to facilitate a platform where all community members were invited to use the opportunity of the festival to showcase their talents, bring awareness to their organisation or punt a cause. We had no funding so everything was grown according to resources, skills and networks we had access to. Our aim was to do what we could do with what we had and who we were. And we achieved beautiful, heart-centered, colourful and successful festivals!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The festivals grew when we caught the wave of Cape Town World Design Capital in 2014 and continued with another few years of festival.&nbsp; When COVID struck in 2020 our community game shifted and it was very interesting to see who showed up in strong community response: the network of community members that had been built through the festival network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s now been a number of years since we hosted festivals and so the opportunity to be part of the SEEDS4youth Multiplier festival in France was really an exciting opportunity &#8211; both to witness and be involved in its organisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was interesting to observe how invites had gone out: posters pasted up around villages rather than relying on social media\/ web based networks. Networks between community based organisations here seem to have an excellent ability to collaborate and back up each other, not feeling the need to compete.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Organisation felt quite informal and down to earth. We set up tables, a stage, painted signs, tidied up and co-created a Silent Lab. There was a wonderful buzz as guests began arriving, even though it was windy the weather was pleasant. People were welcomed with pancakes and lemonade as mostly young families arrived first. Games, Parkour, children\u2019s theatre and puppet making kept everyone busy and interacting. A blacksmith set up an interactive activity to get the feel for bending metal and the first silent labs were set into action.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>People kept arriving and we realised that our festival was definitely a popular event for the day. Curious community members were greeted by a gracious Milena at the welcome table and wound their way through games, activities and snacks. There was lots of engagement with our \u2018talking plants\u2019 and our pop up exhibition which showcased the 4 x graphic harvests and profiled each of our project teams: Italy, South Africa, Germany &amp; France. People asked questions and contacts\/ networks were made and built.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As we reached the evening people didn&#8217;t stop arriving &#8211; we estimated about 400 people attended the event. Supper was served and the choir Afrocoeur assembled the crowd with some awesome Afro infused harmonies. Kids started having meltdowns from tiredness and the families withdrew as more people arrived. Time for the band: Manga Rosa &#8211; a high energy live music performance that got people moving.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The final act of the night was DJ Kbira: an explosive female DJay who really stirred the party with her beats and kept the energy up until the early hours.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was hard to have conversations with people in French but for sure it was a very successful event and I&#8217;m sure will have a far-reaching impact of generating new ideas for further gatherings as well as strengthening the connections between organisations and community networks. I felt privileged to be part of it and definitely inspired and motivated to spark something again on the Muizenberg side.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claire Homewood, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>This is only the Beginning&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What began as a project with a clear timeline has transformed into something far more enduring: a network of people and practices that continue to move toward each other, even after the official work is done. If SEEDS taught us anything, it\u2019s that collaboration becomes most powerful when it grows beyond a framework \u2014 when it becomes a shared rhythm, a way of working, a way of imagining futures together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking ahead, the strongest currents of this ongoing journey flow toward two partners who have reshaped how many of us understand community impact: Amava Oluntu in South Africa and L\u2019Engrain\u00e9 in France. Though their contexts couldn\u2019t be more different \u2014 one rooted in coastal urban communities, the other in rural landscapes woven with orchards, kitchens, and centuries of tradition \u2014 their practices meet beautifully in a common space: storytelling, collective work, and regeneration of places and people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What we experienced with them wasn\u2019t simply learning; it was an invitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From Amava Oluntu, we learned how stories can become bridges in communities fractured by inequality, and how nature, movement, and embodied practice can rebuild belonging. From L\u2019Engrain\u00e9, we learned how food, festivals, local roots, and creative story telling methods help revive rural spaces and create cross-generational, cross-cultural connection. And between both partners, a shared truth emerged clearly: community impact is not created <em>for<\/em> people \u2014 it is created <em>with<\/em> them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why our collaborations won\u2019t end with SEEDS. They will continue wherever stories travel, wherever collective action regenerates spaces, and wherever people choose to step into shared ownership:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>In future exchanges where Forum Theatre, Kamishibai, and body-based storytelling meet South African listening practices, outdoor learning, and silent-lab methods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In projects where rural and urban communities inspire each other to reclaim public space, care for land, and build structures where young people lead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In creative labs where sound, food, movement, and art become tools for connection across languages, identities, and histories.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In new festivals, workshops, and cross-border residencies where our methods blend, evolve, and spark ideas none of us could have created alone.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Because the real impact of SEEDS isn\u2019t in what was completed \u2014 it is in what it set in motion: a long-term, transcontinental commitment to regeneration, community building, and storytelling as a tool for social cohesion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so, standing at the end of one project, we\u2019re already at the threshold of the next.<br>The relationships are alive, the ideas are growing, and the groundwork is laid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is only the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sarah Pint, Starkmacher e.V., Germany<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG-20250927-WA0017-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1963 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG-20250927-WA0017-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG-20250927-WA0017-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG-20250927-WA0017-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG-20250927-WA0017-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG-20250927-WA0017.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250924_191548-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1965 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250924_191548-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250924_191548-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250924_191548-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250924_191548-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250924_191548-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Fields of Possibilities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Wednesday, September 24, we organised a workshop with the association called &#8222;the field of possibilities&#8220;. The purpose of this organisation is to welcome and help migrants, or anyone who feels outside society. It helps to create solidarity between the inhabitants of Lodeve and the newcomers. Most of them arrive from a long journey, some crossing Africa, others arriving from Eastern Europe, and are in the process of requesting asylum in France. Meanwhile, they live in Lodeve, and some of them have obtained their residence permit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the first place, with some of the seeds, we decided on the menu that we wanted to prepare and cook with the people who were about to come. But the problem is that we did not know exactly how many people would really come. That was the first difficulty; guess how many menus we have to cook.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On D-Day, we arrived in the room; there were two French volunteers &amp; 2 women who spoke neither English nor French. The second difficulty was cooking without the possibility of communication through language. It is such an experience to do an activity without this kind of communication \u2013 guessing, showing, smiling \u2013 but using words.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the afternoon, more than 15 people arrived to cook with us. That was full of colours, of smiles, and of incredible experiences.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When dinner was ready and served, everyone showed up with their name and nationality. It was unforgettable, the number of nationalities represented in this room. I felt really happy to be there and to be a part of this experience. Many guests cannot afford this kind of meal, and to share a 3-course dinner with them was nothing else but joy. It was a wonderful evening, full of gratitude. What a show of solidarity!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be fair, one of the guests just turned 31 during the evening, and the cake was surrounded by candles. When she discovered she really could blow, &#8218;That was for her,&#8216; she shouted as if a goal was shouted. She was terribly happy, from deep down. The scene was kind of justice regarding what she passed through during her life. To me, it was a whole new world. I mean, I live exactly 1 min walk from the local we went to, and I have never participated in this event before, and for me it was a huge thing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I will try to join them, or at least share the next cooking session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Marion Aube, L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9, France<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Community Building: Context Amava Oluntu\/ Muizenberg SA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We come out of a recent past where inequality ran along colour lines. Race granted access to opportunities&nbsp; &#8211; achieve and gain, or struggle and suffer. All the years after apartheid was declared deceased and we still fall in its shadow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apartheid\u2019s clever engineering made sure that division remains as economics and spatial planning celebrate privilege&#8217;s triumph. No matter where you find yourself between these lines, life always requires effort: have what you need, keep up with it, provide for those who need you and enjoy it as it goes quick. Maybe we get wrapped up in some of those so deeply that we forget to look sideways and notice the brothers and sisters in our community or outside of it who may be experiencing a very different lived experience from us. What we could take for granted like accessing wifi to fill in an online form or consuming the necessary nutrition in order to do a day, not being able to stay out after dark for fear of the alley home. Different kind of challenges that trip up even the most dedicated and inspired young person who seeks the road to changing their situation. It takes a bit of stepping outside of ourselves to notice these things, to leave a rope ladder out so that others can cross with it and make it to the meeting. Extending the timeframe, offering a place to boil a kettle and find toilet paper in a safe bathroom.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amava Oluntu meaning&#8230;.. the wisdom of people learned over time, honors the idea that every person has a unique offering to bring to the table and should be encouraged and allowed to do so. Hold the space and people will come. Amava&#8217;s projects have grown out of many years of individual nurturings of community projects. Platforms created by inspiration to weave and relationship build, to stir individual passion into action and action into impact. The joy of being involved and sharing your shine with however your abilities have been sculpted.&nbsp; The strength in diverse community finds its metaphor in our fynbos, the natural flora of the Cape, floral kingdom of the world. We remember that we are stronger when we step into the circle with our differences acknowledged.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Cape Town we can&#8217;t help but be in awe of Nature. We won&#8217;t, however if we don&#8217;t know we can access it. Community building happens in relation to nature. We are nature and without it we fall off the planet.&nbsp; With a strong sense of our base in nature we engage in collaboration as does the weave of the natural world.&nbsp; The deeper our sense of connection the wider our connection to what&#8217;s possible and, the more precise our impact.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Creativity encourages going beyond what reality seems at present. The ability to imagine more, imagining something that steps up toward potential. A way to bring it closer quickly is working together and through relationship building and speaking across the lines of division, we weave. We weave and weave until our imaginings become knitted into thick reality and they drop down into actual change. The more opportunities we have to meet each other, meet the teachers, the growers, the thinkers, the makers, the law makers, the rule keepers, the rural, the urban, the man, the woman, the young &#8230; the denser our weave and the more potential to drop into seeds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And sometimes the form of the weave we made has to die, dissolving to make some space to see how the seeds might sow in their own way. Patience, practice and slow and committed nurture of the clues that keep reminding us of the future that&#8217;s right for us. And little bit, by big bit new potentials can sprout. Made real in a way that we could never have anticipated: the brilliance of when many come together go beyond what any individual could have achieved alone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Community action activating change because of the mycelium networks built over time in creativity, nature and celebration. Practising the organisational skills needed as we go, getting to know each other&#8217;s strengths, seeing who is there and being ready to make change happen. Not forgetting how important it is to make it fun.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was snippets of this that we wanted to share with our SEEDS4youth learning exchange&#8230;. what we have built, how have we done it, based in our grounded African context: not with theories and texts but with smiles, human connection, intuitive hearts and messy creatively collaborative hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claire Homewood, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251107_190831-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1964 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251107_190831-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251107_190831-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251107_190831-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251107_190831-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20251107_190831-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Impact Stories: Growing, both as individuals and as organisations Parallel Times Beyond all the activities and our busy schedule, there are downtimes, abstract times, free times, and times of life. Through the mobility we were able to experience, we always had to share rooms, breakfasts, lunches, and also a house. We had to get together [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1959"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1959"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1968,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1959\/revisions\/1968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1950,"date":"2025-11-12T14:53:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T13:53:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/?page_id=1950"},"modified":"2025-11-12T14:53:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T13:53:16","slug":"impact-stories-working-together-for-something-bigger","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/impact-stories-working-together-for-something-bigger\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact Stories: Working together for something bigger"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Impact Stories: Working together for something bigger<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_180303-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1951 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_180303-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_180303-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_180303-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_180303-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_180303-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Working together for something bigger<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the final festival in Aniane, I witnessed how many hands can move with one shared rhythm: teams from different organisations, neighbours, young people, artists \u2013 everyone contributing without anyone claiming \u201cmy project\u201d or \u201cmy target group.\u201d What touched me most was the effortless sense of shared ownership. Tasks shifted naturally, materials were passed around, and decisions were made where energy and responsibility met. In the end, instead of the 100 expected guests, around 250 people filled the courtyard \u2013 not as an audience, but as part of a collective moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since then, I\u2019ve been thinking of shared ownership less as a structure and more as a mindset: not <em>\u201cWho leads?\u201d<\/em> but <em>\u201cHow can we make this possible \u2013 together?\u201d<br><\/em> That experience made me want to nurture this attitude in our network \u2014 to open spaces so that people don\u2019t just feel invited but feel like co-creators. That they can bring their stories, languages, and ideas \u2014 and that we, as an organisation, learn to let go, to share, and to listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tom Woschitz, Starkmacher, Germany<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Festivals! <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we were asked to create a closing event for the project in Aniane, we very naturally chose to organize a festival. I\u2019m not even sure the question was ever really discussed.<br>We wanted to highlight the achievements and contributions of this project in terms<br>of pedagogy, methodological and theoretical tools \u2014 but it also had to include music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be honest, I don\u2019t really know the exact definition of a festival. I\u2019m not sure we use the word according to a precise semantics. However, in its general sense, it conveys the same idea: bringing people together to exchange, eat, take part in activities, and watch performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We can then specify \u201cwine festival,\u201d \u201cchestnut festival,\u201d or \u201cstone-skipping festival,\u201d but the underlying idea remains the same: a festive gathering. Each festival also necessarily involves a more or less large group of volunteers who help organize the event. This part is one of the most important, because it is<br>this cooperation that creates the event itself. The same logical phrase is repeated at every festival: \u201cno volunteers, no event.\u201d The principle is to give your time so that things can happen. A whole organization around volunteering exists to coordinate people who often have nothing to do with the event industry, but who can still enjoy \u201cvolunteering\u201d (a real word in French!). I conducted a small survey to answer the question: why are there so many festivals in France? Some people told me it\u2019s because France has a specific cultural policy. It\u2019s true that we benefit from the special status of performing artists (with strong state support), tax exemptions for associations, and a strong political commitment to promoting culture.<br>While all that is true, I think one of the main reasons lies in the power of volunteer mobilization for events. For many people, taking part in festivals is normal \u2014 even<br>enjoyable.<br>Becoming aware of this during the mobility in France has been truly heartwarming!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milena Lachmanowits, L&#8217;Engraine, France<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_204008-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1952 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_204008-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_204008-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_204008-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_204008-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_204008-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_173717-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1953 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_173717-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_173717-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_173717-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_173717-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/CH_20251004_173717-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Talking Plants &#8211; Simple Magic<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Laure introduced us to a delightfully simple setup: a sample pad with a cable clipped into a plant pot. Touch the leaf or the soil, and the pad triggers an 8-second audio sample\u2014our \u201cplant\u201d speaks. No complex biosensors, just a playful circuit that turns touch into sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Within minutes we built a tiny talking-plant garden. Each plant \u201cintroduced\u201d the project in a different language. Laure\u2019s enthusiasm was infectious; the room felt curious and light. What stayed with me was how this joyful, hands-on trick made basic physics (conductivity, circuits, grounding) feel understandable. It was art doing what art does best: making things beautiful and fun to learn about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The experience also echoed my own Silent Talk work (immersive perspectives with silent-disco headphones): different tech, same intention\u2014use sound to shift attention, invite empathy, and open a door to new ways of listening. I left with a renewed conviction that we never stop learning, and that sometimes the most powerful tools are the ones that let people play first and understand along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tom Woschitz, Starkmacher e.V., Germany<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>From Inspiration to Action: Carrying the Seeds Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I think back to our time in France, what stays with me most deeply is not only what we learned, but <em>how<\/em> we learned \u2014 through presence, collaboration, and creative exploration. The methods we practiced there planted something in me that has continued to grow ever since: a desire to create spaces where participation, imagination, and dialogue come together in meaningful ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This week, I brought one of those methods \u2014 the <strong>Forum Theatre<\/strong> \u2014 into my own work with young people. What began as a simple experiment quickly turned into a profound experience. As the scenes unfolded, the group moved from being spectators to becoming true participants \u2014 stepping into roles, offering solutions, and voicing thoughts that were both brave and deeply personal. It was powerful to see how theatre could open a space for empathy and reflection, where ideas about justice, identity, and community became tangible and alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next week, I\u2019ll be on Sardinia, exploring another thread that began in France: the connection between <strong>storytelling and cyanotype<\/strong>. These two seemingly different practices \u2014 one made of words, the other of light and shadow \u2014 have the power to bring people together beyond language, age, and background. Through shared stories and creative process, we will create a collective narrative, one that blends perspectives into a single, luminous piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What I learned in France continues to echo \u2014 in my projects, my conversations, even in the way I look at collaboration. These methods are not just tools; they are invitations to listen more closely, to act more courageously, and to believe that creativity can be a common language strong enough to build bridges where words alone might fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sarah Pint, Starkmacher e.V., Germany<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_170350-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1954 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_170350-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_170350-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_170350-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_170350-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_170350-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_143622-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1955 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_143622-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_143622-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_143622-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_143622-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/20250928_143622-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Law of 1901 about association<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Organizing the hosting of mobility programs in France involved many things. Among the main elements were logistics, the program, entertainment, language, and food. We carefully considered each of these aspects to strike a balance between what we wanted our international partners to discover, what might<br>interest them, and what would entertain them. We therefore offered a variety of<br>activities with different structures to provide a fairly comprehensive overview of how we operate. What I didn&#8217;t expect was that the way we operate itself would interest them! Two aspects in particular sparked their interest: the number of festivals we organize and the collective and dynamic model of our association. Having never considered this specific aspect before, I was led to reflect on it and seek some answers from the legislative and institutional perspectives.<br>Upon reflection, it&#8217;s true that our way of creating events is not the same as in other<br>countries. We will deal with the cultural function linked to the status of live<br>performance in another story, but here we can think about associations.<br>Volunteering is important, community life is very vibrant, and cultural life is omnipresent. The way associations operate is very different from that of businesses. The unpaid contribution of labor is commonplace, and the exchange of services predominates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1901 law governing associations in France is directly based on the principles of the French Revolution of 1789 concerning the primacy of the individual, their rights, and their freedom. Article 1 of this law states that &#8222;an association is an agreement by which two or more persons pool their knowledge or activities on a permanent basis for a<br>purpose other than sharing profits.&#8220;<br>This social vision, enshrined in the legislation, combined with the simplicity of its<br>formation, perhaps explains why today more than 1.5 million associations exist throughout France, across a wide range of sectors. This project has highlighted for me the unique character and richness of French community life and collective participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Milena Lachmanowits, L&#8217;Engraine, France<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Impact Stories: Working together for something bigger Working together for something bigger At the final festival in Aniane, I witnessed how many hands can move with one shared rhythm: teams from different organisations, neighbours, young people, artists \u2013 everyone contributing without anyone claiming \u201cmy project\u201d or \u201cmy target group.\u201d What touched me most was the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1950"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1950"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1956,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1950\/revisions\/1956"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1931,"date":"2025-10-15T14:31:38","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T12:31:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/?page_id=1931"},"modified":"2025-10-15T14:31:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T12:31:38","slug":"impact-stories-about-spaces-and-the-people-that-give-them-meaning","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/impact-stories-about-spaces-and-the-people-that-give-them-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"Impact Stories: About spaces and the people that give them meaning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Impact Stories: About spaces and the people that give them meaning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"777\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/il-Gusto-del-Mondo-1024x777.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1932 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/il-Gusto-del-Mondo-1024x777.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/il-Gusto-del-Mondo-300x228.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/il-Gusto-del-Mondo-768x583.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/il-Gusto-del-Mondo-1536x1166.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/il-Gusto-del-Mondo-2048x1555.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>RIP il Gusto del Mondo <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>City sounds &amp; Scooters &#8211;\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A river that runs like molten grey concrete<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Espresso and green hills up high<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fullest moon and Pizza parties<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aperitivo and two kiss hugs<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Delights of chocolate drinks and a place to land<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A place to make food, meet and be included, perhaps dance a little<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Put on an apron and hat, start a task, see what else needs to be done and prepare to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lives witnessed makes such a huge difference, a vital human need and Right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Add cheese, fresh basil and black pepper for maximum flavour &amp; dont forget to pack leftovers into a takeaway to Remedy tomorrow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>RIP il Gusto Del Mondo<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Claire Homewood, Amava Oluntu, South Africa <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Occupying Space<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the things I have kept my eye on in each mobility, is different countries&#8216; relationship to space and who occupies space and how much it costs to occupy space and the challenge of paying to occupy space in order to offer service to community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Italy we were incredibly inspired by <a href=\"https:\/\/arianetwork.net\/\">Aria Spazi Reali<\/a>, a youth led community space offering workshops, activities, life orientation and physiological support for the community youth, in a beautiful old building on the edge of Giardini Reali di Torino, an active community public park and space of gathering and socialising. The building is supplied for free, and every 3 years the municipality calls all interested organisations together to collectively decide on the activities within the space, and additional funding is supplied for these activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Same with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casadelquartiere.it\/\">Casa del Quartiere<\/a> in the San Salvario district &#8211; an incredible community run house, well resourced, offering all manner of educational, hygiene, health, cultural, creative and community building activities, active 7 days a week with intergenerational mixed cultural interactions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Germany, we spent much time at <a href=\"https:\/\/altes-volksbad.next-mannheim.de\/\">Altes Volksbad<\/a>, a 19th century bathhouse converted into a modern launchpad for creative entrepreneurs and community cohesion. In our short time there we witnessed multiple events where city officials, business experts and local residents gathered to talk together about the challenges faced on the ground by young entrepreneurs in the community, and how each of the role players can leverage support in their realm to help ease that journey and increase social entrepreneurial success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What all these spaces have in common is that they are state supported. The city puts money, resource and mentorship into supporting these youth and community led initiatives to flourish and overcome hurdles and obstacles. The results are astonishing. These spaces experience long term success and sustainability, offering vital services to the surrounding communities, assisting multiple initiatives that spring out of them to flourish.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know its like comparing apples to oranges to compare European systems to African ones, and I have written much about the social injustices related to the tendency to do so, given what much of Europe&#8217;s wealth and social security is built upon, but as South Africans in the group witnessing the effectiveness of these supported collaborations, it amplified our frustrations with our struggles back home where so many community serving initiatives that really do hold power to change trajectories and diminish the wealth divide, crumble under the weight of rentals or lack of support from state structures who\u2019s mandate it is to serve these very communities, all while municipal buildings sit empty and unutilised right alongside us.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theresa Wigley, Amava Oluntu, South Africa<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH-IMG_2376-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1933 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH-IMG_2376-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH-IMG_2376-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH-IMG_2376-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH-IMG_2376-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH-IMG_2376-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4713-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1934 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4713-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4713-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4713-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4713-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4713-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Language-Bridges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a graffiti workshop in Aniane as an accompanying person \u2013 together with local young people and a small international team from the project. Claire, a talented artist from South Africa, took on the creative direction, designing the workshop and bringing all the materials with her. She was supported by Sara from Italy, Zaid, also from South Africa, and myself. So we found ourselves in an international group, equipped with paint-cans, sunscreen, our phones, speakers, and a little water\u2014ready to create a work of art at the city&#8217;s sports complex together with the young people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first, I felt insecurities: I don&#8217;t speak French \u2013 and I consider language to be an essential means of connecting and really getting in touch with people. When we arrived, some young people were already waiting for us. During the round of introductions, it quickly became clear that most of them spoke very little English \u2013 and conversely, our group spoke very little French. Communication therefore presented us with a challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But this is precisely where there is an unexpected layer of beauty. I learned that despite the language barriers, we found many ways to communicate with each other\u2014with a great deal of openness, creativity, and patience. Cell phones quickly became translation aids, gestures gained importance, and facial expressions and body language were used more consciously. This enabled us not only to plan the graffiti project together, but also to have personal conversations and share thoughts on topics that concern us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was impressive to see how quickly bridges can be built when the attitude is right. When we treat each other with openness and truly live the desire for understanding, ways can always be found. And that&#8217;s exactly how our graffiti came about: as a colorful collaborative work that connects not only walls but also people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What did I take away from this experience? That understanding goes far beyond words \u2013 and that something beautiful can come from a sincere attempt to connect with one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jule Reicherter, Starkmacher e.V., Germany<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Diving in, immersing yourself, being inspired<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The strength of European project work lies in sharing different areas of expertise, perspectives and working methods. Thanks to international mobility, it is possible to immerse yourself more deeply in the local contexts and working environments of your partners. International mobility in France in particular has shown us what is possible when you engage with local contexts. We had not worked with L&#8217;Engrain\u00e9 before. Despite the intensive exchange during the duration of the project, we were therefore almost completely unfamiliar with the local work. Our participants returned from the meeting all the more enthusiastic and inspired. Our participants were just as impressed by the collaborative work in rural areas and the mutual support in implementing highly professional and high-quality educational programmes as they were by the content-related impulses. The initial black box quickly became a source of inspiration that was carried across national borders into our local context. Although I was unable to participate in the mobility myself, the inspiration reached even me. In addition to great ideas for the project itself, we were able to quickly identify synergies with other topics and projects that we will pursue further. Experience shows that it is worthwhile to immerse oneself intensively in other contexts, that it opens up new perspectives if one is open and engaged, and that international, interdisciplinary and appreciative cooperation is a place for inspiration and thus for one&#8217;s own individual and organisational development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Merci for that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nicolas Bosch, Starkmacher e.V., Germany <\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4780-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1937 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4780-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4780-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4780-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4780-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_4780-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-vertically-aligned-top\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH_20250514_1116411-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1935 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH_20250514_1116411-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH_20250514_1116411-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH_20250514_1116411-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH_20250514_1116411-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/CH_20250514_1116411-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p><strong>Individuals Matter<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have asked myself time and time again what are the most useful stepping stones on the entrepreneurial journey to setting up a small business amid a society that largely overlooks you. Whenever I encounter someone who seems to be navigating this pathway well, I spend much time in conversation trying to understand what moments have stood out for them along the way. Very often, it is the encountering of an individual that either inspired them to continue and overcome hurdles that previously seemed impossible, or opened doorways for them that had previously remained closed.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meeting Jennifer Pohl of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mannheim.de\/de\/stadt-gestalten\/quartiermanagement-0\">Quartiersmanagement Neckarstadt-West<\/a> in Germany reminded me just how important the individuals within the systems that govern us are. Firstly, her position, as a state paid role, is an important factor, and secondly, how she herself serves in this position holds massive potential to create stepping stones and remove obstacles for lesser heard voices trying to do good in and for their communities and their own lives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What stood out about her? That she chose to spend the first two years within her position not creating change or developing lofty projects, but simply getting to know the community. Actively going around and meeting people, groups, businesses. Keeping her door open for people to walk into her office. Listening to people&#8217;s ideas, concerns, problems. And then, and only then, hosting networking events to bring groups together, to get to know each other, and supporting ideas that grow out of this foundation. Ideas that come out of the community, not ideas she has for the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At this point, even if she were to leave her position, the relationships remain and the work can continue without her. Jennifer inspired me and reminded me that when systems seem unapproachable, to aim for the individuals within the system that leave their doors open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Theresa Wigley, Amava Oluntu, South Africa <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Impact Stories: About spaces and the people that give them meaning RIP il Gusto del Mondo City sounds &amp; Scooters &#8211;\u00a0 A river that runs like molten grey concrete Espresso and green hills up high Fullest moon and Pizza parties Aperitivo and two kiss hugs Delights of chocolate drinks and a place to land A [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1931"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1931"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1938,"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1931\/revisions\/1938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starkmacher.eu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]