Once upon a time…. well to be honest, about 2 years ago, a new story began to unveil itself. For some it was just a light breeze of starting another European project, for others it was: an eeeemmmm uuuuu huuuh…
For those who knew the secret it might have been easy, but for someone stepping into someone else’s footsteps is never easy and daring to think that it just might be a wonderful journey might even be harder.
With at first somewhat doubtful looks and thoughts in the background, like who is she, will she manage, for god’s sake, where do we go and mostly…how to start?… the journey started.
A first clumsy picture of going on the project’s webpage with the lights of the projector on our faces, first efforts to establish a plan, endless conversations and confrontations of ideas and thoughts, and a quest for the way forwards and a vision. The results: a beehive of ideas, characters, finding balance, going through turbulence, finding balance again. Breathing.
Yes, we are aware that the turning point of this story is probably missing here, but the actual turning point and transformation is right here and now, with the “Working with Stories” training. But the story does lack closure, as there is a still a lot of work and a journey ahead of us and we invite you to write the story’s end together with us in the months to follow.
We might not be perfect, we are certainly not the greatest, but who we are is what all experienced in the last days during the training. It is not about us, it is about a new educational programme trying to perdure in time, it is the “Working with Stories” training, which has the ambition to bemuse a well-established programme for a variety of professions, working with and helping people at risk. And oh, please let it all work out… what if…
Stop…breathe…just start working.
The evaluation of the training made us realise even more what a complex topic the project is addressing. Transferring the experience gained and the knowledge acquired to the national piloting experiences in a variety of different settings of working with people at risk will be taking us on an interesting journey in the next weeks.
We would hereby like to seize the opportunity to express a great thank you to a partner, friend, co-worker and lovely host Betty McNerlin from CERES for the effort done in the past few days for this activity to become a reality. It is clear, the Irish hospitality goes beyond tea, coffee, cookies and good food.
….do never ever give up…
