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Uniting In Our Humanity

In the midst of one of the most inhumanly painful conflicts of our time, we invite you to come together, to meet, to move and be moved by our shared humanity.


We believe that in this darkness, the soil is still fertile for seeds of change and compassion to take root.

This is how the Uniting in our Humanity Gathering is coming to life —a safe space for Palestinian and Israeli people to connect, listen, and acknowledge each other's stories and experiences, led by experts from the Land, who with their work connect to Self and Other through body-based practices.


 

Is It Possible ?

Can we process and express our emotions in this difficult reality, and still stay present, together ? 

Can we become aware of the contradictions we hold, and still allow our hearts to be open ? 

Can we acknowledge each other's grief and thus reclaim elements of our shared humanity ?

If you are asking yourself questions like these, then this gathering might be for you…
 

Applications complete

What, Why, How?

What?

Our aim is to create a safe space, where Palestinians and Israelis can connect, witness, listen and acknowledge each other; give room to needs, emotions and stories; create threads of connection. We acknowledge this is a highly distressing time and we are not encouraging the normalization of the situation or bypassing the conflict. This is not a bubble of illusionary peace, rather, a ground for seeds of change and compassion to take root.

Why?

Despite this wave of violence and the feelings of despair, we believe that another reality is possible. One that acknowledges the sacredness of our humanity above all destruction. One that can speak difficult truths, hold complexity, move beyond condemnation and keep hoping that love is possible. This is the challenge that we are faced with, one that can not be avoided. Now, more than ever, we need to believe in our own agency and hearts, and recognize what unites us as humans.

How?

Co-led by expert Palestinian and Israeli practitioners, our sessions will focus on body-based processes such as dance, movement, voice work, trauma-informed mindfulness, listening circles, and grief ceremonies. Together, we'll explore the themes of trust, authentic expression, transparency, connection, empathy, hope and humanity.

The team of facilitators consists of equal numbers of Israelis and Palestinians, as will the group of participants. We believe this to be of paramount importance in order to emphasize our values of equality.

Body

The body is our home, our vessel, our filter and processor of the ‘external world’ and our way to express ourselves and to communicate with others. The body is always in the now, yet carries all of our past and projects us into the future. In our body lay our most painful memories and our most hopeful dreams. How can we trust our intelligent body and listen to the wisdom it contains? How can we process complex emotions through engaging with our body, as a vehicle for transformation? How can we find solace and safety within our own home, the body? These will be questions central to our common exploration during the Gathering.

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

- Rumi

The Team

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Some Details

The Place

Oikia Karapanou is situated on the island of Aegina, famous for its pistachio culture, and only an hour away by ferry from the mainland. Oikia is an institution that provides solace for the human soul and a ground for various forms of self development workshops. The 200 year old mansion was restored and is run by Christina Chorafa, Daphne’s mother, for the last 30 years. Upon returning to her native land last July, Daphne, together with a team of friends, constructed a 92m2 dance yurt on the land.

Food

Program

We will share fresh vegetarian meals, cooked in the house kitchen by our lovely cook.

8:00 - 9:30 Breakfast

13:30 - 14:30 Lunch

19:30 - 21:00 Dinner

The gathering will include a maximum of 34 people.
The week will commence with grounding exercises, opening rituals and activities to encourage connection.
As we reach the midpoint of the week we anticipate delving into sensitive subjects and navigating challenging emotions.

As the gathering draws to a close, our aim is to offer integration practices to assimilate the week's processes. Together we will consider future evolution of the gathering, in terms of collaborations, solidarity and social action back on the Land.

Accomodation

You have the option to stay in shared rooms in the old House, or to bring your tent and camp in the gardens if you require privacy.

A day in the gathering

Breakfast

Morning session

Lunch

Afternoon break - available 1:1 sessions upon request

Afternoon session

Dinner

Open space - for spontaneous activities to emerge

(This may include storytelling around the fire, song sharing, quiet time, ...)

Support Us

We can't do this alone. Your financial support is crucial to making this gathering a reality. Your contribution will help cover costs for participants and facilitators, ensuring that people from all backgrounds can join us.

Together, let's sow the seeds for a shared, healthy humanity.

“Trust is like an echo, the more you shout it to the forest, the more it comes back to you.” 

- Village of Lovers, Documentary Film

Prices

We have initiated a fundraising campaign with the goal of covering all expenses associated with the gathering. These expenses encompass accommodation, meals, workshop materials, travel expenses, and compensation for staff and facilitators.

 

While we are diligently working to secure funding from external sources, we can not guarantee that we will gather all the necessary funds at this time. Therefore, we are offering participants various payment options to ensure accessibility to the event.

 

We want to emphasize that financial constraints should not prevent you from applying to the gathering.

 

If you desire to join and are financially secure, please consider sponsoring someone facing financial barriers.

If you lack financial means but want to participate in the gathering, please reach out to us. We are actively aiming to enable all individuals to participate, irrespective of their financial circumstances.

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Regular Price

900 eur

This is the amount that covers your basic participation in the gathering: meals, accommodation, and participation in the sessions.  (Your travel costs are not covered in this price)

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Reduced Price

You have the options:

  • Partial Scholarship: pay what you can between 450 - 900 eur

  • Full Scholarship: pay what you can between 0 - 450 eur

This option is reserved for those in financial struggle.

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Generous Price

900 eur +

This option is designed to support the viability of the project and is an act of exemplary solidarity. By choosing the generous price option you help finance the participation of those who are in a severe financial struggle and would otherwise be unable to attend.

The application process involves completing a questionnaire, followed by an online interview. 

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