Task 6

Tell us about your experience playing the game. What were the positive and negative aspects? How would you change your attitude from the beginning?

Tell us about the effect the game had in you? Did you notice any significant change? What did you consider positive in the process? What did you consider negative, difficult or inefficient?

My reflections.

This game for me was about the threshold from one person to a larger group. The most difficult step was to tell the people around me about what I am doing. I could have been much more confident about that, but I held back out out of respect for the lack of real interest I assumes was present.

My attitude therefore was more passive, and I could have been more active in pursuing my actions. The game made me aware of what is still possible in terms of small actions in my own life. It made me realize that I have too much stuff, so I started giving things away, and selling my valuables to fund-raise. Significant changes I found in myself were my appreciation for lightness and recycling, and my passion for food without packaging.

I found that the harvesting of the actions online requires a lot of online time, which made me postpone writing these blog posts. I am therefore a bit late with the last action. I also would have liked to play with other warriors, to feel and give more support.

The tasks however were inspiring and clear!

Thanks so much for following and supporting me!

Task 5

We are crazy to see you in action!!!

The time has come to generate transformation in your community, using the plan that you have done and the resources you have gathered.

Mindmap of the action(s):

The community that was involved in all the actions:

And here you can see the objects that were made in 10 days:

Catapults from branches and Bicycle tires

Kites from old sheets and recycled cloth.

Go-car from wheelbarrow wheels & old scrap wood, Candles dipped from old Candles, Led poured from old Led.

Puppets from old Cloth (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

Lantarns from old Paper and Twigs.

Work in progress:

Task 4

Now is your chance to make a difference and do it!!! Decide who can help you and by what means. Tell us how you managed to gather people and who they are. List the skills and resources you can count on. Show us what your planning

The entire team of the Chilren’s Camp consisted of 23 volunteers.The formed a community of helpers to make this Community hospitable and to take care of the food, activities, fun and holding of the 47 children that where coming. They came together through networking of a small core group from Stroud, via a local highschool and international connections. The group differs in age and is quite international.

The skills in the group range from experience with similar events and camps, to cooking in very basic kitchens, re-using and re-cycling and creative activities, arts and crafts.

The plan with this group is to do all kind of arts and crafts activities with the children, embracing creativity and recycling. We do that in different workshops, doing all kind of different things like building go-cars, led-pouring, tie-dying, wood-carving, building a tipi, a den, a obstacle course, making masks, poppets and much more. Most materials uses are recycled, as well as all the tools!

Helper Team

Task 3

Look for a single aspect that can be improved in a community you are part of (your home, neighborhood, school, work, etc.). Share with us in details how you plan to do so.

From July 14 – 28th I am part of a temporary community at Camphill Community Oaklands Park, close to Newnham, Gloucestershire, England. I am volunteering in a Children’s Summer Camp, with 50 kids between 9 and 14 years old. I am part of a team of about 20 youth and adults who host and organise this camp for the kids. The camp takes place on a bio-dynamic farm, where we sleep, eat and do workshops. We sleep in tents on the cow meadows, and all the meals and large group activities take place in an empty barn. In this barn we have built a community circle area (we used straw bales), a tool shed (mostly recycled tools), a kitchen, dining area and dish-washing area.

Barn for Community Gatherings

Community Circle

Dining Area and Kitchen

The single aspect that I want to improve in this Camp Community is the waste and recycle management.When the camp started we did not have a proper waste and recycling management, so I took up the challenge to introduce that.

I have made bins for separate waste collection:

1. Organic, biodegradable waste
2. Paper and cardboard
   
3. Plastic
4. Glass
5. Tins, cans and other metals

With this waste I have different plans:

Organic Waste

1. Organic, biodegradable waste

This will all go to the farmers compost and be reused on the land. That would mean food scraps, cooking scraps, left-overs, tea-bags, old coffee, rotten fruit and vegetables.

2. Paper and cardboard

We will use this to light the evening camp-fire for the community. This also includes cardboard boxed and light-wooden cradles that contained food.

Plastic Trash

3. Plastic

The plastic will be divided and either recycled by the craft workshops, or brought to the nearest village for government trash disposal. I intend to find beauty in this trash and divide it even more into transparent plastic, usable plastic, hard plastic, soft plastic, etc.

5. Glass

The glass will be collected and turned into candlelights if possible, if not recycled by the council.

Metal Tins & Cans

4. Tins, cans and other metals

Cans and tins will be collected by children to use for the craft workshops. We are planning to make a bowling alley with cans, but also other toys and objects for games.

I am working together with the other volunteer youth and adults to bring about a community of low waste and recycling management. With the kids I am hoping to work with trash as resources and with abundance as one of the principles. I will not by any workshop materials, but only use that what we find on the farm.

I will be posting the results here on this blog!

Task 2

Small individual actions can create larger collective difference

During the last week I was in Stroud, England to facilitate a workshop for the Waldorf College. I had a flight from Amsterdam to Bristol on the 7th of July. This flight was paid by another project that I am doing in England, a children’s summercamp, from the 17th – 26th in Oaklands Park, England. I will volunteer there, helping with the activities for the children who come from all over the UK.

My time in Stroud I helped the Waldorf College with this workshop, which was a World Cafe on “The World and Me”. The rest of the time I engaged in conversations with local youth and elders about their life stories and dreams for the future. I met a few new people and had some amazing conversations with them!

Task 2 was a bit hard to perform, as I was not at home. On the other hand, as a traveller, staying with other people, my trash and consumption was very low!

MY TRASH

My trash is another person’s treasure

Start a recycling program at home, during one week, make a list of everything you throw away and everything you recycle.

Between Wednesday the 7th and  Wednesday the 14th I threw away the following:

• Labels from my clothes
• Old medicine that were over their expiration date
• A small yoghurt container
• Chewing gum
• 2 pieces of paper

I recycled the following:

• A banana peal (organic waste)
• An apple core (organic waste)
• Paper
• Glass bottles
• Transparent plastic

MY EXCESS

as little as I have, I know that there is always someone out there who has less than I do.

Make a list of all the things you don’t use and donate them to people who might appreciate them.
We want to know what you donated and to whom

• 3 older shirts » second hand shop
• A hand bow » my brother
• There is a lot I don’t use, but also don’t have access too, because I am travelling.

MY CONSUMPTION

everything I consume has an impact in the world

Observe what you tend to consume.  make a list of things you could economize.

• As I was staying and working in Stroud, England, I was always invited to eat with my host. I therefore ate mostly organic food from local produce as much as possible.
• Next to that I had 1 coffee and 2 beer during the week, both in an arts Café called Star Anise in Stroud, which serves mostly organic, fairtrade produce.

We want to know what, and how much you were able to economize during one week.

One bag for three weeks of travelling.

• I bought new shirts: 3 t-shirts from H&M, 50% organic cotton for €4,95. I also bought 1 pair of shorts, a hat and a regular short.
• I only packed hand luggage for 3 weeks of travelling in the UK
• At the airport I was thirsty, but did NOT buy a small bottle of water for € 3,50.
• I spend not more then £20,- in 7 days, and only on food and drinks.
• I wanted to buy headphones but decided not too, because I don’t really need them.
• I forgot my telephone and laptop charger in Amsterdam, but borrowed a charger instead of buying one.

During this week I decided to go through all my belongings when I come home to Amsterdam, and get rid of everything I don’t need. I intent to find new owners for all of it, by giving it away, or selling it to fund-raise for my Warriors training.

Task 1

Who I am now

How do you feel?

I feel empower and rich after having participated in the Youth Initiative Program 2009/2010 in Järna Sweden. I feel a readiness to apply learned skills, to connect with the elders and the youth, to travel and engage in the continues conversation of mankind striving for a better world.

Do you have professional questions? What are they?

I carry questions about the questions people carry. Do we embrace society as it is, and do we work in the world out of scarcity or out of abundance? Is the change we want to see in the world a slow and painful process, or can it be light and playful? I also wonder what young people truly want from their lives on this planet in the next 50 years. And how are young people limited by society or their own mental models?

My dreams

My dream is that the biggest generation in history, the generation that is born now, peaking in the next 25 years, bring the average age on the planet down to a youth level engages in a conversation and action to radically reshape our planet and the way we live here. I dream of Global Conversations, Global Actions, Global Dances and Global Celebration of a regenerative society that is fair, just, inspiring and green.

My challenges

The struggle that I live everyday is the tension between my dreams and the down to earth conditions that have to make these dreams possible. How can I change the world and financially sustain myself and my community? How can I contribute socially with a selfless gesture, without having to worry too much about my financial circumstances? Other challenges of mine are also dealing with my own expectations in situations of chaordic flow, and breaking my own mental models about people and the world.

My purpose

Why do you want to take part in the Warriors Without Weapons 2011?

I want to take part in Warriors Without Weapons 2011 to empower myself beyond my comfort zone. I want to challenge myself into a training of my body, sensing, heart, mind and soul, overcoming doubts and fears, striving to be a selfless leader of my life, contributing to society at large through social actions with all people.

My action

Have you ever done something which demonstrates that you are a “Warrior Without Weapons”? Tell us!

I have invited young people in my community into climate action before COP15 in Copenhagen. Together with others I have organized a Flashmob for the Global Climate Action Day:

I have also given a powertalk at Sense Festival, which you can see on:

http://www.pietradelmundo.nl/2010/06/16/powertalk-at-sense-festival

My commitment

What are your plans? What do you want to do when you return from the program?

When I come back from the Warriors Without Weapons training I want to call an initiative meeting for young people to come together around a common challenge. Young people from corners of the world connecting through collective action in a 1 week event. I am hoping to inspire the participants of this challenge to work actively with abundance and playfulness, changing the world through collective action.

Hello world!

Welcome to my blog about my process in the Warrior without Weapons training 2011. My name is Pieter Jacobus Daniel Ploeg from Amsterdam the Netherlands. That is where I am right now, but I travel a lot, working with young people in various projects for social change. I am 24 years old and I am very excited to start the game to become a Warrior without Weapons!

You can read more about me on www.pietradelmundo.nl