Immersion

Ecophilosophy. On the edge.









Immersion

Ecophilosophy. On the edge.
March 8 -12, Arkhangelsk region, Russian Federation. The second international unconference in a northern village in Russia. 5 days and 50 participants from different countries. It is a place and time for a deep reflection and critical insights on human and nature integrity in a rapidly developing world.
Questions
in addition to your own inquiries
How can we break through commonly accepted "truths", our own prejudices and psychological defense mechanisms in order to look closer at the current ecological situation without disregarding difficult questions and non-conventional conclusions?
How can we direct our attention to the impacts of the economic system on the biosphere, to the influence of the civilization on remains of indigenous cultures, and to the interaction between complex socio-ecological systems and our cognition and learning?
Alongside with rational approaches and system thinking can we use creative and intuitive ways of understanding the reality? How can we deal with complex systems and not get banal or bury our heads in sand?
How can we shift from comprehending the answers to implementing them in everyday practice individually and in our communities, initiatives and organizations?
How to handle the transformation when the past turns into the future so rapidly? How should we act in a complex chaotic world where according to the systems theory the slightest action may cause enormous changes?
For whom
We invite people from different countries, practitioners and researchers in education, ecology, science and philosophy:

• academic and alternative education practioners;
• urban and rural communities and ecovillages members;
• ecologists and green activists;
• philosophers and writers;
• prototyping future visioners;
• social entrepreneurs;
• traditional knowledge holders;
• psychologists and psychotherapists;
• cultural workers, art and media persons;
• farmers practising regenerative agriculture

to gather in a little northern village for 5 days and try to find the answers to these questions, bridge gaps, change ourselves, achieve synergy and cooperation and create common projects for the future. The immersion's programme will include presentations, discussions, joint design sessions, creative and transformational processes.

The working languages of unconference are Russian and English (simultaneous translation will be provided by volunteers).
Apply for participation
You will receive more details, such as traveling guidelines on your email after the registration. As the number of participants and train tickets are limited, we ask you to get registered and buy train tickets in advance.
Warning
Attention! The applied methodology of radical criticism of the Civilization may take the participants out of the optimism zone and trigger the experience of crisis. Your psychological condition may change a lot during the immersion, as well as may return the same afterwards.Take it into account before deciding to participate. We believe that for transformative processes getting out of the comfort zone is necessary.
Experience from the last year
This event carries on the tradition of international Immersions started March 2017. The first Immersion "Education for a Resilient Future" gathered around 70 participants from different countries, with ⅓ of people who had never been in Russia before. You can see some photos from this and other immersions below. Also you may read the article by a participant from Gaia University.
Program
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, reflexion, morning body practices and other events are default every day. Here are only the main content events of the days.
March 8, Thursday
Acquaintance, understanding and synchronization of motivation
Acquaintance of the participants "The Genesis of the Collective Subject"
Group practice
Getting to know the space
Spoken format
Exit to the forest "4000 steps"
Experience through corporeality
Presentations of participants
Lections
March 9, Friday
Theme of the day: economics and the biosphere
Problematization "Violence and power, economics and the biosphere"
Lecture and discussion
Parallel work in zones
Different formats
Mystery Walk
Experience through corporeality
March 10, Saturday
Theme of the day: civilization and traditional cultures
Problematization "Civilization and traditional cultures"
Lecture and discussion
Parallel work in zones
Different formats
Collective singing
Group practice
March 11, Sunday
Theme of the day: symbolic and real
Problematization "Symbolic and real. Economics and the biosphere."
Lecture and discussion
Holiday "Bird Witnessing"
Group practice
Session of common projecting
Group format
Traditional practice "Vechorka"
Group practice
March 12, Monday
Reflection, farewell, completion
Holiday "Vernadsky's Birthday"
Group practice
Project work in teams
Group format
Final process
Group format
Zones
They will work on the event place parallel
Art therapy and animation
Thinking on the edge
Silent library
Projecting
Massage and chill out
Work
Discussion and Tea
Kitchen
Psychotherapeutic
Smoking
Activity
Game
Place
We will be accomodated in traditional log cottages in a remote area in the north with simple living conditions and alive traditional setting. We planned the Immersion in this place and these living conditions as we see it as an appropriate framework for a critical position on the current path of the civilization. Additionally, living closely as a community helps to reach another interaction level between participants:

• to learn more about our own limitations, bounds, behaviour patterns that hinder us from understanding others and others from understanding us;
• to train ourselves to live communally with people, discovering richness and limitations of the community;
• to gain a unique experience of building a community based on trust and sincerity in contrast to the reality constructed on hierarchical and competitive principles.
Practical details
Fee

Сontributions for food and accommodation (default cost is 100 euros) are appreciated, but if it is too difficult for you, let us know and we can see what's possible. If you have a capacity to support and give more in order to help somebody else to take a part, it would be a great help received with gratitude.
How I can help

If you are ready to help with preparation and cleaning up you may come few days earlier or stay few days after the Immersion (for free).
The way

The way to the location takes about 20 hours by train from Moscow, St. Petersburg or Arkhangelsk (trains depart in the evening and come in the morning), 3-cl open sleeping costs 20-30 euros (1400-2000 roubles).
How to prepare

The Immersion is a journey, and if you decide to participate, we recommend to be present from the beginning till the end (although partial participation is also possible).
Please take with you some clothes for indoor and outdoor activities (snow and possibly puddles are expected), and additionally we ask you to take one paper book you would like to propose to other participants to read (after the Immersion you may choose take it away, exchange or leave for a local library).
Creators
Organizers and partners
Write to us
If you have any questions, proposals for the program or other reasons to contact the organizers, send an e-mail to metaversity.ecostream@gmail.com.

If you took part in the immersion of 2017, tell others about your experience and the reasons for making such a route and coming in the little north village in the beginning of the spring.

We will really appreciate any informational support. Please share about the Immersion in your circles: