In Service to Life – A Training for Conscious Peacework

Table of contents:

1. General information
2. Who is it for?
3. Learning experience
4. The team
5. Travel information
6. What to bring
7. Food & accommodation
8. Contact details & Application

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

In Service of Life – A Training for Conscious Peacework is part of Yes to Sustainability, an international network connecting young people across Europe through learning experiences in ecovillages and rural projects. The program fosters youth empowerment through nature-based learning, community immersion, and intercultural exchange.

This training takes place at ZEGG, a community and learning center in Germany dedicated to social sustainability, conscious communication, and ecological practice.

The Training

We live in a time of overlapping crises: climate breakdown, social fragmentation, ecological grief, and rising mental distress. As youth workers, educators, and facilitators, how can we remain grounded, present, and effective in the face of these challenges? How can we help young people regain agency and a sense of belonging in a world that often feels overwhelming?

This training invites participants to reconnect with what truly matters.
Through community living, experiential learning, and reflective practices, we create a safe and brave space to slow down, listen - to the Earth, ourselves, and each other - and explore deep transformation.

While many climate projects focus on "fixing" external problems, this training emphasizes the inner landscape. We recognize that many young adults lose motivation and agency under the weight of ecological and social crises.

The training provides tools to navigate complex, sometimes contradictory feelings arising from climate crises and social tensions. Rather than offering ready-made solutions, participants will explore how to hold space for themselves and others, integrating inner reflection with embodied awareness and the capacity to act with clarity and agency, even in times of uncertainty.

The Venue – ZEGG Ecovillage

ZEGG is one of the oldest ecovillages in Germany, founded in the 1990s. Around 110 people live here in close relationship with the land, each other, and all living beings.

It is both an intentional community and a seminar centre, dedicated to exploring socially and ecologically sustainable ways of living.

A key focus at ZEGG is the field of human relationships, communication, love, and sexuality. Our ecological practices are guided by the principles of permaculture, integrating sustainability into everyday life.

Being in this environment offers a powerful experience of community living, connection, and conscious culture.

Terms of Participation

Residency: You must live in Germany, Spain, France, Italy or Greece

Language: Basic English skills are required for participation

Conscious Contribution

Accommodation, food, and travel costs are covered by the Erasmus+ Programme. However, the work of the organizers and facilitators is not included in this funding.

At the end of the training, we invite you to make a conscious contribution - in the spirit of the gift economy. Your support helps sustain our work and makes future projects accessible to others.

We suggest a sliding-scale contribution between 80 € and 350 €, depending on your financial situation and what feels right for you.

We recognize that money can be a tender and complex topic in our society. You are invited to contribute from the heart - freely, and in a way that feels aligned with both your resources and what this experience has meant to you.

2. WHO IS IT FOR?

This training is designed for youth workers and facilitators who want to ground their work in awareness, presence and honest connection.

Whether you’re a teacher, activist, coach, mentor, peer-educator, artist, or simply someone who supports young people - you are welcome here.
We especially encourage young adults (20–35) with diverse cultural backgrounds to apply.

You don’t need to have all the answers - we don’t have them either. What matters is our willingness to engage with the big questions of our time and the courage to connect and explore new pathways with others.

3. LEARNING EXPERIENCE

This training invites you to experience learning as a transformative, embodied journey rather than simply the acquisition of knowledge. It is designed for those who want to live and act from a deeper place of clarity, presence, and connection - and bring that quality into their work with young people.

You will explore how to cultivate resilience, emotional awareness, and groundedness in uncertain times. Through personal reflection, collective inquiry, and nature-based practices, the training supports processes of inner transformation as a foundation for meaningful action in the world.

Learning unfolds through direct experience and integration, supported by the daily rhythm of the training:

Mornings: Participation in the daily life of the ZEGG ecovillage - gardening, Terra Preta composting, kitchen activities, and land care. This hands-on engagement offers insight into ecovillage culture and values while grounding you in the body, connecting you to the land, and fostering natural relationships with residents.

Afternoons: Facilitated group sessions with guided practices, rituals, nature connection, creative methods, and body-based approaches.

Participants will also engage with selected frameworks, including:

• ZEGG Forum
• Nervous-system-informed approaches to conflict and group dynamics
• The Hospicing Modernity approach, using the SMDR Compass (Sobriety, Maturity, Discernment, and Responsibility)

These frameworks support emotional resilience, reflective awareness, and the capacity to engage thoughtfully with complex social and ecological challenges.

It’s a culture we practice through how we relate - to ourselves, to each other, and to the living world—so that action can emerge from clarity, connection, and care rather than reactivity. For us, cultivating a life-affirming culture is a form of peacework: meeting the challenges of our time with clarity, courage, and compassion.

You will leave with practical tools for your youth work, a deeper connection to yourself and the world around you, and a network of peers from across Europe to support your ongoing path.

If you feel called to deepen your practice, strengthen your capacity to respond to today’s challenges, and connect with others committed to a regenerative future, this training is for you.

4. THE TEAM

Ena Rivière Feder

Ena is a group facilitator, ZEGG Forum trainer, and Somatic Experiencing therapist with a background in dance, yoga, and embodiment. Having lived in the ZEGG ecovillage for over eight years, she draws from her deep experience in community-based transformation. Ena supports groups with warmth, clarity, and emotional depth - creating safe and grounded spaces for authentic connection and inner change. Her work invites collective presence, where true dialogue and connection become possible.

Andrea Daniel Oswald

Andrea is a Forum facilitator and Gene Keys Guide. His guiding principle is the vision that we are becoming guardians of Earth. This vision has led him along many different paths and into a variety of practices, which he now weaves together in his work: nature and wilderness education, Taoist practices, community experiences and extensive journeys. He is also deeply inspired by ‘The Work That Reconnects’. Andrea loves to create spaces that invite presence, emotional awareness, and inquiry, as well as a deeper understanding that true inner leadership is a form of service to the greater whole.

5. TRAVEL INFORMATION

WHEN

Training: July 8 - 18, 2026
Arrival: July 8, 16:00 - 18:00
Departure: July 18, from 10:00

TRAVEL CONDITIONS & REIMBURSEMENT

As an ecologically committed project, we place great importance on sustainable travel. We warmly invite all participants to choose green travel options such as train, bus, or carpooling - and to avoid flying whenever a reasonable land-based alternative exists.

Please consider this when planning your journey and applying for the training.

Travel costs will only be reimbursed if green travel options are used.
Flights will not be reimbursed if train or bus connections are available.
Taxi fares and 1st class tickets are not eligible for reimbursement.

You can use up to 3 travel days before and 3 after the training—please plan your trip accordingly.

Accepted travel dates:

Arrival: July 6, 7, 8
Departure: July 18, 19, 20

Important clarification on flights and travel days:
Please note that if you choose to fly for either your arrival or your return journey, your travel will not be considered green travel. In this case, you are only eligible for 2 travel days (instead of up to 6), regardless of whether you use train or bus for the other part of your journey. The eligible travel dates in this case are July 8 (arrival) and July 18 (departure).

TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT

You’ll receive a reimbursement based on distance and green travel use, according to EU guidelines:

You can calculate your travel distance here: Erasmus+ Distance Calculator
(Please note that at least one part of your journey - either arrival or return—must involve your country of residence. Please calculate the distance based on this.)

HOW TO GET THERE

Venue Address:

ZEGG Bildungszentrum gGmbH
Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße 89
14806 Bad Belzig
Germany

By bus & train:

The nearest major bus station is in Berlin.

From Berlin, take a train to Bad Belzig, Germany.
From Bad Belzig train station, take Bus 590 and get off at the stop:
"ZEGG, Bad Belzig"

Check current schedules using the Deutsche Bahn (DB) app or website (www.bahn.de).

Alternatively, you can walk from the train station to ZEGG - it's about 45 minutes on foot.

> More info on our Website

IMPORTANT: REIMBURSEMENT GUIDELINES

• Keep all original documents (tickets, receipts, fuel slips, etc.)
• Print digital tickets in advance
• Email e-tickets to:
• Please upload your Travel Tickets in this Folder
• Deadline:July 20, 2026

Reimbursement will be made via bank transfer (may take up to 4 months). Any unused travel funds will help cover organising costs - thank you for choosing budget-friendly and ecological options!

6. WHAT TO BRING

• Comfortable clothes for group sessions
• Warm clothes - the weather can change quickly
• Raincoat
• Clothes & comfortable shoes for working, walking, being outside
• Flashlight or headlamp - it gets dark early at this time of year
• Sauna towel
• Notebook or diary
• Musical instruments or games (if you feel like sharing)
• A reusable water bottle
• Personal care products - please bring ecological and biodegradable products that are gentle on our plant-based sewage treatment system.
• Earplugs (shared sleeping space)
• European Health Insurance Card or proof of international health insurance
• Personal items to make your stay more enjoyable - the nearest store is a 20-minute walk away
• Some Cash for the ZEGG-Pub & conscious contribution

INSURANCE

Participation in the training requires valid health insurance coverage.
Please bring your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) with you. In many countries, it is already included in your regular health insurance card.
It is your responsibility to make sure you are properly insured for the entire duration of the training.

7. FOOD & ACCOMODATION

Food

We are grateful to be nourished by the wonderful ZEGG kitchen team, who will provide us with three delicious, organic, vegetarian/vegan meals per day.

If you have specific dietary needs or allergies, please let us know in your application form so we can do our best to accommodate you.

ZEGG is a drug-free space. To support a shared field of clarity, connection, and wellbeing, we ask that you fully respect and align with this during your stay. The use of drugs is not permitted.

Accomodation

The accommodation will be simple but pleasant, in a shared bedroom with other participants. Please bring your own sleeping bag. Mattresses and sheets are provided.

If you’d like additional comfort, pillows, blankets, and towels are available to rent for 8 € for the entire two-week period.

During the day, we’ll be together in “San Diego”, a cozy community space dedicated to our group.

8. APPLICATION AND CONTACT DETAILS

To apply for the training, please complete our application form. Your registration will be confirmed once the form is submitted.

** Application deadline: 05/06/2026 **
Selection will take place after the deadline.

If you have any questions, please contact us: