Choices are “what I want to do”.
Non-choices are “what I have not explored yet”. Every time I make a choice, I leave some choices…I chose to do carpentry, I am leaving out cooking or reading a book. And that’s what we experienced in the first week of summer.
“I am able, I can choose and leave out what I don’t want to do”. The invitation was to be aware of what one is choosing and what one is leaving (non-choice).
Through various processes, we brought opportunities to experience choices and non-choices. After experiencing choice first three days, last day we also brought “non-choices”. And the day was “non-choices”! Do at least one thing which you have not tried and that’s where many of the experiences emerged, the day unfolded with many more barriers broken of self…going out and using tools to make show monster, cooking, chopping vegetables, painting a wall, baking pizza on fire oven, theatre and night trek.
And the choices offered were unlimited. All went around and shopped for various choices available to discover self. The choices offered from carpentry, cooking, electrical, land work, artwork, music, dance, drama, making, crating, experimenting, stitching, mending, designing, failing and anything possible on the earth. Doing involves trying, thinking, failing, searching, designing, problem-solving, understanding, communicating, inventing and also succeeding.
No teaching, no teachers…all about doing and learning from experiences.
Planning session brought an opportunity to design our days ” what I want to and how I want to do”.
Safety stall brought an opportunity to understand campus and role in the safety of self, others, and the environment.
Aarohi ki Dukan brought the opportunity to buy own snacks with various patterns.
Learning Mela brought an opportunity to teach others what one knows – make an arch with mud and stones and make your hands dirty, theatre, know about airplanes, understand music, know about food science, understand food, make rag dolls and origami.
Session on theatre was to break own apprehensions “each one us can act and perform”. Impromptu theatre brought a platform to perform freely and be ourselves.
Thought club at the end of each day brought an opportunity to come together to play games, reflection, dance together n various folk music across the world and document our weak in our own words.
Various sessions conducted by all people of various ages like reporter of the day, the emotion of the week, music Jockey, daily diet, morning fitness, community sports, and organizing a trek brought opportunity for peer interaction and contributing the wisdom of all.
Trekking in the night was just a small but deep experience for many to reach out to their own fears.
The trek in the nearby forest started with the early morning wake up – many thought they will not be able to get up so early. But it didn’t take much effort to get up early and walk through those rocks and thorns and cooking our breakfast. The walk, the cooking…all brought an opportunity to many interactions and decision making.
The week ended with reflecting and coming together.
Imagine Aarohi, where we live, learn and grow together!