Fourth Inclusive Conference 'Community in Conversation'
Fourth Inclusive Conference 'Community in Conversation'

Fourth Inclusive Conference 'Community in Conversation'

18 June 2026

An inclusive group of 80 people from 17 organizations in Germany, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, and Switzerland met for four days at Camphill Akvila in Lithuania.

A conference community that has been conducting research on community building and sharing experiences for four years.

This year, we've spent a lot of time exploring Lithuanian culture, including sauna and hot pot culture, and thus the broader topic of cultures.

We spent a whole day at a museum village and took part in workshops on traditional cultural techniques.

A researcher from Alanus University in Germany also joined us. Ulrike Barth conducted many interviews, which we will report on soon.

What do we learn from and with one another when we, as a relatively small international group, meet regularly and share our life stories?

  • "I can really open up. I'm thriving!"
  • "I've never experienced that much before."
  • "I've become more independent, also from my parents."
  • "I can trust myself."
  • “I can make friends with people I didn’t know before. We have a WhatsApp group now.”
  • "I felt safe; the atmosphere was warm, and I felt comfortable speaking up."
  • “It just felt so good – it was blooming and glowing.”
  • International exchanges require good translation and good technology! “We had that!”

There were a variety of workshops – everyone could find something they are interested in:

  • We did exercises on spirituality with Bart from the section team,
  • we learned English with Daniel Jarl from Sweden,
  • incredibly colorful and creative collages were created with Jolita and Pia from Camphill Akvila,
  • in Sonja's workshop, the current weekly verse was translated in three languages into simple language and set to eurythmy, and
  • with Martin, we created a humorous adaptation of Grimm's fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” through juggling and clowning.

A big thank you to the people at Camphill Akvila, who did such a wonderful job preparing everything.

And where will it be next year?
See you in Nuremberg, Germany, from May 2–6, 2027.

Presentation for the International Training Circle on the 'Community in Conversation' project, by Sonja Zausch – Download (PDF, English)