Moave
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Wintering
the art of
Erasmus+ training course
21. - 30. January 2027
Slovenia
before things take shape
The Art of Wintering is an 8-day training course
exploring winter as a time and symbol of slowing down, deep rest, listening and allowing things to emerge before they take shape.
Inspired by the rhythm of winter, we will explore the relationship between activity and rest, productivity and spaciousness, individual expression and collective experience. What does it mean to be part of a group without losing our own rhythm? How can we create spaces where different needs, energies and ways of participating can coexist?
Through movement, improvisation, somatic practices, writing, contemplation and nature-based exploration, we will investigate how creativity, connection and new possibilities emerge — both through intentional action and through listening, observing and allowing space for the unexpected.
“It may be that when we no longer know what to do we have come to our real work, and that when we no longer know which way to go we have come to our real journey.”
Wendell Berry, The Real Work
About this training
In a culture that often values movement, productivity and visible results,
winter invites a different rhythm. It asks us to pause, to listen more closely,
and to make space for what is not yet ready to become visible.
Beneath the surface, things may be changing, reorganising and taking form,
without needing to be rushed.
A central thread of the training will be the exploration of “before knowing” the space in which something is sensed before it can be named, understood or expressed.
Through improvisation and embodied practices, we will pay attention to subtle impulses, sensations, images, movements and relational dynamics, exploring how something begins to emerge within us and within the collective field. We will also explore being alone together: the possibility of belonging to a group while remaining connected to one's own rhythm, boundaries and inner experience.
What happens when we share space without needing to merge with the group?
How can collective presence support individual autonomy?
How can we remain available to one another while allowing ourselves enough space to follow our own process?
The training will invite reflection on our relationship with productivity and cycles of energy.
What does productivity mean when we are in a different season? Can rest itself become a meaningful part of a creative process? What happens when we stop demanding that every period of our lives produce something? And what might become possible when we allow periods of withdrawal, processing, grief, uncertainty or simply not-knowing?
For youth workers, facilitators, artists and others working with people, this reflection invites us to consider how our own rhythms, expectations and relationship with productivity shape the spaces we create for others. How can we recognise when a group needs action and when it needs time to pause, process or simply be? How can we support people through periods of uncertainty, change or low energy without rushing them towards solutions or visible outcomes? By becoming more aware of these different rhythms, we can develop more responsive ways of working with groups. Creating space for reflection, recovery, creativity and growth, while respecting that meaningful processes do not always unfold at a predictable pace.
How does this topic relate to youth work and facilitation?
Youth work increasingly takes place in conditions of uncertainty, stress, fragmentation and rapid social change. Supporting young people's mental health cannot only mean learning more techniques for helping others. It also requires youth workers to develop their own capacity for presence, self-awareness, relational sensitivity, regulation, listening and staying open in situations where there is no immediate solution.
Embodied and collective practices can offer another kind of resource: not another method to apply, but a way of cultivating the capacity to stay present with complexity, uncertainty and difference.
They can also create spaces where people experience being part of something larger than themselves — where knowledge is not only produced individually, but emerges through bodies, relationships, attention and collective experimentation.
For us, this is particularly relevant today: How can we create conditions in which people can think, feel, move and imagine together?
What kinds of collective intelligence become possible when we slow down enough
to notice what is already emerging?
Methodology:
Somatics – Dance Improvisation – Contemplative Practices – Nature-based Exploration
Somatic practices focus on increasing awareness of bodily sensations, movement, impulses and patterns, seeing the body as a source of information and insight. By noticing how we feel, move and respond in the moment, participants can explore different states of presence, energy and attention. This supports self-awareness, self-regulation and the ability to listen to subtle cues within ourselves and in a group.
Dance improvisation offers a way to explore creativity, spontaneity and the relationship between individual expression and the collective field. Through movement and improvisational scores, participants will investigate how something can emerge without being fully planned or known in advance. Improvisation becomes a practice of listening, responding and making choices in relation to what is happening in the moment.
Contemplative practices create opportunities to slow down, observe and become more attentive to what is already present. Through silence, stillness, writing, reflection and focused attention, participants will explore different rhythms of being and the space between impulse and action. These practices support the exploration of rest, spaciousness, uncertainty and “before knowing”.
Nature-based exploration connects the theme of wintering with the rhythms and processes of the natural world. Through time spent outdoors and sensory engagement with the environment, participants will explore cycles of activity and rest, emergence and dormancy, change and transformation. Nature becomes not only a setting for the training, but a source of reflection and learning.
Objectives:
Personal Exploration & Sensory Awareness:
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Explore different ways of being and participating, moving between activity and rest, productivity and spaciousness, focus and openness.
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Develop awareness of bodily sensations, impulses, emotions and energy as sources of information and guidance.
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Explore our personal relationship with productivity, rest, uncertainty and “not-knowing”, and discover what can emerge when we allow processes to unfold in their own time.
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Strengthen presence, self-awareness and the capacity to listen to subtle internal and environmental cues.
Collective & Interpersonal Exploration: -
Explore being alone together — experiencing connection and belonging while maintaining individual autonomy and personal rhythm.
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Investigate how different needs, energies, rhythms and forms of participation can coexist within a group.
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Explore how creativity and collective processes emerge through listening, responsiveness, improvisation and attention to what is already present.
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Develop greater sensitivity to group dynamics and to the subtle shifts that influence the atmosphere and direction of a group.
Professional & Facilitation Practices: -
Explore how somatic movement, improvisation, contemplative practices, nature-based exploration and creative scores can enrich youth work, facilitation and artistic practice.
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Experiment with scores and open structures that provide a clear frame while allowing space for unexpected responses and emergence.
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Develop ways of facilitating that balance structure and openness, activity and rest, guidance and allowance.
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Reflect on how different rhythms and forms of participation can support young people's autonomy, creativity, resilience, connection and sense of belonging.
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Explore how facilitators can create conditions in which ideas, relationships and creative processes can emerge before they are fully known or defined.
“A stream of meaning flowing among us
and through us and between us,
out of which will emerge some new understanding,
something creative.”
David Bohm
For who?
The knowledge and practices explored in this training are relevant for youth workers, facilitators, artists and trainers because their work involves creating spaces where people can participate, connect, explore and grow in different ways. They constantly navigate between individual needs and group dynamics, activity and rest, structure and openness, guidance and allowing space for what emerges.
Their role is not only to provide activities and outcomes, but also to create environments where young people can develop autonomy, creativity, self-awareness and a sense of belonging. The training invites participants to explore how different rhythms, needs and forms of participation can coexist, and how creating more spacious and responsive environments can support meaningful engagement, resilience and connection.
We aim to have 28 participants from Slovenia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.
Participants must be over 17 years old and have a communicative level in English so that they can participate fully in the program.
Project Partners:
Unfold e.V. - Germany
What it means to participate in
Erasmus+ Training course
Commitment to Outcomes
As part of the Erasmus+ training, participants are expected not only to engage in the 8-day learning process but also to create and share an outcome afterwards, bringing the methodology into wider practice and visibility. This outcome can take a form that best suits each participant’s context and skills.
Participants are expected to be nominated or supported by their sending organisation, ensuring that the learning experience is connected to their professional context and local community. We encourage participants to bring the experiences, practices and insights from the training back into their organisations and communities, so that the learning does not remain a personal journey but becomes a shared resource for their everyday work.
Through follow-up activities and collaboration with sending and partner organisations, participants can help carry the project further, creating ripple effects in youth work, cultural practice and local communities.
If you would like to take part, please complete and submit the application form carefully and in full. Your application helps us understand your background, motivation and expectations, and is required to be considered for participation.
“Here is another truth about wintering: you’ll find wisdom in your winter, and once it’s over, it’s your responsibility to pass it on. And in return, it’s our responsibility to listen to those who have wintered before us.
It’s an exchange of gifts in which nobody loses out.”
Katherine May
Important notice before applying:
This training is not a psychotherapy training and does not qualify participants to provide psychological treatment. Instead, it offers an experiential, non-formal education process rooted in ecopsychology, somatics, and movement. Participants will be guided to explore their own experiences through the topic of the course.
The training thus focuses on experience-based learning that supports both professional facilitation skills and personal awareness, strengthening the capacity to offer meaningful, compassionate support in non-clinical settings.
The training course is open to people of all experience levels. However, being open and interested in investigating this approach is important. We expect you to participate in the whole program.
Also, prepare for an intensive experience with at least 6 hours of physical activities every day!
Our work primarily centres around somatic movement practices, somatics, contact Improvisation principles. Participants must be comfortable with giving and receiving touch as a means of learning.
Clarification on Course Purpose:
Please note that this training is not meant to replace psychotherapy or serve as a method of healing. Instead, it provides a learning opportunity for individuals to gain a better understanding and experience which they can later share.
Practical information
This training course is funded through the Erasmus+ Programme, travel costs up to a specific maximum allowed amount will be fully reimbursed.
Food and insurance – important information
Food will be vegan/vegetarian and prepared by our cook. We ask everyone to respect an alcohol- and drug-free policy throughout the training. Participants are responsible for their own health insurance for the whole duration of the training. EU participants can use the EHIC, but it does not replace travel insurance.
Travel reimbursement – what is the procedure?
Travel costs are reimbursed according to the Erasmus+ distance-based travel grant. Participants book their own travel and keep all tickets, receipts and boarding passes. After the training, these are submitted to the project coordinator. Reimbursement is made after the mobility, up to the maximum Erasmus+ grant amount. Green travel options are encouraged and have a higher allowance.
Venue information and location – where will we be staying?
The training will take place in the Slovenian countryside. We will share the space together in a co-living setting, with nature being an important part of the experience. More detailed venue information will be provided to selected participants
Your travel reimbursement is based on the distance you travel, rather than simply on your country of departure. The distance is calculated using the official Erasmus+ Distance Calculator, based on the distance between your departure town/city and the location of the event.
Before applying, you can easily check your applicable reimbursement: enter your departure town/city and the event venue/town into the Erasmus+ Distance Calculator. The calculated distance will show which distance band you fall into and, consequently, the maximum travel reimbursement available to you.
Wintering team
The Art of Wintering is created and facilitated by Neža Pele, Živa Jerman and Nayeli Špela, three facilitators bringing together backgrounds in movement, somatics, psychology, improvisation and experiential learning.
Our shared practice is rooted in curiosity about how people learn and connect through embodied experience. We work with movement, attention, creativity and group processes, creating spaces that balance structure and openness, individual exploration and collective experience.
Picture by Manca Kaplan
Neža is an artist, working as a freelance contemporary dancer and choreographer. Her artistic work is mainly focused on improvisational practices that include both the body and the voice. She is also interested in the therapeutic effects of the voice and the connective power of collaborative vocal-movement improvisation. She facilitates Intuitive singing workshops to invite people on a playful journey of reconnecting with their own voices.
For me, consciously entering a period of wintering is an equally important part of my artistic practice. It is a time of turning inward, when my inner world has space to come alive and my body is invited to listen differently - to slow down and respond to external impulses from another place. Rather than seeing this as withdrawal or inactivity, I understand it as a necessary part of the creative process: a time of gathering, sensing and allowing something to emerge in its own rhythm. The space of Poetic Emergence which we will also explore at The Art of Wintering is an invitation into this kind of practice and togetherness: a space where each person can arrive as they are, without the pressure to perform, produce or follow a predetermined path, and instead listen to and follow their own present way of being, moving, and working. A space where we can each remain deeply ourselves, while still being part of something together. A space to ask: "Where and how do we meet there?"
Živa works at the meeting point of body, movement, ecology, anthropology and collective learning. She is an anthropologist, Contact Improvisation dancer, somatic practitioner and a facilitator of embodied learning spaces.
Her practice is rooted in a simple curiosity: what can we know when we slow down enough to listen — to our bodies, to each other, and to what is emerging between us? What conditions are needed to be in that space of listening, sensing, wondering and becoming together? Rather than teaching fixed techniques, she is interested in creating conditions for attention, curiosity and emergence — spaces where people can experiment, sense, reflect and discover something together that could not have been planned beforehand. At The Art of Wintering, she will bring practices of embodied attention, somatic inquiry, touch, improvisation and collective sensing, alongside scores and open invitations for research. What becomes possible when we stop trying to make something happen?
Nayeli is a psychologist working privately as a therapist with a Gestalt experiential psychotherapy approach. She has been a trainer in the field of non-formal education for more than 15 years. In the somatic and dance field, she is deeply inspired by contact improvisation, which has shaped her exploration of movement and its somatic approach beyond the dance studio. Having been actively engaged in the practice since 2017, she continues to investigate how this form expands her view on life.
In the last period of my life, wintering has become an important part of my self-care. I see winter as a period of allowing nourishment and rest. I also see wintering as a natural cycle that is often less allowed in our society.
As facilitators, we are prone to creating meaningful activities and frameworks. But in this way of working, we can easily lose the subtle listening to what is already present — in the environment, in the group, and in the process the group is going through in the moment.
In order to listen to these subtle cues, we need to slow down ourselves. How can we allow ideas and creativity to emerge from the moment rather than from a pre-planned schedule?
This is, in itself, the essence of improvisation.
Sabina Vilhelm and Lana Karina Crnohorski
Društvo Koru
Are our caring and nutritious cooking team. They are also passionate dancers and explorers of embodiment practices. Something that can be reflected in their way of cooking:
with presence, care and lots of creativity.
Project Partners:
Unfold e.V. - Germany