ylva berg
marijke smeets
One of my oldest memories of belonging is when I was about five years old. It was in the eighties and we would go to the south of Sweden with my dad every year to visit our family. It was that time when you could put blankets and cushions in the back seats of the car to make a bed. So that’s what we did, since we used to start driving after my dad’s evening nap, leaving around 2am, me and my two years younger brother on the cosy back-bench, arriving at my uncle’s farm around noon, visiting my grandma later in the day or having dinner in a family members house with her and our aunties, uncles and cousins. Me and my brother didn’t speak Swedish or English yet, so we couldn’t really understand anything verbally, but we felt so loved, well cared for and truly welcome, that we were -and still are today- always excited, moved and happy to be there.
I am sure that this is one of the privileges and core elements that shaped my trust and belief in the importance of community and collective resilience. Today I'm adding the lessons I learn with my (now teenager) kids to my mission of holding space for next generations to build and transform culture, aware of privileges and power dynamics, connecting with heartfulness and care for ourselves and each other. These and some other personal stories, have lead me towards fighting for social justice and radical inclusion, by inviting the power of the collective.
My first Worldwork experience was in Greece. I had never felt so frozen, terrified, excited, intrigued, curious, sad, lonely, confused… and connected. It was a 6 day conference and there were about 400 people discussing huge world issues: refugees, climate, white supremacy, queerness, and more. Feeling into these challenging and deeply polarized dynamics, we alternated between the big group, small groups, one to one sessions and individual digestion time. The impact on me was profound. My perspective on myself and on the world had shifted.
I got to this event because of what might have been the first decision in my life I had made without reasoning and overthinking it first. I merely followed my excitement about a book and a ‘sense of something’ that indicated a direction.
This experience allowed me to trust in this surprising ‘sense of something’, to feel the power of following a process, and to see the reality of interdependence. The author of the book was Arnold Mindell and his words inspired me to embark on this journey: “focusing on the subtlest signals […] even apparently impossible problems, transform into enriching community experiences”. Ever since, I look for ways to be in or cocreate spaces of Worldwork and community.
is built on the shoulders and roots of many people
who walked this path before and with us.
it has become a tribute
to ylva’s mother, born and raised in curaçao,
to marijke’s cousin, passionate for adventure
and a call to everyone for unapolegetic liberation and aliveness
our sources of inspiration have held space for us
to get in and out of trouble
to break down, feel deeply, gain insights, and get up
over and over again
we’d like to mention some of the names
that are directly connected to our most recent learnings,
acknowledging that all the teachers we met before have led us to them
​
aminata cairo
tema okun
karine bell
resmaa menakem
bayo akomolafe
staci haines
arny and amy Mindell
arlene & jc audergon
to each one of you
masha danki dushi !
firoa facilitation
we invite you to contact us for transformations in
​
-
heavy and complex conflict situations
-
racism & uncolonization
-
power abuse and harassment
-
parenting
-
self-care
welcome to join us on this journey towards
​
-
allyship and coalition
-
dismantling structural discrimination
-
citizen participation
-
democratic renewal​
-
and all other challenges you encounter
photo ylva: Olivier Charlet
photo marijke: Gill De Meyere
firoa is expanding
the dna of firoa is to explore and connect
to diverse people and environments
today we work with dear friends and colleagues
to hold space for transformation in groups and organisations
​
​we are very grateful that our paths have crossed
céline klara gaza
cathy del rizzo
johanna couvée
aarnout lanckriet
​
and we are sure our networks will continue to expand
to many other skilled and engaged facilitators
​
client's impressions
"Nous cherchons tous des moyens pour avoir un impact sur notre monde.
Merci à chacun pour cette belle énergie, ces moments précieux de partage qui nous relient, qui nous ont permis de créer des nouveaux liens avec des membres de l’ABFM.
Nous sommes empreints de gratitude envers Céline et Ylva pour la façon dont elles ont mené cet atelier qui allie pleine conscience et discrimination raciale.
Sujet lourd, mais abordé avec délicatesse et légèreté.
Vous nous avez permis d’aller au cœur de l'inconfort, sans perdre notre boussole et en prenant refuge dans la présence, notre corps, nos émotions.
Nous avons particulièrement apprécié l’accent mis sur l’intégration d'autres modes d'expressions que ceux habituellement proposés dans la cadre de la pleine conscience : l’expression corporelle, le rythme, la voix et la créativité qui m’ont apporté du lâcher prise, de l’énergie positive et de la joie.
Encore merci pour votre écoute bienveillante et professionnelle.”
Les membres de l'ABFM qui ont participé à l'atelier "decontruire le racisme" (Association Belge Francophone de Pleine Conscience)
Nous tenons à vous remercier pour votre intervention, cet atelier nous a semblé être un franc succès !
Nos étudiants étaient ravis.
On sent que cela permet vraiment d’installer une bonne dynamique dans le groupe.
Nous souhaitions remercier chaleureusement les facilitatrices.
UCL Saint Louis
Relations Internationales
"Atelier d'accueil"
Bruxelles
De intervisiesessies hebben energie en perspectief gegeven om persoonlijk en professioneel verder te werken aan dekolonisatie.
Met de pertinente vragen en kritische bedenkingen in het adviesrapport kunnen we van onderuit aan de slag om het beleid te adviseren.
VGC - Obib
Dienst Cultuur, Jeugd, Sport