Fifty students from the We Help There Foundation two weeks to the former Yugoslavia to do voluntary work in nursing homes or to organize holiday activities with Roma children. Why are they giving up two weeks of their summer vacation and raising funds for additional equipment or support a few months in advance? There are of course various reasons, from self-development to wanting to do something for someone else. But many come back with an experience that they have carried with them for a long time. Doing something, meaningful to people who are often excluded themselves, shifts your view of what you want to do in your life.
Wanting to be meaningful, wanting to contribute something is a frequently heard intention. What do you do with the knowledge and skills that you develop in lectures, internship and thesis? While higher education focuses on the development of your ratio, there is a lack of attention to the question: for what purpose? And why me? A degree and hard work may be an important tool in shaping your life, but it cannot be an end in itself.
Two filmmakers also realized this about ten years ago. They sold their business and moved to Michigan to live in nature, in contact with a group of native Americans. They were particularly impressed by a small group of people: by their view on the development of young people, by their way of life with the elements. Recently their movie Down to Earth appeared. It is a documentary based on the journey the filmmakers took with their families through indigenous communities and the interviews they had with leaders and elders, or as they call them 'wisdom keepers'.
100.000 people have now seen the film, solely on the basis of word of mouth and attention in the national press. The question of how we deal with nature, how we live together, how we educate people apparently affects many people. How sustainable is all that and how do we make it sustainable? What is especially clear is that there is no ready-made answer to those questions. What is clear is that the answer starts with ourselves: with learning to ask questions. What do I have to contribute, when am I meaningful, where am I in my element? As a result, a different perspective on education, relationships, sustainability, economy, leadership, health and meaning is growing.
(The film is screened every weekend in many cinemas, and in the Kijkhuis in Leiden. On April 2 we will watch 100 from Rapenburg and then talk about the film. Interested? Rob van Worth)
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