Welcome to YIP18’s November recap!
November has been a month full of exploration, change, and adaptation for the group. We left our Swedish home behind to discover another one at the foothills of the Himalayas, Navdanya.
In Ytterjärna, the days were getting shorter, the temperature colder, and the frost had arrived. It was time for us to travel to the autumn in the north of India. After a 35-hour journey, we made it to Navdanya, our new home for the next three months.
“Navdanya” means nine seeds in Hindi and it symbolises the importance of crop diversity. It is also a Biodiversity Conservation farm founded more than 30 years ago by Dr. Vandana Shiva, and it is where seed saving, organic regenerative agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and various agroecology methods are practised.
The month commenced with two weeks in Ytterjärna, dedicated to portrait painting and deep cleaning our communal spaces preparing for our departure to the outpost. On November 16th at 4 a.m., we embarked on our next journey. Upon arriving in Navdanya, we engaged with the farm and community, diving into the essence of the seed, the foundational process of all life. This was followed by two weeks of soil, learning about the conditions for a ground where life can germinate and become a healthy being.
In this newsletter you will find:
- Portrait Painting Week: Painting by Jelscha Ganter
- Review and Deep Clean Week: Painting by Sarah Bennett
- The Yippies’ Journey: Written by Ruby Botica
- The Seed week: Painting by Phoebe Leenhouwers
- Current YIP Project: News Club by Rosie Froome
- Alumni Project: Broterei by Lia Göenner
- A message from the YIP Team: YIP19 Invitation
- Upcoming open course: Being Human in a technological Age
Written by Irene Fernández
Portrait Painting Week
We started by taking a frontal photo of ourselves and then began to paint the background of our canvas with only three colours. Then we moved to paint the face, focusing on areas of shadow and light, rather than starting with the outline.
We had to not get attached to the outcome of our work, but rather focus on doing the process. Sometimes this was frustrating, especially when we had to change an aspect of our portrait. We supported each other a lot with individual and group feedback, which was really helpful.
At the end, we were all surprised at how you could recognise everyone’s face on the canvas. We all learned to look at ourselves objectively and embrace the qualities that live within us.
Written by Jelscha Ganter
Review and Deep Clean Week
The last week in Sweden, the cold came to call,
YIP18 were busy; cleaning rooms, kitchens and halls.
The mornings were filled with chatter and news,
sprouting thoughts and ideas from curriculum reviews.
Then early they left with the frost-silvered sky,
the land that embraced them- towards India they fly!
Painting and words by Sarah Bennett
The Yippies’ Journey
In the cold of the night there’s a sleepy fuss
As a large group of Yippies bundle into a bus
Drowsy eyes reflect in windows
Where the new moon smiles with a thin glow
And like they bundled in, soon they bundle out
Into bright airport lights, someone gives a wee shout
And little giggles and chatters start filling the air
The size of the group make people peer
Who are these colourful sleepy trolls-
Who hum little tunes before passport control?
Where have they come from and where might they go?
What journey awaits them? Do they know?
Soon they’re up on the wing with a runway roar
Sweden bids them farewell with her winding fjords
Then Heathrow airport is their home for the day
And for 8 long hours its there they stay
Then again comes a rumble as the Yippies take flight
From the waiting and wondering into the mystery of night
One whispers to another “Can you believe this is true?
“Is this really happening to me and to you?”
“I’m not sure I believe it, but I think it’s been planned
That this bird will fly us to India, a far off land
Where we’ll learn of food, of soil and seed
Of the poisoning earth and what our world really needs”
So for 8 more hours Yippies sleep and eat
Squirming and wriggling in airplane seats
Then a sunrise from somewhere at some time in the world
Makes eyelids flutter and curiosity unfurl
They see mountains below and then vast cityscapes
New Delhi welcomes them in a peachy haze
When they step into the air, it’s hard to believe
That they had ever stood beneath Sweden’s bare trees
Then just like they had in the cold and the dark
On another bus journey, the Yippies embark
This time the darkness is replaced by a light
By colour and chaos of an unfamiliar kind
Cars weave and honk and buildings zoom by
Then green trees appear and day turns to night
The bus lurches carefully up a winding road
And stops at the entrance the Yippies’ new home
The travellers are welcomed and tucked into bed
And wake to colours of orange, green and red
The trees tower gently, bowing to earth’s hues
The buildings stand peacefully, red kisses sky’s blue
Navdanya is peaceful in everyway
From the kindness of people to the warmth of each day
In the first week the Yippies meet each tree
And Vandana Shiva speaks of the importance of seed
A seed that grows in unpoisoned earth
Is greater than all that money is worth
For one good seed creates many more seeds
And creates nourishing food that people can eat
The Yippies are new seeds in this land
Nourished by the soil of loving hands
So grateful are they to be held in the arms
Of Navdanya Biodiversity Farm
Written by Ruby Botica
The Seed Week
A dark and dusty room
Warm with potential
This is the home of thousands of little miracles
Gifts of life, free of charge,
The sacred seed.
Written by Phoebe Leenhouwers
Upcoming event:
Initiative forum in April 2026
Resisting Inaction, Resilience in Action is the title of our upcoming forum happening from the 3rd to the 7th of April 2026 in Ytterjärna, Sweden.
This forum will explore our role in a rapidly advancing world of AI and technology. Discovering ways of action and cultivating human wisdom.
The website and tickets will be launched on the 12th December!
We look forward to seeing you there!!
Keep an eye on our socials @yipsweden for the launch.
Current YIP Project:
NEWS CLUB with Rosie
Towards the beginning of YIP, I noticed how easy it was to get into a bubble headspace. Since I was avoiding social media and was consumed by the full goings on of our course and in getting to know the land of Ytterjärna, it became easy to disconnect from the wider world around us and our relation to it.
I felt that it was important for myself and our community to connect with the movements happening around us, whilst not falling into the traps of overwhelm, alienation and isolation that can often happen when interacting with news and media. So as a bit of an experiment I decided to start a news club!
So far we have shared various news topics from across the world, which became a beautiful way of cross-pollinating the international base of knowledge we have in the group. Group discussions allowed us to delve into political and social discussions that arose in us and created a sense of a collective holding surrounding more heavy topics. A few examples of topics we discussed include the student uprising in Nepal, negotiations from Palestine and Israel, mandatory conscription in Germany and the indigenous protest at COP.
It felt important that within our YIP journey of considering the ways in which we as individuals and a collective can contribute to a healthier and more just society, we could be aware of the patterns and changes happening around us, as to align our missions with a broader understanding and context of the power dynamics at play and the needs of the world around us.
One session we began to discuss if or why it was necessary to know the ‘news’, does it overwhelm us further into apathy? Does it take us away from the present and the community needs around us? These felt like important things to consider and balance, but it is also easy to forget that the goings on around the world are constantly shaping our realities even if they feel far away.
To me it feels that to be a conscious global citizen, thus, to be aware of the ways in which your life is impacted by and impacts other humans and non-humans across the world, holds a responsibility of awareness and connection to the global context around us. To understand that my life and privileges are not just circumstantial, but made up of historical, social and political forces and power dynamics that have a knock-on effect on others. For example, colonialism, capitalism, racist and patriarchal structures, economic equality and climate inequality. Whilst we may not be directly affected by the news we are reading, being ignorant to it and not questioning and critiquing the reasons and structures behind happenings is what I believe can allow chains of domination and suffering to be perpetuated.
Without an awareness, the spark to create change will not be ignited, which a system of inequality relies on to simply stay the same. There are many ways to engage with news and stay connected to your wider context, and so far, I have found these sessions and discussions a helpful and beneficial way to do so.
Written by Rosie Froome
Alumni Project:
BROTEREI
Tachchen,
My name is Lia and I was part of YIP 14. Already four Years ago!
In the last years I have met many special people, dreamed together, started projects, lived through them, dissolved them, and initiated new ones. I’ve also had the pleasure to be near many YIP Alumni. Together, we have repeatedly grappled with the question of communal, solidarity-based, anti-capitalist coexistence and living. How can we create places that offer a safer space for people, question standardized structures, retell narratives and move from coexistence to interdependence? All these thoughts, dreams, fantasies which carried on from the YIP time, have led to, among other things, an initiative currently in development, which I am honoured to present together with three other people in the following text.
One day, there was a signal group created, called “Broterei” (translated in English as “Breadery”). There were five people in the group with a big interest in bread: Felix, Marvin, Sarah, Johanna, and Lia. In Alfter, a small town in Germany near Bonn, the air was awakening with new ideas and initiatives. Whilst breathing this fresh air, we sat together, introduced ourselves to each other, and dreamt of a special type of bakery. In our group, we have Felix, currently getting more and more skilful at baking wonderful bread; Marvin, a self-taught baker who really loves to talk shop with Sarah, the master baker. Johanna, inspired through sociocratic ways of organising processes and who brought life to this earth a short while ago, is not active in the collective at the moment. Lia is active in the PR field and from time to time baking some glutenfree bread. After meeting up several times, we got a clear vision:
Our goal is to create a community-supported bakery that brings together great bread, fair working conditions, and sustainable economics.
Inspired by the model of community-supported agriculture, we want to build a system in which bread is not treated as a commodity, but as part of a shared community experience. The people who receive the bread contribute to the bakery’s ongoing costs with a monthly payment that is scaled according to income. This provides financial security for the producers and ensures access to food regardless of income. The bread can be picked up weekly at the nearest depot. Participation in the production process and direct relationships with the bakers are central – standing in contrast to individual, consumption-focused models. In the future, we aim to bake bread every week – using long fermentation, our own sourdough, and regional, organically grown ingredients, all without unnecessary additives. Our vision is orientated on the concept of CSX (Community Supported “X”) and we will also collaborate with the local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) as well with other solidarity based initiatives in the region.
We are happy to share the seed of our bakery with you and hopefully very soon, we will be able to let it grow to a plant which can nurture us, and the community around us. If you want to stay up to date we are happy if you write us an E-Mail and we will send you our newsletter <3
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @broterei.backkollektiv
Written by Lia Goenner
APPLY FOR YIP19!
Upcoming events in YIP18:
Open course- Being Human in a Technological Age
Dear friends of YIP,
Mark your calendars!
A very exciting course is coming ahead. At the beginning of the new year, we will be diving into the theme of what it means to be human in an age where technology and AI is entering into our lives at rapid speed.
We will be exploring the current state of where humans are in this society, filled with this new invention and try to grasp and navigate ways forward.
Two contributors, Elias and Alex are exploring this theme deeply, and will share their thoughts and experience. The course is from January 5th to 9th, 2026, at the Biodiversity farm in Navdanya.
Anyone is welcome to join!
If you are interested, please email [email protected] to book your spot.
The YIP Team
