Stepping into Action: The Personal Initiatives
Dear friends of YIP,
Welcome to YIP18’s May recap!
This month the Yippies were busy focused on their Personal Initiatives. Choosing an initiative is solely up to the passions of each participant. They begin the work on their initiatives by identifying a personal guiding question that gets into the root of the what and why’s of their interest. The Personal Initiatives are introduced early in the year, and participants are encouraged to shape their initiatives throughout the months of YIP.
After the Self Designed Curriculum, the participants had three weeks to devote to their personal initiative projects. Each of the Yippies approached this time differently, each having a variety of topics, research methods, and processes. Some Yippies hosted workshops in the group, some travelled to other countries to explore their projects, some tried completely new practices and widened their scope of possibilities, while some stayed indoors and kept themselves busy for hours in research or craft.
This period of working on their own projects culminated in a 45-minute presentation that the Yippies shared with the public. These presentations took place from the 25th to the 29th of May. During the Personal Initiative presentations, the Yippies dove into their processes and experiences, sharing why this project matters to them, and the tangible outcomes from this intensive process.
One of the many inspiring results of the Personal Initiative was a tool shed generously made for the YIP garden, by Madison Shulkin (view image above). There were also beautiful performances, film screenings, and exhibitions. It was evident how much effort and soul went into each of these events. Parallel to that was a website that invited users to reflect on a struggle they were facing, and an app in development, aimed towards helping women who experienced chronic pain.
This time of year at YIP is a special experience. It was beautiful to witness these young bright people open up about what is personal to them, and to see how they direct their hearts into action. From these presentations, we get a glimpse of what is alive in young people from all over the world today. The personal questions they hold about the world, and their earnest attempt to dare to answer these questions. The Personal Initiative can mark the beginning of a lifelong gift of action to the world, or an emergence of the self.
May the determination and conviction of the soul be alive within you!
Warmth and sunshine,
Bella.
In this newsletter you will find:
- Reconciling Womanhood: an Exploration of Pain, Purpose, and Healing
– Personal Initiative by Maria
Once Upon a Time – Personal Initiative by Maya Holloway-Stephens - What is Beyond Words? – Personal Initiative by Milena Beismann
- What is Visible Becomes What is Possible: Digging and Imagining Beyond
– Personal Initiative by Rosie Froome - Reflections on Personal Initiative Presentation Week by Maria
- Workshops Hosted by YIP18
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
by Moira Bauwens - Biography Work by Yii-Ann (Sky) Lau
- Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Laundry Choir by Rowan McLellan
- Alumni Update: Move for Hope by Lucia Hoefer
- YIP19 Outpost Update
Writing by Bella Nicolas
Reconciling Womanhood: an Exploration of Pain, Purpose, and Healing
Personal Initiative
Personal Initiative Weeks occupied a uniquely singular place in the YIP curriculum. While some Yippies spread their wings, some heading up north, to Morocco, or to the Netherlands, many of us stayed behind, setting up our desks in the Hive and pouring ourselves into the weeks that followed.
In Week 1, the air was full with excitement. To me, everything felt eternal then, as though the 21 days stretched endlessly ahead and the moment we would stand on that intimidating stage, in front of 40 or so people, sharing the intimate journeys we had each embarked upon, could never arrive.
For me, Week 1 was chaotic. I felt ready to commit to my personal initiative, a project centred on women’s health and chronic pain, yet couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.
I began with a detailed plan: I sat down and wrote goals for each week, and intentional routines to manage stress. Surprisingly, this structure served me well. I adapted easily to the new rhythms of Hive life, service hour, breakfast, morning singing, followed by long stretches of free time. Brief check-ins with other Yippies in the kitchen or common room became a sort of life-line throughout the weeks.
The project itself took two forms. The first was an app, which I hope to launch soon, designed to help women understand their cycles holistically. Moving from a scientific lens, to surfacing patterns in behaviour and mood.
The second part was a deeper exploration. I did research, read books, and interviewed several anthroposophic doctors. Inspired by our time in India, I also learned some tidbits of Ayurvedic Medicine.
My main question here, crystalized quickly: How can spirituality empower patients with chronic pain to work with their pain rather than against it?
Week 2 held a similar rhythm to Week 1. I continued working on my project most days. In the evenings we would often gather for movie nights or bonfires. Spaces to breathe, to laugh, and to forget the presentations looming on the horizon. That rhythm carried into Week 3 as well.
By the end of Week 3 I had learned things which were never on my plan. Beginning with women’s health and medicine as a subject felt important from the start, and the conversations it sparked with fellow Yippies proved unexpectedly inspiring. In these human exchanges, asking others about their ideas surrounding womanhood and all which comes along with it opened up new perspectives and, I think, gave me a new understanding of myself.
Next to that, I very practically learned about the process of creating an app. The design, which began from a place of frustration around our medical system, and from the question – What do I need to know about my body to feel as well as possible? to creating a very practical plan. What needs to be included? What can I create within the time constraints I have? What is most important to me? I had heaps of fun, playing around with design ideas and subtle symbolism in the name – Menerva – the Goddess of healing and wisdom (or in the case of my app, healing through wisdom).
Now that it’s all done, if I were to distill everything into a single insight, it would be this: every illness is shaped by the full context of the person living with it. Treating symptoms alone, in particular with chronic pain, is only one step in a much longer journey toward improving a patient’s quality of life. Only by seeing people as the full sum of parts which they are, are we able to treat them holistically and in the way which they deserve.
Written by Maria
Once Upon a Time
Personal Initiative
Over these last two weeks I have been going on a journey of discovering and exploring into the realm of storytelling, focusing on the traditional oral way. My guiding question has been ‘what is the importance of storytelling?’ which has been a very easy guide as it is very clear that there is a lot of importance within storytelling. I have had the opportunity to interview some highly skilful storytellers and learn about their experience and the art of this incredibly ancient and powerful craft. I feel honoured to have this opportunity and as I am also becoming more and more acquainted with the craft, I can learn so much from them. I am also finding different points of research online and allowing my own musings to create webs of new understandings.
On Sunday the 10th of May I hosted a night of sharing stories, poems and pieces of writing. When I think back deep oranges, reds and yellows come to mind with laughter and deep listening. I wanted to make sure it was cosy and safe for us to journey with our imagination, making the audience seated in a comfortable hug size, with warm lighting and blankets. There were so many beautiful tales from different parts of the world and some really open and powerful writings and poems. Isa, our beloved local storyteller who lives down the road also came and shared a story bringing intergenerational wisdom. The magic stayed even after the last story was told and people stayed close and began to chat to their neighbours. There was a real feeling of connection and togetherness.
I have also been collaborating with Lilliahna and Pho in creating a shadow puppet show that I will tell a story alongside. It has been really fun to incorporate some creativity into my initiative and to work with two very artistic and lovely people. It is a fun experiment in many ways, as none of us have done a puppet show before, but I am really excited to see how it turns out. The story will be shown on Tuesday evening of the presentation week.
It has been such a joy to have been given this space and designated time to do something we (yippies) are interested in and enjoy. The Hive has become a space of focus and you can find yippies spotted around with heads down or moving bodies all focusing and creating something different and unique to them.
Written by Maia Holloway-Stephens
What is Beyond Words?
Personal Initiative
I started this journey of the personal Initiative with a strong feeling of intellectual over saturation. It was shaped by being several months studying the mind in a Buddhist monastery in Nepal. I came more and more to the conclusion that all these concepts and rules that exist in the world have limits when it comes to reality.
So What is Real?
What is beyond words?
This question came to the surface of my mind while sitting in silence in a Zen-meditation retreat last autumn. ‘What is beyond words?’ encompasses many questions that drives me and so it became my guiding question for this project. This question called me for an exploration of myself and the world beyond intellectual concepts and understandings.
Through an inner process of finding freedom in becoming and will to be happy and accompanied by memories and dreams I went on a journey through my emotional landscapes. I reflected on inner processes through drawing and writing in my diary. At some point I noticed a transition from being stuck in words to freeing myself in and through them.
As an essential part of my personal Initiative I created a Performance together with other Yippies. This performance plays with words and silence, stuckness and flow, despair and hope. In the performance are elements of Eurythmy and contact improvisation, which both were important sources of inspiration. It was an amazing and also turbulent process to build up a structure while also trusting the power of intuition. More and more people got involved and only one day before the performance everything came together as a whole. But all the nerve-stretching in the days before was worth it for the huge feeling of joy that comes when all these fragments start to make sense.
My personal Initiative allowed me to focus on what my needs are and through movement I found different ways of exploring reality.
Written by Milena Beismann
What is Visible Becomes What is Possible: Digging and Imagining Beyond
Personal Initiative
Photos and Writing by Rosie Froome
Reflections on Personal Initiative Presentation Week
Monday morning arrived crackling with anticipation. At breakfast, we huddled around tables, working out who was presenting that day, trading nervous grins and warm hugs across our little bowls of porridge and cereal.
Then, together, we made our way up to the White House, with gorgeous windows overlooking the Fjärd. The room was wonderfully prepared: A lovely bouquet of branches and flowers made the stage look more welcoming than intimidating. Chairs were in neat rows, water poured for the speakers, and the tech set up. And everyone gathered, eagerly waiting for the presentations to begin.
As the first contributor got up, excitement rose in the room and we eagerly listened and asked questions for the next 45 minutes. Over the week we fell into a rhythm, around 7 presentations per day, an evening program consisting of exhibitions, plays, and films, and many hugs, tears, and laughter accompanied us.
As we, one by one, shared intimate perspectives into our personal lives and interests, the week slowly transformed our understanding of each other. Suddenly the projects we had been talking about for a year had come to life. They had formed, transformed, and finally found shape.
Nonetheless it was an intense week. Sitting, listening, and trying your best to be present as each one of us braved the intimidating stage, became more and more difficult. It took an active commitment of each of us, to show up and support each other. I’d like to congratulate and thank everyone who came, and shared this commitment. It reminds me of an important YIP ethos: The way you show up, and not show up, has an impact on the group. Only together were we able to create an atmosphere of safety and holding.
Presentations ranged from topics as broad as can be. A website, personal reflections, a garden shed for future generations, and lots of creativity and art enriched the room. I left the week with a feeling of inspiration, a multitude of new perspectives, questions, and impulses. Presenting itself felt significantly less daunting than I thought it would. After having listened to around half of the presentations, it was finally my time to make it onto the stage.
Beforehand, I had memories of rigid school presentations, perfectly conforming to a grade scheme. But presenting my personal initiative felt like I was sharing a topic about which I feel passionate with my friends. In many ways, this project was an invitation to discover what my potential looks like in a space entirely free of expectations.
In place of nervosity came this weird excitement: What if presenting is actually amazing? An opportunity to start discourse, to share what I had worked on and a moment where we all come together to attentively listen to each other.
One of the intentions, with which I leave this week, is to hold this energy of safety and excitement for all future public speaking I will do. I saw again that confronting fears in a nonjudgmental context is one of the scariest, best, and most exciting steps I am able to take at YIP.
Once again, and in closing, I would like to express my gratitude for all those, who made this possible, but very much so for Annie, Reinoud, and the organising team, as well as the Yippies who shared, held, and made this space come alive!
Written by Maria
Workshops hosted by YIP18:
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
and Acceptance and Commitment
Therapy (ACT)
Over two sessions, we explored how to navigate inner conflicts and difficult emotions using two complementary approaches: IFS and ACT.
First workshop: Facing a dilemma
Participants worked with a personal dilemma through three steps. First, in the Thinking phase, we gained an overview of what the dilemma entailed. Next came the Feeling phase: a transformational meditation where we accessed the two inner “poles” around the dilemma, understood why each existed, and finally invited them to speak to each other to find common ground. In the Willing phase, we explored our values and set clear, achievable goals – enabling repeated, value-aligned actions and more conscious decision-making.
Second workshop: Principles of IFS and ACT
With IFS, participants identified different inner parts (feelings or beliefs) through reflection prompts and a guided meditation. We entered a dialogue with a particular part, asking why it sometimes wanted to take over, what it feared would happen if it stopped, and whether it would be willing to build a trusting relationship with their Self – the ever-present, calm, curious, and courageous core within.
With ACT, we explored its six principles and practiced a grounding technique to make space for feelings. We focused especially on expansion: creating softness and room around an emotion, neither fighting it nor dwelling in it, but letting it change simply by being observed.
These methods have helped me understand myself, foster self-compassion, and take value-aligned action. I wanted to create spaces where we could learn to create a warm distance between our Self and our experiences – so we can feel through them and make conscious decisions in the direction we truly want.
Both sessions were beautiful. People truly dove into their inner worlds. The second workshop brought up heavy emotions, but participants carried each other in a subtle way – by offering space, silence, and deep listening.
Written by Moira Bauwens
Biography Work
Inspired by Biography Week, I returned to the question: “How to understand one’s life?”. During Personal Initiative Week, I explored this question through an interwoven process between reflecting on my own biography and engaging in biography work with others.
I hosted three biography workshops. One workshop was with three participants who had missed Biography Work Week. We worked with three of its themes: Early Childhood (0–7), the “I” Awakening period around age 9/10, and an “I” moment, revisiting and sharing our personal life stories. Another workshop with two participants focused on creating biographical charts, mapping key events from birth to the present. Through this, we explored our life stories and looked for underlying patterns, themes, and rhythms. I also hosted a one-on-one session, where we used a biography work perspective to explore a personally meaningful themes.
Each session generally followed a three-part structure. First, I introduced the background of the theme and its relevance within biography work, guiding participants into the theme and setting an intention. We then moved into the sharing phase, where each participant reflected on their story within a given time frame, while the others practiced attentive listening. At the end, we took a moment to settle the experience and ourselves, consciously returning to the present moment. This was followed by a short reflection and sharing of the thoughts and feelings that emerged during the session.
Before the sessions, I was nervous and unsure whether I could hold space for others. Yet once the sharing began, something shifted. I found myself fully present, deeply engaged, and continually moved by the richness of people’s stories.
One of the highlights came on a day when I had two sessions in the afternoon. The day before, I had jokingly told my ‘angel buddy’ (a peer mentor) that I thought I was going to die the next day. However, after finishing both sessions, I remember thinking from the bottom of my heart: “This is a great day. I didn’t know it was possible to spend a day like this. I would love to have more days like this in my life.”
What surprised me most was not only what I learned about biography work, but also how alive I felt while doing it. Listening to people’s stories, holding space for reflection, and witnessing moments of recognition brought me a deep sense of meaning and presence. Even though I did not resolve the question that inspired this project, it made the question richer, more alive, and more meaningful to continue carrying.
Written by Yii-Ann (Sky) Lay
Laundry Choir
Laundry Choir began last September, hosted by one of our volunteers – the wonderful Sarah. In deciding where a group of us could sing together, we were enticed by the warmth and cosiness of the laundry house on a Wednesday night (one of our washing days), and thus it was christened!
While in India there were a few different iterations of the choir as we navigated new spaces and singing without our original choir master, but now we are back home once more enjoying our familiar laundry house.
Singing has been an important part of my life for a long time, and it has been wonderful to have it so present in my time at YIP. Not only have we come together as a community for morning singing, but we have woven harmonies of lilting lullabies and crunchy cadences to the whirring of the washing machines, often with quizzical expressions and always with some strange eruptions of noise to warm our vocal chords before we get to the good stuff (although this is really the best bit)!
It’s been really good for me to sometimes step into teaching songs and conducting more recently, experiencing group singing from a different perspective and sharing songs that I’ve known and love.
I’m so glad laundry choir has continued to be a part of this experience, and will treasure many of the memories and melodies we’ve made together!
Written by Rowan McLellan
Alumni Update: Move for Hope
One Year Later: Reflections on YIP and the Growth of Move for Hope
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out.” — Václav Havel
My name is Lucia, I am 21 years old, and I come from Germany. It has been almost a year since my YIP year ended, and so much has happened since then. I have done several internships and worked various jobs, but many of my adventures were shaped by my time in YIP and the friends I made there. A great example was the hiking trip to Santiago de Compostela that Clara and I took in March. It was such a nice experience and we had a really good time together. In nine days we walked 200 km and I can just recommend it to everyone.
YIP helped me open my eyes to the world and to myself. I feel I learned a lot, even though it is still hard for me to put it all into words. During my YIP year and especially during the personal initiative time I started the project called “Move for Hope”. It is a two-week sponsored bike tour from Freiburg to Taizé. After a great success last summer, we are doing it again this year from August 9th to August 23rd, 2026. We live in a world where it can feel hard not to lose hope, so Move for Hope is here to inspire people to dream big and show what we can do when we work together. So far, 25 people have signed up. In the first week, we cycle 400 km, and the second week we spend in Taizé.
The goal is simple: meet young people, have a good time, and take action against world hunger. Most importantly, through exchanging ideas and experiences with other young people, you get to know yourself and your own goals better. During the tour, we aim to collect €7,000 for our partner school in Zambia. This summer marks the second time the event takes place. I am no longer organizing it alone; friends are helping me now, which allows the project to grow. If you are interested or know anyone who might be, please check our website or reach out to me ([email protected]). Everyone between 18 and 35 years old is welcome to join. So if you are still free in summer you are very welcome. I am very excited to see how it turns out this year.
If you want to learn more,
here is our website:
For behind-the-scenes impressions:
It is so important never to lose hope, and in this project, I really feel how much we can achieve together. It gives me the strength to keep going. YIP gave me the space and time to start organizing this project. I love the thought that YIP planted the seed of Move for Hope, and now it is growing and hopefully bearing fruit for a long time.
Photos and Writing by Lucia Hoefer
YIP19 2026/27 Outpost Update
We’re Going to China!
For the YIP19 2026-2027 curriculum, we are pleased to announce that we will be spending the outpost in China.
While we continue to explore the possibility of remaining in Sweden for the entire duration of the program, the International Outpost remains our current solution for ensuring accessibility to participants outside Europe. We continue to hold the complexity of our commitment to bring a high quality, inspiring and relevant program that meets the needs of our time, as well as our concern for what is ethically appropriate, reckoning with the implications of our choice to fly to a far away context and being awake to the privileges inherent in crossing borders. We are very grateful for the sincere invitation from our collaborators in China.
Having visited both initiatives, we feel a strong alignment in our mutual strivings and are confident this partnership will foster a meaningful, reciprocal exchange.
We intend to spend the time in two locations exploring the Chinese culture and wishing to explore a fruitful dialog of eastern and western cultures and traditions.
For the first period, we will be visiting Wudang Mountain
A place marked by inner development and achievements. The history of the Wudang Mountain is deeply connected to Daoism, imperial Chinese culture, martial arts, and religious architecture. Located in northwestern Hubei Province, the mountain range represents one of the most important sacred centers in China.
Being considered of spiritual significant as early as the Tang dynasty (618–907). Daoist hermits and monks settled in its secluded peaks, forests, and caves, which were seen as ideal places for meditation and cultivating harmony with nature.
Over the ages Wudang developed to be a major center of Daoism. Temples and monasteries were gradually built across the mountains, dedicated especially to the deity Zhenwu (the Perfected Warrior), a powerful protector figure in Daoist belief.
The mountains are famous for “internal” martial arts traditions, especially Tai Chi and Wudang kung fu.
As portrait by the needle grinding lady, the mountain and its traditions invite the enablement of us as humans in order to become attuned instruments for the balancing of Ying and Yang and well as other opposites like heaven and earth, female and male.
We look forwards to the philosophy, culture and rigorous physical practices we hope to engage with in this period.
For the second period, we will relocate to the city of Xi’An.
A place marked by the mingling of ancient tradition and high-tech modern culture and development.
In contrast to the sparsely inhabited mountains, Xi’An counts over 13 million inhabitants and is a bustling centre of human activity. It is one of China’s oldest and most historically important cities. Located in central China, it served as the capital for multiple dynasties and was a major political, cultural, and economic center for more than a thousand years.
During the Han and Tang dynasties, Chang’an became the eastern starting point of the Silk Road. Merchants, diplomats, scholars, and travelers connected China with Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
The city became one of the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan urban centers. Foreign religions and cultures—including Buddhism, Islam, Nestorian Christianity, and Zoroastrianism—reached China through Xi’an.
The city was carefully planned with broad avenues, markets, palaces, and residential districts. and an impressive city wall. Poetry, art, trade, and scholarship flourished, making Chang’an a global center of culture and learning.
We will be staying on the outskirts of Xi’An and look forwards to continue our learning and understanding. We keep exploring the traditional culture, but also have a closer look at the modern developments and achievements in culture and technology.
In both places we hope to be joined by a group of local Chinese youth who will join the program for these time periods.
Applications for YIP19 have been extended! If you are interested in joining us for this adventure or know of someone who would, we look forward to hearing from you!
Warmly,
YIP Organising Team
