Today was a day full of discoveries, both in terms of studying this year’s chosen topics and exploring a lifestyle completely different from the one we are used to at home in Romania.
First of all, the geography of Stockholm is truly special, as it is a city that forms part of an impressive archipelago of islands and islets numbering close to 30,000. Furthermore, even though we are in the capital of Sweden, today we had the opportunity to see how connected these people are to nature, how much they care for and treasure it, but most importantly: how easily they connect to it even while living in a large city.
How did we discover this? Well, today we met Marianne Gothlin, who is renowned for her work in implementing the principles developed by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg into education as a certified Nonviolent Communication (NVC) trainer. In addition to the wealth of courses and supporting materials she has created, Marianne is also the founder of a school established precisely on these principles and her desire to create a space where children genuinely want to learn and can communicate openly with each other and their teachers, leading to a harmonious environment ideal for learning. She was one of the major inspirations behind the founding of our own school, and she currently continues to teach NVC courses throughout Europe, serving as a valuable support for our community as well.
Today, however, we had the chance to get to know Marianne not just as the educational pioneer she is, but also as the person behind it all. She invited us to her holiday home in Stockholm, which is actually located in a wooded area, surrounded by water—secluded, extremely peaceful, and beautiful. She explained to us how many of those who live and work in the center of Stockholm own a second home on the outskirts of the city, since this natural area is part of the capital and can be very conveniently accessed by public transportation. Although she called it a holiday home, many people choose to stay there much more often and visit whenever they need a break from city life, frequently choosing to spend their weekends on a boat or in the middle of the forest, just as we did today.
Aside from connecting with nature and the delicious lunch we cooked together, we had the chance to ask Marianne questions about the educational system and how things are prioritized in Swedish education. What impressed us most was the care for nature and the skills that are developed in school from an early age—skills such as chopping wood and safely starting a campfire in the forest. She explained to us that generally, by the age of nine, every child has experienced sleeping in a tent in the forest with their friends, without their parents. She told us how this connection with nature is so deeply rooted in their lifestyle, and how the awareness that everything we need to live comes from nature actually fosters a mindset where the very thought of destroying these natural spaces simply does not exist.
Furthermore, Marianne prepared a very special activity for us: as young people who are still discovering themselves, she asked for our help with a project she is working on—namely, creating supporting materials for practicing NVC in schools. Their future goal is to accurately reflect the needs of those our age and younger, so Marianne asked us for feedback on a list of words she thought would be appropriate. She encouraged us to make as many observations, additions, or even deletions as we wanted whenever we felt that something on there did not resonate with our inner world at all. It was a very pleasant moment where we all felt seen and heard. Even though we had scattered across the space to reflect on our own or in smaller groups, we felt that our voices mattered and that maybe one day others would feel just as understood thanks to these materials.
Another beautiful part of the day was the boat ride. At Marianne’s warmest recommendation, we all went for a boat ride—which they even use as a regular means of transportation—and admired the surroundings, continuing to marvel at the fact that we hadn’t actually left Sweden’s capital to get there.
After the boat ride, we said goodbye to Marianne, thanking her for the day’s experiences, and headed to a little spot found by our teacher, perfect for our daily reflection. This is the moment when we all sit in a circle and discuss what we saw today, what impressed us, what we could do to improve the group’s experience, as well as various organizational details and the schedule for tomorrow.