ERASMUS+, Key action 1: training course
Dates: 1—12 December 2025
Venue: Sainte Eulalie en Royans, France
Czech team: 4 participants
Please read the info-pack.
Hosting organisation: La Rapugada
Project report:
A week ago, I came back home from an Erasmus+ project called Opening Up Desirable Futures – The Importance of Imagination and More-Than-Humans. It was a ten-day international training course that brought together people from Italy, the Czech Republic, Spain, Finland, Kazakhstan, Hungary, and of course France. The project invited its participants to reflect on the present and future of our society, showed us new creative ways to rebuild our relationship with nature and our surroundings, and taught us more about sustainable ways of living.
The course was joined by 17 participants, together with two facilitators and one amazing cook who took care of us and kept us well-fed and happy. Even though many of us had concerns about the vegetarian food, since the meals – apart from the cultural evenings – were fully vegetarian, in the end everyone was satisfied. Some of us even reconsidered our eating habits and decided to include more vegetarian meals in our daily diet.
For many participants – including myself – the project theme was not very clear at the beginning and sounded quite abstract. However, during the first few days we were gradually introduced to what the project title actually meant and what we would be focusing on – mainly how our society functions, how we can reconnect more deeply with nature, and how we can live in a more sustainable way.
Each day started with a ritual: everyone went to “their own” place in nature, where we spent time thinking, observing the surrounding environment, writing, drawing, or simply being present. This ritual helped us to learn how to slow down in today’s busy and fast world and how to be fully in the present moment – alone and undisturbed.
Then, each day we engaged in various creative activities – improvisation, writing, reading, dancing, group singing, and more. On the second-to-last day, we divided into groups, and each group worked on its own final project – an activity prepared for the others that resonated with the themes we had explored over the ten days. These included, for example, what we can learn from nature, what more-than-human means, how to value human relationships and human work, how to practice iterative and adaptive change and how to create change in society.
The project gave me a great deal of inspiration, knowledge, and motivation to start living in a more sustainable way, to be more present in the moment and less online, to engage more actively in civil society, and to move away from a consumerist lifestyle.
The beautiful surroundings and nature around us also gave us the opportunity to slow down during the stressful time before Christmas, which was very pleasant. I also celebrated my birthday there, so I am super grateful for the opportunity to celebrate it in such a beautiful, peaceful place and with 19 amazing people who made my birthday truly special.
Lucie P.
