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FROM THE PERSONAL TO THE COLLECTIVE

15 July 2016

CEAL Blogpost of Izaskun – participant of the CEAL-program in Portugalete, Basque Country

During the second day of the Oasis game, held in the old indoor market of Portugalete, Basque Country, we went outside looking for dreams and talents that could contribute to our project. In the Oasis Game this phase is known as the Appreciative Gaze.

We went into bars and shops to talk to people as well as with others simply walking down the street. You can feel the nerves and excitement in the group as we emerge from our comfort zone and go face to face with our greatest challenge: to start a conversation, listen to people and invite them to take action.

On the day of The Celebration (another phase of the game), we did a similar exercise in which we had to leave our circle of participants in order to invite more people to the event. I went with two other project members and walked with the spirit of the Carnival through the streets of Portugalete, which is my hometown.

I felt my embarrassment disappear bit by bit, it actually disappeared so much that I ended up the evening singing and dancing. The happiness and vitality of my team dragged me into the perfect personal space where I can reach people with a big a smile.

I never would have imagined myself enjoying a situation in which I was dressed up and had to talk to strangers trying to convey them to something that, for the moment, was only a fantasy.

I understood that if I did not let myself go, I was not going to be able to touch and attract others to our dream and if I had being able to join, other people would join too.

My dream for the market is that it can become a tool of transformation, which can generate a change in our neighborhood to promote a sense of belonging in the community. If changes occur from the local to the global, we must start from the personal to be able to get to the collective.

 

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Izaskun during the CEAL-gathering in Utrecht, Netherlands

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ommunity and participants gathering in ‘merkatu’

This Blogpost is written by one of the partners of the CEAL-network. CEAL is supported by the Erasmusplus program (find out more here). Want to find out more about the initiatives, CEAL-programs and how we host Community-based Entrepreneurship Action-Learning programs? Come to the CEAL-festival in Brussels on September 3rd and 4th. Find out more on the CEAL-festivalpage