From January to October 2024, 12 teachers and school administrators from primary schools across Iceland participated in a pilot course titled Life Worth Living: Caring for our Educators and Principals. We met four participants at a café in downtown Reykjavik recently and learned about their experiences with the course and how it had impacted both their…

The Iceland LIFE: Caring for Our Educators and Principals multiplier event was a transformative experience for the 45 staff members who gathered at Álftanesskóli.The event opened with chair yoga, setting the stage for an atmosphere of mindfulness and openness. María Gylfadóttir (NORTH Consulting) and Ólafur Páll (University of Iceland), described the LIFE project, it’s unique…

Our Bulgarian partner NMS recently hosted two impactful multiplier events under the LIFE Project, highlighting the program’s success and inspiring new participants to join this journey of personal and professional growth.The first event took place on November 23, 2024, at Social Innovators Bulgaria in Sofia. Facilitated by Lachezar Afrikanov, the event marked the closing of…

In a world where education extends beyond the classroom, the LIFE program has provided a profound and transformative journey for educators and principals from five different countries—Iceland, Bulgaria, Italy, Belgium, and Greece. Over the past nine months, participants have engaged deeply within their national cohorts, building a strong sense of community, engaging in deep reflection,…

The Life Worth Living (LWL) programme offers a deeply personal journey for each participant, and for some, it’s a challenge to capture that experience in words. One of our participants, Eli, shared a beautiful testimonial that reflects the transformation she underwent during the programme.Eli begins by recalling a collage she created during the COVID-19 isolation…

My name is Radostina, and I decided to join the Life Worth Living (LWL) programme to learn how to speak more openly about myself, to break free from the fear of sharing, and to embrace myself as I am. I believe that God is the one who changes us, and nothing happens by chance. This…

 Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better!Samuel BeckettThe two weekend retreats held in Greece (February 3-4 and April 27-28, 2024) despite all the inevitable limitations (some of which self-imposed) demonstrated that reflection contributes to self-improvement, especially when certain conditions are met. These conditions include adopting a meaningful system of values…

On April 2nd, 2024, participants from Greece engaged in a profound online meeting as part of their ongoing journey with the Life Worth Living project. This 90-minute session focused on the transformative role of faith and hope in overcoming life’s challenges, guided by both personal reflection and interactive group discussions. Here, we delve into the…

From July 6th to 8th, 2024, the beautiful mountain town of Bansko hosted the second LIFE project retreat, bringing together Bulgarian teachers and facilitators for a weekend of growth, connection, and creativity.The retreat offered a variety of meaningful activities, including forest walks, river cleansing rituals, silent conversations, and creative exercises. These experiences encouraged teachers to…

“If we want to grow as teachers — we must do something alien to academic culture: we must talk to each other about our inner lives — risky stuff in a profession that fears the personal and seeks safety in the technical, the distant, the abstract.” ― Parker J. Palmer  Eleven months ago, 15 experienced facilitators…

Walking into the National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjavik, the Icelandic LIFE participants, sat on foldable stools facing a painting. This time the texts would offer no written language, no letters on a page. Instead, the text the participants were “reading” was visual art.  Through an engagement with art participants expanded their thinking on any…

In 2024, 11 Flemish teachers and school directors take part in the European LIFE project. They start a search for the meaning of their personal and professional lives and reflect on important life questions. But how does such a journey effect a person? And does LIFE also have an impact on their job? We asked Leen Langenbick, principal of Torhout…

Nele Verdonck is pupils’ coordinator of the Flemish secondary school Dalthonatheneum Het Leerlabo. Together with her principal Hilde Raets, she participates in the LIFE project. «Over the past few years, Hilde and I have focused on more connection within the school team and more room for authenticity. That was an intense journey. So the LIFE…

The Life Worth Living project has had its meaningful impact also in Italy, and specifically in Sicily where the CSC Danilo Dolci operates, being it one of the organizations that is part of this thrilling path of discovery of the approach of the project.Indeed, in the green countryside of Palermo, Sicily, twelve chosen educators and…

When the Life: Caring for our Educators and Principals project was approved and, as a project manager of the CSC Danilo Dolci –  one of the partner organizations- it was placed in my hands, I had no idea that it would be a life changing experience both on a personal and professional level.The topic was…

The Life Worth Living Platform (LIFE Platform) is designed to enhance the well-being of educators and trainers by providing a supportive space for self-discovery and professional growth.This platform transcends traditional e-learning paradigms by combining the exploration of profound life questions with the development of modern teaching skills, thus creating a holistic growth experience. At its…

LIFE: Caring for our Educators and Principals is more than just a course—it’s a transformative journey that invites educators and principals to explore life’s most profound questions and discover their own path as they determine what is the shape of a flourishing life. Through a diverse range of resources tailored to different languages and cultures,…

The Life Worth Living programme offers a deep learning journey for all us, facilitators and participants. It brings a lot of deep questions and provides space for deep answers.Teachers and school leaders from Bulgaria, Greece, Iceland, Italy and Belgium have the opportunity to engage in a heartfelt exploration of their own meaning of a life…

After three weeks away, first in Athens and then in Palermo for a partner meeting, I was finally back home. Those were wonderful three weeks, but as the saying goes: There is no place like home. While waiting to be picked up at the airport, I went outside to feel the cold wind on my…

The Life Worth Living journey continues with teachers and professionals in Europe, to be more exact in Iceland, Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy and Greece. The first retreats have already been held in the different countries and this coming week (February 22nd and 23rd) the project partners will meet in Palermo to compare their experiences and learn…

We are very excited and happy to announce the official start of the program «Life Worth living» (LWL) in Bulgaria!  After a serious and very competitive selection, we selected our first group of LWL ambassadors from 50 teachers and school leaders.    In December and January we had our first two online sessions to get first glimpses…

Two weeks ago, on the first days of February, I was driving across Iceland, taking an alternative route from Reykjavik to the north, since the main road was closed due to whether. I looked forward to the retreat, and although I have long experience as a teacher, I was far from confident in what would…

Principals and educators from Iceland, Bulgaria, Italy, Belgium and Greece were invited to apply to take part in the LIFE journey. This journey invites participants to explore and analyze for themselves what makes a life worth living within a live-giving learning community. By mid-January all calls were closed and a total of 187 principals and…

In launching the work of LIFE: Caring for Our Educators and Principals, the partnership engaged two external experts to craft, design, plan for and run the facilitator training that was held in Bulgaria, September 2023. Fifteen facilitators from Bulgaria, Greece, Iceland, Italy and Belgium had the privilege of being trained by Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell…

What is a Life Worth Living and how do we want to embrace the topics and open questions of the brand-new project LIFE as partner organizations?  On the 4th of September, coordinated by North Consulting (IS), representatives from University of Iceland (IS), CSC Danilo Dolci (IT), National Management School (BG), Djapo (BL), Blue Room Innovation (SP)…

From September 5 to September 8 in the charming town of Bansko, Bulgaria, as held the first Learning, Teaching, Training Activity unfolded, immersing participants in a journey of self-discovery, intellectual exploration, and profound discussions. This unique educational event was structured around a series of fundamental questions that encouraged reflection, debate, and personal growth. Over the…