It was always Ibrahim Abouleish’s wish to pass on knowledge and experience to others, to let them try out themselves and even improve it. In this spirit SEKEM started the SEKEMsophia Symposium for the first time last November. Seeing the results, it became clear that this was only the beginning. Taking along all what’s learned at the first Symposium and working on the feedback received, SEKEMsophia Symposium on its second edition was organized from 3 – 7 March.
“Not knowing what it means or what to expect, I came hoping to be inspired, and I was… I feel revived!” says Reem, one of the Egyptian participants. The attendees coming from different countries and backgrounds, got together to learn what they could take along to make their community better and also what to leave and how to contribute to the future development of the SEKEM community.
“I feel revived!”
The five days program, each for one of the four dimensions of sustainability (ecology, economy, society and culture), and the fifth day to get introduced to different projects, were led by students and interns. Although it had been an intense time, it was not nearly enough to get in depth into the philosophy behind SEKEM. But perhaps it was enough to plant a seed in each of the participants that inspires them to change and improve their small world and community and help it constantly grow. “The symposium is a good way to connect and spread the SEKEM vision within Egypt and abroad,” says Maximilian Abouleish-Boes, SEKEM co-worker, who coordinated the Symposium.
Finding questions
Perhaps the participants came in looking for answers – and it is quite sure they got some – but they definitely left with more questions, and that is even more important. Only through the attempts to find answers, hence through questions, we can all develop sustainably – this is a firm SEKEM belief.
SEKEM is already looking forward to the third Symposium, to exchange experience and knowledge and to provoke questions.
Nadine Greiss
First SEKEMsophia Symposium
SEKEMsophia – Circles Instead of Trees