What makes you cry, die, or fly? What does it mean to be yourself? These are some of the questions that the students of Knowmads Autumn School will focus on from October 29 to November 2 in Spain. During one week, people coming from all over the world will follow the program that aims to initiate and guide participants on a journey inside themselves, as well as through sharing in groups. To discover who they are, what they really want and understand how to transform all this into a work and life project.
Knowmads is in fact an unconventional Business School that aims to support and train changemakers, people who feel the desire to generate change and improve the world they live in, through their ideas and starting from their own creativity. In addition to the most popular topics such as project design, business design, marketing & sales, there are many other less traditional topics: from personal leadership, finding one’s strengths and understanding how to shine, non-violent communication, developing one’s desires in a constructive way, brainstorming and creativity, bringing together ideas and co-creating projects in teams or individually, to group dynamics, encouraging meaningful conversations on complex challenges.
The duration of the school is six months, but every spring, summer and fall Knowmads organizes an in-depth week that is a summary of the larger program. We asked Anna, a former product marketing manager who is now in transition, to tell us about her experience at the summer school which was held in July in Amsterdam.
What did you like in general?
“The whole week’s process is what impressed me the most. I went in there with some goals and I came out a lot calmer, with the feeling that I can just be who I am feeling, I can accept myself and be accepted for who I am, and I can be more open to people.”
What happened during the week?
“I got more in touch with myself and felt like I don’t have to force things, because everything develops naturally and happens when it’s supposed to happen. I feel calmer and more centered. I’m in the middle of the process and I just have to go along with it.”
An exercise that stood out to you?
“One of the most interesting activities was in groups. We had to go out on the street and exchange some objects with people we met. It was an exercise that taught me that you have to have an open mind, that it’s easy to connect with people and have fun doing whille doing it too. And people are also willing to help if you approach them with positive intentions. It was a great example of how you can learn through concrete actions in the field. A way to find out how we behave in certain situations and how we act as members of a group.”
What makes the difference at Knowmads?
“The whole practical part makes a difference. In Knowmads they support you to figure out who you are, to be more connected to the context you’re in, to what’s around you. They don’t fill you with notions, or take information from the outside trying to get you to fit the system, but they provide a method to learn how to be more authentic.”
