Education as a Path of Transformation in the New Earth Light-Community
In these last few years, the Nova Terra Light-Community , affiliated with the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Federation (FIHF) , has increased its support for the technical and university education of young people. In different areas, formal teaching is understood as part of the path to maturity, responsibility and the contribution to group life.
Study is understood to be one of the ways of service, and the lessons learned outside of the Light-Community come back, in different ways, to everyday life and tasks.
Psychology, Visual Arts, Veterinary Medicine, Physiotherapy, Physical Education, Nursing, Integrative Therapies, among other areas. Each choice includes listening, presence and encouragement. Support ranges from flexibility of study schedules, the availability of the House of Service in Teresópolis for housing, support with supplies, the creation of an environment that stimulates persistence and self-confidence, and even spiritual mentoring.
“For a time I was without a computer, studying in the middle of chaos, without a structure. Afterwards, with the help of the Light-Community , I managed to find an appropriate space, my own equipment… Everything changed,” Clarissa, a student of Visual Arts, tells us.
The House of Service in the city became a place for taking in the students of the Light-Community who studied outside of it. It functions as a logistics and emotional support. “It’s very complicated for you to study, work, and still have to find a house, right?”, points out Galileia, a mother of the young people and coordinator of the Light-Community. “To have that support makes all the difference”, highlights Agnes, who is studying Psychology.
The Light-Community also understands that each education track is also a path to self-knowledge. For this reason, it respects individual rhythms, follows processes, and is present at times of doubt or challenge. “There was a moment when I thought about stopping. But colleagues, and brothers and sisters of the Light-Community helped me to see the possibilities present in the course. Today, in the Visual Arts college, I recognize a way of expressing myself, I rediscovered my language through photography and design,” Clarissa tells us.
From Academic Knowledge to Community Life: A Two-way Path for Transformation
Among the young people who follow the academic life, the recurring story is that life in the Light-Community already offered a silent preparation – a solid foundation for the challenges of the university and life in the city. “The Light-Community teaches us to be aware of ourselves, to adapt. Coexistence with different people, with different personalities, empowered me to go into Psychology,” says Agnes, who splits her days with theoretical studies, internship in the city, and doing service with the children of the Light-Community on weekends. “I bring what I learn in the university to group life and take what I learn here over there.”
For her, theater and dance are important tools for listening, healing, and self-expression. “I teach a class for children that, like me, were adopted. Some are still discovering who they are. I use art to help them name what they feel, to perceive themselves. That is my focus: uniting art with psychology as a form of care.”
“The course I’m taking is Veterinary Medicine, to have a better collaboration with the work we have in taking in animals. The Light-Community gave me a hand and the support necessary for me to go into this school. Everything I am learning is already being useful today and will continue to be so in the future,” Solana says.
“In my life, this course is an achievement, you know? It is like a very important achievement. For me, it means a new life. And for my brothers and sisters, I only want to serve as an example, so that they too, one day, are able to feel happy with what they are doing, wanting to find the same thing and feel that joy, that love inside of themselves,” adds Solana.
Many students have chosen technical courses in the area of health, such as Nursing, Auriculomedicine, Ayurvedic Medicine, and Physiotherapy, some enabled by the Light-Community itself. These trainings unite knowledge from traditional medicine with complementary therapeutic practices, which consider the whole human being – body, mind and spirit. Luz tells us that before entering the Light-Community, she studied Psychology in Colombia. “Afterwards, when already here, out of need, I studied Nursing Technician, with which I was able to contribute a great deal to the Light-Community, taking care of people who were in need, which I still continue to do.”
“Recently, I faced a delicate health situation, which I was able to overcome, and during that period I was introduced to the Ayurvedic Medicine course by a sister who lives here. Today, thanks to that recommendation, I am taking the course, which makes me very happy. During the entire training process and my treatment, the Light-Community fully supported me, with brothers and sisters and the coordination present through each stage, offering support and encouragement,” Luz tells us.
Without losing the essence
On entering the university environment, the young people of the Nova Terra Light-Community bring with them the history of a deep experience of values and practices. Many describe the positive impact of their presence among their colleagues. “They say I think differently, that I have a different shine… The Light-Community gives us a background that the world out there doesn’t have”, Agnes shares. The interest in the communal life style grows among the new friends, some of whom even visit Nova Terra. “They are delighted when they get to know the routines, the spirituality, the care of the animals,” Solana tells us.
The link with the Light-Community doesn’t break even when the students spend the week in the House of Service. On weekends, they return to offer what they know: they give classes, participate in the prayers, and meet the group again. “When I’m unable to eat, I’m not comfortable. The city overburdens me. The Light-Community is the place where I recover my strength to continue,” explains Agnes.
“In the college, they perceive that I think differently, that I have another vision. When I explain that I come from a Light-Community, they’re interested, ask questions, want to know about it. And when they visit, they’re delighted”, repeats Solana.
The Pedagogy of Care
All the stories were unanimous in highlighting the importance of the presence and support they receive from all of the Light-Community – collaborators, residents, and the coordination team. That accompaniment on the part of everybody can also be translated into a pedagogical care, affective and spiritual, which recognizes each person’s time and trusts in their processes.
Education in the Nova Terra Light-Community is an instrument of service: what is learned must be given back in the form of presence, welcoming, and transformation of the surroundings. It’s a pedagogy of care, of listening, and of collaboration.
On shaping their young people, Nova Terra is building the foundations of a new humanity. A humanity that learns to serve, grows to give of themselves, and transforms themselves to transform.
