# Blog Recrear


## Posts

- [Share your story, one last time](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/share-your-story-one-last-time/): I’m terrified my thoughts are going to run away with me so here is my attempt to catch everything in writing. Since I’ve been here I have forgotten that I’m still a student studying to attain a degree. But that’s just it, I’m not just a student. I never was, and neither are the students of An-Najah. They are individuals with real possibilities who are only now learning that there is no real cue for embracing your potential. These students are so appreciative of what we’re doing and have kindly appraised us but ultimately I look out at the crowd […]
- [Mia bel Mia](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/mia-bel-mia/): As I write, I am in a state of pure euphoria. The last session of Recrear-Apply! was today and I am SOO proud of all the work  that all of us did together. It is 1.00 am and the Recrear-Beta team is working on a final report after an amazing evening. Giving Mia bel Mia to this projects just feels right! – Gioel
- [Ideas in practice](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/ideas-in-practice/): The emotions that I experienced in the last two weeks have added another piece of heart to my mind. After a semester of intense studying and reading on “development”, getting on the ground and putting my ideas into practice is stimulating. In so many moments during this trip I had déjà vu of my courses at Cambridge University. The people I have talked to in Nablus should be all PhD students. Discussing their struggles and aspirations, they were encompassing in simple, straightforward words the concepts that I have been thinking of intensely. But they speak with a level clarity that […]
- [Jericho](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/jericho/): [slideshow]
- [Extra-Curricular Activities](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/extra-curricular-activities/): We have been emphasizing the importance of extra-curricular activities, especially for gaining practical experience in the field… here is a compilation of our extra-curricular activities this week at RecrearApply! total immersion with the help of some friends. Film at the Centre Culturel Francais Visit to Aseera Dinner at Mr. Mohammad’s house – KM [slideshow]
- [Loving the energy](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/loving-the-energy/): I had the honor of delivering a session on building your professional network for the students today. I can’t speak for the participants but I certainly saw myself feeding off the energy in the room. Much of what I had to say really only reinforced some of the knowledge they already have themselves. Their understanding of the concepts and the answers they had to share where both impressive and informative for myself. Again I am convinced that it is these motivated people that will find success In truth, this is my favorite type of audience. They take the material seriously […]
- [Wowza!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/wowza/): What a whirlwind few days! I am sitting in a session on project development right now and my mind is being blown. Yesterday, we challenged the students to create project proposals in  groups of 8-10 and to present them in front everyone during today’s session.  Some of these students have never presented in front of a large group of people, most have never presented in English. Wow. They are truly incredible.  We have seen presentations for groups aimed to help advise high school students on what degree to choose for university (there are no academic advisors for high school students […]
- [Press Release for UNO Video Conference](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/press-release-for-uno-video-conference/): For the second time in a week, students at the An-Najah National University were able to see into the lives of other students studying similar programs across the globe via a video conference with students from the University of New Orleans, Louisiana in the south of the United States. The session is just one of over a dozen that are being implemented over two weeks by Recrear, an international non-governmental organization based in Berlin, Germany that focuses on helping youth around the world. “We are here to inspire confidence in the youth of the world to carry out their own […]
- [Scholarships at Cambridge University](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/scholarships-at-cambridge-university/): Dear all, I hope you enjoyed today’s session and you are feeling prepared for tomorrow’s presentation. If you are interested in attending a program at the University of Cambridge (UK), here are some interesting scholarships you should consider applying for. To read about the scholarships available in Cambridge, plase visit: http://www.cambridgetrusts.org/scholarships/search/?country=123&submit=Search I would particularly draw your attention to the IDB Cambridge Scholarships for PhD, where a separate application should be made to the Islamic Development Bank, and the Said Foundation Cambridge Scholarships for one-year postgraduate study. Here is a list of other scholarships available in Cambridge that are specific for […]
- [Video Conference to Carleton University](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/video-conference-to-carleton-university/): Yesterday, An-Najah students participated in a videoconference with students from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. Recrear, an international non-governmental organization focused on helping youth around the world, implemented the session with 100+ students at the university. This was one session of a two weeks long training workshop, ‘RecrearApply!’. “It’s an incredible opportunity for the community here.  Although, it’s a simple idea to connect students in each country, it’s never happened here before, or for the students in Canada,” said Komal Minhas, one of the Recrear organizers. For forty-five minutes, the students from Canada asked questions about the barriers students in […]
- [a warm welcome](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/a-warm-welcome/): So my colleagues had told me to expect the vast number of students, the enthusiasm, the wonderful hospitality and to be impressed and blown away by everything I see and hear. Well, they were right. Moreover, following in the foot steps of my dear friend and co worker Q.M will be no easy task but I always love a good challenge 🙂 All I can say is that it feels like being in a room that is thriving with potential. What they have to offer is beyond measure and yet they are still discovering this themselves. At first this is […]
- [On My Happiness](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/on-my-happiness/): During my last visit, I remember leaving Palestine with a sense of deep happiness. I went back to my daily life with the comforting awareness of knowing there is another pocket of the world in which I can feel at home. My second visit is being equally powerful and engaging. I am taking some time to reflect on my experience during Recrear-Apply! while sitting in a lively coffee shop after a long day touring Jerusalem. We were given an incredible amount of information by a Palestinian tour-guide who took the time to walk for about 6 hours with us presenting […]
- [While we are away](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/while-we-are-away/): The Team may have been in Jerusalem for the day, but that hasn’t meant that we have stopped thinking about how to help the Al-Najah students as they prepare their resumes, cover letters, and INTERVIEW SKILLS!  Check out this link that was posted today on CNN.com as it reiterates a lot of what KM’s presentation mentioned yesterday on how to “be a shining star” during your interview. -KP CNN: Don’t Botch Your Interview CNN: 7 Things Not To Say In An Interview
- [The Substitution!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/the-substitution/): I’ve had a great time instructing the sessions at Al-Najah. I really would do this for a living; and maybe someday I will. But for now, my regular life calls me to London, and that is where you will be able to find me from tonight. I feel like I’ve had a largely positive impact and reception at the university. I don’t think that people were shy to ask me questions, even if they weren’t comfortable with the English language. It would have been great to stick around and develop my relationships with the students to an even greater extent. […]
- [A Moment to Reflect.](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/a-moment-to-reflect/): As I sit here in this relatively unremarkable hostel in the middle of the old city of Jerusalem, preparing to return to my regular life as a student in London, I’d like to take a moment to offer some circumspect opinions about my time at Al-Najah and the West Bank. I think that there is a lot of exceptionally good work going on at the university, the resources and facilities available are of a very high standard, and in any developing country, that is normally the most difficult thing to acquire. Similarly, I was struck by the motivation, intelligence and […]
- [A Short Trip to Jerusalem](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/a-short-trip-to-jerusalem-2/): As the entire Al-Najah student body cries over Q.’s departure, the Recrear- Apply! team is heading to Jerusalem for a night. Tomorrow, there will be no Recrear workshops…but do not worry; we will be back on Tuesday morning for another day full of exciting sessions. Get ready to become a first class blogger! Starting from Tuesday we will also be available for one-to-one sessions. See you soon! – GG
- [Rolling out the red carpet](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/rolling-out-the-red-carpet/): Finally, a moment to sit and reflect on the importance of our work here in Nablus. Life is grand here, in the purest sense of the word.  There is no talk of resistance, frustration, or retaliation; only progress.  The campus that has opened its doors wide to the Recrear team could actually be said to shadow the Universities we hail from.  Al-Najah is a golden beacon of white stone and marble in Palestine, leading the region to a strong position of education, communication and collaboration within their community.   With various public and private sponsorships; there are four campuses and over 20,000 students studying over 50 degree programs.   While we […]
- [Last day here!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/last-day-here/): So, today was the last day I’m going to be at Al-Najah with Recrear-Apply. I’ve had a fantastic time getting to know some of the students from this fine institution, all of whom have been excellent ambassadors for their community. I had the most fun taking the session on Culture Shock, where the participants had intriguing views on the role of secularism, freedom of religion and the Islamic perspective. As these are all issues that I hold a strong personal and academic interest in, I hope that I imparted as much insight as I gained. In addition, I found my […]
- [Post-Session Adrenaline](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/post-session-adrenaline/): Hey Everyone! I just finished a session about interview skills for applying to jobs in North America and Europe and it was incredible! The level of involvement from the students is so impressive and the comprehension of the expectations employers have during job interviews was right on. A big question that came up was, “what do I do if I feel too stressed during or before the interview”, my biggest piece of advice was to BREATHE!  The power of our breath is incredible, it can help calm our nerves and make still our mind.  Breathing can help make a very […]
- [A short trip to Jerusalem...](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/a-short-trip-to-jerusalem/): As the entire Al-Najah student body cries over Q.’s departure, the Recrear- Apply! team is heading to Jerusalem for a night. Tomorrow, there will be no Recrear workshops…but do not worry; we will be back on Tuesday morning for another day full of exciting sessions. Get ready to become a first class blogger! Starting from Tuesday we will also be available for one-to-one sessions. See you soon! -GG
- [For Participants of Recrear Apply!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/for-participants-of-recrear-apply/): Good morning everyone! If you look to the bottom of this page, you’ll notice a ‘box’ application.  This is where we have started to upload all the material from the conference itself.  Feel free to download whatever you need, and if we forget something, please let us know! Also, check out the posts below for our descriptions of our time together so far! We have had such a great time so far, and can’t wait to start our sessions for the day! – KM
- [What we do!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/what-we-do/)
- [Week One Comes to a Close](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/week-one-comes-to-a-close/): It’s hard to believe that after months of planning, the Recrear Apply! team is half-way through our project here in Palestine. When I arrived here, I was so unsure of what it would be like, what the university would look like and how the people here would react to us. I was beyond surprised to be met at the entrance of a multi-million dollar university facility, funded by many different organizations in the Middle East, including OPEC.  I was so happy to meet our main volunteers, Yazan and Ba’ha as well as our main faculty contact Mr. Mohammad.  People who […]
- [Gioel making presentations in the office](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/gioel-making-presentations-in-the-office/)
- [Welcome to Palestine](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/welcome-to-palestine/)
- [RecrearApply! Getting Started Grand Style!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-apply-getting-started-grand-style/): I am sitting in the back of a room with about 200 students; 48 hours have already flown away. Recrear-Apply! has started full speed and we are already in our 5th session. Nablus and al-Najah University have welcomed us in grand style. We are delivering our workshop in the Al-Najah new campus: an impressive structure in a city with a magic atmosphere. We are working with a team of very well organized staff and students. Yazan, our local coordinator, has done a great job in catalyzing resources to make this workshop run smoothly. KP kicked off our workshop on Tuesday, […]
- [RecrearApply! Starting Tomorrow in Nablus](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-apply-starting-tomorrow-in-nablus/): Recrear- Apply! Will start tomorrow, January 4th, 2011 in Nablus, Palestine. The workshop will be hosted at al-Najah university and will be delivered to about 300 students. Follow the workshop on this blog! We look forward to your feedback! – GG
- [Recrear's New Logo!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrears-new-logo/): Hello Readers, Allow me to introduce myself, I am Ashley Dara Dotz. First time blogger, long time participant of Recrear. At least it feels that way sometimes. It’s hard to believe that Recrear.beta was only three weeks in length, let alone that is over already. Since August 3rd so many things have happened; amazing workshops, fabulous connections, a lifetime of learning, and lifelong friendships have been solidified. Some moments seemed to have moved as molasses whilst working away in the wee hours of the night and others flown by as lightning, such as the whole three weeks we all lived, […]
- [Recrear](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear/): By Suhani Jain Well, Recrear Beta is over. But this marks the beginning of Recrear.  After a very gruelling three weeks, Recrear is born! It’s a whirlwind of a journey so far, and I’m looking forward to more and more exciting projects in the future. We are currently working on developing our various teams and defining specific goals, but are officially OPEN to any new projects out there. So if there’s anything you’d like to see us do, please do contact us at our website This is going to be great, guys.
- [Recrear.beta: the last week (part I)](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-beta-the-last-week-part-i/): Recrear.beta is officially over. With an average of three hours of sleep per night in the last four days, I am sitting at a Cafe trying unsuccessfully to connect to the internet. The last week has been extremely dense for me and it is hard to tell its story. Every day had an introduction, moments of reflection and climaxes; I would not have understood the lessons I learned on Tuesday without having experienced Monday fully. A week later I am still struggling to process and trace back my emotions. What I do know, is that today something inside of me […]
- [Kevin says hi :)](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/kevin-says-hi/): My time here in Berlin is quickly coming to a close. I have been here almost two weeks and I only have 8 days remaining. This is my first blog. My name is Kevin Potter Jr. At home, in New Orleans, Louisiana (USA) my friends call me KP. I’m a senior at the University of New Orleans, studying Urban Studies & Regional Planning, with concentrations in transportation and urban design. But I don’t wish to write about me; rather I hope you learn more about the amazing group of individuals I have been blessed to spend time with in Berlin. […]
- [Religion, Ramadan and Re-Crear](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/religion-ramadan-and-re-crear/): by Shahid Iqbal This is the first day of fasting in the holy month of Ramadan this year and one hour remains before the sun set (time to break-fast) in the historical city of Berlin. Exhausted after another extremely busy day at Recrear.beta, I am using the internet on the computers placed in the lobby of the hotel mostly to check for the timing of sunset. Rest of the participants are already having dinner in the dining hall located at an angle from where people in the lobby are not in the line of sight. Suddenly, one of the participants […]
- [Beach Party!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/beach-party/): Hey there! Recrear, a non profit initiative by young people from all over the world, is hosting a fundraising party at Yaam – www.yaam.de – on Friday, August 20th, 2010 from 3 to 10 pm. Come join for some great food, live music, beach sports with the spectacular view of the Spree. Check out the event at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=140231436014475&ref=ts.
- [The Art of Breathing](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/the-art-of-breathing/): by Kwabena A. Nkansah Today, the second Monday at Recrear Conference was one such an amazing day because l found out something new, natural and reliable. It is breathing exercises. I attended Achieving Personal Excellence (APEX) seminar and by the end of it, l knew this was me. I am talking about the art of breathing at the Art of Living. The breathing exercises took me to a place where l experienced inner peace and energy which is sometimes difficult to find with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It did not require too much of me, except myself […]
- [Berlin :)](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/berlin/): by Gioel Gioacchino I woke up in my hotel room on a fresh sunny Sunday morning. Bernauer Straße is usually relatively quite,  but on Sundays becomes a hot spot of activities. A huge flea market at Mauerpark attracts tourists and Berliners alike creating an exciting and busy atmosphere. Today is a particularly special day. After a surreal and adventurous Friday night (biking around Berlin under the rain…), I took the bold and wise decision not to go out on Saturday night taking some time to catch up on my sleep. Recrear.beta has been exciting but very energy intensive and today is the […]
- [Group Dynamics](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/group-dynamics/): by Gioel Gioacchino Since we started planning Recrear.beta, I used to think a million times about what the days would look like. Now that Recrear.beta is running by, quick and intense, I am notiving all the imperfections that Recrear.beta’s prototype in my head had. Comparing the two versions- the real and the prototype- I am learning a LOT. In fact, the most valuable learning experience for me has not been digesting and assimilating lectures, workshops and conferences (even though they have been extremely interesting and enriching). Instead, my number one professor is a potent and mysterious entity called ‘group dynamic’. […]
- [Thinking Out Loud](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/thinking-out-loud/): by Suhani Jain So. I’m just going to say it. My time here so far with the Recrear team has been phenomenal. The days are packed with workshops, conferences and group sessions, and to quote a cliché, ‘there’s never a dull moment’. Coming from a background of media and performing arts, Berlin is all I could ask for in a city! I am not much of a morning person, but I love waking up in the (very) early morning to fresh Berlin air. On the 4th, we visited the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy (ICD) here in Berlin. Peter Rees, Development […]
- [Getting Started!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/getting-started/): by Gioel Gioacchino The long countdown to the beginning of Recrear.beta, diligently tracked for months on our website, opened the door for an initiative with a life on its own. Nine months after Recrear.beta was first ‘conceived’ and two days after it came to life, Recrear.beta is finally taking its first steps as an infant. As one of the developers and coordinators of the program, watching and participating in developing its personality is an incredible experience. The idea of Recrear.beta was based on a simple theory: that a group working together can produce ideas that are far more enriching and […]
- [New Beginnings and New Friends](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/new-beginnings-and-new-friends/): by Michael McGee One by one we began to arrive at the Hotel 4 Youth on Bernauer Strasse. Some of us, like myself and the other program coordinators, arrived after only a short tram or bike ride across the city, while others like Shahid and Suhani, two of the first participants I met, arrived after long flights from New York and India. No matter our point of origin, the end destination of Berlin, Germany was the same for all of us, and our numbers slowly grew from 2 to 4, to 6, to the day’s eventual total of 11. Regardless […]
- [Recrear.beta starts tomorrow! Welcome to Berlin!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-beta-starts-tomorrow-welcome-to-berlin/): Welcome to Recrear.beta!
- [Off Record](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/off-record/): Esmeraldas is a wrap up. First community finished, down in the books. Now it’s documenting time- videos, audio, photos, and text. The question I ask myself is how to present the individuals singularly. The experience is own entity, meanwhile we have to dissect and cut out individuals from the story to present systematically their words. I am tempted at this point to add my own voice to their stories; based on what I perceive and fill the holes they dug with some mestizo soil. This soil would not be reproduced, I tell myself, but rather it would be a mix […]
- [Vivimos para el esfuerzo que hacemos nosotros](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/vivimos-para-el-esfuerzo-que-hacemos-nosotros/): Vivimos para el esfuerzo que hacemos nosotros Cuando pregunté a un joven ‘como percibe su rol como joven en la comunidad’, el me responsdió deciendo las palabras de arriba. ‘Nosotros’ se puede interpreter a varios nivelas: primero se significa que los jovenes creen en su propios abilidades de contribuir a su comunidad. Es un comentario reflectando el discurso del joven – ‘Los jovenes no son solo el futuro pero ultimémente el presente. Además, ‘nosotros’ se refiere a la comunidad directamente, porque en verdad es la comunidad que cria a los jovenes de hoy en día. El sistema que alrededor de […]
- [Building bridges - blindfolded](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/building-bridges-blindfolded/): To be honest when this project was launched with a mind for working with youth aged 18 -25, I never really conceptualized a clear idea of what these people would be like. Here is what I knew: they are costeña (i.e they love their salsa, seafood, football and being loud and expressive in general). There is a certain ebullient energy to them but outside of the contexts I listed above you may not necessarily have the opportunity to see it. The young AfroEcuadorian working to contribute to their community, where are they? All eyes on me now, I would love […]
- [Identity Politics - some things just cannot be pinned down](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/identity-politics-some-things-just-cannot-be-pinned-down/): I will often be the first to rant about the impossibility of defining an individual’s identity. Simplifying it to ethnicity, race, gender, religion and all that fun census stuff – does not quite cut it. The fact is that once you explore each of these further you realize that the boxes are not accommodating anymore.
- [Rainbow of Desire](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/rainbow-of-desire/): What I have been feeling is perfectly normal. Wow this might be one of the first not projected statements I have written, and which now I am condemning as projected as I reflect on this. Development Theater, developed by many but spearheaded by Agusto Boal, is one of the techniques we are using during 100 Voices in Esmeraldas. The theater exercise we applied with our first participant group is known as Rainbow of Desire. This form of participatory theater was born out of Boal’s admittance that there were other manners of oppression apart from the flagrant ones he suffered in […]
- [Lucha de Voces](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/lucha-de-voces/): When you start a journey, a 100 voices journey, to collect stories of people you have never met, whose homes you have never visited, and whose deepest thoughts you cannot even imagine, you wonder how the first voice will be distinguishable from the others. I arrived to Ecuador a few days ago to conduct the first phase of the 100 Voices research project, focusing on Afro-Ecuadorian youth to explore perspectives and themes of identity and community throughout the province of Esmeralda.  At this point, having access to the potential participant groups has been the most challenging aspect. In fact, we […]
- [Just not the traditional way](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/just-not-the-traditional-way/): Some news: the project, in an official sense, has yet to begin. Yet were I might have once allowed this to bother me I feel oddly reassured in the plan that lies ahead. That is, even though the start we envisioned never took off some other kind of beginning did take place when we arrived to Esmeraldas some few days ago. Since we have been here we have met with different youth groups from distinct sectors of Esmeraldas city. Each of them distinct for although the province allows them to share certain culture features not each neighbourhood has the same […]
- [RecrearAppy Kazan](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/1268-2/): Today is the last day of RecrearAppy Kazan and it’s almost the time to wrap up our project.This makes me sad, but also very excited for more projects to come! We will write a detailed report on the project, but before that… I wish to thank all and each of you. Project participants – you were great! I enjoyed working with you so much! Recrear members – you were so supportive and resourceful, thank you! My special thanks to the Department of Conflict Studies and its Head – Alexander Salagaev – without your help and kind advice the project would […]
- [Quoting project participants: Alsu](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/qouting-project-participants-alsu/): 8 days of the workshop has passed. Few weeks ago I didn’t know anything about Recrear organization, I didn’t know exactly why I had agreed to take part in this workshop, and only now (or maybe 2 or 3 days ago) I realized that I had made a good decision! I missed first session, so when I came on Tuesday (and, of course, I was late!) I felt rather uncomfortable. I entered the room and listened to the “teachers”, who was explaining the differences between Master’s and PhD’s programs. I can’t say that the “lesson” impressed me very much. I […]
- [RecrearApply family](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrearapply-family/): From the very beginning of the project we were saying that we are in Kazan to work. When the project participants were asking whether we had a chance to walk around Kazan, either me or Nolan would probably say that we still have a lot of time to do that. We thought (and rightly so) that our primarily goal is to work on the project. Today at the beginning of day seven we know that there’s not that much time left for sightseeing. We did some of course, however, our only day-off we decided to spend with our project participants. […]
- [Goodbye Chittagong!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/goodbye-chittagong/): After a glorious morning visiting Chittagong University, Kirsten, a lot of flip-charts and I went to catch a train back to Dhaka escorted by the super cool/efficient/extraordinaire Subir . We were surprised by a group of participants who came to say goodbye. You guys were soooo sweet!!! Thanks Tanvir for taking and sharing the picture.
- [Apply Nolan](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/1225-2/): It’s Saturday, and it is not so different that we will be going to the school this afternoon to deliver another workshop, but more crazy that I am awake at 7 in the morning. It’s Saturday! Yes, but, there is still much to do, and too much excitement running through my veins to even think about going back to sleep. My stomach is also grumbling loudly. It is not upset because it is hungry, but more so because we spent the evening at Sasha’s parents house dining late on delicious Russian dinner. So delicious that I continued to ingest potatos, […]
- [Transit Notes](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/transit-notes/): I am 1 and a half hour in my 17 hours layover in Kolkata, India. This first hour has been eventful, but I have the strong sensation things are going to slow down. To be sincere, I should be quite upset right now. I am in an absurd situation. First of all, I bought a flight with a 17 hours layover in Kolkata (yes, I know). In the rush of the last weeks, I did not make any plans for the layover, and I only realized yesterday that I actually needed a visa to enter India. So, I am now […]
- [Quoting project participants: Marina](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/quoting-project-participants-marina/): Now passed 4 classes Recrear. Unfortunately, I later joined the other participants and was afraid that I will have excess, but for nothing. organizers flexibly approached this issue. A year ago I was constantly asked Sasha about her studies at the University. How come there to learn? it was hard? so I was very interested to hear a detailed picture of the school, I waited a moment when he presented. Through this project, my knowledge increased, and when you “know” that you are “armed” and not afraid to move toward your dreams) And now I want to express my gratitude […]
- [Qouting project participants: Ksusha](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/qouting-project-participants-ksusha/): I’m sitting at home today- unfortunately it’s the last day of my vacation – and enjoying of reading the Recrear’s Blog.  I think about Nolan’s warring (ex: “Will I be helpful? Will they come back tomorrow?”) and understand that he’s very brave person. If I come to another country not as a tourist or even student, but as a teacher, it would be very stressful for me.  Especially if we are talking about Russia –  the country of paradoxes and surprises.  And also as all of you know we have bears walking on the streets here, in Russia- it’s the […]
- [A message from the local coordinator!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/a-message-from-the-local-coordinator/): Hello everyone! Im so thankful for RecrearApply which organized such wonderful workshop! It’s very necessary experience for me and I hope It will help me to reach my goal. Im very glad that our meeting is very interesting and fruitful. Thank you for Sasha and Nolan for everything! Dinara 🙂 P.S. We are waiting you! Come!
- [Intercultural experience](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/intercultural-experience/): It is only the third day of RecrearApply, but I feel I have known our project participants for ages. It’s amazing also because new people keep coming in. That is encouraging, but also challenging: can we actually meet all their expectations? Since they do have such different interests! We have had participants majoring in geology, conflict resolution, linguistics, religious studies and that’s not even the whole list. As I had to go to work during the first two days of the project, my schedule was somewhat hectic. I had to prepare for teaching my classes, go teach them and to […]
- [Recrear is not a joke](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-is-not-a-joke/): After a week of sharing Recrear’s vision, projects and internal organization with the management of YPSA, I am reminded forcefully that Recrear is not a joke. YPSA’s organizational history is packed with lessons for us. This middle size NGO recently celebrated its 26th birthday. Impressively, today YPSA manages over 2000 workers and receives funding from a range of national and international donors. Despite this growth, YPSA seems very grounded to the field reality and dedicated to representing people at the community level. It is not success what makes me so enamored with YPSA, instead I admire it for the boldness and perseverance that has […]
- [Updates and Holiday Wishes](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/updates-and-holiday-wishes/): Hello again everyone, So we have now complete our first two days of Apply!Kazan and are working on material for day three now. The group we presented the introductory presentation to was small, only four in attendance, which is not at all disappointing, but I guess the hope is always that you will get a full class. I can tell you now I was very nervous, and there were a lot of personal questions looming about my ability to effectively help Russian students learn about the international experience (having never really travelled myself). These limiting beliefs along with the quiet […]
- [Day 1 impressions](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/1165-2/): So, glad to tell everyone: Fist session of Recrear Apply is finished and it was very fascinating! It sounds like some usual thing – first day of one of the conference in KHTI. But for organizers and participations it means that something very important happened in Kazan! We were there and we are new people now. What new we know after first day?) We know about Recrear International, its vision, principles, structure. We know about opportunities that everyone has to study abroad. And the most important thing – we know that everything is possible, especially if you have an accurate […]
- [Golitsyna Ekaterina](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/1159-2/): “I want to thank you once again for organizing such wonderful event. I really missed help of competent people concerning the questions of enrollment before. Until today i had to collect fragmentary information from people who have studied or study now. Gathering of this information always took time and sometimes has not been objective.” Golitsyna Ekaterina, program participant
- [RecrearApply Kazan starts!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/1154-2/): It looked like nothing special was happening – just another winter morning in Kazan, when I had to wake up 7 a.m. to go to work. Everything as usual: running late and no time for breakfast, driving on ice and searching for a parking spot in downtown. Only I knew it was a special day. Today a security woman, who wouldn’t want to let us into the university told me: “Don’t think you are special”. But actually I am. I am privileged to be here doing RecrearApply in my home city Kazan with these wonderful people. I did not have […]
- [ode to the discourse, the people, and the inspiration](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/ode-to-the-discourse-the-people-and-the-inspiration/): Ok folks, time for me to go on a rant. I can’t promise I will follow one line of thought but bare with me. I sit now in our empty workshop room with flip charts scattered a little all over, some colourful post-its piled in a mess and one intimidating to do list gleaning on the white board. I would love to say that it’s the eve of our final day of workshop that has put me in this reflective mood but my mind has been running in and out of the development discourse ever since I arrived to Chittagong. […]
- [From Russia, With Love!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/from-russia-with-love/): Hello Everyone! This is an exciting day as this evening will be the first session for Apply!Kazan, however, there is a very pressing issue to cover first. It is still surreal that I am sitting in Sasha’s appartment in Kazan, partially because the last three days of travel have taken me half way around the globe through a whirlwind of experiences that have all been absolutely new to my life. More importantly though, this opportunity is due in no small part to the accumulation of family and friends that each offered their support and contributions that together have created the […]
- [Youth that are breaking the mold](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/youth-that-are-breaking-the-mold/): I have to say it has been quite a privilege to be inBangladeshduring their victory day. I feel that I have been lucky enough to glimpse brilliantly colourful moments in their culture. Whether it was an art exhibition, a cultural dance performance or song – I was touched by the deep sense of national pride. Particularly amongst the workshop participants, it was inspiring to see them honoring their culture and sharing this with us so openly. Perhaps this pride explains why these participants showed up diligently for 8 days of workshop focused on having them launch their own community initiative. Perhaps to […]
- [Late night brainstorming](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/late-night-brainstorming/): It is 3.40 am and we just turned the lights off. As for every incredible day, this morning seems a lifetime away. I am trying to use this blog entry to recollect my thoughts, which feel all colorful and chaotic (a perfectly Bangladeshi mind space). Retelling the day in a few lines would turn into a pathetic attempt. Today is more like a collage of feelings and emotions all randomly fitting together into this perfectly long day. In a novel I just finished, a character claims that we remember the meteorological conditions of about 8 days in our lives. Not […]
- [A tale of two organizational stories](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/a-tale-of-two-organizational-stories/): There is something quite inspiring about meeting someone who has at one point walked in your shoes. It is remarkable not for the fact that you have done the same thing but rather that you have faced the same challenges. So you can imagine how excited I was to connect with YPSA an organization whose mighty will and persistence brought them the respected status they hold now as a mid sized local NGO inBangladesh. Much like Recrear, they began as 14 students in theirChittagongarea who had an idea to mobilize youth for social community projects. Also much like us they […]
- [The royal Bangladeshi welcome](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/the-royal-bangladeshi-welcome/): No red carpets or trumpets but rather a room full of 30 Bangladeshis aged 18-25 eagerly waiting our arrival. This to me the best reception of all because even after arriving an hour and a half late (train delay from Dhaka to Chittagong don’t you know), we were still warmly received with sweet smiles. Without really knowing us or what exactly we were planning to do with them over the week, they still took the decision to commute to the workshop – for some of them an hour long journey. Their faith and subsequent commitment expresses a deep sense of […]
- [Happy Holidays!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-wishes-you-happy-holidays/): Recrear wishes you Happy Holidays! We hope you will enjoy our Holiday Greetings and project update below. If you like Recrear’s projects and would like to support them by making a donation please click here. This year you can also choose to provide some of the equipment we need for our projects (used or new). Read our Wish-List to see ways you may contribute. Follow our projects on Twitter @ThisIsRecrear. Thank you! Make your own newsletter
- [Recrear's Wish List!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrears-wish-list/): Dear Friends and Supporters, This Holiday Season you can decide to support Recrear by donating some of the equipment we need for our projects. Below is a wish list of what we need for our upcoming projects with a description of how they will be used and a link to Amazon where you can purchase it for us. Alternatively, we would also very much appreciate your old cameras, voice recorders, flash drives etc; Even a small gift would go very far! We need products starting from 12 USD. Below, you can also choose to earmark your cash donation to a specific project. […]
- [OccupyNOLA vs. RecrearNOLA: A Difference in Priorities](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/occupynola-vs-recrearnola-a-difference-in-priorities/): The Arab Spring in conjunction with Occupy Wall Street and its associated spin-offs have made me a believer in the idea that we are looking at a period in history that is set to turn the future on its head, but it remains to be seen just how revolutionary it will be. Are we looking at the next 1776, where the world’s greatest powers are being brought to their knees by a rag tag group of guerrillas, or are we looking at another 1968, where many people screamed about the war, and people in France screamed about capitalism, but ultimately […]
- [Missing 328, Satsung and "the international van will be leaving in 3 minutes"...](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/missing-328-satsung-and-the-international-van-will-be-leaving-in-3-minutes/): I am supposed to be filling everyone in on my thoughts of RecrearMAGNIFY although I don’t know if a few words in the blog-o-sphere can sum up all of the emotions and knowledge gained in the experience of a lifetime. Now that I have been thrusted back into “normal” life the last couple days it has really given me a chance to only just begin to reflect and digest what just happened over this past month. One thing I do know though is that Magnify changed my life! I am not kidding when I say I came out a better […]
- [Join us at the Recrear Magnify Final Gala!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/join-us-at-the-recrearmagnify-final-gala/): Click to download our Final Gala Invitation! Welcome to Recrear International! We are currently hosting a conference for 14 young international leaders here in Ottawa with a close partnership with Carleton University and we are holding a final gala this Sunday, August 21st. We would like to open the work of Recrear International with young like-minded people in Ottawa and would love to have you attend. I have explained below some more about Recrear International and the current conference. Recrear International (www.recrear.ca) is an non-profit focused on launching youth-based community development projects around the world. The organization was founded by a […]
- [Some Work and Fun from Week 2!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/some-work-and-fun-from-week-2/): [slideshow]
- [Stepping out...](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/stepping-out/): Tonight the Recrear team tried to MAGNIFY our skills by crashing the gen YOTT “Summer Ain’t over” networking event downtown Ottawa. This was something that not many of us had ever experienced before. As we all walked in there was a group of around 70 people within our generation from many different industries. Our goal … to get Recrear on the map and try to find some people that we can partner with. I have to say the first few minutes were slightly awkward, we stuck near each other and tried to figure out how to describe what we do. […]
- [Pure Joy](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/pure-joy/): What have my past two weeks been like? Pure joy. Let’s see…in the first week I learnt how to do yoga and meditate while at a beautiful retreat just out of Montreal, at the Art of Living Foundation. I shared a cabin with four sistas; Valerie, Kirsten, Komal and Gillian, and I was lucky enough to have experienced the joy of having five cellphones alarms being snoozed for an hour each morning. I tasted some of the finest vegetarian cuisine and swam in the cleanest lake with an awesome group of friends. We silenced together, sang together, cried and laughed […]
- [Stepping off into the Pacific with Love! :)](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/stepping-off-into-the-pacific-with-love/): So everyone. I just wanted to let you all know how difficult it was to leave all of you. As the plane was taking off, I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Dunton Tower and thought of you guys. I’m in the Chicago airport right now, waiting for my connecting flight to San Francisco and then off to Seoul, South Korea. I’m a bit tired and trying to manage my final loose ends before terminating my phone and internet before leaving the country again. The last 2 weeks have been truly a wonderful experience with all of you. […]
- [Sad, yet happy](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/sad-yet-happy/): Do you know how often you start the sentence “Yes, but…”? I do it a lot! I wish I could say I used to do it a lot, and that my experience with Recrear, especially our first week in Ashram, has erased all “could’ve”, “should’ve” and “I’ll try” from my head. Nevertheless, it didn’t, or at least did not do it completely. So as this new week started my emotions became polarized.  I feel excited and, yet, very sad. I am excited as I see how every new day opens new perspectives. But having to say goodbye to James today […]
- [Meet Our Week Two Speakers!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/meet-our-week-two-speakers-2/): From August 8th-13th RecrearMagnify hosted a speaker series including over 20 speakers from 16 different organizations from Ottawa.  Here’s a glimpse of some of those sessions! [slideshow]
- [Let's put it all together- ready for Week 3!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/lets-put-it-all-together-ready-for-week-3/): My Recrear head is a Pandora box, and all the inputs that we received during the last two weeks have been feeding into it. The conference so far has provided me with the space to think about myself and the work I do at Recrear, to feel engrossed by the energy of my colleague, and to keep reflecting about the future and purpose of this organization.   During week 1, I was reminded that beyond the ‘professional interaction’ we might have as a group, at the basis of our work we interact with people. People that are packed with joy […]
- [Recrear Participacion Photo Essay](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-participacion-photo-essay/): Recrear Participación is an interactive workshop providing young people with the tools to develop their ideas and passion into sustainable community projects. Recrear Participación was piloted between July 10th and July 25th, 2011 in two, separate, week-long workshops in the Dominican Republic in Esperanza and Santiago.  Recrear Participación encourages participants to engage more pro-actively with their community and to think critically about their community‟s challenges while exploring innovative ways to address them. Interested in how the workshops went? We invite you to read our final report! RecrearParticipacion has been a dense and powerful learning experience for us. We found it really hard to sum up […]
- [Living high and mightily with Recrear](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/living-high-and-mightily-with-recrear/): As week two is coming to a close, I must say magnify just might be the perfect word to describe the change that I have seen within myself, my fellow conference delegates, and Recrear as a whole.  I believe this magnification will continue to happen so fluidly and progressively that by the end of next week, the 14 of us will finish the conference stunned at the transformation that has occurred. Having met and learn from so many people in the past weeks- Art of Living teachers, each speaker in our speaker line up, and each fellow conference participant, I […]
- [Vote on your favorite session](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/vote-on-your-favorite-session/): Week 2 has come to a close.  Please give some feedback on the speaker series while it is still fresh in your mind.  You can choose your top 3 sessions.  You cannot vote twice.  The poll will expire in one week. Writers, log out of the Recrear account before submitting your answers. -Kevin [polldaddy poll=5410609]
- [On the road to knowledge.](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/on-the-road-to-knowledge/): Sometimes there are not words to describe the value of an experience. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to create a non-profit. You may have to re-invent your funding methods every so often due to constantly changing financial realm. CIDA cut-backs on program funding and a transition to biding for project support will change “the game” of non-profit and charitable fundraising in the Canadian context. It’s is incredible how receptive everyone has been when we approach them about Recrear. More astonishing is how much people want us to succeed. The level of constructive criticism from various professionals is integral […]
- [With $20,000 I would . . .](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/with-20000-i-would/): Kate Green from USC asks the Recrear Youth Ambassadors what types of projects they would produce with $20,000.  Listen to everyone’s reply. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvnDuhgcPJU?hl=en&fs=1&w=425&h=349]
- [Добро пожаловать в Recrear!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/%d0%b4%d0%be%d0%b1%d1%80%d0%be-%d0%bf%d0%be%d0%b6%d0%b0%d0%bb%d0%be%d0%b2%d0%b0%d1%82%d1%8c-%d0%b2-recrear/): “Ты не могла бы сегодня написать блог по-русски?” “Да…а зачем?” Действительно, зачем? Конечно, если я просто хорошо провожу отпуск, общаюсь с интересными, умными и целеустремленными людьми, трачу собственные деньги на весёлую жизнь, то нет особого смысла обращаться к русскоязычной публике. Но всё совсем не так. Команда Recrear и в самом деле очень замечательная, но я не трачу своё время и деньги впустую. я часть проекта, который приносит пользу не только мне. Напротив, мы даём возможность всем молодым людям воплотить в жизнь проекты, которые они давно хотели воплотить, предоставляем ресурсы, информацию, любую другую помощь, чтобы сделать мир чуточку лучше, немного веселее. […]
- [Magnifying the perspective](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/magnifying-the-perspective/): Week 2 – Day 3 – Social Enterprise This is my first blog post ever so I’ll try to be brief and concise. A few months ago I joined Recrear as one of the three conference organizers for RecrearMagnify. Every single speaker we have had in week two has been phenomenal and expanded our minds in some way. Todays topic was social enterprise and the discourse that resulted from our after noon panel discussion was incredible. Our panel consisted of Keenan Weller from LiveWorkPlay, Vinod Rajasekaran founder  of Hub-Ottawa, and Brenda Richardson from the Causeway Work Center. Each of these speakers […]
- [In it to win it!!!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/in-it-to-win-it/): Session 1 for day 3 of week 2 for RecrearMagnify! Keenan Wellar, Co-founder of LiveWorkPlay is imparting wonderful wisdom on his experiences with building his charitable organization. LiveWorkPlay’s motto is “A good life for people with intellectual disabilities”. This organization focuses on aiding individuals with intellectual disabilities to live and function just like any other person in everyday society. One thing that stands out in my mind about his presentation are some quotes that he gave us concerning boards and governing committees: “Effective governance by a board  is a relatively rare and unnatural act…they are often little more than high-powered, […]
- [There is more to it than what you see...](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/there-is-more-to-it-than-what-you-see/): It has been quite the first few days back to civilization. After the intense yet incredible week at the Art of Living Ashram and our three days of silence, it has been a bit of a shift going into work mode. For those of you who have been following us on facebook, twitter and this blog have seen that we have been extremely busy attending talks, workshops and panels around Ottawa hearing from some inspiring members of the international development and NGO community. For those of you who want to see these talks we have been live-streaming some and then archiving […]
- [Highlights from Week 1 at the International Art of Living Centre](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/highlights-from-week-1-at-the-international-art-of-living-centre/): Week One of the RecearMagnify conference was spent with the Art of Living Foundation doing team building exercises, stress management and personal empowerment through meditation and yoga.  Here are some highlights from the week![slideshow]
- [In Awe...Kriya..and so much more information!!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/in-awe-kriya-and-so-much-more-information/): There is so much information in the air. Coming at this from a fresh perspective, words cannot explain the amount of knowledge that I am receiving right now. Earlier this afternoon, we had the opportunity to have an information session with USC Canada discussing the topic of Determining Impact of Development Projects. At the current moment we are meeting with the editors and contributors of the book Generation NGO. These individuals are very powerful with so many wonderful experiences to share with us. To hear their experiences and to understand their different backgrounds is just amazing to hear. It  certainly […]
- [The Development Set](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/the-development-set/): This poem was shared with us today during our session with the authors and editors of Generation NGO.  I wanted to share it with our followers.  Please enjoy. The Development Set by Ross Coggins Excuse me, friends, I must catch my jet I’m off to join the Development Set; My bags are packed, and I’ve had all my shots I have traveller’s checks and pills for the trots! The Development Set is bright and noble Our thoughts are deep and our vision global; Although we move with the better classes Our thoughts are always with the masses. In Sheraton Hotels […]
- [Notes from Russia](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/notes-from-russia/): Today is my birthday and I’m spending it with my family. My home is thousands of miles away, so are my parents and my brother. Yet, I feel I’m celebrating my birthday in the right place with the best people I could’ve ever celebrated it with. And there’s one thing I want to tell my Recrear family: I BELONG TO YOU! It’s been an amazing week that we have spent together at Ashram, during which I got to learn so much about myself that it actually freaked me out. Now I need to get used to this stranger who’s still […]
- [Our week so far](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/our-week-so-far/): This year’s annual conference is off to a running start as the 14 youth ambassadors just completed their first course of two at the Art of Living Foundation’s North American Ashram.  Today the team begins the next course, YES++, which is more advanced breathing and meditation techniques.  The next three days will also be spent in silence as we spend times getting to know our true selves and completing our daily Seva, or service.  All of this is done as we pass the halfway mark of Week 1: MAGNIFY the INDIVIDUAL.   Please enjoy the video below, edited by Komal, featuring […]
- [With love..from Morocco :)](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/with-love-from-morocco/): A Recrear Youth Ambassador @ the Art Of Living center: 2nd day of silence, 4th day Yoga & Meditation; (August 4, 2011) No energy left! STARVING! Need rest! Missing the city lights and the Moroccan food, hate Canadian mosquitoes they’ve drank half of my blood, I hope at least I lost some weight! The food is not bad at all, but it’s not fresh anymore when I eat it at night (NO PRANA)! Today is like the hardest day ever, no talking, no food, no drink (by the way it’s Ramadan for me, for those of you who didn’t know) […]
- [Recrear Participación, Wrapping up!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-participacion-wrapping-up/): Kevin, Kirsten and I have been catapulted from a wonderful two weeks in the Dominican Republic to Canada, where we are giving 100% at Recrear Magnify. We still have few blog entries in the pipeline- but for now, we would like to thank all the people that have supported us during our time in the DR. Thank you so much to Yspaniola and to the Rodriguez family including Gerald, Julie, Marissa, Jake, Eric, Alex and Mariela. We are very excited to keep working with the inspiring ideas that came out of RecrearParticipacion… more updates on our follow up process to come […]
- [Breath in](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/breath-in/): Day one of Recrear Magnify has come and gone but as we settle in for a week at the North American Ashram, our staff has taken an immediate connection to one another in a magnetic way.  This year, Recrear continues to pull youth from ever expanding corners of the world to join us in finding our own inspiration, connecting our visions, and (re)creating our futures together.   Among the list of countries that are home to our current members, this year’s ambassadors come from Rwanda, Morocco, Russia, Puru and various cities in North America. Today we begin our first program, Yes+.  It’s a three day course that […]
- [Recrear Magnify starting today!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrearmagnify-starting-today/): It is 4.34 am and we are still up working but super excited to meet the RecrearMagnify group and get started! While we become a team with the Art of Living, make sure to keep up with us. Get all the details on the conference by downloading the participants’ welcome package:  WelcomePackage.  You can also team descriptions on this Conference Page.
- [Musical Break!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/musical-break/)
- [Making music](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/if-you-build-it-they-will-follow/): While in Santiago, we stayed with a host family of our close friend, Eric.  Eric is a Dominican, studying Music Therapy in New Orleans at Loyola University with his colleague Alex Legges.   These guys were doing such amazing work around the city, outside of our work in Recrear, that we asked them to come do a short activity with our work group.  This video is the testament to their ability to connect individuals through the art of music.  We look forward to working with them in the future through our New Orleans local chapter. -Kevin Potter
- [Lessons 5, 6, 7](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/lessons-5-6-7/): My reflections of the day are all dedicated to my ‘colleagues’. If you know Kirsten, Kevin and I, you know that we are all VERY different. Together, we are a tragicomic and soap-opera-worth trio.  Spending every single awake (and asleep) moment together for the last four weeks has been an interesting process full of ups, but also with some downs. This is an incomplete list of things that we have been doing together every day: work, gather food, share beds, get coffee and sugar high, handle money, laugh, coordinate who gets in the shower first, share flash-drives, give each other […]
- [Lesson 4:](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/lesson-4-there-are-other-ways-to-communicate/): [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA1xpPCw-y8&w=560&h=349]   4) There Is More Than the Obvious Way to Communicate How do you communicate when . . living in a Spanish – Creole – French speaking environment. Even just speaking “Spanish” means something different here: where you are expected to drop your s’s, shorten your words and talk as if all one word. Just when you think you are beginning to discern one word from another you are thrown into an environment of Creole speakers with a broken Spanish (far better than our own of course) and maybe some rudimentary French. So here we go again, attempting […]
- [Lesson 3: Get Silly!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/we-have-fun-too/): [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2ie_8kFxFQ?hl=en&fs=1&w=425&h=349]   3) Get Silly While working to inspire a community to make a lasting change for themselves, when the community has never thought critically about the possibility to start a movement from within; it could be easily forgotten that the best work stems from the work you do while having fun.  We are spending hours a day pushing ourselves, and our participants, to basically create meaningful work for themselves.  However, the time spent building connections across cultural boundairs should not overlook the possibility to have fun. Every day we are in our workshops we introduce different ways to […]
- [‘The point of the situation’ – 7 Lessons We Have Learned So Far](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/the-point-of-the-situation-what-have-we-learned-so-far/): Our time in Esperanza has come to an end. As we get into our last week in the Dominican Republic, I feel that Kirsten, Kevin and I have a bunch of epiphanies about what the ‘whys’ ‘whats’ and ‘hows’ of delivering projects. We tend to be too ‘high’ in our moments of panic and glory to really understand what we should be taking out of our experiences. Instead, the most interesting reflections we have had emerged in the many day and night ‘debriefing’ sessions (this brilliant sessions usually entail A LOT of laughter, music, claps, and ridiculous tangents). This entry […]
- [Let`s talk ideas](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/lets-talk-ideas/): Since our time here, we have spoken much of what is in an ‘idea’ and by extension a ‘project’. The misconception is that projects are resource exhaustive and grandiose. In truth they can be – but those projects do not often become the sustainable ones nor the type of projects that in fact promote capacity building. One of the single most important messages we can communicate is that projects are exactly what you make of them. There is so much you can do with so little. They will never become that overarching vision until you take the decision to stick […]
- [Feeling re energized](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/feeling-re-energized/): Only my second blog since being in Esperanza – I think that is testament to the lack of time we have had to really reflect on our experience here with the projects. Otherwise, trust me; you would have a novel in your hand rather than these few others. All digressions aside; wow! Since we first landed in Esperanza, it has been nothing but mental picture moments. Whether riding the motoconchos to the Batey Libertad, touring and learning more about the community, walking through the fields of all things natural on a fair weathered road or taking my laptop to work […]
- [Some of the best photos from Esperanza](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/some-of-the-best-photos-from-esperanza/): [slideshow] Our time in the smaller city of Esperanza was great, and the group of young men from both the city and the batay were a wonderful group to work with.  Enjoy this short slideshow of my favorite pictures and be sure to see the complete collection at: Flickr. -Kevin Potter
- [Entonces, como empiezo a explicar hoy día?](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/entonces-como-empiezo-a-explicar-hoy-dia/): My feeling so far is that the theme of this project in the Dominican so far has been `back to basics`. In every sense that is. For Development this means scrapping your models and turning a fresh page to redraw the possibilities. An idea today could be community development tomorrow. Concepts you hold to dearly ought to be put under the light for closer inspection. This continual process of reflecting on how we interact with the people around us is what can make the difference. Back to basics has also meant that the sessions we envisioned delivering to the group […]
- [Staff Photography](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/staff-photography/): [slideshow] Above you will find a slide show of some of my favorites while the staff enjoyed our arrival in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. For the complete collection, please visit our full gallery on Flickr. -Kevin Potter
- [Music Therapy and Recrear](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/music-therapy-and-recrear/): [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkBGpQHoYrw?hl=en&fs=1&w=425&h=349]
- [Starting off with a fresh cup of Dominican coffee](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/starting-off-with-a-fresh-cup-of-dominican-coffee/): The Recrear team has safely landed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic as of yesterday and while we enjoyed our day of travel through the country to Santiago, the continued work for the NOLA chapter alongside the preparation for RecrearParticipacion will keep us focused during our short stay. As we sit around the family table with a fresh cup of Dominican coffee, laptops dominate the space as the sound of keystrokes compliment the chords of a local guitarist (our host, Eric Rodriguez).  The three members of Recrear are lucky to have this opportunity to be in the DR, but we are not alone.  Eric, and his colleague, Alex, from […]
- [Recrear New Orleans - UNO Gallery](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-new-orleans-uno-gallery/)
- [Recrear New Orleans- Launching a new Chapter of Recrear!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-new-orelans-launching-a-new-chapter-of-recrear/): Recrear New Orleans: some reflections Almost one year after Recrear.beta I feel confident to say that despite all the threats and weaknesses that have become obvious during our first year in business, our strengths and opportunities by far outnumber our problems. Recrear is a young and evolving organization; for the better or worst, all the people involved with the organization see different opportunities in what Recrear could become. The ‘common denominator’ of Recrear is its cool ‘swag’ that brings along an energetic atmosphere of optimism and excitement. The sense that this excitement is pervasive and contagios felt particularly tangible during […]
- [What. A. Whirlwind.](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/what-a-whirlwind/): In just two weeks, our small group of Recrear coordinators has accomplished so much.  The desire of the Recrear founders to achieve more and more is contagious.  Despite the truth that New Orleans mellows out considerably in the heat of the summer, I think it’s safe to say that this Recrear New Orleans group has enough energy to keep the whole city going for weeks. Questions are still spinning through my mind: where will we go from here?  Have we bitten off more than we can chew?  What will we do without Gioel, Kirsten and James?  Fortunately, none of these […]
- [So I failed to mention . .](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/so-i-failed-to-mention/): …that our first fundraiser which happened on July 5th/Kevin’s 25th b-day bash was a success. $910 raised for our cause ($911 to be exact because I found a dollar on the ground which was unaccounted for). It started off slow, however, after an hour or two it was popping. It was the perfect networking activity for us to experience. So many people pitched in for this effort it was amazing. One of Kevin’s friends baked an enormous cake with the Recrear logo and colors which was enough to feed an entire army..Literally!!! We are still eating off of it today. […]
- [a moment of Reflection](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/a-moment-of-reflection/): So everyone….. We keep on moving onward and upward from here. It has been a packed last week and a half but we have come together and accomplished so much. On the 6th, the group brainstormed for hours to come up with a year long plan for Recrear New Orleans’ first year. We received a visit by one of UNO’s Admission’s representatives in order to hear about how we will be able to work closely in coordination with the university in the future. They were generous to provide us with pizza, however, we found ourselves dying of thirst. Finding ourselves […]
- [The IDEA BOX](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/the-idea-box/): RECREAR The IDEA BOX Recrear is an international organization mandated to support youth-inspired community development projects internationally. The IDEA BOX is a game organized by the New Orleans chapter of Recrear: Submit your ideas on developing a community based project (locally or internationally) and the selected projects will receive training, support and appropriate resources to lift it off the ground. [contact-form subject=”Recrear New Orleans The IDEA BOX” to=”recrearnola@recrear.info”] [contact-field label=”Your name” type=”email” required=”true” /] [contact-field label=”Your Nationality” type=”email” required=”true” /] [contact-field label=”Your Date of Birth” type=”email” required=”true” /] [contact-field label=”Your email address” type=”email” required=”true” /] [contact-field label=”Your phone number” type=”text” […]
- [A quarter of a century in one day](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/a-quarter-of-a-century-in-one-day/): This year for my birthday I did more than I have ever done.  It was quite a feat for me to organize all of my networks and “IOU’s” to culminate in a one day celebration of life and prosperity.  On July 5th, I did more than celebrate the day I entered the world;  I shared my love for a grassroots organization with my family, friends, and most importantly, my city.  To inspire the community I owe so much too, I brought my favorite passion in life home.  Recrear was reaching the completion of its first year and some of the […]
- [Photo selection for the event!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/kirsten-likes-her-photos/)
- [Recrear New Orleans - Goals and Strategies](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-new-orleans-goals-and-strategies/): Many flipcharts later, we concluded our first week of work together in New Orleans with some interesting points in hand (celebrate!). We brainstormed our goals and strategies for Recrear New Orleans – the next steps will be deciding what programs this chapter will be focusing on, developing job descriptions, and designing a 3 year plan. Check out our goals: Be action oriented; Foster intercultural dialogue; Promote collaborative exchange. Our strategies to achieve these goals are: Partner with the University of New Orleans to develop Regional Leadership Institute training sessions; Develop collaborative training workshops; Create a strategic network of regional partners; Build, […]
- [Kevin and Emily Present on their Brainstorming](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/kevin-and-emily-present-on-their-brainstorming/)
- [Kirsten describes the beginning of Recrear New Orleans.](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/kirsten-describes-the-beginning-of-recrear-new-orleans/)
- [Emily talks about her goals with starting Recrear New Orleans.](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/emily-talks-about-her-goals-with-starting-recrear-new-orleans/)
- [Recrear New Orleans day 4](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-new-orleans-day-4/): Being a part of the planning committee for Recrear New Orleans for the past week has been an amazing experience. Right now, I am really excited to see what direction we take our chapter in, and how that can benefit Recrear International as a whole. And I think what I love the most is that I am a part of deciding that direction. I feel a real ownership to this New Orleans chapter, and in the long run I think that is what is really going to make us really successful. I love the energy and excitement in all the […]
- [Week 1 full of yes, no, ifs ands, but's and I thinks](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/week-1-full-of-yes-no-ifs-ands-buts-and-i-thinks/): So much has happened in the past few days here in New Orleans for RecrearParticipate! We are continually striving to address all of the items on our agenda while reaching the goals which we have set for the conference. Yesterday, we broke off into several groups in order to individually address the strategies of Recrear’s role in New Orleans. We had a little time to network last night during dinner at a church on campus. They graciously gave us a free meal and through that we were presented with the golden opportunity to share with others who it is that we […]
- [New Orleans – You’re a Firework](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/new-orleans-youre-a-firework/): Building a local chapter – a new initiative for Recrear but although the large task ahead of us there is certainly excitement in the air. After four days of having met and strategized with a group of students from the University of New Orleans, I have been impressed to see what we have come up with so far. We aim to “be action oriented, foster intercultural dialogue and promote collaborative exchange”. The more we hash out the strategies the more I realize just how much this chapter could have an influence on this community and the region. The group is a […]
- [How lucky we are...](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/how-lucky-we-are/): I have to say, it’s been almost a year since I first started working with Recrear and my heart continues to race  during every moment I spend in this organization.  Right now I have two of my very close colleagues in New Orleans with me as we are designing the guidelines for our first ever local chapter as part of the International organization.   With the help of some amazing and involved student leaders in the New Orleans area, specifically current students and alumni from the University of New Orleans, I am witnesing tremendous strides in the goals and strategies needed for a local chapter. What […]
- [Recrear New Orleans - Inaugural Fundraising Evening](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-new-orleans-inaugural-fundraising-evening/): Where: UNO-St. CLAUDE GALLERY When: 4:00 – 6:00 pm, Saturday, July 9th We would like to formally invite you to learn more about Recrear, a non-governmental organization mandated to inspire and support youth-based international development projects. For the last two weeks, a group of young leaders from the University of New Orleans has been working side by side with a team of Recrear staff to launch the first local chapter of the organization. The chapter will be focused on promoting intercultural dialogue by supporting specific and concrete international development projects.  Join us on Saturday, July 9th at 4:00 pm for […]
- [Recrear Participate,  Planning Committee: Our Schedule](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-participate-planning-committee-out-schedule/): Recrear Participate- Planning committee- New Orleans June 28th– July 9th, 2011 Goals: Familiarizing with Recrear’s work, history and culture; Drafting the 2011 – 2012 strategies for the UNO Recrear chapter; Preparing the proposal between Recrear international and the local chapter (to be presented at RecrearMagnify); Networking and establishing partnership with local NGO’s in New Orleans; Defining job descriptions for UNO Recrear team; Brainstorming two signature projects for the UNO branch; Coordinate fundraising event to support Recrear-Participacion. Schedule Week 1: Local Chapter Development June 28, 2011 5:00- 5:45 Intro to Recrear; questions for 15 minutes 6:00 – 6:45 Introduction of our […]
- [Recrear Participación - Learn more](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-participacion-learn-more/): To learn more about what Recrear Participación is all about, you can download the project proposal here:  Recrear Participación-Project. We look forward to you feedback and idea on how to improve the program!
- [Welcome!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/welcome/): Welcome to the blog of Recrear Participación! This blog will keep you updated on our progress with the organizing and delivering the workshop this summer. Recrear Participación is a two week simulation workshop launched by Recrear this summer with two pilot projects which will serve as a launch for what will become a sustainable signature project for Recrear globally. The project will be delivered in: New Orleans, USA: June 28th to July 9th, 2011; Dominican Republic: July 12th to July 26th, 2011. The workshop will impart 60 students from diverse academic backgrounds with the necessary tools for building a community […]
- [Welcome to Recrear Magnify](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/hello-world-3/): The deadline to apply to RecrearMagnify has been extended to July 20th for Canadian applicants! Fee is $650 for applicants from Ottawa and $850 for applicants from outside Ottawa.  Apply now! Welcome to the main site for the Recrear 2011 annual conference in Ottawa, Canada. We’re excited to be hosting 13 outstanding youth from July 31st-August 22nd and to be providing unparalleled leadership and NGO management training in the field of international development. RECREAR was launched in August 2010 as an International Non-Governmental Organization during a conference for young creative minds in Berlin, Germany. Through this year’s conference, we plan to […]
- [RecrearApply! Workshop Summary](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrearapply-workshop-summary/): Hello Everyone, Attached to this post is the recently completed RecrearApply! Workshop Summary! We are very excited to release this file and we can’t believe it’s been a month since we left Palestine after having such a life changing experience.  We miss all of you and would appreciate any feedback you have regarding the summary. Much Love, Komal RecrearApply! Summary
- [Recrear-Apply! Feedback form](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/please-confirm-the-recrear-apply-feedback-form/): We would really appreciate if all the students who attended the Recrear-Apply! Workshop last week could take a few minutes to complete our feedback form. Please click here to access the form. Thanks for helping Recrear improve! – The Recrear-Apply! Team
- [Komal on CBC Radio 1 in Canada!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/komal-on-cbc-radio-1-in-canada/): Komal was interviewed this morning for CBC Radio 1’s Ottawa Morning Show.  Click the link below to hear about RecrearApply! Ottawa Morning with Kathleen Petty
- [Global Village V.I.P.](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/global-village-v-i-p/): Our last day at al-Najah was beautifully unexpected. After the ‘Arabic speech’ (I must admit I have never been so nervous speaking in public), I was really touched by the Prezi presentations a group of students prepared for us. I wished I could have stopped time to sit and enjoy that moment. I did not know that this desire would have continued throughout the morning. Cutting the red ribbon at the entrance of the Global Village exposition was another strong emotion. I have never thought I would be asked to cut a red ribbon! The ‘cut of the ribbon’ initiated […]
- [A mental picture: Click](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/a-mental-picture-click/): So our time here has come to an end and the closing ceremony last night was a powerful one. Between delivering our attempted speech in Arabic, then English, attending the global village, playing volleyball with the students, doing our first ever radio interview and then eventually leaving Nablus, it’s difficult to process that our time here is finished. Yet even though it went by in the blink of an eye, the memories made here will certainly last a life time. As Gioel would say, I’ve taken a ‘mental picture’ and they will stay with me always. In this picture I […]
- [Kevin's Message at the Conclusion Ceremony](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/kevins-message-at-the-conclusion-ceremony/): Marhaban.  It has been a privilege and an honor to have been working with all of you over the past two weeks.  It is humbling to witness your perseverance and ambition as individuals as you work towards bettering yourself and your community here in Palestine. We at Recrear are a small network of youth who believe that if we can inspire just one person, to connect even one idea to spark another’s passion, then we can create an action big enough to impact a community.  I feel that in our time here at An-Najah we have succeeded in doing that. […]
- [Decompress](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/decompress/): Did the past two weeks actually happen?  Two weeks literally felt like two minutes. I am so proud of my RecrearApply! team for their passion and commitment to our workshops and our project.  Gioel, Kevin, Kirsten and Qasim, you have all inspired me to keep going, to push myself and to continue giving to the people around me.  We have made a change, we have left a lasting impression on many people at An-Najah… this is incredible. As I sit at Maya’s house in Tel Aviv reflecting on our time spent together, I can’t help but feel so lucky and […]
- [Project Presentation Voting!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/project-presentation-voting/): [slideshow]
- [100 Voices](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/hello-world/): At Recrear, we are creating new ways of interacting and delivering projects in international development by integrating young people’s ideas and energy.
- [Tierra Verde](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/tierra-verde-2/):   Someone asked me today, ‘De que color es su tierra?’ – What color is your land? Confused I asked him what he meant and he responded ‘Mi tierra es verde por todo que hay que ver’, (My land is green, for all that you see). I thought about this and could not come to a conclusion – not only becauseCanada is a four season country but because I have long stopped considering one place ‘my land’.   But this land, this land is stunning and yet there is something wrong about the picture. I continued chatting with this man, […]
- [How do you predict the weather?](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/how-do-you-predict-the-weather/): I was travelling in a teetering wooden canoe along Rio Conambo in the middle of Ecuador’s South-East Amazon. We had just arrived in Ripano, a small hilltop community. The jungle was so thick I could barely see the sky, fog settled into the treetops, rain began to sprinkle down, the humidity seeped into my bones, and I felt so extraordinarily small against the backdrop of a timeless rainforest. I was collaborating on a participatory research project concerning climate change vulnerability and adaptation across several Amazonian communities. During one of the workshop days we focused on methods of climate prediction. Some […]
- [Surrendering to Serendipity and Finding Direction for our Passions!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/surrendering-to-serendipity-and-finding-direction-for-our-passions-2/): I rocked up in Montreal for Recrear Magnify 2015 with very little idea of what to expect but filled with a strong sense that it was just what I needed right now, both personally and professionally…..I was content to simply ‘surrender to serendipity!’ My initial sense of enthusiasm didn’t even dissipate when I realised my luggage hadn’t made it with me from London. I spent the first few days in an improvised mishmash of clothing offered up by my new friends, with the initial three day personal development retreat at a rural yoga and meditation centre providing the perfect setting for […]
- [Time to Unpack Our Baggage](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/time-to-unpack-our-baggage/): RecrearMagnify is such a personal journey for me: One part personal development, one part professional development, and one part life-long frienship building.  For the organization, its a time for skills-building and stratigicplanning, but its also a moment for new and old members to recharge. This “recharge” is the most critical componet for me. Our membership is international, with young people coming from many corners of the globe. We also come from very diverse professional backgrounds, which makes for interesting (and sometimes tense) conversations.  That’s why I’m always thrilled to take part in the personal development component of RecrearMagnify.  Before jumping […]
- [Something a little Different: “Dumi Does”](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/something-a-little-different-dumi-does/): A spontaneous happening on a random Tuesday evening enabled us to tap into a different level of consciousness and shared understanding of three individuals in our group. This was brought about through the sharing of stories and life lessons via one on one interviews, in front of an audience of familiar people, inspired by the queen of talk herself, Oprah Winfrey. Under the trance of the stars that overlook Montreal, the group huddled in a semi-circle form to experience musings of three great souls. The intentions were non-existent, interview questions were devised on the spot. This mellow yet exciting departure […]
- [Magnify Through Photos](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/magnify-through-photos/): Over the first three days of Recrear Magnify 2015, participants were treated to a personal development retreat at Centre Tara. Located in the country side an hour away from Montreal, participants had to tap in to their consciousness to bring forth their gifts, vulnerability and stories to connect. This was a three day experience filled with great vegan food, yoga practice, meditation, team building exercises, singing, jumping into a lake and spending time truly reflecting on life and the future.   Upon our return to the city, we attended a Playback Theatre event, which left some of us somewhat confused […]
- [Unofficial Spaces: Making Memories](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/unofficial-spaces-making-memories/): The best part about these kind of initiatives is often  the quiet moments in between official sessions, when young people get to engage with each other on day to day issues such as marriage, intercontinental differences and reflections on activities. This, I have come to learn, cements the friendships created and brings value to the opportunities for collaboration and improvement in the work that we do. As a part of Magnify, we had the chance to explore a little more of Montreal, beyond an introduction to a group of people engaged in development work who came to lead sessions at Sauve […]
- [Diving into our emotions](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/diving-into-our-emotions/): How can I give myself permission to change and grow? And as I change, how do I contribute to the system surrounding me? Who am I to the social system I struggle to accept? Am I supposed to resist it? If so, how does that influence the mosaic of my nerves, flesh, feelings, aspirations, and day-to-day actions? These questions hovered at the edges of my mind. But I could not put them into focus. Instead, I walked around with raw emotions, outraged by the paradoxes of the society I live in. Finding myself shocked and in deep pain when I let […]
- [Big Brother or Real World?](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/big-brother-or-real-world/): There is a powerful word that is often used loosely or inaccurately defined: Diversity. This is something Magnify has come to be well known for. With different personalities, backgrounds, cultures and perspectives on day to day aspects such as cleaning, cooking and communicating, there have been moments of laughter, tension and just plain silliness. Unusually, this piece is going to be about the tension – and it shall in no way serve as a marketing ploy :p Imagine a world where young people live in one house, in something of a “Big Brother” or “Real World” set up, with a constant […]
- [Pathways to Gender Based Violence Prevention](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/pathways-to-gender-based-violence-prevention/): Our new online Creative Movement and Physical Theatre series
- [Moving Inward](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/moving-inward-our-new-online-creative-movement-and-physical-theatre-series/): Our new online Creative Movement and Physical Theatre series
- [Soy Emoción (un poema colectivo)](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/soy-emocion/): Un poema colectivo Soy Facebook Twitter Youtube
- [36 questions to fall in love (with your ally/partner/donor)](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/36-questions-to-fall-in-love-with-your-ally-partner-donor/): An adaptation of the NYT's 36 questions to fall in love - a tool to deeper conversation with your allies and partners.
- [Collective poem: Going Inward.](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/collective-poem-going-inward/): Today, we hosted a creative session to explore our emotions around the CODIV-19 crisis. This is our collective poem. How are your emotions speaking to ?
- [A remote cooperative inquiry to renew our organisation](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/a-remote-cooperative-inquiry-to-renew-our-organisation/): The description of a year-long participatory research that Recrear undertook to re-think itself. 
- [Being seen and seeing through PAR](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/being-seen-and-seeing-through-par/): Being seen and seeing through PAR With Recrear A poem, kinda A new language undefined by words but rather by presence. An experience of the senses beyond the restrictive probing, prodding and fickleness of one world ways of knowing and being. A thick descriptive knowing, with body, with heart and with mind. A being that calls for wholeness of self. Time for joy. Laughter. Celebration. Sadness felt and shared. Tensions moved through. We each come a little undone as our own stories collide with the realities of others. With our own realities A delving into knowledge captured by our bodies […]
- [Who are the people we go to in times of need?](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/my-lumpy-luggage-friend/): During the Magnify experience, there have been a couple of instances of understanding and deep connection with somebody else that have left me feeling a little sad. I am not sad at the connection in that moment; that makes me feel great. I am sad that I have had to carve out two weeks in my life, negotiate time with work and family, save up money and fly around the world to have these profound experiences with strangers. I am sad at the investment I have had to make in order to realise things that are happening much closer to […]
- [Meet this year's RecrearMagnify Crew](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/meet-years-recrearmagnify-crew/): RecrearMagnify is starting this Sunday! We are super excited to bring together a group of extraordinary practitioners from all over the world. For two weeks we will be answering together the question: “How do I recognise and facilitate the personal transformation necessary for me to belong to an organisation or system that feels alive and healthy?” Meet this year’s team. They are researchers, creatives, youth workers and everything in between – we were captivated by their questions, their spirit and their life path.  Abeer believes in the value of finding a new purpose with every new experience life throws her […]
- [What’s ‘the system’ to me?](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/whats-the-system-to-me/): Have you ever found yourself blaming the system for not realizing a dream you once had? Have you declared not wanting to be part of it anymore? Have you called for ‘systematic change’? I certainly have. But what is the system? In 2017, a group of us spent a week together. We danced, laid on cold grass, cooked, shared stories, sang, and had unhealthy amounts of cookies and tea. By the end of our week we came up with a question that mattered to all of us: How do we find our path in a changing system while continually discovering […]
- [Unraveling ourselves in the system](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/unravelingourselves/): How can I give myself permission to change and grow? And as I change, how do I contribute to the system surrounding me? Who am I to the social system I struggle to accept? Am I supposed to resist it? If so, how does that influence the mosaic of my nerves, flesh, feelings, aspirations, and day-to-day actions? These questions hovered at the edges of my mind. But I could not put them into focus. Instead, I walked around with raw emotions, outraged by the paradoxes of the society I live in. Finding myself shocked and in deep pain when I let […]
- [The ghost of incoherence - Whose knowledge is it anyways?](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/the-ghost-of-incoherence-whose-knowledge-is-it-anyways/): It took me a few weeks to digest the experience of attending the ‘Global Assembly of Knowledge Democracy’ organized by the Action Research Network of the Americas (ARNA). Something about the conference did not feel right, but I initially could not put words to it. I recognized that I felt out of place in the air-conditioned rooms of the convention centre in Cartagena.   I arrived to ARNA with a lot of enthusiasm. I was thrilled Recrear could be a sponsor of the conference, and I was honoured to attend alongside Carla, a grounded and energetic social entrepreneur from Medellin, […]
- [Why we are taking a Magnify sabbatical](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/magnify-sabbatical/): It’s our 7th year, and we are taking a Magnify sabbatical For six years in a row, we’ve had the great honor of holding space for social innovators from all over the world during our two-week annual conference. 2017 will be a sabbatical year for RecrearMagnify. We will be taking a year off to regenerate and pimp up our program.  Here is more on why and what to expect next. What is Magnify? RecrearMagnify is our iconic intercultural full immersion conference. Every year, we design the conference as a journey of transformation bringing together a group of 15 to 20 passionate […]
- [The things that make us happy](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/the-things-that-make-us-happy/):   We think about happiness a lot when we work with people. So much so that we created an exercise around it. In celebration of the International Day of Happiness, we’d like to share the technique with you and encourage that you integrate it into your own work.   The task is simple enough. Write 10 things that make you happy. Well alright, there might be some pensive music and frozen statues too, but the essence is the same: what makes us happy? We’ve used this exercise as opener in almost every project Recrear has run in over 6 countries. Perhaps […]
- [Allsorts](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/allsorts/): That morning, I went to pee. Everything stilled. There were two doors. A person with a skirt and one without. I breathed out, and walked forward. Washing my hands next to a woman doing her lipstick, I stared at myself in the mirror. “You shouldn’t be here.” The thought kept running in my mind. It brought up a flood of others, questions haunting me. What does it mean? What does it mean for me to not feel like a woman? Does that mean I feel like a man? What if I don’t feel like either? What do I want to […]
- [Our art](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/our-art/): As I write this, I am sitting in a funky hostel in Cali, Colombia…   When I arrived this afternoon, my eyes got caught up by a dozen bright coloured string on the floor. Next to them, two girls seemed really focused on making cool looking objects. I sit next to them on the floor, silent for a few minutes. I ask a girl with olive skin and deep green eyes what she is doing. She tells me this is a Mexican tradition. These objects are made for children, as a blessing. “Each one is different”, she says, “and each […]
- [Stuck in an elevator 16 people - What would you do?](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/what-to-do-when-stuck-in-an-elevator-with-16-people/): Imagine 16 people leaving a house party at 2 AM where everyone has had enough drinks to be at least tipsy, and then getting stuck in a 3 m² elevator at basement level with no cellphone signal – what would you do? It started with jokes and selfies, but slowly anxiety set in as the temperature increased and we realised we were without a functioning emergency button. Would it be too Danish of me to say I expected more from Canadian elevators? Nine different nationalities; Canada, USA, Mexico, Denmark, Jamaica, Ecuador, Colombia, Italy and Tanzania; formed the group of people […]
- [Circular Reflections](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/circular-reflections/): Dear Loved Colleagues, I remember the day I learnt what I was going to be growing up. It was July 2009 and I was walking the streets of Nablus, West Bank (Palestine). I had spent the day doing a photography workshop in Askar refugee camp: the sun was setting with all of its stunning lights, I was sweaty and tired, I was in heaven. That summer, I had managed to create an extraordinary experience for myself. I had designed a small project and approached a local organization, Project Hope, which had agreed to host my month-long workshop on cultural dialogue. […]
- [Magnify 2015 - A thank you poem by Barnabas](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/magnify-2015-a-thank-you-poem-by-barnabas/): Barnabas’ goodbye poem. Play the audio here:[divider] To thank you all for such a wonderful time, I thought I would try to write up a rhyme   An Instagram Jesus, Chris you must be, Silent, lovely, and strong was how you struck me!   Passion, eyes flashing fire express all what you mean, Dayam! Yolanda would be fantastic as Mexico’s queen!   Ryan your soft smile it saved my life, when the elevator was jammed and we were in strife!   When life gets me and I feel like a rug, Mira you are there with a big cozy hug! […]
- [Flash of luck](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/flash-of-luck/): Have you ever felt that you were in the right place at the right time for NO particular reason? That feeling that goes through your body and makes you aware of all the possibilities. I have always thought we have our own say over our lives, and even if some things happen for a reason, we can also be that reason, that motor behind the actions and decisions that make up our lives. It is interesting to note that most people who believe in fate also neglect to take responsibility for their actions. I don’t believe in one or the […]
- [Finding our voice](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/finding-our-voice/): Voices have always been the open paths towards mutual understanding. A voice in itself, shows significant details of one person’s personality, poise and represents in a unique way the way people view the world. There are a million ways to use voices. Talented people are lucky enough to be able to create a musical instrument with the use of their voice, while others feel the need to reach out to others and showcase their ideas, the reasons and means which motivate their voice. Different people have diverse perceptions of the importance of voices, but, no matter your country of origin, your […]
- [Surrendering to Serendipity and Finding Direction for our Passions!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/surrendering-to-serendipity-and-finding-direction-for-our-passions/): I rocked up in Montreal for Recrear Magnify 2015 with very little idea of what to expect but filled with a strong sense that it was just what I needed right now, both personally and professionally…..I was content to simply ‘surrender to serendipity!’ My initial sense of enthusiasm didn’t even dissipate when I realised my luggage hadn’t made it with me from London. I spent the first few days in an improvised mishmash of clothing offered up by my new friends, with the initial three day personal development retreat at a rural yoga and meditation centre providing the perfect setting for […]
- [Fun, tranquility, and a dash of belonging](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/belonging/): What happens when you have fifteen vibrant souls tucked amongst the hills and sunshine of a remote area just an hours outside Montreal? Fun, tranquility, and a dash of belonging. For three days, 15 diverse and accomplished young people connected through yoga, meditation, and self reflection. The insight of variant perspectives led to acknowledging that there are similar challenges to personal development and contributing towards something that is greater than oneself. Nonetheless, this was only the beginning of a journey of exploring opportunities, learning about engaging young people and lifelong friendship.
- [Children of God](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/children-of-god/): There was something about these kids living in the outskirts of society that drew you near to them and It wasn't just the kids at the rest.
- [Back to Basics: Look at inequality like a kid would!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/back-to-basics-look-at-inequality-like-a-kid-would/): Let’s look at inequality like a child would, and say ‘WOW, THAT IS NOT FAIR!’. Then let’s look at inequality like a grown up to understand it is created by policies and human decision.  Now what? 
- [Reacting to Change](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/reacting-to-change/): After the revolution, quite like most Egyptians, I was inspired, hopeful and ready to discover an untapped sector: young people.
- [Quiet Insurgency: The intrigue of surprise](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/quiet-insurgency-the-intrigue-of-surprise/): “Now you have truly experienced South Sudan”. At first I didn’t appreciate his amusement with my ordeal, but then he began educating me on the importance of . . .
- [Musical Silver linings: 10 Songs to Make You Smile](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/musical-silver-linings-10-songs-to-make-you-smile/): We asked our network of young people around the world to share with us a song that reminds them of the good in the world. These songs are uplifting, chilled out or simply some good food for thought.
- [What TEK has been saying, if only we would listen](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/what-tek-has-been-saying-if-only-we-would-listen/): TEK has become more popular in recent years, as a distinct way of imagining and interpreting the world around us. It has also emerged as a way of thinking about the environment that is complementary to scientific climate discourse. 
- [The Challenge and Promise of Youth-Led Development](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/the-challenge-and-promise-of-youth-led-development/): Creating a Bigger Conversation around Youth-Led Development
- [Driven by Curiosity](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/driven-by-curiosity/): I think it is “life-affirming” to once in a while do something completely different from what you typically do. 
- [Change the world in your own language!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/change-the-world-in-your-own-language/): The more time I spend here in Armenia, the more I become sure that looks are deceptive. It never truly shows the reality of a person. 
- [So how lucky am I?!?](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/so-how-lucky-am-i/): The scene is straight out of a fairytale- yet this was actually our office space for a morning session on RecrearMagnify Armenia
- [RecrearMagnify 2014 - Meet our team!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrearmagnify-2014-meet-our-team/): Meet the extravagant team we brought together for Recrear Magnify Armenia 2014!
- [Chinito and the garden](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/chinito-and-the-garden/): Chinito proudly explained to me everything that, being lost in my daily hustle, I had never come close enough to see. 
- [You Defend What You Feel](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/you-defend-what-you-feel/): Young people with a strong commitment to the environment have one common denominator: they each have their own personal, as if customized, relationship to nature.
- [Everything is Changing?](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/everything-is-changing/): I was aware of the changes in Cuba, and what organizations need to do to survive. Yet, I could not imagine how much, in just three years, this space and its people could have transformed. I started asking myself a few questions: the first was how much things were really changing in Cuba, and if this type of mentality . . .
- [Ready for a whole new cha-cha-cha.](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/cha-cha-cha/): we won’t be just ranting about ‘young people and climate change in Cuba’. We are telling a story of Cuba. But still - this is a big deal. Because Cuba is different, is misunderstood, is polarized, is polarizing.
- [Cultural Impressions](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/cultural-impressions/): Cuba has survived many waves of cultural colonization. From American-inspired baseball and old Chevrolets, to the Soviet designed apartment complexes. These hallmark cultural pieces make up Cuba’s image to the world – but new waves are arriving every day.
- [More than just a small garden](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/more-than-a-small-garden/): When Elisabeth and Rolando decided to clear a garbage dump right next to the Bay of Cojímar, and start a family farm on the site, their friends, neighbours and the local authorities all thought that they were bananas. El Cachón is now one of the biggest environmental community projects in Cojímar (East Havana).
- [Everything in nature has a role, even when it seems 'bad'](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/everything-in-nature-has-a-role-even-when-it-seems-bad/): The dominant view is that the marabou prevents people from using these idle lands and making them cultivable. Ironically enough, the "weed" has actually helped to rejuvenate the land and biodiversity.
- [Normalized Solidarity](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/normalized-solidarity/): So I am sitting here thinking I am having a sort of epiphany – solidarity can’t be a hobby. I need to make it a lifestyle.
- [Santa Clara Botanical Garden: Showcasing plant species endemic to Cuba](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/santa-clara-botanical-garden-showcasing-plant-species-endemic-to-cuba/):  the national flower of Cuba, the Mariposa Blanca or White Ginger Lily, isn't endemic to Cuba but originates from Asia.   
- [Everything is political](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/she-put-her-red-che-guevara-shirt-away-and-consciously-stayed-away-from-politics-until-she-started-working-in-cuba-where-everything-is-political/): The first time I saw a billboard saying ‘everything within socialism, nothing outside of socialism’ I thought it was pretty disturbing. Can you imagine a sign in Germany, Italy, England or Canada that says ‘everything within Capitalism, nothing outside of it'’?
- [Disconnecting and Reconnecting](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/disconnecting-and-reconnecting/): Nothing facilitates your connection to the environment better than being in nature. Sounds silly? I invite you to observe how you feel the next time you are walking in the woods, swimming in a lake, diving under the waves, or running in a park. Why do you go to these places? What do they make you feel?
- [Nature Inspired Wisdom](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/nature-inspired-wisdom/): "I am like an ant, I am like a bird. I am neither unique nor better or more valuable than any other part of nature. We are all important."
- [How youth in Cuba are incorporating arts and the environment](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/how-youth-in-cuba-incorporating-arts-and-the-environment/): Over the past several weeks, we talked to a lot of young people who are organizing and/or participating in community projects that specifically use the arts to stimulate environmental education and awareness. Our team of nine youth researches for the Recrear-CYEN participatory project all agreed that the use of art mediums encourage problem solving and critical reflection among youth. With regards to the environment, it is an effective way to attract them to think about, develop or deepen their relationship with nature. According to them, we are less likely to pay attention to or look after those things that we […]
- [SONGS THAT REPRESENT CUBAN YOUTH!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/songs-that-represent-cuban-youth/): Recrear sat down with 8 Cuban youth leaders and discussed the power and importance of music for them. Each participant chose one song and explained to us why they believe it represents Cuban youth. Here is what they told us
- [Transforming a community garbage dump into something extraordinary!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/maria-silvia-and-her-family-transformed-a-community-garbage-dump-into-something-extraordinary/): Maria Silvia and her family have transformed a community garbage dump in Havana into a a piece of extremely fertile land where a variety of native trees and shrubs now grow freely and provide compost for future generations of plants.
- [The power of growing collective knowledge from Cuban youth](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrears-research-assistant-talks-about-the-power-of-growing-collective-knowledge-from-cuban-youth/): The Recrear-CYEN participatory research project is being done by, not for, local youth, meaning that they constantly influence and direct the entire research process
- [Meet La Mucura](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/meet-la-mucura/):   As South Americans we live in complex contexts that have led us to search for new paths of social change. During this search we have discovered the great potential that lies in cultural expressions to create new possibilities, to reconstruct what has been broken, to unite and to recognize diversity. This is the conviction that motivates our actions; cultural expression is the path that we choose to create social transformation in our contexts. The 7th of October of 2013 we left our home city, Cali, Colombia, to discover, live and learn from the different cultural processes that arise in […]
- [Real Change](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/real-change/): Liliet told us that she believes in ‘carpe diem’, in living life to the fullest. She explained that everything that she does, she does it to create ‘cambio real’, ‘real change’.
- [10 Cuban Moments](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/10-cuban-moments/): She thought it was crazy that an orange could travel all the way from Morocco and end up on her plate. Roberto just laughed and said, “No what’s crazy is that oranges can travel and we can’t.”
- [Appreciating Local Knowledge](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/appreciating-local-knowledge/): During my work with a local NGO in Nicaragua I was asked to give a workshop about basic grains. The organization I am working with has been striving to diversify the green cover (the stuff you grow in between crops to increase oil fertility) used by farmers in the countryside. The main beans we were using were mung beans and cow peas; beans widely used and consumed in other parts of the world but relatively unknown here. The goal of this workshop was to help the farmers realize that the beans they were sowing could be used not only to […]
- [Meet Roydes](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/meet-roydes/): I see him as a Batman type; he is everywhere and manages different lives.  Roydes spends about half of his time with his mom and great-grandmother and the rest of the time with his dad, stepmother and stepsister. While searching for our Recrear headquarters in Cuba, I have been staying with Roydes’ dad. There everyone is constantly joking, laughing and talking very fast and very loud. There is lots of energy- nothing is just happening: words and laughter seem to be physically moving the scene forward. Plus conversations are very dense – it never feels like small talk. At his […]
- [Culture Slap](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/culture-slap/): MANNAGGIA…!!! Cuba is slapping me. Today I got lost. Stuck in a bus so crowded that by the end of the ride I was soaked and smelled like a mix of at least five different people. It was raining, and it was sticky – and it seemed that half of Havana was on the P1 bus I had to take. After a 1 hour + ride, I decided that I was getting out. And there it was, all of a sudden, it was in me. Italian, mad, raw, sweaty. How did I forget that feeling? The feeling of really not […]
- [My Cuban Welcome Hug](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/my-cuban-welcome-hug/): Less than a month ago, I took a night bus from Sucre to La Paz, Bolivia. The street is curvy and dangerous, the man who blessed the bus before its departure only made me feel more uneasy. Yet what disturbed me the most in that bumpy eight-hour drive was the movie selection: some violent thriller with lots of people killing each other; trying to solve some absurd money/power trap. I felt angry. How do people construct their reality in the Andean mountains while Hollywood proposes images of unrealistic ‘development’ models? In that moment I wondered what are the public spaces […]
- [Human Impact](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/human-impact/): In 2010, I worked with Engineers Without Borders Canada on establishing an agriculture-as-a-business curriculum as a regular activity of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in the Kassena-Nankana East District (Upper East Region, Ghana). I trained extension agents in the inner workings of the curriculum, going out to the field to coach them through its implementation and working with management to build buy-in to the program. Even with this investment, due to other competing priorities (programs with more funding attached and/or top-down promotion), it didn’t become a permanent program at the district. This does not mean, however, that the program didn’t have […]
- [Youth Engagement & Social Media](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/youth-engagement-social-media/): Kristine Vodon, Industrial Designer http://www.vodondesign.com/ Youth are increasingly spending a lot of time on online social media sites, which many say is leading to a generation of “slacktivists”. This infographic takes a deeper look into youth on social media, and the arguments on whether slacktivism is a bad thing, or just a new way for youth engagement. Preparing this infographic, I dug deeper into the notion of slacktivists being enabled through the increase use of social media. The real question for me became; is slacktivism really something to frown upon? Or is it something to embrace? So what do I […]
- [Intentions...](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/intentions/):   I have had the privilege over the years to work with the Coady International Institute in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. The Coady Institute is a place and space dedicated to bringing together community practitioners from across the world to share best practices, learn and celebrate with one another.  In this spirit, we have created a course that gathers young community activists and practitioners from across Canada to share ideas, stretch each other’s minds and dream with one another. The collective space that we share, participants and facilitators alike, is one that asks us to look deeply at our experiences, our […]
- [NGO's have to be flexible and creative](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/ngos-have-to-be-flexible-and-creative/): I was working with an NGO in Lagos, Nigeria, fundraising to build a school in Ilage-Bariga, an informal settlement located in the city. Many in the community had been heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS, including orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) who were visibly neglected and not attending school. Although we came up with significant funds to build three houses, it was evident that operating costs were significant, and more funds were required to keep the school open. We tried valiantly to raise money but fell short of the mark. The school never opened officially. After I left, I understood that the […]
- [Organizational Gratitude](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/organizational-gratitude/): If I could pick few qualities that I think any organization should be founded on, gratitude would be on the top of my list. 
- [On short term “fly in, fly out” evaluations](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/on-short-term-fly-in-fly-out-evaluations/): Some years ago, I was asked to be the external evaluator on a project involving a small, rural community bordering the Rio Grande river. The community had received funding from the US government to support a goat co-op that would produce products (eg: milk, cheese, meat) that could provide a sustainable livelihood for its members, and also counter the attraction of drug money so prevalent in the area. The original evaluation plan involved two site visits. On the first visit, I would work out an evaluation plan with the co-op members who would then collect the data over the next […]
- [Whether or not to fight tradition](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/whether-or-not-to-fight-tradition/): At the beginning of my career, I was in a remote part of Papua New Guinea treating a villager alongside a traditional local practitioner. Even though the local leader practiced his own methods of healing while I followed my conventional methods, we were not threatened by each other.
- [Here is to building friendships, networks, community and NGO's :D](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/here-is-to-building-friendships-networks-community-and-ngos-d/): When I was packing my bag to come out here to the Magnify conference I asked my self a lot of things… yes I know that sounds so cheesy but I did. This is an investment in its own, as I will be giving my time, energy and money – I just wanted to be sure. I was worried about outcomes and my contribution. I remember thinking maybe this thing is not for me but I am thankful that I ignored that negative thought and decided to come out here anyway. Here we are architects. Well, I am a full-time law […]
- [Meeting With Myself](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/meeting-with-myself/): Magnify conference time! We were in a full immersion with ourselves during the first week of personal development course, then we dove into the New Orleans world of non-profit and youth leadership. Creative juices flowing: ideas laughters, words, online tools, to dos left and right… It easy to get swallowed in the complexity of managing our work.   Today we had a session on time management.  We all took the time to reflect about how we organize our work. What prevents us from doing what we want to do, when we want to do it? How do we communicate? How […]
- [Community Narratives](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/community-narratives/): Somehow everything is different the third, fourth, fifth time around. Like reading Le Petit Prince for the 20th time, with every reread I capture a new idea or learn to see those timeless metaphors in a different way. I feel that way about New Orleans during the personal development course we just completed in our first week of conference. Only two years ago I was traipsing down these same mid-city streets full of the same kind of Recrear-fueled energy I feel now. Yet, as if New Orleans remodeled itself, I only recently picked up on the wild and uninhibited green […]
- [Our exploratory  visit to Cuba, in pictures!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/first-visit-to-cuba-in-pictures/): After weeks of late-night Skype meetings with the project team, reading travel books and articles about Cuba, and jumping through lots of bureaucratic hoops, the Recrear project team finally landed in sultry La Habana at 3 am on a Saturday night and was greeted by Handy himself. As we drove through the quiet darkness along a well-paved highway, we were struck by the tranquility of the scene- not a single billboard advertisement or neon light in sight, as Gioel aptly pointed out. We felt as if we had stepped back in time, seeing only old cars from the 1950s chugging […]
- [Approaching Community through Theater](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/approaching-community-through-theater/): After weeks of hearing about an enigmatic but well respected theater group tucked away in the mountains of Cuba, we finally fell upon Teatro de los Elementos (Theater of the Elements). If all goes well, we hope that the entrance flanked by now-in-season mango trees will be welcoming a group of Canadian and Cuban students in November. This exchange initiative is one Recrear conceived as a useful strategy to interchange knowledge between young people facing climate change on different sides of the spectrum. Where Canadian students bring theory and a Northern lens on climate change, young Cubans have engaged with environmental impacts […]
- [10 was our lucky number](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/10-was-our-lucky-number/): By Nouha MaaninouKenitra, Morocco When RecrearApply finally kicked off in Morocco, all I did was worry. It was 11.30am and only five people were present. We had worked hard and we were expecting more people: 55 students were signed up. Kamya, another Recrear staff member, had come all the way from Granada to help out with the workshop. I started wondering if having such a project in the Ibn Tofail University was a good idea in the first place. After two hours of wondering and stressing out, I finally saw 25 people entering our conference room. It felt good but […]
- [Recrear Lives and Prospers in Kazan](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrear-lives-and-prospers-in-kazan/): By Aleksandra (Sasha) Kuznetsova, Kazan, Russia The only thing I do not enjoy about Recrear projects is that they always end. No matter how much effort you put into developing the project, or how many people will benefit from it, or even how much money you fundraise, every project will eventually finish. And no matter how much you manage to accomplish, the participants will still be left with plenty of great ideas they just did not get a chance to explore fully during the project. This was how we felt at the end of RecrearApply in Kazan last December. The […]
- [Discovering Timbiré](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/discovering-timbire/): By Kelli Fleming, Timbiré, Ecuador Put “Timbiré, Ecuador” in Google and you won’t find much, and by that I mean you won’t find anything. Well, unless you count islamicfinder.org, which conveniently tells me how to orient myself towards the Kaaba, which, for those curious, lies about 8026.59 miles away from Timbiré. Rough. These days I can’t seem to do anything without first consulting Google. I had no way of briefing myself via Wikipedia, Google maps was a mess, telling me it “could not calculate directions” from Quito to Timbiré. What little we could find came from scattered phone conversations with Lorena […]
- [Timbiré in Pictures](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/timbire-in-pictures/): By Maria Laura Minoli, Timbiré, Ecuador After our follow-up project in Palma Real, Kelli, Caitlin and I came back to San Lorenzo, and stayed the night at Fabiola’s house. We met Iván Grueso, an agronomic engineer, who carries out projects around the area, and who would take us to Timbiré the next day. The following day we took the first bus to Timbiré and got off right in front of the Junta Parroquial (local government) building, where Lorena Valdez Caicedo, coordinator of the Asociación de Mujeres Afroecuatorianas Timbiré del Futuro (AMATIF), and vice-president of the Junta Parroquial, was waiting for us. […]
- [Palma Real Follow up in Pictures](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/palma-real-follow-up-photo-story/): By Maria Laura Minoli, Palma Real, Ecuador Last May, three colleagues from Recrear went to deliver RecrearParticipate in a small fishing village on Ecuador’s border with Colombia, Palma Real. Kelli, Caitlin and I came back three months later to follow-up, checking how the participants had progressed on their projects and receiving feedback on the workshop. We arrived in San Lorenzo! Fabiola Pérez, president of UCOPPANE, the fishermen’s organization that was to facilitate our work in Palma Real, received us and showed us around. Watching the sunset at the dock and a night with no light, only a candle and my camera, […]
- [The Constant Playground](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/the-constant-playground/): By Caitlin Flannery, Palma Real, Ecuador It is a true waterworld. With the entire four-square-block town center precariously balancing on bamboo stilts, every detail of this place fascinated me from the moment I stepped out of the turquoise lancha into the vibrant and forgotten community of Palma Real. Running toward the dock to take an afternoon dip, gaggles of unsupervised children dodged mangy dogs, while svelte, hard-muscled men, wearing rubber boots and carrying motors (the equivalent of a suit and briefcase in many places) headed home after a long day on the job. Rickety wooden walkways and tin-roofed raised houses kept […]
- [Sharing Some Tips for the Field](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/sharing-some-tips-for-the-field/): As new Recrear members Kelli Rae Fleming, Caitlin Flannery and Lala Minoli got ready to deliver our latest projects on Ecuador’s border with Colombia, Recrear Executive Director Gioel Gioacchino, now a Sauvé scholar, sent them a letter to share her insights from her work in the field. Here is her letter: My Dearest Kelli, Caitlin and Lala, I wish I could pack in an email all my experience with Recrear Projects – but I don’t think it would be possible for me or useful to you. I know you are feeling nervous but, to put it simply, it is unlikely […]
- [7 Billion World](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/7-billion-world/): By Kirsten Williams, Chittagong, Bangladesh Here’s the deal. We’re a 7 billion people world today. But what does that actually mean? Living in North America you might not know it – the changes so incremental that you would have not even taken notice. Here in Bangladesh however – you know. You know because it feels like a 7 billion people world. I’m not just talking about more heads per square meter than any other country in the world. It’s the effect of all those people. The more than you can count carbon emitting tuk tuks, uncoordinated rick shaws and beggars that […]
- [Announcing our Board of Directors for 2012/13](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/announcing-our-board-of-directors-for-201213/): After more than two weeks of intense work and exploration, we are proud to announce our newly elected board of directors for 2012/13. Looking forward to a year of growth and exciting possibilities Executive Director    Gioel Gioacchino – At the center of Gioel’s work is the belief that intercultural dialogue is a powerful instrument for international development. Gioel grew up in a small town in    central Italy. In 2007, Gioel traveled the world and studied conflict resolution aboard the Scholar Ship. The four-month trip was a true intercultural ‘experiment,’ and it profoundly impacted her worldview.   In 2008/09, Gioel received a […]
- [Our Idea Wall](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/our-idea-wall/): So as per conference usual, during department work time the Project Management Department was conversing to understand our tasks, responsibilities, and yearly goals.  Suddenly, the conversation steered in a direction to create an “ah-ha!” moment: to put a map of Recrear’s process of coming up with project ideas online! The result: Check out our online Mind Map! here.  In short, this map will act as a virtual representation of the “Idea Wall” the RecrearMagnify team has been developing since the first week of the conference. Let me give you a little bit of background on the “Idea Wall.”  Creating the “Idea Wall” was an exercise Gioel and Kirsten facilitated incorporated […]
- [Cab Drivers & Traffic Jams](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/cab-drivers-traffic-jams/): While brainstorming for this post earlier today, I was having some trouble coming up with a topic. Everything was feeling a little too dry and routine. Would readers be more captivated by a discussion of what it means to be an international NGO? Or maybe the trials and tribulations of collaborating with numerous partners will do the trick? Standing in front of the Universidad Andina Simon Bolivar, these were my thoughts exactly as other Recrear colleagues and I piled into a cab to head back to the hostel. After just a few moments of being on the road, our cab […]
- [Less than lovely](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/less-than-lovely/): – by Kelli Fleming “Well, shit. I guess I’m not writing this from the best state of mind seeing as last night was Gioel’s 25th birthday.”  :10:12 am: This is the first sentence of the blog I started Thursday morning…pre-worst-chuchaqui-slash-ate-something-terrible-combo-sickness-of-death kicked in.  I know…very dramatic. Finish reading this post here. 
- [Magnify Ecuador Conference week 1](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/magnify-ecuador-conference-week-1/): Magnify Ecuador Conference week 1, a set on Flickr. Enjoy!
- [Welcome Aboard](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/welcome-aboard/): It all started with a mouse click. I was reading an email from an old boss and mentor of mine. She was an active figure in my growth as an individual and professional in the past year, accompanying me through the various inevitable hardships that arise when living and working abroad. From this close relationship, I took most of what she said to heart. Thus, when I opened one of her casual emails, recommending that I look into a certain international non-profit, I immediately obliged. When I clicked on the blue illuminated url link to Recrear’s home page, I wasn’t […]
- [RecrearMagnify starts!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/recrearmagnify-starts/): Coming to RecrearMagnify for the second time you think you kind of know what to expect. But the first day of the conference proved this assumption to be wrong at least for me. Everything is new and exciting, but most importantly we are pushing to reflect on everything we’ve done as an organization and, furthermore, on such existential questions as “what does development mean?” The excitement of coming to a new country, in fact, to a completely unknown continent and re-uniting with the Recrear team is even stronger. Here are just a few highlights I have of the past 2 […]
- [Photo Story- RecrearParticipate - Palma Real, Ecuador](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/photo-story-recrearparticipate-palma-real-ecuador/): We have been quietly busy. I swear. Conference planning, 100 Voices wrap up, finishing our website… the list is endless. In the midst of this vortex of projects, we were offered an opportunity we could simply not pass: delivering RecrearParticipate in Palma Real. Around a month after wrapping up 100 Voices in Esmeraldas, Ecuador, Recrear is back in the canton of San Lorenzo delivering RecrearParticipate. In Palma Real, a small fisherman community of 1300 people at the border with Colombia, our experience was (to say the least) fascinating. Here is a photo story of what we have been up to so […]
- [Into the home stretch . . .](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/into-the-home-stretch/): So many people are probably wondering just what is going on with Recrear lately.  It's been pretty quiet with 100 Voices finishing up, and our applicants are probably getting antsy to know what is going on.  So, I'll provide a little update!
- [Tu no puedes comprar al joven](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/tu-no-puedes-comprar-el-joven/): En verdad, es un esfuerzo de mi parte -dejar mis concepciones de como uno se ve la participación de un joven en la comunidad. En el Ouest, el idea de participación en su comunidad es definido como: iniciar proyectos, ser líder, o simplemente participar en actividades sociales organizados por los de más. Sin embargo, la realidad no es así, ni obstante eso no significa que los jóvenes son totalemente indiferentes. En cambio, estoy apprendiendo que uno puede contribuir a su tierra de otra manera- y a veces no es obvío; ni al joven, ni a la sociedad; que el esta […]
- [Honeymoon, Dismissed Development Ego and ‘the Italians’](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/honeymoon-dismissed-development-ego-and-the-italians/): One week in, I have absolutely no idea what 100 Voices will teach me. What is very clear is that everything I have studied, discussed and thought about up to now feels simply not useful to process what I am experiencing. My gut says that to learn the most I need to be looking at things like a baby. So, after many failed attempts of placing my daily observations in some sort of framework, I am sending my ‘development ego’ on holiday for a bit. For now I am just collecting footage with absolutely no draft for a storyboard… Kirsten […]
- [Ya viene!](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/ya-viene/): It feels like I’m in East Africa again. For a number of reasons: the quiet beaches, the tease to no end culture, the centrality of community and family, the love for music and food but above all because of time. Time – we all manage it differently based on where you live. Here, there is certainly more of a tendency to treat time as if it were an old friend who won’t be bothered waiting for you while you do the old round of catching up around the block. Time has easily been the theme of today. From this morning, […]
- [Tierra Verde](https://blog.recrearinternational.org/tierra-verde/): Someone asked me today, ‘De que color es su tierra?’ – What color is your land? Confused I asked him what he meant and he responded ‘Mi tierra es verde por todo que hay que ver’, (My land is green, for all that you see). I thought about this and could not come to a conclusion – not only becauseCanada is a four season country but because I have long stopped considering one place ‘my land’. But this land, this land is stunning and yet there is something wrong about the picture. I continued chatting with this man, a sweet […]

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