Lian Kasper
Born and raised on a biodynamic farm in the Noordoostpolder, my connection with nature mainly comes from working in the clay, in rain, wind and sunshine. Fed by the practical idealism of my parents and the community of pioneering organic farmers in my area, a concern for nature and the environment was instilled from an early age. During my graduation project for the study of landscape architecture at Wageningen University, something started to bother me: I can make beautiful, ecological plans for landscape and nature, but whether they lead to anything depends on the involvement and care of the ( local) people. This realization led to a number of fundamental questions about the relationship between people and nature: Why is it that some people experience involvement and care for nature, and others do not? What is 'connection with nature' anyway and can you teach it or encourage it? And what if nature (or the deterioration of the state of nature) evokes negative feelings? And how does all this actually work for me?
Since my studies, I have focused on answering these questions and guiding other people in their relationship with nature and urgent sustainability issues. I followed a coaching course with Adriaan Hoogendijk, went back and forth to England several times for the Facilitator Training in the Work that Reconnects by Joanna Macy, and I discovered, among others through the Bosbeweging, what happens when you immerse yourself in the nature, realizing that you yourself are life, an inseparable part of nature.
In the meantime, Louise and I started our first week-long training for young people, the iWEek, a joint voyage of discovery in Wageningen nature, in which Joanna Macy's method played a central role. Riding on the inspiration and energy that was released in that first week, I have set up and run programs in varying collaborations over the past six years, with Wageningen University, Staatsbosbeheer, Breda University of Applied Sciences, VVM and various organizations in the organic agricultural sector. In addition, I can work as a promoter of 'nature-inclusive education' through the NatuurCollege foundation, and I have recently enjoyed training others in facilitating nature-inclusive teaching methods and the Work that Reconnects.
A special place on my path is my involvement with the Omega School of Life, where I can learn more and more deeply to be a touched person in the midst of all potentially soul-numbing influences and current developments. I have learned how intertwined my own personal development is with how I view life, with the role I can take and the contribution I can make in the world. This makes me grateful and in awe of the incredible way life works and connects, and it gives me the lasting motivation to commit to the mission: truly connecting people and nature.
