EFA-Gatherings past
Annual Gathering
at Bassano del Grappa in northern Italy
25 – 29 October 2023
The 2023 year theme is: BELONGING BEYOND BORDERS – LISTENING BEYOND
THE VILLA ANGARAN SAN GIUSEPPE
host us from Wednesday evening until Sunday lunchtime.
The venue is lovely. You can see more information here: https://www.villangaransangiuseppe.it
MEALS:
Occasionally we plan to eat out together in the old historical centre of Bassano.
ARRIVALS/DEPARTURES:
Everyone felt free to come to the café/bar area by 6:00pm to meet and greet. Later, between 8:00pm and 9:00pm, we all gathered for welcoming,
basic practical matters, and first personal interactions.
The next morning by 9:00/9:30am all participants introduced themselves and shared ideas about their wishes and offers. We then created our program together.
For anyone who wanted to arrive earlier and/or stay longer, it could be arranged.
HAPPENINGS: the days were filled with workshops, sharing, interest and home groups, partnership time,
making music, singing and enjoying nature and connecting…
Cost:
Accommodation and Meals are paid directly to the hotel by each participant.
For the Meeting Rooms we calculated everybody’s contributions for the cost of the two meeting rooms
based on an estimated minimum number of 20 participants, so €65 Euro is paid by each participant
in addition to the cost of the bedroom. Any surplus is to be used for EFA projects.
EFA gathering communication platform
We have an active communication platform, where can be seen who is coming and let people know who will join.
You can see what ideas already exist, and you can post your envisioned workshop, wishes and discussion ideas;
and connect for travel plans, etc.
The primary purpose of Annual EFA Gatherings is for European Focusers to connect and inspire each other,
and to create European work relationships. Those from other parts of the world are still welcome to join us.
Some inspirations from EFA gathering in Bassano del Grappa 2023
- Touched deeply by the flowing kindness in our gathering. By
- The meeting was a thoroughly enjoyable experience: the medieval town of Bassano, the splendid villa
and its grounds, and the stimulation of conversations with focusers from euro countries and beyond.
There’s nothing that compares with these international gatherings of focusing people,
there’s a good-heartedness amongst us that the rest of the world could learn from!
I look forward to the next meeting.
By Peter Afford - Thank you for a wonderful gathering. It was so lovely to be back in Bassano again, reconnecting to people
I met last year, and forming some new relationships too.
I truly appreciate the hard work and efforts that go into making such an event, by the steering group and others involved.
I also at no point underestimate the contribution of those who speak English when they might be more comfortable,
and feel more themselves, speaking their mother tongue. I am very grateful to you, and would welcome
continuing to explore opportunities for a gathering that is inclusive and equitable in language terms –
and the introduction to a cross-lingual focusing method was very hopeful.
The daily morning Qi Gong groups helped me to settle myself and connect me to myself, others and the very special place
that we were in. I so appreciated the opportunity to combine spending time with other Focusers, and also enjoying
the landscape and the town on my own, responding to my sense of what I needed.
By Lucy Hyde
There was nice feedback in our Nov 1st, once-a-month Members’ meeting.
Here are some key phrases of what people experienced at the 2023 Gathering.
It worked so well because of:
- Singing on Saturday
- Familiar people who met last year and nice to have new people coming
- Familiar venue and people felt comfortable and relaxed being there
- Taken good care of by the people working at the Villa, and the ethos of the Villa
- Nature around us
- Nice weather
- Careful preparation from the steering group
- Nice balance between workshops and input < > and personal processing time in the home groups and partnership Focusing
- …
