Released on: July 20, 2023
Benediktbeuern – After intensive preparation, the six-strong team welcomed 23 children aged between six months and 13 with their twelve mothers to the Benediktbeuern action center. The contact was established by youth welfare and/or family education institutions, eight of whom accompanied the families on their way to Benediktbeuern. Among them were three mothers from the Ukraine with their children, who showed great gratitude but also brought bad previous experiences with them, especially the children. The shots fired during the Corpus Christi procession that took place in the monastery, for example, triggered great uncertainty and even panic attacks.
Offer for socially disadvantaged families
The other nine families come from so-called weak social milieus, the mothers are mostly unemployed, the fathers are not present or in just as precarious social and working conditions. The level of education is usually very low, which has a great impact on the situation of the children. It is also a reality that the majority of children have never been outside of their city or neighborhood. The educational aspect begins with planning and starting such a trip: from packing your suitcase to getting there.
It was particularly gratifying to see a family that had been there last year and was very conspicuous: the two boys were aggressive, and the mother was only reluctant to accept what the group had to offer. She said this year that “full life” in 2022 gave the impetus to slowly change her life: one of the boys has been receiving psychological care since then, and she herself also accepts family help. The change was obvious: the physical presence of the boys was completely different, conversations were possible, a positive self-confidence replaced the high potential for aggression. Of course there were still difficult moments, but change has begun and is desired.
Get to know each other and experience something together
The days in Benediktbeuern had a similar framework program as in previous years: a warm welcome, getting to know each other and the premises, dinner together and a quiet end to the day were on the program on the first day. A boy said on arrival: “Wow, we can live in a royal castle!”
A special highlight this year: sheep that are trained for educational work grazed on the monastery grounds and we were able to work with them for two days. At the beginning, the shepherdess explained some important things about handling and invited the children directly to get to know each other. The effect was unbelievable: with how much calm, humility and care even the biggest bundles of energy got involved in the encounter with the four-legged friends!
The mothers got to know each other better through experiential educational exercises and were invited to a tour of the monastery. In the afternoon we went together on the sound and barefoot path in the moss, where we could familiarize ourselves with the different elements and discover many things. The trip to the Kochelsee inspired everyone the next day. The children in particular enjoyed playing on the clear lake and often experienced the grandeur of the mountain landscape for the first time. After returning, there was a barbecue in the monastery garden and the day ended with the evening ritual. Part of the story was told daily by a sheep looking for friendship and a home. There was always a lot of tension, especially with the smaller children.
relaxation in nature
On the third day, the mothers were able to exchange ideas during a unit on the mountain, led by the psychologist in the team, and gratefully reflected on the changes in themselves and their children over the past few days. They wrote themselves a postcard with wishes for the future self, which will be sent to them after about three months. In the afternoon, the mothers were also able to experience the calming effect of the sheep. The smaller children did handicrafts, cuddled with the sheep and other animals, sang and played around the monastery.
The older children (from about 11 years) were allowed to go up the mountain with some supervisors. With proudly swollen chests, they then report on their “summit ascent”. Meals together, which were always preceded by an initial ritual, gave the days a beneficial and reliable structure.
Only a fraction of what is happening on these days can be described here. The change became visible and hopefully will also have an effect on many of the participants in their everyday lives. It has been possible to create good memories that can give the children stability in a life that is often so unstable and burdened.
Text and photos: Angelika Gabriel
2023-07-20 17:32:05
#Holidays #mothers #children #Benediktbeuern
