In connection with the project Learning to be happy, HF & VUC FYN Glamsbjerg and Middelfart have participated in two of the seven items that the project includes: Emotions and Understanding Dreams & Symbols.

Among several other studies, the art students participated a whole weekend in the art classes in HF as part of the project.

As teachers and instructors were Allis Nielsen, Carl-Aage Eliasson, Aurin Raeder, Sanna Holm, Rasmus Jervelund and Kirsten Kampp.

The students completed their various works and studies with assistance from Kirsten, Allis and Rasmus.

They took turns to talk with Carl-Aage about their relationship with their sculpture. Through narrative and conversation they became more conscious of themselves in relation to what they had created and the symbols in the sculpture that pointed to themselves, their lives here and now. Among the tools they learned were getting more insight into who they were as individuals; including looking at themselves from the outside, in the present where mind does not lead them to the past or future. 

The students in this group often form fixed attention on themselves which results in feeling inferior. If you are angry, sad, worried and ashamed you can also get stuck in these emotions without really being aware of it. The emotions have taken hold of you and control you. By being present in the moment, you can discover your own consciousness and become aware of the feelings and discover their presence. The same way one can control thoughts, an go from thought to thought, one can also control emotions. But ideas can also take over just as emotions. It is important to be aware of feelings and accept them in order to be able to move from fear to action.

Painting, drawing, creating sculptures, dancing, playing and listening to music, having conversation and being happy together are all factors that bring one into the now and this weekend was filled with this presence.

Kirsten and Sanna trained the students in Sumi-E brush techniques that are basically simple meditation techniques from Zen tradition. These are tools that teach us to be in, and use our emotions consciously, avoiding going in circles in fixed attention.

Aurin took pictures of this year's tasks and works with students and gathered pictures for the evening slideshow.

As a last event of the day they all gathered to perform Sumi-e brush strokes of their classmate Pernille dancing. She danced dressed in black in the glow of the slideshow, while Carl-Aage improvised on the piano over the day's experiences, moods and conversations. The session lasted for half an hour with absolute silence and concentration. The atmosphere was filled with positive intense energy, and after the session all were completely silent for several minutes. Later all the students expressed that this experience was something special, and the event became imprinted in their consciousness.

It may be that our project had an impact on the students' exam, as the class average increased by the successful final exam.

Other topics are Eating Habits, Playing / Having Fun, Sleep Disorders, Social Interaction, Physical Exercise and Sports. In all subjects our focus has been to find items and tools to make a better life for those in Europe who have a hard life, and for different reasons have lost the joy in in life.