Last September, meeting our new class 1D we, the teachers, were about to tear out hair out in despair! The students (11 year-old kids) were certainly nice and also potentially good, with good competences but …. What a mess, how difficult to have rules respected and, above all, how difficult to be together respecting each other!
Many of them would just talk and talk and talk, without listening to their classmates, some others would fiercely demolish other people's contributions … ideas such as duty, respect, tolerance, acceptance were definitely values that we had to reinforce. We needed to transform in positive resources individual traits that were potentially negative. The challenge was: HOW???

That's how we thought of this project -- ME … TOGETHER - to enhance relational skills that might guide our students towards some knowledge of themselves and their mates but also to experience what it means to feel good together with other people, in a group of people.

This project was then divided into 4 meetings, from December to March; during these meetings we suggested activities for self perception (becoming a tree, for example), games to enhance trust (leading a blind-folded partner through a hurdle path) group-coordination games (like the rain domino) … each meeting ending in a circle time of reflection with the group pulling together feelings and ideas.

Certainly the most meaningful activity being our last meeting, where the group's feelings and emotions were brought together, the "voice of our souls". Immersed in music, with words and bio-relaxation exercises the students revealed strong and positive aspects of themselves and the group.

We are now coming to the end of our school year, and it clearly appears that this is not enough, just a beginning of a long journey. But we can positively say that the atmosphere of the class has changed since then. Our journey this year will be concluded in a two-day meeting in a mountain hut, in a journey of discovery of ourselves as well of our natural environment. I hope we'll succeed.

What a strange feeling, a bit dizzy, feeling unsure and yet definitely wanting to go ahead... I am in the circle about to start a journey, excited and worried, not knowing, not being familiar with that landscape. How will it go? Where would we end up?
I can feel their trust and open-mindedness, I can feel their eyes staring and I can also feel some nervousness and resistance, maybe fear, it is difficult to stand and just listen and listen to other people, I get lost. There is some light laugh, there is a joke (why can't they take it seriously?), we are trying to take it seriously, to take responsibility for what I do and think … for some of us it is something new and unexpected.

Greeting each other in silence - depriving words of their power, eyes meet other eyes and some hands touch other hands - being together feels different and strange.

There is more than myself in this room, there are other people and they are walking with me, I want to be with them, not always possible, for a fraction of a second I feel good being together.

Mirrors reflect my image, how funny to see my eyes into the other's eyes, it takes a lot of concentration. How to go outside myself , how to lose myself in a reflection …? At times I get lost in the process, I times I find the rhythm …

And the next thing I remember is being a tree, in the wood… yes, there are other trees in the wood, they enjoy the same sun and are moved by the same wind.
The trees become an entangle of branches and arms, hands get hold of other hands and it is mysteriously easy to untangle - in silence, I find myself in a big circle, where we started from.

But the circle keeps changing, now I choose who comes next and I am chosen, I am now strong enough to choose out of rules, I am free enough to choose. Veeery difficult to trust other people, and to be trusted but I want to take care of this person and I lead him through obstacles - there is a bond, I can feel it even after my task is finished. I can take care and I can be taken care.

I am an animal now and friends cuddle me, wash me, introduce me to other people, protecting me. Here I feel strong and loved.

Another circle takes me back to the rhythm, we are as one, in a big domino of hands, feet and voices, a bit rusty. For now I can't do much more than that.

Today there is no rationale, no explanation, again in the circle, lulled by a sweet sound, I will close my eyes, sooner or later, my feet are relaxing and I can feel my breathing, slowing down, there is a voice and another one, there is a journey, there is the music, I'm taken, I don't know where to go, I'm here and there and nowhere.

From afar I see my animal approaching, more and more distinct I notice all the details, it is now easy to write, the ink flows, after all the voices there is just one, out of silence, I can hear my voice.