Ljubljana, Slovenia

The Annual Adolescent Refresher, Ljubljana, 16th - 18th September 2022: Some insights into an enriching weekend.

It is said that the longer the wait, the greater the joy. And it was very true in the case of the Annual Adolescent Refresher 2022 in Ljubljana.

We had waited for almost two years for the gathering to finally take place from September 16th to 18th. According to AMI, the Annual Adolescent Refresher allows to "encourage teachers working with adolescents to deepen their understanding of Maria Montessori's ideas and to re-examine the essential aspects of their work in the light of its main objectives".

Participants from all over Europe enjoyed a weekend with Jenny Höglund (AMI trainer 6-12 and 12-18) and Patricia Wallner (AMI trainer 0-3) in an exclusive prepared environment at the Montessori Center in the suburbs of the beautiful city of Ljubljana. Not only we enjoyed plenty of food for the brain and soul in the course of the two days; the culinary well-being was well taken care of which proved to be very welcome after intense rounds full of thoughts and discussion. A big thank you! to Melita and Pavel Demšar for their warm hospitality and perfect organization.

The focus on Saturday was on human development. Jenny and Patricia gave us many insights about key principles such as trust, acceptance, adaptation and will - all together common basic concepts for the first and the third stage of development. We also considered work and the diversity of its manifestations in the context of Edrkinder. It resulted in exciting and intense conversations with many valuable practical experiences. In the afternoon, we learned about Temperament Profiling from Patrica Wallner, a tool based on observable behaviours that allow us to adapt better our role as an aid to life to the needs of children and adolescents.

Our discussion on Sunday were focused on our role as adults in early childhood and adolescence. We had an intense discussion about what it means to be a role model. We finally deepened our thoughts during a seminar on a text of Maria Montessori from "Education and Peace". We can now take Jenny Höglund's words as a guide in the various settings of our daily work with adolescents, their families and colleagues. Having asked practitioners what the essential characteristics of their work with adolescents would be, three emerged: love of work, love for people (no matter if they show their best side), and enjoying and taking delight in being and working with young people.

We look forward to the next Adolescent Refresher in 2023!