Bjarke Madsen is an Acem-volunteer and co-leader of the International Young Retreat. What drives him?
Maybe the coolest thing about the IYR is that there are a lot of penny-dropping moments for the meditators. Being an instructor is to facilitate learning and growth. It is very rewarding to be there when a meditator realizes something about themselves or their meditation - when the penny drops.
For example, it might be the moment a meditator slightly befuddled realizes “I think I’m awkward in social situations... But that doesn't mean that I’m actually awkward. It’s just like when I have metathoughts about my meditation. It’s a thought, not a fact”.
Those types of moments are just golden to be a part of.
I also think the retreat is the funniest and bravest of all the Acem-retreats. It’s the funniest because we have all these extra social activities that are just very fun. The bravest because it’s the retreat where many meditators get into the process for the first time, and it takes a bit of extra courage to do, to open up inwards but also outwards to people around you.
It’s heartwarming to see how the participants bond and share on the retreat and that’s to a large extent because they are brave enough to share and open up.
All in all, it’s just a very rewarding process to be part of and that’s why I keep coming back each year as a volunteer and co-leader of the retreat. Hope to see you there!
- Bjarke Madsen
Economist. Working with process optimization and artificial intelligence. Acem Meditation instructor.
