Highlights 

Vacation in Germany

After I had bathed the resident, I sat with him in the living room as usual so that he could wind down during “Quite Time” and prepare mentally for going to bed. During Quite Time, all the residents gradually came into the living room to say goodbye to me one last time. It was very painful to say goodbye, but I once again expressed my gratitude to everyone for the many unforgettable experiences this year.

The next day I had to get up early because Melli from Saxony-Anhalt came by at 6:00 a.m. to take me and the two students to Hudson station. From there I took the train to Albany, from where I was to fly to San Francisco via Chicago. You can read about what I did there in the blog post about my first week in California.

After a week, I flew back to Berlin via New York and Helsinki. On the plane, I watched the movie “San Andreas” with Dwayne the Rock Johnson, a disaster movie about an earthquake in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The movie doesn't come close to Roland Emmerich movies like “2012” and “Day After Tomorrow”, but I still had fun. We had dinner at 1 a.m., which was impossible due to the flight time, but felt very strange.

Shortly before we landed in Berlin-Schönefeld, we flew low over Schmöckwitz and Eichwalde. From up there, I could see my home town of Zeuthen, where my grandparents and my mother live on the outskirts of the city. It was impressive to see Lake Zeuthen, where I often went kayaking, and my daily running route from above.

When I arrived in Berlin, I kept an eye out to see if I could spot my friend Enrico on the tarmac. I had mentored him during his apprenticeship as part of the mentoring program “MISA 2.0 - Mentoring Initiative Starke Azubis” from Unionhilfswerk. The project is funded by the Senate Department for Integration, Labor and Social Affairs as part of the state mentoring program and aims to support trainees in the fields of logistics, law, security, technology and transport in mastering their training. As a mentor, I support Enrico and other trainees with professional, academic and personal issues, such as conflicts at work, learning deficits in vocational training or finding accommodation. Enrico trained as a warehouse logistics specialist with the aim of later working in airport logistics. During my time abroad, he proudly wrote to me to tell me that he has now got a job at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport! Congratulations! Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Enrico. I'm looking forward to seeing him again and finding out what it's like to work at such a big airport!

My mother was waiting outside the airport and after a year we were finally able to hug again. We took a cab 20 minutes home, where I was surprised in my room: a “Welcome Home” banner, balloons, a Benjamin Blümchen cake (my favorite cake!), beautiful flowers and some presents! I was especially happy about my Master's certificate, as I had never held it in my hands before. Shortly after I handed in my Master's thesis, I flew to New York. As a result, I was unfortunately unable to attend the graduation ceremony and certificate presentation. Not being able to celebrate the successful completion of six years of study with my friends and lecturers still pains me a little. Especially since my parents and grandparents did not go to university, as a “FirstGen” student (formerly known as a “working-class child”), I am very proud of the successful completion of my Master's degree. If you want to read my thesis on the representation of history in video games, you can do so here:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381735292_Digitale_Re-Konstruktion_romischer_Stadte_-_Uber_die_Einflusse_der_Antikfilme_auf_die_Geschichtsbilder_in_Aufbaustrategiespielen_der_fruhen_2000er

In my room, I stood for a long time in front of my photo wallpaper, which my mother gave me in 2012. I was on a school trip to Scotland, where we visited Edinburgh and Glasgow. When I came back, my mother had put up a photo wallpaper of the New York skyline on one wall. Every morning when I got up, my eyes fell on the New York skyline. The dream of being able to visit New York one day motivated me to get up every day and study for school. After graduating from high school, I moved into student accommodation in Berlin in 2017. When I stood on the viewpoint of Rockefeller Center (“Top of the Rock”) in New York, I admired the New York skyline. Then I realized that this is exactly where the photo for the photo wallpaper was taken. After five years of school, three years of bachelor's and another three years of master's, I was able to enjoy this view with my own eyes and knew that all my work had finally paid off. An unforgettable feeling!

We ate my favorite dish in Germany, fried chicken, and I talked a lot about my time at Triform. If you want to get a deeper insight besides the blog posts and my photos, I recommend this video from Triform: https://youtu.be/3aGsUfBceaU?si=K5AmrHsZsZ80Wu9Y

The next day we went to eat at the Indian restaurant “Amrit” in Kreuzberg. The restaurant is one of my favorite restaurants in Berlin, they serve delicious curry chicken, butter chicken and my personal highlights, “Bhatura” and “Naan” bread. When I was at the doctor in Hudson for my annual health check, I had a nice conversation with a doctor's assistant who told me about his vacation in Berlin. He told me about his visit to the best Indian restaurant he had ever eaten at. As it turned out, he was talking about this very restaurant! If you visit Berlin and enjoy Indian food, be sure to stop by, sit in the outdoor area where you can watch the colorful life in Kreuzberg and enjoy the excellent cocktails with your meal. During the meal, I told my mother for the first time what was going to happen next. She was very surprised to hear that I wasn't staying in Germany, but was returning to the USA after 1 ½ weeks. Of course, she was very happy about my new position at Camphill California and my full scholarship to study at Camphill Academy, but she was also sad to have to say goodbye again.

After the restaurant, we went for a walk through Berlin in fine weather and walked from Kreuzberg to Neukölln. The beautiful rooftop bar “Klunkerkranich” is located on the top floor of the Neukölln Arcaden parking garage. Here we enjoyed the view of Berlin and talked about the time ahead.

One evening we lay down on the jetty in Zeuthen and admired the Perseids meteor storm. There were a large number of shooting stars to be seen, which shot across the sky. I wished some things for my year in California! You can read a report about the natural spectacle here: https://www.tagesschau.de/multimedia/video/schnell_informiert/video-1368152.html

 The next day I rested up and went to the club “Ritter Butzke” in the evening, where I was finally able to dance to electronic music again after a year.

At Kottbusser Brücke we visited the new kebab store run by the footballer Lukas Podolski. I also really missed kebabs, although I visited a kebab store in New York City twice. The kebab is a bit expensive, but tastes good, especially the sweet sesame bread. My favorite kebab store, however, remains the kebab store at the Yorkstraße S-Bahn stop: Hisar fresh food (Yorckstraße 49). Afterwards, you can take the delicious kebab to the park at Gleisdreieck and have a nice picnic there.

Afterwards, we rode the e-scooter from Warschauerstraße along the Spree, over the Elsenbrücke bridge, through Kreuzberg and back over the Oberbaumbrücke bridge. I'd never ridden an e-scooter in Berlin before. The first time I tried out an e-scooter was in Central Park, where I rode the circular route. Especially when it's very expensive to take your bike on the train (especially in New York), it's worth renting an e-scooter - it's also a lot of fun! I also had a few mandatory appointments, such as applying for and collecting my student visa, visiting the doctor and dentist and renewing my passport at the residents' registration office. I always had my laptop with me so that I could use the waiting times productively and write for my blog.

Shortly before my departure day, Melli and Arthur came to Berlin for a day trip. Melli comes from Saxony-Anhalt near Halle, Arthur from Lebus near Frankfurt (Oder). We met at Hakkesche Höfe station and went to eat at the CoWei restaurant. It's a fusion restaurant that serves spring rolls, duck, chicken, sushi and other Asian dishes. Afterwards, we indulged in bubble waffles with frozen yoghurt for dessert and relaxed in Monbijou Park. We looked back on the year and already miss some of the residents who we have grown very fond of. Melli and I also miss working on the farm, which was very varied and fun for us every day. We both have an Apple Watch that tracks our fitness. On the farm, we were often able to “close our rings” (reach our targets for calorie consumption, training and standing) before lunch, whereas here in Germany we sometimes don't even manage to reach our targets. The work on the farm was physically demanding, but so much exercise also has a positive effect on your mood, figure and health. We also looked to the future, where all three of us will be heading in very different directions. Melli will be studying to become a primary school teacher (German & math) in Halle, Arthur has decided to study cell biology in Darmstadt and I'm going to Santa Cruz, California, to study social therapy. Arthur and Melli are thinking about taking a vacation together in Japan. I wish them a lot of fun and hope that we can organize meetings in the future so that our volunteer cohort can stay in touch!

Afterwards we walked along the boulevard “Unter den Linden” and visited Dussmann, a large cultural department store, where we stocked up on beautiful books. I showed them both my alma mater, the Humboldt University of Berlin, where Melli's mother also studied in the GDR.  We had another long chat on Hegelplatz, which has changed a lot since my time at the university and looks much nicer, before I took them both to their trains at Friedrichstraße station. Thank you for a lovely day!

Then the 1 ½ weeks were already over, tomorrow I'm taking the plane at 6:00 a.m. from BER via Lisbon to San Francisco, where I'll be picked up by colleagues. I will keep you up to date on my experiences in California and look forward to feedback, questions and great conversations with you!

damonruhlaender (at) gmx (dot) de

Final Report

As an IJFD volunteer, I have to write a final report for my sending organization EOS Erlebnispädagogik e.V. and the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth at the end of my voluntary service. In it, I look back on the year and answer questions about highlights, challenges, day-to-day work and the assignment location. As I report on my work in Triform every week on my blog, looking back on the year and reflecting on it was not as difficult for me as for some other volunteers. Anyone who has followed the blog every week will certainly recognize some things. Nevertheless, I would like to share my final report with you. 

My name is Damon Ruhländer, I am 27 years old and I volunteered at the Triform Camphill Community in Hudson, Upstate New York from August 2023 to July 2024 as an IJFD volunteer. Many friends and relatives were very critical of my decision to do unpaid voluntary service. After all, I had already completed my teaching degree at Humboldt University in Berlin and a paid trainee teacher position was waiting for me. Why did I decide to do the year abroad?

The practical semester is an important part of the teacher training course. During this semester, students work at a school for several months to put the knowledge they have acquired in theory into practice. The lecturers visit the prospective teachers and assess the lessons they teach. During my practical semester at the Wilhelm-Bölsche-Schule in Berlin-Friedrichshagen, I was able to gain many wonderful experiences. I found it challenging to have up to three children with special needs (autism, intellectual disability, emotional-social support needs) in the classroom and to integrate and support them individually without the support of inclusion teachers. I realized that the university did little to prepare me for dealing with people with disabilities and that I needed to gain this experience outside the university.  At the same time, I thought back to my school days and considered which teachers had a big influence on me. In most cases, it wasn't the teachers who took the direct route from school to university and back to school. I was influenced by teachers who dared to take detours. Who lived abroad and gained professional experience outside of school. Who brought with them what no university teaches: Life experience. For example, my history teacher at elementary school, who had served in the navy and traveled the world, or my English teacher at secondary school, who moved around England as a roofer. I started university straight after leaving school with the plan to go abroad during my studies, but COVID-19 unfortunately ruined these plans.

In my search to combine these two interests, I came across EOS Erlebnispädagogik e.V. and the opportunity to do an International Youth Volunteer Service. The IJFD is a voluntary service of the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ), which enables young people to do voluntary service abroad and thus gain intercultural, socio-political and personal experience in another culture.

I looked around and the Triform Camphill Community seemed like the perfect place for me. In the middle of the hills, fields and forests of Columbia County, New York, lies the Triform Camphill Community, which has made it its mission to accompany people with disabilities on their journey from youth to adulthood and to live and work together with them. Around half of the approximately 100 members of the community are people with mental, physical and emotional difficulties. The other half consists of permanent employees, some of whose families live with their children and volunteers, who live together with the young people in several houses. In the community, trust, self-esteem and independence on various levels, enriching cultural, spiritual and social interaction are practiced through gardening and farming on the approximately 400 hectares of land. The Camphill operates exclusively biodynamic agriculture on its arable land and, in accordance with the Demeter certification it has achieved, adheres to what are probably the highest organic standards in the world. If you want to get an insight into the community, you should definitely watch this wonderful video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aGsUfBceaU

Christofferus House, where I stayed, is one of the largest houses in Triform. The house is run by the two house parents, who live there together with their two children (13 & 14). Four people with disabilities live in the house, who are not referred to here as clients, but as "young people". However, our residents are not that young, they are between 23 and 47 years old and have different disabilities and needs. Some are very independent and tend to have difficulties interacting with other people and eating disorders, while others need direct support with personal hygiene.  In addition to me, there are three other volunteers living in the house who accompany and support the people both in the household and in their morning and afternoon work. The other volunteers came from Scotland, Nigeria, Turkey and Tobago, so we are a very diverse team, which is also reflected in the varied cuisine - which the residents are also very happy about! The household also includes six chickens, two guinea pigs and three cats. The cats are happy to be petted regularly, which always puts me in a good mood. I received a very warm welcome and went on a lovely boat trip to the lighthouse in Hudson with the house on my very first day. My mentor also helped me to find my way around and quickly integrate into the community.

The Triform Camphill Community can be thought of as a large farm, which also includes nine (eight inhabited) family homes. The grounds extend over two communities (Town of Livingston & Town of Claverack, Columbia County, New York State) and are so extensive that it takes over half an hour to walk from the entrance to the cattle yard. Fortunately, in addition to various tractors and vans, there are also golf carts that can be used to cover long distances. 

The house parents, the volunteers and the residents live in the houses. The house parents all have a dual role. On the one hand, they are responsible for managing life together in the houses; on the other hand, each of them has another job. Some work in the office, where they select new residents and volunteers, communicate with parents or provide training. Others work as "work leaders" and manage the various work areas. These include:

- Estate (landscaping, clearing leaves/snow/invasive plants, maintaining green spaces, herb garden)

- Garden (fruit and vegetables come mainly from our own production, which are grown here in the garden and greenhouse) 

- Weavery (weaving, including placemats, bags, rugs, pencil cases, scarves, cushions, throws)

- Bakery (bakery, besides bread rolls also pizza once a week)

- Pottery (pottery, including plates, pots, mosaics, cups, matchboxes)

- Farm (livestock farming for milk and meat) 

- Home Economics (housekeeping, cooking)

The work leaders set the daily goals and keep an overview, while the volunteers supervise the residents at work and lend a hand. During the selection interview, I wanted to work outside as much as possible. My aim was to get out of my comfort zone, gain practical skills and get to know farm life. I am very happy that this wish was fulfilled! I mainly work on the farm, but I also work in Garden and Home Economics.

I was surprised at how long and full the days are. Basically, I work six days a week and my day off is Thursday. Here is a typical daily routine:

5:30 - Wake up & run 5km

7:00 - Wake up residents & help in the bathroom or prepare breakfast

7:45 - Morning circle, warm-up exercise, singing, Bible reading

8:00 - Breakfast

8:30 - Prepare residents for work

9:00 - 12:00 - Work on the farm or cook lunch with residents

12:30 - Lunch

13:00 - Prepare residents for nap 

13:30 - 15:00 - Lunch break / free time 

15:00 - Wake up residents and prepare for work 

15:30 - 17:00 - Work in the garden / farm / theater class with residents

17:00 - 18:00 - Prepare dinner

18:00 - Dinner 

18:30 - 20:00 - Go to the compost with the residents and then take a bath

20:00 - 21:00 - Rest time for residents in the living room, then put to bed

We volunteers meet regularly in the evening around 9 p.m. to end the day together and talk about our work together. The days are very long and it was a great challenge to adapt to this rhythm, especially as I was able to organize my time freely at any time during my studies for six years. My recommendation for future volunteers: don't see it as work, but as time together as a household / family. You are always invited to contribute your own interests and skills and to organize your time together freely. Over time, the residents will become friends and you can enjoy your time together.

This plan is broken up by excursions. I remember trips to the Columbia County Fair, a classical concert in Germantown, the Maritime Museum in Kingston, the lighthouse in Hudson, the Olana Villa, art exhibitions and theater performances at the Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School which the children of the house parents attend, lectures and theater and harp performances at Camphill Copake, concerts in Mettabee, a Superbowl evening, a jazz concert, a trip to the High Falls, St. Patrick's Dinner at the Churchtown Fire Department, a hike in the Greenport Conservation Area, a visit to the Muscials "Les Miserables" in Schenectady, a trip to Redhook, a theater performance and talent show at Camphill Hudson, Hudson Waterfront Wednesday with delicious food and numerous booths, the 100th birthday celebration of Biodynamic Agriculture with numerous farms from the area and a visit to the Equine Advocates Horse Sanctuary, a sanctuary for abused and injured horses.

We also celebrated many holidays together, which brought the houses together: Michaelmas at Camphill Ghent, Halloween, St. Martin, Thanksgiving, All Souls, St. Nicholas, Epiphany, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Candlemas, Valentine's Day, Presidents Day, Holy Week, May the 4th (Star Wars Day, my idea ), Whitson, Memorial Day, and of course the regular Festivals of Offering. Every week in the summer, all the houses got together to play baseball. This was very new for me at the beginning, but it's not so competitive here, instead they make sure that everyone can get involved and have fun.

On my day off, I often went on excursions with the other volunteers in my off-day group. These included the zoo in the Bronx, Albany (the capital of New York State), a hike in the Catskill and Taconic mountains, art exhibitions in Schenectady, Bethel where the Woodstock Festival took place in 1969, Taghkanic Lake, the Overlook Hotel ruins, Coney Island, a kayak trip on the Hudson and my highlight, the 4th of July celebrations with the big Macy's fireworks display in New York City. We also watched movies together and watched the NBA finals live. For a while, I didn't have a driver in the off-day group, which forced me, as a bike rider, to ride my bike for an hour to the train station in Hudson in the winter. I communicated my dissatisfaction with my mentor, who lobbied to have the volunteer coming to Triform assigned to my off-day so we had a driver. Always communicate openly if something is bothering you, because everyone is interested in everyone feeling comfortable in the community! During my vacations (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break) I went to New York City, Washington DC, Philadelphia and Boston with colleagues. If you're interested in my highlights there, feel free to check out the subpages of my blog.

I was also a member of the theater group, where we planned and performed three plays: "The Witch Who Stole the Moon" on Halloween, "The Shepherds Play" at Christmas and "Romeo and Juliet" in the summer. The Scottish volunteer from my house runs the theater group and has rewritten the well-known play "Romeo and Juliet" and set it in modern times. I played Lord Montague, Juliet's father. She also tailored the roles to our residents so that everyone could get involved. We volunteers spent a lot of time learning our lines and practicing our lines with the residents at the same time. Each volunteer had their own area of responsibility, I took care of editing the music and the projection technology, others took care of the stage design, ordered and painted props, managed the stage lighting, played the songs, prompted texts and accompanied residents on stage who needed more support. A lot of effort, but it was definitely worth it! Of all the three plays I was involved in at Triform, this one was the most fun! We also grew together as a team over the long period of time, it was great to see how much the residents had developed in such a comparatively short time! Some had a lot of stage fright at the beginning and forgot their lines, others fell out of character and ran around nervously. But in the end, everything worked out and everyone successfully mastered their challenges. We had three performances in total, on Saturday for the residents and house parents of Triform, on Sunday for the residents of Camphill Hudson and Copake and on Monday for the employees of Triform. This demanded a lot from everyone involved, especially as there were also theater professionals from Hudson in the audience, who we wanted to win over for future larger theater projects. Unfortunately, it was the last theater performance I was involved in at Triform, as I only have six weeks left at Triform. I am incredibly proud of our residents and our team! After the performance, I went out for Indian food with my Scottish colleague in Hudson, where we looked back on the great time together. On the last afternoon of the theater, our instructors bought ice cream, so we had a big ice cream party to thank them for all their hard work.

Unfortunately, alternative school forms such as Montessori and Waldorf were not covered in the course. My house parents' children go to the private Waldorf school Hawthorne Valley School, as do all of the other children of the house parents in Triform. I already wrote a blog post about the school between weeks 15 and 16. The school focuses on agriculture and is part of a large farm, while the nearby public Taconic Hills High School is a huge school complex, like the ones you see in Hollywood films. My house parents offered to ask the teachers if I could sit in on the Waldorf school before the summer holidays and supervise their children's lessons. In fact, when my house parents asked, a teacher got in touch and offered to supervise two hours of the 4th grade on my day off. Although I didn't study to be a primary school teacher, I was still very happy about the invitation, especially since geography/history was on the schedule. I was immediately welcomed at the school and taken to the classroom. The room is very nice, the jackets are hung on the right, at the front there are old-fashioned chalkboards with beautiful chalk drawings (which are increasingly being replaced by smartboards in Germany), on the left there is a window with a view of the schoolyard and an aquarium with a lizard, and at the back there is a kitchenette. Before class, each child had a task, such as feeding the lizard, wiping the blackboard or cleaning something. The children all had potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil and gave them to the second teacher in the room, who set about preparing mashed potatoes for the children during the lesson. The other teacher talked about Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and immigration to the USA, which was only regulated in the late 19th century. The children copied a part of the poem "The New Colossus" from the blackboard, which has been on a bronze plaque inside the Freedom Tower since 1903: "Give me your weary, your poor, your oppressed masses who long to breathe free, the wretched filth of your crowded shores; send them to me, the homeless, driven by the storm, I will hold up my light at the golden gate!"

I noticed that the students do not use worksheets or textbooks, which is typical for Waldorf teaching. Instead, the teacher talks a lot while the students copy from the board. It may be due to the fact that it was elementary school, but the teaching was very frontal. There was no group work or the opportunity for the students to express their own opinions (what do I think about the poem?) or experiences (have I ever visited the Statue of Liberty and what did I see there?). They try to use as little technology as possible in class, while public schools tend to use more technology. I can understand this, as smartboards, iPads and laptops are often touted as a panacea, while more fundamental problems are not recognized. Technology cannot turn bad teaching into good teaching. If the teacher cannot engage and motivate the students, popular teaching applications such as "Kahoot!" and "Mentimeter" are of no use. Nevertheless, I would not want to be without the smartboards, as they replace the long search for overhead projectors, TV cabinets and CD players in the school. The blackboard images can also be prepared in advance in the form of a Power Point, so that I spend less time turning my back on the class. Instead, I can spend more time supporting individual students (with or without special needs). I have also discovered many parallels to our Camphill, such as the burning candle during lessons, the regular singing, the outdoor sports practice where the students dance and clap together in groups, and the prayer before meals. Many thanks to the teacher and the 4th grade for allowing me to experience the lesson!

There are two crews on the farm: the Stewardship Crew and the Dairy Farm Crew, each consisting of a work leader, two volunteers and three residents. The Dairy Farm Crew collects the cows from the pasture every morning to then milk them. The milk is cooled and distributed to the houses. I worked on the dairy farm for a while and was very happy to milk a cow for the first time in my life. It took me a while to find the right technique to milk all the teats alternately and evenly. Cows are not machines, so you have to build a personal relationship with the cow so that they don't hold back the milk. My cow noticed my insecurity and moved around a lot at the beginning. Once I found a good rhythm, milking was a lot of fun and the cow became more relaxed. But when I saw the speed of the experienced residents, I also realized that I could still learn a lot from them.

I usually work in the Stewardship Crew. The advantage over the Dairy Farm Crew is that I am out and about a lot and spend little time in the barn. We meet at 9:00 and discuss the tasks of the day. The work leader keeps an overview and instructs us on new tasks. When we are working, we volunteers are often alone with the residents, as the work leader operates the machines and works the fields with the tractor. After the meeting, we drive the pickup truck just under 1.5 miles (30 minutes on foot) from the Dairy Farm to the Stewardship Farm. We volunteers take turns to see who gets to sit in the back of the truck - always great fun. On the way, we stop at the horse farm and feed the horses and ponies. Then we drive on to the pigs and feed them. When it is warm, we wet them with the hose, as pigs cannot sweat and are obviously happy to cool down. We also make a mud hole for them so that they can wallow in it. Care must be taken to ensure that the hole is not too close to the fence. One time, a pig flattened the fence in the heat of the moment. The residents really enjoy working with the pigs, and they can also come into the enclosure, for example to prune plants. The pigs are very curious when they have visitors, but very peaceful.

Once we have taken care of the pigs, we turn our attention to the cows. They are called "Meat" to distinguish them from the dairy cows, which are kept separately. They have to be driven to other fields regularly so that the grass can recover. The cows have horns and are therefore not without danger, so we volunteers drive the cows and the residents stay in the background and close the gates behind us. We also have sticks to keep the cows at a distance. The cows are very well behaved, however, and follow our commands. When we call "Cooooome Onnnnn" they follow us, and when we call "Goooooo Onnnnn" they move on. Checking the fences is also one of our tasks. If a branch falls on a fence, we have to saw it down and take it away. Sometimes we dig trenches with pickaxes to build new electric fences and remove invasive plants from the enclosures. Enclosures where the pigs live must first be dug up and re-seeded before the area can be used by the cows. We also repainted the barn where the lovely farm cats and the sometimes cheeky chickens live. There are also goats and ducks living in the work leader's garden. We sometimes go hiking with the goats. Then we visit the residents in the other work areas and put a smile on their faces. At the end of the shift, we sit down in the workshop, talk about the work we have done and reward ourselves with chips.

The work is physically very demanding and very different from my work in Germany. But it is incredibly fun! It is particularly fulfilling when I walk around the farm and see the fruits of my labor everywhere. Each season brings new tasks. When I wrote my master's thesis in the summer of 2023, I weighed 94 kilograms. When I went to the doctor in June, I was measured at 75 kilograms. So I lost almost 20 kilograms during my time at Triform!

In addition to my work on the farm and in the garden, I also work in the kitchen twice a week. Spoiled by the good food from my family and later the canteen food right next to the dorm, I have so far had little experience in cooking. This makes me all the more grateful to finally learn to cook in Triform! On Wednesday mornings I cook in another house, together with the householders and two people with disabilities. The householder originally comes from near Cologne, but we only speak English to each other. The people around us probably notice that we both come from Germany because of the sayings we sometimes use, which only make sense to us Germans. I learn something new every week, and we particularly like to cook "Roasted Veggies and Beets with Pork Stew". Here, special attention must be paid to integrating the two residents into the work and finding out which tasks they are good at and where they still have difficulties. For example, I pre-cut the apples and beetroot so that one resident can chop them up. Three hours and four cooks sounds like a lot of time for the dish, and since I am still learning a lot myself and at the same time have to pass on my knowledge to the residents and assign tasks, it can be stressful at times.

Triform has the so-called "Youth Guidance Program" with three development steps.

When new residents come to us, they have often (but not always) previously attended a school for children with disabilities, such as the Camphill School Beaver Run in Glenmoore, Pennsylvania. They start as "students" and go through all the work areas in Triform: farm, garden, landscaping, pottery, weaving, bakery and housekeeping. After they have gone through all the work areas in 6-month rotation, the students specialize in one field. As "apprentices" they pass on their knowledge to students and take on more responsibility in their work. Finally, there is a final project that they have to design and carry out. In the past, these have been gardens that were created in front of houses, insect hotels or the Triform logo, which was made of wood and now adorns the barn. After the final project, the "apprentice" graduates to "journeyman". Many residents leave the Triform Camphill Community, which specializes in young adults, after graduating. Most become part of Camphill Village Copake, which is a 20-minute drive away. There are only a few places for Journeypersons, who are particularly active in the Camphill community and act as mentors for the residents.

All volunteers are properly trained for the work. We go through a first aid course lasting several days, in which past incidents and Triform-specific risks are discussed. After the kitchen, the farm is one of the places where work-related accidents are most likely. Here I was very grateful that it was not an external course, but that the course leader was able to draw on many experiences in Triform. The course was concluded with a test, which I passed. This was followed by the "Incident Reporting Course", where we learned how to correctly recognize, assess and report accidents, incidents and possible misconduct. Triform does not allow racism, discrimination and physical or psychological violence, so that we all contribute to creating an atmosphere in which all Triform residents feel comfortable.

In Berlin, I volunteered in the Berlin-Mitte emergency service of the German Red Cross and in the Youth Red Cross. There were very strict regulations here; I was not allowed to administer medication, as this is considered an "invasive procedure". In my house, all residents have to take medication, sometimes three times a day. In order to be able to give medication to residents, we first have to complete a course. Here we were introduced to the different medications our residents take, their effects and possible risks. There is a fixed protocol for administering the medication. The community nurse coordinates the medication plan with the residents' parents and their family doctors, which we receive in a folder in the house. This is where the medication, the amount to be administered, possible conditions and the time are recorded. The medication is a mix of regular medication, homeopathic pills and vitamins. At the end of the training and a supervised dispensing, there was an exam in which the nurse observed us dispensing and ticked off a checklist. I worked very carefully and passed the exam on the first attempt. Now I am an AMAP ("Approved Medication Assistive Personnel") and can administer medication to people with disabilities without supervision, according to a plan set by the nurse.

Another course and a highlight is the "Orientation" course, which takes place every two weeks. Here, all volunteers in their first year receive an introduction to the history of Camphill, the principles of anthroposophy, the educational work of Triform and the background to the festivities in Triform. At the same time, many sessions also create a space in which volunteers can exchange ideas with one another. Especially when there are challenges and problems at work or in the household, it is very helpful to get advice from other coworkers, exchange tips, support one another or simply share nice moments with one another. For 2024, we were allowed to suggest our own topics that we would like to learn more about. I wanted a session in which we learn more about the background of the most common disabilities. These include autism spectrum disorder (ASD), pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), Down syndrome, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, fragile X syndrome, Williams syndrome, cerebral palsy and other mental disabilities. On the one hand, it is good to get to know the residents as people and to experience them as individuals with strengths and weaknesses, without focusing on the medical aspect too early. On the other hand, I also want to gain deeper knowledge about disabilities so that I can adapt my future lessons to the needs of students with disabilities.

After the Thanksgiving break, I joined the Sign Language Choir. Here we learn sign language in a special way that is catchy and understandable for everyone. We rehearsed two songs that we sang together. After we knew the songs, we learned the meaning of the words in sign language. The goal was to sing the songs and at the same time represent them in sign language so that people who are deaf can still hear our singing. The first song was "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel. A nice way to start, as the song is not particularly fast and the key words are repeated. When singing the sentence "Like a bridge over troubled water," the arm is held in front of the chest, a V is formed with the other finger and the stilts of the bridge are symbolized in two places. Water is represented in front of the mouth with three fingers that form a W. A wave movement with the arm describes the restless state of the water. A nice approach to learning sign language that also gives residents easy access to language acquisition. There is also the Bell Choir, which, in addition to singing, rings different bells at specific points, which creates a very beautiful sound. The Triform Bell Choir has already performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, as well as at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco, while the Sign Language Choir is a new project by an academy student. In December we had a joint concert in the library in the neighboring town of Claverack. Afterwards, some residents burst into tears of joy, as the audience included not only local residents, but also a few relatives of the residents. I really enjoyed the performance and we received a huge round of applause from the packed hall.

One day I saw the estate crew attaching blue buckets to the trees. It turns out that they are also involved in the extraction and processing of maple syrup. I always associated maple syrup with Canada, and the border is not that far away at 400 km. The buckets are used to tap the syrup from the maple trees in late winter. The holes are drilled a year in advance. In Triform we have distributed a total of 41 buckets. This may seem like a lot, but it is just enough to cover our needs. Maple trees grow for 20 years before we can extract maple syrup from them. The syrup is then boiled to make it last longer. A hydrometer is used to measure the density to determine when the maple syrup is fully cooked. We do not add any preservatives or other additives. The work manager explained to me that one in forty drops is maple syrup, the rest is water, so a very large amount is needed to fill our glass bottles. As soon as the insects come, the season is over and the buckets are taken down. We like to use the syrup as a spread for waffles and pancakes. The syrup could also be used to make sugar, caramel, butter, alcohol, doughnuts or cookies. I never used maple syrup in Germany. But now I'm a big fan and love waffles spread with peanut butter and a drop of maple syrup. I sent my grandma a bottle of Copake maple syrup for her birthday, she was very happy about it!

I only work in the garden on Monday afternoons, so I only have a small insight into the many projects that the volunteers and residents carry out every day. But I really enjoy digging up the garden beds, removing weeds, planting seeds and working in the greenhouse. We also recently got colonies of bees again, which will provide the community with honey in the future. Each field is 50 feet long and has 10 to 13 beds with two bands each. In the greenhouse we have 36 beds, each bed is 15x3 feet.

Here is a quick overview of what we grew in our garden last year:

Field 1:

• Flowers

• Potatoes

• Sweet potatoes

• Leeks

• Garlic

• Turnips

Field 2:

• Flowers

• Piracicaba broccoli

• Umpqua broccoli

• Black radish

• Ruffled kale

• Brussels sprouts

Field 3:

• Flowers

• Cucumbers

• Chilli

• Eggplants

• Melanzani

• Roma tomatoes

• Paste tomatoes

• Sweet peppers

• Zucchini

Field 4:

• Flowers

• Beans

• Peas

• Leeks

• Onions

Field 5:

• Flowers

• Swiss chauds

• Pak Choi

• Lettuce mix

• Fennel

• Spinach

• Corn salad

• Parsley

• Radish

• Dill

• Basil

• Batania lettuce

Field 6:

• Butternut

• Flowers

• New England pie pumpkin

Greenhouse:

• Herbs

• Peppers

• Tomatoes

• Cucumbers

The garden, like the farm, is Demeter certified. The Demeter Association was founded in Europe in 1928 to support and promote the biodynamic farming methods introduced by Rudolf Steiner in 1924. Demeter Association Inc. is a national, independent, nonprofit corporation that assures people that biodynamic foods are grown and processed with the utmost care and integrity in the United States and Mexico. Certified farms and processing plants are visited annually to ensure they continue to meet Demeter-certified biodynamic standards. We do not use fertilizers, pesticides, or hormones, instead we use alternative methods. For example, we fill horns with cow manure, bury them over the winter, and then mix the contents into a biodynamic mix to spray the fields. We also spray the compost with a biodynamic mix, which I had to stir by hand once at a set rhythm. This seemed strange to me at first, but gradually I understand that it is not about achieving the greatest possible efficiency. Instead, the aim is to achieve a greater connection between the earth, plants and people, and alternative methods are not just the way, but the goal of working with the disabled.

At the beginning of the year, I spoke to my grandmother on the phone. She was happy to hear that I was enjoying volunteering at the Triform Camphill Community so much. At the same time, however, she was also unsure whether I had made the right decision. After six years of studying to be a teacher in Berlin, I did not start at a high school straight away, but decided to do volunteer work on a farm with disabled people instead. Some friends also doubted my decision, which got me thinking:

How does the farm work at Triform help me grow as a teacher?

1. It was a challenge for me, as a city person on the farm, to be put back into the role of a student instead of a teacher. I was shown how to milk the cows by disabled residents who have been working on the farm for a long time. Many teachers find it difficult to integrate new methods into their lessons and to have pupils explain new media to them. Both sides can only benefit if we regularly put ourselves in the other role, if teachers are open to new things and students are given the opportunity to pass on the knowledge they have acquired. If you give the students responsibility, they can grow with the tasks and strengthen their self-confidence.



2. Learning the basics of agriculture and livestock farming and the practical guidance from my work leaders Brent and Nina helped me to reflect on how complex knowledge can be explained clearly. The introduction to increasingly complex tasks and teaching practical skills is something that can be learned much better on the farm than in the lecture hall at university. 

3. With 26 hours a week and about 3 hours in each class, I teach and assess up to 216 students a week in Berlin. At the farm, I work with a group of seven young adults, so I can spend much more time supporting each resident. I learn how to modify my approach to meet the individual needs of each resident.

4. Each resident has their own strengths and challenges. Identifying these in our daily work is the real task of us volunteers. While one resident effortlessly moves fully loaded wheelbarrows of wood, another resident is talented at milking, while others enjoy sawing, cleaning or digging. In Triform, I learn not to focus on weaknesses and mistakes like many teachers do, but to point out existing strengths and discover hidden potential. I would like to make this attitude the basis of my teaching in school.



5. During my internship semester at a high school, I was appalled at how the inclusion of disabled people in regular classes is implemented. I experienced how little most teachers know about the different disabilities and are therefore hardly able to respond appropriately to the needs of the children, how often the disabled children sit apathetically in the back row and how often interaction is limited to admonitions to be quiet and not to disturb the other pupils. That made me very sad and has nothing to do with inclusion. That was the reason why I decided to volunteer with people with disabilities. At Triform, volunteers and residents work together as a team. They are not reduced to their disabilities but treated as individuals, they are recognized for the work they do and grow as personalities as a result. 

6. Farm work consists of many routine tasks. This makes it all the more important to learn how to motivate the group every day and create an atmosphere in which everyone feels comfortable. If this is successful, everyone can contribute their strengths and the group can achieve its goals - on the farm and in the classroom. The routine on the farm can be interrupted at any time by unforeseen challenges. This requires flexibility and adaptability, which are also extremely important for the teaching profession. 

I am very grateful that I was not only able to gain exciting insights into agriculture here, but also learn many skills that I can use in my future work as a teacher. I would choose an IJFD in Triform again at any time! My expectations were far exceeded!

In the bi-weekly orientation event, we learned background knowledge about various disabilities, the basics of anthroposophy and about Camphill life. However, it turned out that the 90 minutes were too short to really get into it in depth. I always wanted to know why we do what we do, my work leaders and house parents really appreciated my interest and always took the time to answer all my questions. The focus during the year is really on practical work with the disabled and personal interaction with one another. It is important that you first get to know the residents as personalities with individual strengths and weaknesses, talents and challenges, before assessments and reports influence your perception of the person. If you want more theoretical knowledge about disabilities, you should choose to study at the Camphill Academy instead. Instead of six working days and one day off, as a student you only work five days and spend a whole day at the academy, where you deepen your knowledge of disabilities and anthroposophy. A colleague in the house decided to do this, and I regularly asked her what new things she had learned.

My house parents and work supervisors were very happy with my work and gave me excellent letters of recommendation. Not only that, but I also received an offer from the Camphill Academy to study there. As a Community Fellow, I will receive a scholarship and the tuition costs of 21,000 dollars will be fully covered by Camphill. I thought about it for a long time and in the end I decided to accept this generous offer! Nevertheless, it was very difficult for me to say goodbye to my colleagues and residents, as many have become close friends over time. As the orientation week at the new Camphill starts on July 29th, I had to give up my three weeks of vacation. It hurts a little to see my friends going on road trips across the USA and me continuing to work without a break. It also means I won't be able to take part in the follow-up seminar and won't see many of my friends from my preparatory seminar again. Although many volunteers were deployed in the USA and Canada, we unfortunately hardly had a chance to meet up here due to different off-days and vacations. I was only able to meet one colleague from my preparatory seminar, who worked in Great Barrington (Massachusetts), during my year. Nevertheless, I am delighted with the trust placed in me and the opportunity to work in the USA for another year.

As I am writing this report, I am sitting in a café in Santa Cruz, California. Here I will be studying for a year at the Camphill Academy on the “Inclusive Social Development with a concentration in Social Therapy” diploma program and providing care for adults with disabilities. It is even possible to add further years and obtain additional degrees. I expect to gain a deeper knowledge of disabilities, which I will need in my future as a teacher in inclusive classrooms. I look forward to the time ahead and am excited about the challenges that lie ahead! I will continue my blog and publish a post every week as usual to keep you up to date with my work at Camphill. 

Many thanks to the EOS team in Freiburg for your support with the application, the visa process, the journey and throughout the entire volunteer service! You had my back so that I could concentrate fully on the work at Camphill. Thank you also for the great preparatory seminar, which helped me to develop an understanding of the previously unknown anthroposophy and to learn the basics of working with people with disabilities.

If you have any questions about my volunteer service in the Triform Camphill Community, please feel free to contact me at any time!

Mail: damonruhlaender (at) gmx.de 

Instagram: @damonphilipp