The LIFE Project

Life Worth Living: Caring for our Educators and Principals (LIFE) is a European-funded educational project that aims to increase the well-being of educators and principals in five European countries (Iceland, Belgium, Bulgaria, Italy, and Greece) by increasing their sense of meaning in life. The project developed a holistic approach inspired by Yale University's Life Worth Living framework, designed for educators to engage in a contemplative community. This approach encourages participants to explore what brings meaning and purpose to their lives, offering an opportunity to see their own lives with greater clarity and, in turn, cultivate a deeper sense of living a meaningful and fulfilling life.

In 2024, 60 educators across these five countries participated in the pilot of the LIFE course—a transformative nine-month journey. Designed as a personal development experience, LIFE brought educators together as part of two cohorts (one national and one international) to reflect on fundamental questions about the meaning and purpose of a good life. Participants engaged with philosophical, cultural, and religious texts, experienced participatory and transformative learning methods, and took part in rituals, sharing, and active listening. They gained valuable skills in discussing values, exploring diverse perspectives, and fostering deeper connections.

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The LIFE course invited participants to excavate their sense of meaning and purpose through collective self-reflection, critical engagement, and self-questioning. This personal transformation created the foundation for profound interpersonal and professional growth. Participants explored the meaning and shape of a good life by delving into some of life’s most pressing questions:

·       To whom am I responsible?

·       How do I act?

·       What should I hope for?

·       How should I respond to failure?

·       What role does suffering play in agood life?

·       What is worthy of my time?

·       How does the good life feel?

The LIFE course was thoughtfully designed and implemented by facilitators from diverse ages and professional backgrounds across five distinct European countries. This diversity became the cornerstone of LIFE, enriching every aspect of the course with a wide range of perspectives, text selections, and facilitation methods. The texts used to explore and analyze LIFE’s core questions were drawn from some of the world's greatest philosophical thinkers, religious traditions, and cultural texts—both historical and contemporary—reflecting the unique literary and cultural heritage of the participating countries.

The LIFE course invited participants to excavate their sense of meaning and purpose through collective self-reflection, critical engagement, and self-questioning.

The course design also leveraged the facilitators' professional expertise and personal experiences, shared throughout the LIFE project. By exchanging approaches, methods, and rituals, facilitators created deeper, more meaningful discussions and participant engagement. The LIFE course “stands on the shoulders” of many who developed the Life Worth Living approach and evolved into a unique journey organized and structured in new pedagogical ways, and which has intentionally built a robust and dynamic LIFE community in Europe which the partnership is committed to growing and expanding further.

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The LIFE course is designed with the following key elements:

1.    Retreat Structure: Getting participants away from their “regular lives” surrounded by nature, provided them with an opportunity to make space for the LIFE journey.

2.    A Focus on Seven Core Questions: The course is structured around seven profound and thought-provoking questions that guide the learning journey. The questions were often approached with an intentional layering

3.    Blended Learning Approach: It combines immersive in-person retreats (spanning 2-3 days) with asynchronous engagement, interactive online workshops, and a specially designed LIFE learning platform to foster continuous connection and growth.

4.    Community-Building Rituals, Nature, and Embodied Practices: The course integrates meaningful rituals, connections to nature, and embodied practices to create, nurture, and sustain a reflective and supportive learning community, engaging participants in a holistic and transformative way.

5.    Personal and Professional Development: The LIFE course provides a deeply personal development experience that naturally translates into impactful professional growth for participants.

6.    Learning outcome and competence approach: The European partnership developed LIFE within an explicit educational framework using a learning outcome approach which articulates the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes and which combined result in new competences for the participants.

The development of the LIFE course began with an intensive facilitator training in Bansko, Bulgaria, which prepared 15 facilitators to design and deliver the LIFE course for educators and principals in their respective countries. The training was co-developed by the LIFE project leader, NORTH Consulting in Iceland, and Dr. Angela Gorrell, and co-led by Dr. Angela Gorrell and Dr. Joshua Forstenzer.

The training aimed to immerse facilitators in the LIFE experience while providing them with tools to reflect on participatory methods, text selection, and relational practices. Equipped with a range of methods, session templates, and the structured order of LIFE questions, facilitators continued collaborating online, sharing expertise as they planned, designed, selected texts, and piloted the LIFE course in their countries.

The LIFE course itself was structured into two in-person national retreats, two national asynchronous and online sessions, and a final international retreat, where all participants came together to form one cohesive LIFE learning community.

An impact assessment process was carefully designed at the start of the project. To our great satisfaction, multiple surveys reveal that participating educators have been profoundly influenced by their experience in LIFE. Participants formed new connections and expressed a desire to deepen relationships. Many have adopted or enhanced reflective practices, are thinking more deeply about their lives and the questions, and are approaching listening, text analysis, and dialogue with greater clarity and nuance.

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The goal of the LIFE project was to enhance educators' sense of well-being by strengthening their sense of meaning and purpose in life. Evidence of this impact is clear both in qualitative responses and evaluations, as well as quantitatively through theMeaning in Life Questionnaire, which shows that the experience has significantly enriched participants' sense of meaning and purpose.

Seeing LIFE come to life in this way has been deeply fulfilling. The evolution from Life Worth Living to LIFE showcased the power of diversity and collaboration at its finest. Each facilitator underwent their own transformation, while the educators and principals who experienced LIFE were enriched by the collective expertise of facilitators—many of whom they only met during the final international retreat. Together, the facilitators wove LIFE into a complete journey, integrating intellect, emotions, the body, creative expression, nature and relationships.

One of the most remarkable outcomes of LIFE was its universal impact across all cultural cohorts. This highlighted a deep, shared need for meaningful dialogue and spaces where people can rediscover their own humanity and the humanity of others. This was evident in every retreat, session, and participant voice. They expressed a greater capacity to engage with difference, listen to and incorporate diverse perspectives, and practice empathy in meaningful ways.

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Article written by Andrea Kasper and María Kristín Gylfadóttir.