A group of us came together in January 2003, the result of two different initiatives on opposite ends of the earth – one in New Zealand and one in Sweden. Elizabeth Wirsching of the Youth Section in Dornach got to know both groups and realised that they had the same ideas. She brought us together and, when we compared our mission statements and project descriptions, we found even the formulations practically identical.

In the course of our first discussions, about six of us shared ideas. Each one carried at least one ‘life-theme’ or ‘life-project,’ in his or her heart, and these were communicated to the group. Here are a few.

“How are initiative and initiation connected?”

“Is there an anthroposophical basis for a modern social worker and how does one do effective independent social work”

“How does the process of globalisation influence the development of young people and what do they need?”

“The psychological roots of War and Peace”

The intimate exchange around these ideas brought about a special mood and motivation called Synergy. It comes about when people really meet one another as kindred spirits.

We found that in concerning ourselves with the questions of the others, we were encouraged and supported in our own search.

This is what a lot of young people are looking for today. We wanted to share our experiences on this path with the many other young people in the world who carry this question inside themselves. We wanted to come together, to feel the Synergy spread to many others and become a factor in changing the state of things.

This is how the idea of a large international conference – now realised as Connectivity 2006 – came about.

But one conference was certainly not enough. the needs around us are far greater and more pressing. Thousands of young people want to become actively involved in bringing about change – social change, political change, changes in environmental questions, to name a few. And there are thousands of projects in the world, particularly in development countries, who are addressing these needs in some way, but whose life is a daily struggle for existence. They could really use the help that so many would like to offer.

So we decided to bring about a link between these two sectors, the projects and the willing young people. A network, but also an organisation which became actively engaged in bringing one group into touch with the other.

And so we founded Idem.

From the very beginning there were a number of people internationally who were part of the Idem idea and so groups began in Sweden, Brazil and New Zealand and South Africa.

After our first workcamp in Sao Paulo, a few of the participants started a group in Ireland.

The Connectivity conference in Sao Paulo led to a far greater expansion in every aspect of the work, which is now spreading in the United States, beginning in Holland and Great Britain as well as a group in Norway.