WHAT IS AN INTERNATIONAL PERSON-CENTERED APPROACH (PCA) FORUM?

It is a multi-day coexistence, held every two years, where the ECP / ACP International community meets to share their knowledges and personal experiences.

These days of coexistence allow us to experience the encounter and the unfolding of a human community, in which we are predisposed to new ways of relating and creating social bonds.

Forums have specific characteristics:

  • The operating structure is absolutely horizontal, there are no pre-established facilitators. The organizers may or may not participate in the experience. If they do, they will be on an equal footing with the rest of the group members. As the meeting progresses, we all become facilitators, experiencing from the experience, the ability to affect ourselves and to affect and empower each other.
  • There are no scheduled activities in advance, except the meal times when it is in a location that is responsible for providing it. This feature of non-directivity facilitates the expression of creativity in the search for paths unique to each group.
  • The meeting of the whole community (groupon), at least once a day to share practical issues, communicate experiences, propose activities, express emotions and feelings, or just be together in silence. The coexistence implies that we agree among all, in which way we want to pass those days, accompanying us in what happens to us in that spontaneous movement, that we will achieve in common. Whatever happens will be the expression of the group as a whole.
  • Presentation of works: Each participant, if he / she wishes, brings to share a work, which can take the form of a paper, a workshop, an oral presentation, etc. This is because the core of these encounters is the need to nurture ourselves and to make networks, from the specific task of each one. The theoretical sharing becomes a powerful and vital experience, within the climate of respect, mutual care and openness, with confidence in Carl Rogers guidelines, based on contact, unconditional acceptance, congruence and empathy.
    Consistent with the trust in the wisdom of the group, each one decides the moment in which to present his/her work. The organizing group offers a whiteboard, where the participants write the title of their papers, the presentation day and time, and the space where they will be held. There, people write down where they want to participate. Generally, a summary of the work is requested, together with the registration form, also taking note of the materials needed for the presentation.

HISTORY OF THE PERSON CENTERED APPROACH INTERNATIONAL FORUMS

The Person Centered Approach International Forum is an encounter place that is characterized by 6 days living together coexistence of all participants, through which, some activities are proposed to facilitate the development and exchange of theoretical experiences and practices, deepening in turn the bonds of friendship and fraternity between the people of the different countries.

From its beginnings to date it was developed in the following places:

  • 1982 - Oaxtepec – Mexico
  • 1984 - Norwich - England
  • 1987 - La Jolla - USA
  • 1989 - Santa Bárbara - Brazil
  • 1992 - Terschelling - Holland
  • 1995 - Leptokaria - Greece
  • 1998 - Bonaero Park - South Africa
  • 2001 - Ako - Japan
  • 2004 - Mar del Plata - Argentina
  • 2007 - Mallorca - Spain
  • 2010 - Ershovo - Russia
  • 2013 - Cumbuco - Brazil
  • 2015 - Snagov – Romania
  • 2017 - Buenos Aires – Argentina (6th to 12th November)