GUARDIANS OF THE EARTH IN PORTUGAL
- 11 hours ago
- 3 min read
The Guardians of the Earth in Portugal: a day of awakening, connection, and magic
For years, I have travelled to different countries to defend life:
– veterinary clinics in villages where street animals have no one,
– shelters in Africa where cries are silenced,
– classes, encounters, glances.
But over time, I realized that a direct confrontation wasn't enough.
That it wasn't just a matter of saving what could be saved.
But to change the way we see things.
And that starts in childhood.
This is where the Guardians of the Earth program originated.
An educational program that I envisioned as a magical little civic service, delivered in 5 days, and adapted to all children, everywhere in the world.
A program to remind them that they are much more than what they are told.
They are powerful, sensitive, and deeply connected to life.
They possess a natural magic that we often forget as we grow up.
And that they have the right to keep it.
To cultivate it.
To share it.
Today, in GECKO, in this magnificent location in the heart of the Portuguese Alentejo,
We experienced one of those days where everything just clicks.
We went to meet the animals: pigs, horses, chickens, goats and ducks...
And we learned that to get close to another person, you have to discover them first.
Listen to him. Observe him.
Do not impose, do not force.
Because respect starts there: in the space you give the other person to be themselves.
The program also explored this invisible link that unites us:
trust.
We let ourselves be guided with our eyes closed.
We walked without seeing, simply following our other senses.
as an animal would.
We learned to surrender to each other, to feel supported,
to develop instinct, confidence, and genuine connection.
We talked about freedom.
What it means to "put oneself in the other person's shoes".
Not in the head. Not in the mind.
But with the body. With the heart.
And then we laughed. We shouted. We ran.
We shared our emotions, our anger, our joys.
We talked about our superpowers.
Because yes, every child has them.
There were children from all over the world there:
German, Palestinian, Portuguese, English, Egyptian, Irish, French, Senegalese…
And yet, no barrier.
Just glances that meet.
Hands reaching out.
Stories that are being woven together.
And then there were us, the parents, who learned just as much as they did.
Because this day reminded us too of the importance of slowing down, feeling, and trusting.
To return to the present.
Where it all begins.
Guardians of the Earth is not a course, nor a lesson.
It's an invitation.
To reconnect with what is already there.
To remember what we have always known.
To become the guardian of what one loves.
Thank you to GECKO for the welcome in this place that is so vibrant, so gentle, so aligned.
A haven that welcomes young and old for bed and breakfast stays, to reconnect, breathe, and feel connected.
Thank you to all the children for their sincerity, their brilliance, their strength.
Thank you, life.
"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch without saying a word." — Albert Einstein
And those who know,
can no longer remain indifferent.
So, let's continue.
One child at a time.
One day at a time.
A small light awakens.
And that sheds a little more light on the world.
Love
Stephanie and Georges
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