Swadharma Impact Study Findings 4: Community
This post is a part of the reporting of findings from the Swadharma Impact Study. Read the 1st post of the series for context.
Findings
The findings have been distributed in 4 sections:
The general format of the presentation of findings is the finding followed by insight or significance if any. This last post of the series contains the community section.
Community
- Recommending the programme
- In touch with the mentors
- In touch with the tribe
- Stayed back in Auroville
- Meetups
- Recurring phrases in Swadharma WhatsApp groups
Recommending the programme
Many of the applications we receive are through word of mouth. Past participants have actively recommended the programme to the ones they care about. We often hear from new participants that a friend/cousin/senior/sibling recommended this programme because they felt it would make a huge difference to them.
43 of 45 people recommended the programme further. The graphic shows the number of people it was recommended to.
In touch with the mentors
The participants were asked if they are in touch with the mentors from Swadharma and seek their advice.
In touch with the tribe
The participants were asked if they are in touch with other members of the Swadharma community.
Stayed back in Auroville
Excluding short visits.
Meetups
We asked if the participant has ever attended a Swadharma meet up inside/outside of Auroville?
Quoting some of the responses:
Never attended a meetup but I meet my swadharma mates ever so often in Auroville.
Haven’t attended. Would like to, with the expectation of having good meaningful dialogue.
I have stayed in touch with people and met them individually but haven’t attended a meetup.
Yes once, it’s always a safe space to open up.
Yes, One. It was a joyful and happy moment to feel the connection.
Haven’t done anything as such yet. But I would love to. Just connect with like-minded people, maybe brainstorm on creative ideas, a sharing circle, and just deeper and more meaningful conversations. I think it would help create a sense of a tribe and help seek out help in times of distress to have stronger bonds with Swadharma grads.
Recurring phrases in Swadharma WhatsApp groups
Since each batch has a WhatsApp group, we wanted to look at what are the most prevalent themes in these groups, in the long run, so the participants were asked to share the 3 most recurring themes/keywords in their group. A snapshot of the most recurring responses received is as below. The responses indicate these groups as spaces of positivity and support.
Conclusion
This study has been a helpful exercise towards understanding the long term impact of the Swadharma programme. Since the nature of the learning journey that Swadharma initiates is very individualistic, a lot of diversity can be seen in the responses and yet there is an underlying thread with a very high level of acknowledgment of the inner self. This is also precisely what the programme achieves to aim, to put the learner in touch with their true inner guidance inherently present in each one of us.
The responses across some of the parameters we have outlined in the study indicate a sense of journey. As can be seen from the responses, the impact of the programme in participants’ lives has been significant. The programme delivers particularly well at invoking and getting the learner in touch with a deeper aspect of their truer nature as a result of which several shifts are triggered. It also delivers well at creating a value-based awareness around the natural environment.
Insights into challenges the respondents face in transitioning learnings and the obstacles faced in maintaining regularity, particularly the development of the faculty of will over the long term are helpful for the programme team as they can be given greater attention during the programme. As well as building a better community and harnessing support from the community is a potential opportunity to deepen and accelerate the transformative journey.
Since Swadharma’s tagline is “Find your true calling”, we asked the participants how is the same playing out in their journey? Below are some of the responses received.
My learnings from Swadharma are my driving factors — therefore I’m coming closer to my true calling each day.
I think I have found my calling. And that it is to be of service to nature and the Natural World. That calling was already alive in me before Swadharma. Swadharma acted like a catalyst to reveal it. And some further digging after Swadharma confirmed that this is what I want to dedicate the foreseeable future of my life to.
I think I am headed there. Still finding this as I go but on the path!
True calling is something you may or may not find ‘during’ the program. But you do set forth in the right path after it and it does open you up to embrace different perspectives and opportunities.
In my journey, I do feel like I have found my calling. It’s a general sense of direction and purpose that excites me each day to grow and move forward. Its specific manifestation ( music career, educator, healer ) I think will continuously evolve and keep changing. But I feel deeply connected to my heart’s calling and following it without compromise.
I am simplifying, I am cutting the noise.
I am living a life with my purpose in mind. And being part of the community always reminds me of that.
It’s clear that the participants see self-discovery as a journey, and rightly so. The process is lifelong and we are only setting in motion the beginning of the journey.
Below graphic captures change across some of the key metrics of Swadharma.
The most effective aspects impacting the learning journey of the participants include the focus on the self, creative immersion in the field of Auroville, interacting with Aurovilians and other participants, a great amount of personal attention & careful programme delivery, experiential nature of the journey, and an integral approach touching all parts of the being.
