7 kinds of cookies and how we contributed to world peace

Now that I look back on last week’s big astronaut conference in Växjö (this incredibly exciting event that Contrast was responsible for), a few memories in particular make me smile even more. The event itself, the chance to meet these brave and passionate men and women from all over the world, the young people’s interest in space… well, all of that was absolutely amazing. But it’s not that that makes me laugh to myself now that I’m back in front of the desk this week. I’m thinking especially of what happened behind the spotlight. What no one saw or reported about. What became an entirely unique peace project.

As you probably know by now, Contrast was commissioned by the County Administrative Board in Kronoberg to organize ASE’s 28th annual conference in Växjö (the other venues were Stockholm and Linköping). ASE, the Association for Space Explorers, is an organization for all space explorers in the world, more precisely 395 members from 36 countries. The purpose of the organization is to work for increased interest in space among young people and the business community, and to share knowledge with the general public. This time, Christer Fuglesang hosted the conference, and the destination was therefore Sweden.

Enough about the background. Our assignment also included maintaining the genuine companions of the astronauts; 75 women and men who are usually welcomed in elegant salons and offered lavish activities. Our task was to offer experiences that would entertain but also promote Kronoberg as a tourist destination.

Pippi Longstocking and the glassworks, of course. But what does Småland have to offer if not forestry? We took the participants completely by surprise by taking them out into the forest where they learned to plant trees. In boots, they enthusiastically walked around the Småland soil. They showed great joy at experiencing Swedish nature – and at being together in a completely new way! The participants, who were family members from the USA, Canada, Russia, Europe and Asia, were used to being divided into groups based on language affiliation during the conferences. Now they shared a common experience, something that was extremely appreciated.

On the way back, I had the honor of driving Alexej Leonov's wife (Leonov became the first person to make a spacewalk in 1965) because she was tired and couldn't walk the whole way. Halfway through the forest, she gave up a whimper! I was appalled and stopped the car. She opened the door and stormed out into the forest. Wow! All her Russian fellow travelers were equally delighted and brought back both chanterelles and other delicacies to the hotel. A great experience for them.

We also wanted to show what life is like for families in Småland. We simply invited the visitors to experience authentic Swedish life. fika at 10 families in a very ordinary villa area in Växjö. We randomly divided the participants into groups, despite protests from the interpreters who were worried about language misunderstandings. For the first time in 28 years, an organizer had mixed participants from the USA and Russia in the same group. Over 7 types of cookies developed completely new relationships. Everyone was truly grateful for the experience and genuinely happy to finally, despite language barriers, get to know each other. A behind-the-scenes peace project, which I now feel extra happy and proud about :-).

Great experiences create strong relationships.

Peace!

/Ola

If you want to know more:

Read more about the participants on the Space Administration’s website: http://www.snsb.se/sv/Astronauter/

Alexei Leonov on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexey_Leonov

Christer Fuglesang says before the ASE conference: https://youtu.be/s9IkvEIxUrw

Photo: Christer Fuglesang