7 types of cookies and how we contributed to world peace

Looking back at last week's big astronaut conference in Växjö (this incredibly cool event organized by Contrast), there are a few memories in particular that make me wince. The event itself that shook up little Växjö, the honor of meeting these brave and passionate men and women from all over the world, the young people's interest in space... yes, all of this was absolutely amazing. But that is not what makes me smile to myself, as I am back in front of my desk this week. I'm thinking especially about what happened behind the spotlight. What no one saw or reported on. What became a unique peace project.

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

Enough about the background. Our mission also included entertaining the astronauts' accompanying spouses; 75 women and men who are usually received in fine salons and offered lavish activities. Our task was to offer experiences that would entertain but also market Kronoberg as a tourist destination.

Pippi Longstocking and glassworks, sure. But what does Småland offer if not forestry! We simply took the participants out into the forest where they learned how to plant trees. In boots, they enthusiastically stepped around in the Småland soil. They were delighted to experience Swedish nature - and to be together in a whole new way! The participants, who were family members from the USA, Canada, Russia, Europe and Asia, were used to being divided into groups by language during the conferences. This time, they shared a common experience, which was greatly appreciated.

On the way back, I had the honor of driving Alexei Leonov's wife (Leonov became the first man to do a spacewalk in 1965) because she was tired and couldn't walk all the way. Halfway through the forest she lets out a howl! I am horrified and stop the car. She throws open the door and storms off into the woods. Mushrooms! All her fellow Russian travelers were equally delighted and picked both chanterelles and other delicacies back to the hotel. A great experience for them.

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

Great experiences make for strong relationships.

Peace!

/Ola

If you want to know more:

Find out more about the participants on the Space Agency website: http://www.snsb.se/sv/Astronauter/

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

Christer Fuglesang talks ahead of the ASE conference: https://youtu.be/s9IkvEIxUrw

Photo: Christer Fuglesang