We all are. The board of the Zenith Institute and the Zenith Team, in collaboration with Pir Zia and with the involvement of the Zenith members and the Zenith community. Community participation is very welcome. In eight Vision circles, we collected opinions and wishes for the camps developement. If you’d like to get involved beyond that, various working groups are beginning this fall.  You’ll find an overview and how to join one of these groups here: Working Groups.

• Finding a suitable location, that caters to the different needs of our community
• Overhauling our organizational structure and decision-making culture, towards flat hierarchies and participation.
• Facing the economic challenges, especially the extra costs caused by moving the camp

• Through our website, especially this site here, the overview site and the site dedicated to the working groups. You’re invited to participate in a working group regardless of your attendance of prior vision circles!
• Through online vision workshops (The most recent one happened on October 20, 2024. We’ll keep you updated about their continuation).
• Through the newsletter information flow, see also our newsletter archive.

Looking for more options to participate? Reach out to us!

We are currently in the realm of ideas, in which many possibilities are being explored and researched. While the team is actively and pragmatically working on the next camp 2025, most working groups will deal with deeper organizational questions. Working groups are in the starting phase or will commence this winter.

Camp!

Good question! While we’re not only aiming to attract European Sufis, but people of all beliefs and all origins, here’s our take on it: We are currently working on creating a concept that is in line with the summary of the values that the participants of the Visions circles named at the Zenith camp in 2024. We are in the process of designing and implementing them. Here is the wonderful summary of our Zenith Values from Camp 2024:

• Place: Some want mountains, others don’t necessarily want them. So far, everyone wants nature. Certain infrastructural and sanitary conditions should also be in place.
• Size: The size of the camp location should be flexible enough to allow the camp to grow.
• Program: We want a program rooted in the teachings of the Inayatiyya, where dance and music are present, and that is open to representatives of other cultures, religions, and paths.
• Setting: Sunshine please. Not too much rain. And not too cold at night. 😉 Community living should be possible and easy. Adventure and comfort should meet at this place.
• Atmosphere: Mystical. From our experience of the 2024 camp, we have realized that the community determines and shapes the atmosphere of the camp much more than the place itself.

As you mention both mother earth and love, one answer could be: In the teachings of Murshid, Pir Vilayat and Pir Zia there are suggestions, for example the daily Ziraat ritual, that can be incorporated into any retreat as well as into everyday life. We understand the camp as a space of transformation, that each participant can experience and carry out into the world. This means that it’s not so much the camp as an organization that’s active for the world, it’s the people having a renewing, strengthening experience at the camp who then carry this transformational energy into the world. 

The Sufi teachings and Sufi Adab (behavior in social structures) offer the opportunity to find inner peace and apply it in our interactions with anotjer. Justice in the world arises from our inner attitude. Regarding current religious conflicts, the camp offers a space for interreligious dialogue and exchange between cultures. Peace prayers and peace dances are practiced.

“Man must first create peace within himself if he longs for peace in the world; for as long as there is no peace within him, none of his efforts can lead to a result.”~ Hazrat Inayat Khan

See also the book by Hazrat Inayat Khan: “Harmony in the World”

The camp is not an activist organization. We are a once-a-year summer event where many individuals come together to exchange, recharge, are inspired and transformed. The camp itself has no active role in world affairs, rather we offer an oasis and source of power for individuals.

Sister organizations that are dedicated to the well-being of the humanity and the world are:

Music for Peace

The Hope Project

Abrahamic Reunion

Sufi Saint School

Story Dancer Project

Love, harmony and beauty.

To “build a beautiful world with beautiful people” (Pir Vilayat).

As this question does not directly concern the camp, we would like to refer to the European Inayatiyya organizations and the Zephyr Newsletters by Pir Zia. The different Inayatiyya websites each offer possibilities to find more information on this topic, and Pir Zia often addresses the state of the world and specific conflicts in his newsletters.

Inayatiyya US (Zephyr Newsletter)

Inayatiyya Germany

Inayatiyya Switzerland

Inayatiyya France

Inayatiyya Netherlands

Inayatiyya UK

Inayatiyya Austria

See also Question No. 8.

We would say it is in the community, in each participant, in the inner process through the teachings and exercises, in nature (including the mountains), in the sense of community, in the music, in the silence, and in service.

We see the camp as an international organization, which is deliberately set up outside of the national Inayatiyya organizations. We want it to stay that way: an important factor in the search for a new location is good accessibility from different European countries and a connection to the train service. We are not tied to a specific nation; currently, places in Northern Italy, Switzerland, France, Germany and Austria are being considered equally.

In the past, the opportunity to volunteer for an extended period in the work camp and on the staff has attracted people from all over the world, which we very much welcome and would like to see continue in the future.

The translation of the seminars is based on the needs of the participants. In the near future, we will certainly continue to offer an audible German translation for everyone, since a large part of the community speaks German. The French translation via headphones will be available for the seminars with Pir Zia, and also for other weeks if they meet with interest in the French-speaking part of the community. Translations into other languages, such as Spanish, Italian or Polish, are also possible. If there is a demand for this in the future, we will do our best to find a translator and provide the necessary technology. Would you like a translation into a specific language? Let us know!

We believe that it already is. The workcamp has a quality in itself and is more than just the pure construction of the infrastructure. The strong personal bonds, the team spirit and the creativity of the workcamp also have an effect during the seminar period: a good energyin the workcamp can also be felt in the camp itself, and in a communal sense, the workcamp is the basis of the camp. Even if the workcamp at new camp sites will no longer last five weeks, we are aware of its special qualities and would like to continue to provide a unique experience for the workcamp participants in the future. A separate working group will deal with this matter.

Zenith as an organization is currently undergoing major changes. Some tasks that were previously the responsibility of the management and the team will in future be taken over by the working groups. This also changes the role and importance of the management, as responsibility is spread across more shoulders.

Nori has agreed to take over the management on an interim basis until and including Camp 2025. After that, the aim is to have a management team again if possible. Would you like to get involved? Contact the board (board@zenithinstitute.org).

We are trying to make the camp simpler, less expensive, smaller and more flexible in the future. The year in Bad Bevensen made it clear to us how favorable it is to have a seminar building and short distances.

We want to welcome and accommodate all age groups, from young to old. When looking for a place, we make sure that it is not too inaccessible for the older generations and that we can offer sleeping accommodation for those who do not feel like camping (anymore). To be sustainable in the future, we also want to cater to the younger generations by offering attractive programs for young adults and teenagers, having a strong children's tent, and working on our family friendliness. The revision of our website and the revitalization of our social media channels should make the camp better known and more accessible to new people in the long term.

Not necessarily. The camp as an event needs a legal organizational form as a framework. So far, the non-profit association has been well suited for this. A lot is currently changing in the association, and there is a noticeable openness to restructuring and repositioning.

Yes. If the camp finds a permanent home outside Switzerland, its legal organizational form will have to be thoroughly reconsidered .

An evaluation of the expenses and income from 2024 is still in progress. We are hearing the call for transparency and will share the financial outcome of this year publicly, as soon as it's finished.

The members of the Zenith Association meet on October 27, and they'll also discuss opening up membership: the members of the association receive a detailed insight into our budget.

Fortunately, the summer program 2024 was in high demand and the rent at the Caduceus Center was quite friendly, so we were able to generate some income. Together with some donations, the costs of the move in spring have been paid for the time being, but we have little financial leeway. If the camp wants to change, reposition itself and move to a new location, we will still need some donations next year.

Fortunately, the Zenith Camp has no outstanding debts. However, we can hardly cover the costs of the move from Campra to Bodio, and those of a possible further move in 2026, without donations. In the visioning process, some people from our community have come forward who have experience in fundraising. If you have ideas or want to work with us, you are very welcome. Furthermore, we are happy to receive donations of any amount 😉

Not yet. We are looking for a place in the mountains where the camp can take place every year. So far, we have not found the perfect location. In 2025, the summer camp will take place at the Caduceus Center in northern Germany for a second time. We are very grateful to have this opportunity, and it gives us a bit more time to find a new location for 2026, without having to do without the summer program in the meantime.

Yes, for a transitional period. In the long term, we are looking for a more permanent place for the camp where it can grow and flourish. Otherwise, moving the material to a new location and adapting it to a new infrastructure would be associated with a great deal of effort year after year. We are actively working on this, but it remains to be seen whether we will find the right, long-term location for 2026. It may also be that we will be on the road for a few years, holding smaller camps (like in 2024) at different locations until we find a permanent home.

The team and board can well imagine Zenith also holding events outside of the summer camp, for example one-week retreats or weekend seminars in seminar houses.

If you would like to actively participate in the search for a new location, please contact us so that we can invite you to the bi-weekly meetings of the location search working group. Between meetings, the working group members look for locations with the following criteria:

• Seminar building or group house with over 50 beds
• Sufficient sanitary facilities and a well-equipped kitchen
• Beautiful grounds with plenty of space for our large tents and the tents of the participants
• Detached, not part of a village, preferably in the mountains
• Not too modern, too big or too expensive for the camp
• Centrally located in Europe and easily accessible by public transport

These are the basic requirements of the camp, but there are many more details (e.g. retreat options, storage space) that we discuss in the working group.

Synergy and intuition, as well as the swarm intelligence of our community, are important factors in this search. Do you have a gut feeling or know of places that cannot be found on the internet? Feel free to send us your ideas.

Since the start of the site search, contact has been made with seminar houses in France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany. At the moment, most of the working hours are spent on this search for new sites from scratch. Every week, some new places are scouted out and contacted.

We are in contact with the Moulin d'Abondance in France, a seminar house in the process of being built, which will be examined in the longer term for various possibilities for the camp.

Part of the team and the community can imagine returning to Ticino, but this is not the most realistic option at the moment (see next question).

The working group Location Scouting is actually dealing with this question, because leasing the actual camp location (the “Pü” alp) was never the problem. While Campra can no longer be considered as a base camp, other possibilities are being considered. However, returning to this location would also mean facing at least the same economic difficulties that have made the camp quite expensive for many years. If you would like to participate in this process, please contact the working group (info@zenithinstitute.com).

We rent a part of a huge warehouse in Bodio, a town a little north of Biasca. Our material is stored there dry and protected from mice, and the rent is relatively cheap. You can get an impression here: picture of the warehouse.

No, not necessarily. The year in the North German Plain showed us that it is the community that carries the camp, not the mountains. Since we have a long history as a camp in the Alps and the majesty and silence of the mountains are loved by many participants of the camp, we are looking for a place in the mountains again.

Yes. Switzerland has long been a wonderful home for the camp due to its central location in Europe and the beauty of its landscape, but economically it has not been particularly easy for the camp or for the participants. We are therefore looking at possible locations both in Switzerland and outside Switzerland. The current focus is outside Switzerland.

We offer individual retreats in the camp based on Pir Vilayat's alchemical retreat process. These are always adapted to the current needs and issues of the retreatants. Such a retreat can also include fasting and personal vision quests, in consultation with the guide. However, we do not offer a classic vision quest as known from indigenous traditions.

In any case, there will be another opportunity next year to take part in an individual retreat at Zenith Camp at the Caduceus Center, under the guidance of our experienced retreat guides.