ABOUT US
The “100 Seconds” Association is a voluntary organization established in the year 2020. The inspiration for the association’s name originated from the status at that time of the so-called Doomsday Clock, or the Clock of the Last Judgment. In the year of our establishment, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the editors responsible for presenting this countdown to a potential global catastrophe to the public since 1947, determined that humanity was a mere 100 seconds away from potential annihilation.
The primary objective of the “100 Seconds” Association is to make every possible effort to decelerate or halt the progression of this metaphorical second hand, which relentlessly advances towards the midnight hour.
It is our conviction that by nurturing our immediate natural environment, offering assistance to those in distress, and fostering cultural vitality in rural areas, we can enact the proverbial butterfly effect that will play a pivotal role in ensuring the continued existence of human life on our planet Earth.
CULTURE
The 100 seconds association continues the tradition of organizing cultural events, which its member Michal started in 1991. In these more than thirty years, hundreds of cultural events have been organized, whether under the banner of the 2/4 or 100 seconds association. Some with a charitable overhang, some without. Dramaturgically, we focus on alternative projects in a wide range of musical genres, from electronica to jazz to experimental musical acts. The common feature of our events is the high quality, uniqueness and individuality of the presented artistic works. At the same time, our events enliven and diversify life in less exposed places, mostly of a rural character.
For its cultural events, the 100 seconds association uses the remains of the Etna anthracite mine and an old orchard in the village of Lhotice in the district of Lišov, as well as the rectory of the church of St. Peter and Paul in the village of Hosín. Through our activities, we try to redis cover these places and make them accessible to the wider rural community, while at the same time gradually revitalizing them. At the same time, we are using a very strong genius loci and the audience is enjoying this connection very much. The artists we have worked with so far, including BOO, WWW Neurobeat, Květy, Tornádo Lue, Andy the Doorbum, Midi Lidi, Floex, Josef Sedloň or Liron Meyuhas also acknowledge the specific atmosphere of these places.
RESPITE CARE
Most of the activities of the 100 seconds association take place in the area of the former Etna anthracite mine in a secluded area near the village of Lhotice near České Budějovice. Two of its members, Kateřina and Michal, found a home here in a former administrative building belonging to the mining operation, and since 2015 they have been renovating the adjacent premises so that they are suitable for the provision of respite care for families with children with disabilities. Several times a year, a group of children with a wide range of disabilities come to spend time here in a calm, friendly environment, surrounded by domestic animals, cultivated and wild nature, surrounded by love and warm care.
During these respite stays, the children work in the garden, where we try to provide them with space to develop their movement skills, support their morally free qualities and show them the beauty of interacting with the soil and plants. We also work with domestic animals such as goats, chickens, rabbits or Vietnamese pigs, we feed, milk, graze and enjoy mutual contact. We then process some products such as eggs or goat’s milk. We use the quiet environment of solitude near the forest for relaxation and rest. We also take children on trips to destinations of their choice. Our clients participate in the running of the camp household, each according to their abilities and skills. They help with food preparation, cleaning the dishwasher, watching the washing machine and the like. In the foreseeable future, we would like to provide them with accommodation precisely tailored to their needs in the form of a barrier-free tiny-house and indoor relaxation and work facilities in a yurt.
PERSONAL ASSISTANCE
As the father of a son suffering from cerebral palsy, triparesis and other additional ailments, our member Michal is well aware of the demands and complexity of life with a child with such a serious disability. That is why another of our activities is personal assistance. This takes place on an individual basis. We take care of children with a severe form of autism spectrum disorder as well as children in wheelchairs. In these cases, we follow very closely the individual needs of our clients and provide them with precisely tailored care, which may include music therapy, elements of sensory integration or occupational therapy in general.
GREEN CARE
The concept of Green care is mainly based on the healing potential of the natural environment, both flora and fauna. The therapy takes place both through active participation in a wide range of activities related to the care of the garden, forest and domestic animals, and passively – by staying in the natural environment, relaxing and observing natural processes. This young and promising therapeutic method is suitable for clients with a wide range of disabilities as well as for children and adolescents with problematic behavior. It is also used to overcome traumatic experiences such as loss of home, forced emigration and so on.
MUSIC AND SOUND THERAPY
In the spring, part of our therapeutic forest will be equipped with sound-painting artefacts that will help our clients to relax, induce a state of calm and inner well-being. We work with musicians and musical instrument manufacturers on this concept, who make the jingles and tune them to exactly the right note.
SENSORY INTEGRATION THERAPY
Sensory integration is the process by which we are able to receive information through our senses, process it and use it in everyday life. If the sensory integration does not work properly, the child, pupil or client is unreasonably active, unable to sit at the table, or otherwise “dreamy”. He has problems with fine motor skills, dexterity, avoids physical activities. He has difficulty with articulation or his speech development is delayed. He reacts too impulsively to some situations. Does not concentrate, has problems with reading, writing or arithmetic. These manifestations and many others often fall under certain diagnoses or the child is only labeled as “problematic” or “at risk”. However, another cause can be hidden behind these manifestations, and that is a problem in the field of sensory integration. People with sensory processing disorder are unable to convert incoming sensory information into appropriate responses.
Based on very negative experiences with the state of things during the so-called pandemic, we decided to dedicate a part of the therapeutic forest to a space for sensory integration therapy in an outdoor environment. We will diagnose the needs of individual clients and, based on the results, propose therapeutic procedures that will use outdoor elements manufactured and installed for that purpose.
