Cross-Cultural Communication
International, Bilingual Person-centered Workshop
Hungary
August 11 – 17, 2025
Roots of the person-centered approach
The person-centered approach – which is mostly known by the outstanding American humanistic psychologist, Carl Rogers – has had great effect on the helping professionals worldwide, the method how mental patients are healed, practice of pedagogy, ideas about effective leadership style, patient-doctor relationship, and the life of the individual.
At 1984 and 1986 a one-week long person-centered workshop took place with roaring success, with the assistance of Carl Rogers and his coworkers. The event organised for the occasion of 25th anniversary created a tradition.
With the help of the hungarian and of other nationalities facilitators create an opportunity first of all practical learning. A lot of there to learn from books about the person-centered approach, but to truly master it, you need personal experience. There is an unique chance to acquire such a personal experience.
What is a person-centered group?
One of the main characteristic of the person-centered groups that the members meet between minimal frames, quite freely: through showing their doubts, fears, recognising, admitting and expressing their emotions. There are no “leaders”, but facilitators, who stimulate the group process, but also they are also participants. These intensive group experiences help us to get closer to ourselves and to each other, to recognise the similar in the other, but to learn to disagree in peace.
Besides the freely unfolding small and big group self-knowledge experiences there are so-called theme-groups, that we use to work on the root societal tension, the challenges of the helping professionals, the path-finding of the individual.
All participants may apply as facilitator or theme-group leader.
Facilitators
Those of us, who participate as facilitators aim to be present in the groups for a whole week, four hours every day, turning our full attention toward the group and by our empathic, accepting, and congruent presence try to help group members in encountering themselves and each other.
Facilitators of the small groups (individuals or pairs) will be clearly announced.
Let us take care of ourselves and each other!
Being present intensely and for an extended period in the atmosphere of the person-centred small and large groups can almost lead to an altered state of consciousness. Congruent empathy and positive regard, which we might experience in the group, may make us more open, more sensitive, more vulnerable: our usual self-defense mechanisms, even self-control may fade. When we step out of the group, it is good to be aware of this effect and take it into consideration when we relate to ourselves and our fellow group members.
Translation
Our workshop is international. And – although much of what we feel can be communicated via the tone of our voice or by body language – in order to understand each other at an intellectual level we need words.
According to the well-established practice of our CCC workshop, we DO NOT rely on professional translators. (Attempts at this have clearly indicated that the presence of an outsider is not beneficial to group dynamics.)
Who translates then? Those who volunteer to do so. You and me. If you feel like jumping in and taking on the role of the translator from time to time, please do so. Your reward will mostly be the experience itself: you have contributed to us understanding each other better! (The small gifts we can give you – books, mugs, other merchandise – are just the icing on the cake.)
We, organizers, will do our best so we will have enough translators – in the large group and in the small groups as well – and from time to time we jump in too. To understand each other – to overcome the language barrier, among other barriers – is ultimately the shared goal of each of us.
The Organizers
I organize CCC since 2009. I am addicted. In my free time I struggle with myself quite a bit. This event provides an excellent opportunity for this: I encounter amazing people and a do hard work on myself. We cry together and we laugh together and the opportunity to facilitate this experience for others as an organizer is a pleasure and privilege.
Forty years ago I attended a three-year training In PCA and it had a great effect on my life. I left my job at the Technical University of Budapest and concentrated my efforts to humanize teacher training in Szeged. In 1984 and in 1986, I invited Carl Rogers and his coworkers to the first Hungarian Cross-Cultural Communication workshops. We try to revive the spirit of these each summer since 2009. I believe that congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathy – if they are realized as a “way of being” – improve the quality of life in families, schools, and at the workplace.
My first meeting with ’encounter groups’ was in 2016, and my enthusiasm has continued ever since. I was a participant first, then an organizer and since 2019 I have also been facilitating in groups by Self Groove (Klubkultúra és Mentálhigiéné Egyesület). I have been coming to CCC continuously for 5 years, and this year I am helping with the organization, so I can give something back to a place from which I have already received so many treasures. See you there!
I have a degree in psychology, law, and economics. I have participated and facilitated countless CCC groups since I was 16. I live with my wife and three sons. Techno, literature, and encounters are my passions.
Message from the University of Pécs
Dear Participants, Colleagues, Friends,
Universities of the 21st century should facilitate the social, cultural, and economic development of their field of study; function as a hub for learning – for scientific and cultural growth – and partake in strengthening the cohesion of the region: addressing social and economic challenges of the region by continuously developing their educational portfolio and by giving up to date answers and applicable knowledge.
The Department of Cultural Sciences, Pedagogy and Agricultural Development (KPVK) – with its headquarters in Szekszárd and its educational center at Pécs, functioning as part of the University of Pécs – besides being a major educational entity in the region – also plays a significant role in the social and economic remediation of the counties of Tolna and Baranya as well as in the cultural development of the region and in offering local alternatives to the next generation. To facilitate such cultural development in the region and to further increase its integration into the local cultural scene, KPVK has recently initiated several new projects. These initiatives, at the same time, outline our strategy and pinpoint our cultural priorities for the future.
KPVK – as part of its role in the cultural life of the region – serves as the traditional venue for the Cross-Cultural Communication International Workshop in 2024 again. These events, organized over a period of three decades, have always been characterized by internationality, multiculturality, free interactions in the small and large groups, rich content in the Topic Groups, and the development of long-term personal and professional relationships. The Department of Cultural Sciences, Pedagogy, and Agricultural Development of the University of Pécs would like to contribute to this by providing a modern, yet friendly venue for the event at its Educational Center.
I wish all participants a productive week, rich in personal development, learning experiences, and exciting interactions and I would like to congratulate the organizers for their tireless work in putting together the workshop again.
I have had strong experiences in the last year or two. My private life surprised me with exciting, happy changes, and new horizons opened in my profession – my professions; but I also experienced bitter disappointments and painful losses. I have experienced fear. Elation. I cried, I laughed, I was tormented by doubt, and I wasted one of my nine lives.
Those of you who know me – and those of you who do not know me yet – could rightly ask: what are these experiences and changes? What the hell am I talking about?! I will not say! Not here, in this tiny introduction.
However: what better place to show myself than the Intercultural Communication International Meeting? There will be a way to do it here! I will have a chance to extend my hand to you, to share thoughts and feelings with you, and if you have something to share with me, I will try to listen. I hope I will understand you. I hope you will understand me.
Because CCC is an island: not the continent. Not the outside world. Here, I can do it. I can try. Here, I dare. Or not, but that is all right as well. Sometimes I’m sorry that out there it is different: what a shame we already must leave! And sometimes I think it’s good that we’re not building highway overpasses, with a deadline. And sometimes it crosses my mind that this short, magical week – although it is, in a way, a laboratory –, is of course not a puppet theater: it is also part of the world – it is very real.
It’s a strange cavalcade that we’ve been preparing for a year. Where we lure our friends, acquaintances, and colleagues with weird stories a degree of cunning that puts many hardcore sects into shame. Something that shakes you up, confuses you, and centers as well. Something that I have had the honor to organize for fifteen years.
Nice to meet you!
11-17 August 2025
RegistrationCOVID
The organizers continuously monitor the regulations regarding COVID and – to ensure your safety – the rules of the workshops will be adjusted/updated accordingly.
- Vaccination pass: not yet clear if it will be required.
- Masks: not yet clear if it will be required.
- Wristband: upon arrival you can choose from 3 different colors, indicating the distance that you wish others keep from you.
- Disinfectant: We will place hand sanitizers at different locations throughout the venue. Please use these!
- Declaration of health: upon arrival at the registration desk we will ask you to declare that you are COVID sypmton free.
11-17 August 2025
RegistrationParticipation fee
To register and pay chose the appropriate price category (full or discounted), put it into your Shopping Cart, and proceed to Checkout.
| Name of Period | Until | Full Price | Discounted Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas | 25th of December | HUF 45 000 | HUF 30 000 |
| Super Early Bird | 1st of March | HUF 50 000 | HUF 32 500 |
| Early Bird | 1st of May | HUF 55 000 | HUF 35 000 |
| Last Chance | 1st of July | HUF 60 000 | HUF 37 500 |
| Normal | 12th of August | HUF 65 000 | HUF 40 000 |
In case you wish to pay cash at the venue, we charge you an additional HUF 5000 handling fee.
Christmas Promotion
Christmas Promotion (full)
- for everyone
Christmass Promotion (discounted)
- teacher
- social workers
- students
- retiree
- The discount is only available if certification is shown. The pictures of the IDs may be sent to david.klein@edge2000.hu. Without it we are unable to accept the discount fee.
Conditions
If you wish to pay cash at the venue, we charge you an additional HUF 5000 handling fee.
To participate, you must Register and pay the Registration Fee. (You can do both here on this web page.)
You can pay here, at this web site using your bank card or by wire transfer. (For further information, put the appropriate registration fee into your cart and proceed to check-out.)
ATTENTION! The fee includes the costs of the programs, but not the food and the accommodation. Please indicate on the registration form, if you need any of these, but you must pay individually to the service provider on site.
In case of cancellation, we retain 50% of the registration fee.
After the 1st of August in case of a cancellation, we do not refund your registration fee.
If the event is cancelled by the organizer due to reasons beyond the control of the organizer (vis major situations, for example, pandemic), we refund your participation fee after the deduction of a 5% handling fee.
Prices include VAT.
Participation fees can be transferred in certain cases. If you wish to transfer your registration fee, please contact the organizers. However, you will have to find a new participant for your registration.
Please only transfer the registration fee (do not add accommodation or meals) and note your name and “CCC“.
11-17 August 2025
RegistrationCauldron Party
On Thursday, as usual, there will be no dinner at Laterum.
Instead, we will gather at Pollack “Beach” (outdoor public swimming pool and picnic area) for an unforgettable bonfire and some traditional Hungarian food cooked in a cauldron.
Address: 7624 Pécs, Damjanich u. 42.
How to get there: it takes about 30 minutes to walk there (and about the same by bus), or 10 minutes by car/taxi.
By bus: 4 stops on 23Y (from bus stop “Nendtvich A.” until the Zsolnay statue), then change to 34Y and travel 5 stops from the Zsolnay statue until Jurusics Miklós street. From there it is about 8 minutes walking.
Bring a swimming dress, towel, blanket, and mosquito repellent! If you want to use the pool, you will have to pay HUF 500 for entry.
To maintain our good relationship with the venue please drink something at the bar!
11-17 August 2025
RegistrationRegistration Upon Arrival and Information Counter
OPEN
Monday: 10:00-15:00 – registration until 14:00
Tuesday: 11:00-17:00
(At other times look for Csenge, Balázs, Dávid or Sándor!)
Upon arrival, you must register. During which you
- we will check that all is well with your online registration, accommodation, and meals
- get a name tag – please always wear it!
- get a program booklet
- you get a registration form for the dormitory (if you stay there) and we will help you to fill it out
- you can purchase CCC mugs, bottles, fans, and bags
- you can sign up for Small Groups and Topic Groups (Try to make sure that there are at least two non-facilitator volunteer translators in groups where someone does not speak Hungarian!)
- and put your envelope on the Message Board.
11-17 August 2025
RegistrationVenue
The venue of the event is the University of Pécs.
Address:
Szántó Kovács János u. 1/b.
Pécs
7633 Hungary
11-17 August 2025
Registrationfrequently asked questions (FAQ)
If I cancel my participation, how much of the participation fee will I get back?
In case of cancellation, we retain 50% of the registration fee. But: the right to participate can be transferred. After the 2nd of August, we do not refund the participation fee.
Can I pay the registration fee at the venue upon arrival?
You have to pay the registration fee in advance. However, if, for any reason you pay at the registration upon arrival you will be charged an additional fee of HUF 2500 (EUR 7).
Can I transfer my registration to someone else?
In most cases, yes! Contact the organizers! You will have to find someone instead of yourself, but we will try our best to help.
Will there be daycare service for children?
We do not know yet… If many of you will say that participation is only possible for you if there will be a daycare for children, we will start working on it.
What is included in the registration fee?
The registration fee gives you the right to participate in the programs (according to rules and guidelines) but it DOES NOT INCLUDE the accommodation and meals! At the registration form we collect information about your meals and accommodation requirements. This cost you will have to pay at the registration desk upon arrival.
Can I just come for a few days?
Yes, you can!
However, usually we do not recommend this. You can easily end up with a process lacking closure or face difficulties trying to integrate into an already ongoing one.
Can I bring a dog?
Unfortunately neither the dormitory, nor the diner or the university allows dogs / pets, so we kindly ask you to leave them at home.
I filled out the online registration form and have paid at the web page? Do I have to do anything else?
Yes! Upon arrival to the university of Pécs, Hungary you will have to register to get your program booklet, name tag, pay for meals / accommodation, etc.
When is my registration valid?
Your registration is only valid if you have filled out the online registration form AND have paid, using the web shop at this page. To be entitled to a discount you have to send us the registration form by the deadline AND payment should also arrive to our account by the deadline.
I have submitted my application form by the deadline but have not paid by the deadline. Can I still get the discount?
No. To be entitled to a discount you have to send us the registration form AND pay by the deadline.
11-17 August 2025
RegistrationSee you soon!
11-17 August, 2025
Day(s)
:
Hour(s)
:
Minute(s)
:
Second(s)