It was after a long and deep immersion in nature that I decided to create l’Université dans la Nature. Coming from the world of show business, I felt such a shift in me during this solitary stay, that, at first, I kept telling myself that I was probably just making this up. But once I started doing some research, I gradually realized that had had similar experiences: they too believed that nature had regenerated them, had healed their souls and, at times, had profoundly changed them. Searching further, I was lucky enough to come across scientific research, from psychologists, doctors, biologists and epidemiologists, all attesting that nature has physiological, psychological, cognitive, and philosophical - or spiritual - impacts on human beings.
I read everything I could, I questioned those I could meet, and I decided to create L’Université dans la Nature so that this knowledge could be disseminated to the greatest number of people. I am convinced that the 21st century will be that of nature. But nature is not enough: it is our connection with it that must be at the heart of education, health, urban planning and so many sectors. It is its contact that must accompany the newborn, as well as the dying, and it is its beauty that will reconcile us with the world.
Hubert Mansion,
Co-founder, vice-president, spokesperson for the UdN