Holding Responsibility in Horizontal Contexts: Reflections from a Leadership Retreat
In social movements, leadership is a contested term. Many organisers avoid it altogether, wary of hierarchy and the risks that come with formalised authority. Years of confronting hierarchical organisations, charismatic-leader dependency, and informal yet unaccountable power have produced a justified scepticism toward anything that appears to centralise authority. In our Leaderful Organising work, we engage […]
Learning from Latin America: Building a Common Front
Strategies for alliance-building and strengthening political power on the Left. [Versión en español aquí] What can European movements learn from the transformative strategies and enduring alliances forged in Latin American movements? This new video resource explores the experience of Uruguay’s Frente Amplio — a broad-based progressive coalition with over 50 years of history and experience […]
Looking back at 2024…
It’s so important to make the time to pause and take stock in our work. To give real importance to the space for reflection – on outcomes, achievements, challenges, questions, uncertainties, enjoyment, all that stuff – making sure we are staying alive to the core of our mission and doing our work in a way that aligns with our values. Along with the necessity of this in supporting effective evaluative and visioning processes, it’s also so important to take the time to absorb and celebrate the successes and positive outcomes of the work we’ve all been doing. Loads happened at Ulex this year! We thought we’d share a few of those highlights with you. Here goes…
Ulex Team Meetings 2025 – Reflection, Relationship, Resourcing & Strategy
Over the years of running Ulex – and for years before that in our sibling project Ecodharma – we have considered it necessary and important to carve out structured times and spaces throughout the year for evaluation, reflection and taking stock. We have done that in all kinds of ways, but always we have had a period in midwinter where we pause and spend some substantial time – two weeks or so – reviewing the previous year, revisiting vision and values, attending to relationships in the team and strategising for what’s coming.
New Guide to Learning for Systemic Change
In late 2021, we engaged activists involved with more than 100 organisations across Europe, to ask them about the key challenges their movements and organisations were facing. Most pointed to fragmentation, persistent divisions within and between movements, and a lack of movement capacity for longer-term and coherent strategy.
Rad HR Library: how to work together in a way that embodies our values?
Creating the conditions for our teams and organisations to work well isn’t easy. Neus, who is part of Ulex’s Team Culture Circle, spoke to people from RadHR to hear what they are doing to help movement organisations develop effective and value based systems that can help.
What is coming in 2024?
We are continuing to shape and deliver a capacity building programme that responds to live challenges of social movements in Europe. We will be adding and trailing some new trainings, like Conflict Transformation course and Leadership Retreat. We are coming back with our Roots of Resilience course, rooted in and (re)growing from our Radical Nature […]
Movement Learning Catalyst: A Year+ Programme
We’re living at a historical point of disruption which contains both great peril and promise.
Solidarity Networks and Leaning into Wisdom Beyond Trauma
Tens of thousands of refuge-seekers continue to die preventable deaths at sea, and in the absence of State support, volunteer solidarity networks are providing infrastructure and vital care. To support their work, Ulex recently teamed up with organisations working in Greece, Italy, and Spain to develop resources for enhancing psychosocial resilience in migrant solidarity activism. Lindsay Alderton speaks with one of the core team, Caoimhe Butterly, about finding hope amidst despair.
Regenerative Activism 2021 Round-Up
For the fourth year running the Ulex Project collaborated with Advaya and Gita Parihar to offer the Regenerative Activism conference, this time focussed on the theme of Building and Sustaining Our Movements.
New for 2021: 4 month LGBTQI+ resilience training in Eastern & Central Europe
For over a decade, Ulex trainers have been working on psycho-social resilience training for activists. In recent years we have been developing a curriculum aimed specifically at the LGBTQI+ community, alongside supporting social movements in Eastern & Central Europe.
Ulex Workshop at Global Just Recovery Gathering
Coming up from April 9 – 11, 350.0rg and hundreds of organisations round the world will host a global three-day online event for the climate movement to ‘recharge, rebuild, and reconnect’. The Ulex Project will be offering an Activist Psychosocial Resilience workshop on Friday April 9.
Coming up – Regenerative Activism Conference 2021
We’re excited to be co-hosting, for the fourth year running, the Regenerative Activism 2021 Conference: Building & Sustaining Our Movements, a series of 4 critical conversations and a half day workshop exploring the transformative power of social movements. We’d love you to join us!
Beyond Horizontalism and Hierarchy
In recent years there has been an explosion of interest in agile and decentralised approaches to self-organising structures, drawing on systems thinking, information theory, and notions of agility. In the Organisations Revisioned training at Ulex we explore how some of these approaches have revolutionised practice and can be harnessed within social change organisations to build resilience […]
Building beyond burnout in Sweden
With a ‘stunning democratic breakdown’ occurring across much of the Balkans, LGBTQI+ people are living within an increasingly overt hostile environment. We interviewed 5 activists from across the region to learn first-hand how resilience and resistance are being woven together within queer organizing circles.
Narrative is fractal : Why we need more than words to truly face racism
In the first of a series of profile pieces on Ulex project partners, we’re highlighting the excellent work of the Public Interest Research Centre (PIRC) in Wales. PIRC is an independent charity which works to help movements – for equality, anti-oppression, and environmental justice – to tell better stories for a different world.
Reclaiming power with women’s self-defence in Belarus and Poland
With a ‘stunning democratic breakdown’ occurring across much of the Balkans, LGBTQI+ people are living within an increasingly overt hostile environment. We interviewed 5 activists from across the region to learn first-hand how resilience and resistance are being woven together within queer organizing circles.
Resilience as Resistance: LGBTQI+ Movement Building in the Balkans
With a ‘stunning democratic breakdown’ occurring across much of the Balkans, LGBTQI+ people are living within an increasingly overt hostile environment. We interviewed 5 activists from across the region to learn first-hand how resilience and resistance are being woven together within queer organizing circles.
Tools & Practices for Navigating Uncertainty : 2020 Regenerative Activism Series
When navigating through stress and uncertainty what are some of the ways we might develop resilience and collective care in a time of Deep Change?
Somatic Spaces for Healing Activist Trauma
An interview with Ulex trainer Lou Hemmerman about the importance of trauma-informed sustainable activism and how body-based practices can support healing at both an individual and movement level.
The Landworkers Alliance – Building resilience into our organisational structures.
In November 2019, the Ulex Project worked with the Landworkers Alliance to design a bespoke training in ‘Facilitation, sustainable organising and movement building’ to support their staff to better build skills and strategies for organising effective projects and campaigns. Roz Corbett, who participated in the training, shares a little of her experience.
Regenerative Activism online series May 2020
For the third year running the Ulex Project is collaborating with Advaya to offer the Regenerative Activism series, this time in the online space.
Ulex Team Update: we’re growing!
Since we launched in 2016 the Ulex coordination team has grown, with the original crew of Gee, Ella, Lindsay and Carol joined by five new members – Eweryst, Lou, Neus, Kat and Sheila. Our logistics and hosting team have also grown with Sana now joined by Sergi and Frida.
8 Resilience Trainers offer their 2 top tips
In these increasingly challenging and uncertain times, the need to build resilience into our organising structures becomes ever more essential. But what are some of the ways we might develop resilience, both within ourselves and our movements?
Active Allyship: Turning privilege into change
For some in social justice circles ‘ally’ has become a somewhat loaded term, with many arguing that the word has lost its power to build trust or meaningful solidarity. We spoke with trans activist and anti-oppression facilitator Kyle Sawyer about call-out culture, ways of turning privilege into change, and what it means to live a life of possibility.
The Commons Library : New chapters for social change
We spoke with activist educator Holly Hammond about the newly launched Commons Social Change Library, an online repository of freely available social movement stories, strategies and tools.
2019: The Rise of Animal Think Tank
Amidst the wave of protests shaping the globe in 2019, Animal Think Tank and the activists behind Animal Rebellion have had an extraordinary year. Repeatedly thrust into the mainstream through a range of high profile actions, they’ve occupied the UK’s largest meat market, and scored a prime time TV show-down between Piers – ‘Peas’ – Morgan and a floret-haired activist called Mr Broccoli.
Volunteer Course Organiser
The Ulex Project is looking for an energised, organised and self-motivated person to volunteer as part of the onsite residential support team for the main training centre.
International Gathering of Activist Educators
Ulex welcomes activist educators from around the world to meet and learn together between 13 – 21 July 2019.
Who is “The Left”?
At a time when the only way to think beyond the horizon of capitalism seems to be dystopian fantasy, Laurence Cox points us to the power of collective agency to re-vision and contest our future. This extract is from his forthcoming book, Why Social Movements Matter, which will be published by Rowman and Littlefield International in July 2018.
THE POWER OF ACTIVIST EDUCATION
Holly Hammond, a member of the Ulex advisory group and founder of Plan to Win, an activist training organisation in Australia helping to develop the skills, clarity and wellbeing we need to win, talks to Ulex about her work.
The Journey Begins: Ulex News
It has been an amazing year for the Ulex Project. In the spring 2017, we received the generous support of friends and colleagues to raise finance for the renovation of the new centre.
Burnout to Renewal
Kat Wall, co-Director of Organising for Change, a new UK-based training initiative, shares some reflections on the role of social change organisations in creating a regenerative approach to activism.
Crowdfunding Update – the power of collaboration to make change happen.
One of the key aims of the Ulex Project has always been about offering a space for activists to build new connections across Europe. A space where – away from the day-to-day slog of making change happen – people can take time to strengthen their networks and better understand how our struggles intersect, forming new friendships in the fight for a better world.
Supporting Sustainable Activism With Transgender Europe
As part of our series on Ulex Project Partners, we speak with Akim, Operations Officer from Transgender Europe (TGEU), about why sustainable activism is a key focus for 2017. With 105 member organisations in 42 different countries, TGEU works for the equality of all trans people by combating discrimination, raising awareness and supporting advocacy for trans people’s human rights.
Project Partners : Living beyond capitalism in Catalunya
For the second in our series of Project Partner Spotlights we speak with Daniel Negro from Cooperativa Integral Catalana (CIC), a collective which launched in Catalunya in 2010, with the aim to build from the bottom-up a self-managed society beyond capitalism.
Socis del Projecte: Viure més enllà del capitalisme a Catalunya
Les formacions del Projecte Ulex donen suport a organitzacions d’Europa que estan treballant cap al canvi en diferents contextos. En aquest segon article de la nostra sèrie sobre Projectes Associats parlem amb el Daniel Negre de la Cooperativa Integral Catalana (CIC), un col·lectiu nascut a Catalunya en 2010 amb la intenció de construir un moviment […]
Crowdfunding a new training centre to make change happen.
Crowdfunding update – 10 April – Within two weeks we have now reached over 50% of our target! Hundreds of people from all over the world have contributed and we’re now over half-way there and have until 09:00 am on May 2 to raise the remaining €20000. Will you help us create a unique new training centre to empower organisers and activists working on the most pressing issues of our times? Visit our campaign page to learn more.
Project Partners: Spotlight on Women’s Rights in Georgia
Ulex Project trainings support a number or organisations across Europe who are pushing for change in a variety of different contexts. For the first in a series of Project Partner Spotlights we speak with Ekaterine Gejadze, Project Coordinator from Women’s Fund in Georgia (WFG), an organisation which has been successfully working to improve and defend women’s rights and gender equality in Georgia since 2005.
ULEX Webinar: Theatre of the Oppressed – April 27
Join us for this online webinar exploring how Theatre of the Oppressed can help us transform ourselves, our activism and our world.
Support our Crowdfunder & the launch of the new centre!
Support our Crowdfunder & the launch of the new centre!
ULEX: Whats in a name?
What’s in a name? Ulex is the latin name for the plant which in Catalunya we call argelaga. In English it is known as gorse. It’s a common thorny-evergreen flowering plant. Its yellow flowers and sweet fragrances are well known from the northern coast of Scotland to the edges of the Mediterranean Sea. What’s it got […]
Sustaining Resistance: A Story of Regenerative Organising
You might remember: 2009 was the year of the COP15, the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen. Delegates were heading there from all over the world to explore globally coordinated efforts to address the perils of human induced climate change – or the lack of them. The political optimists were dubbing the meeting […]