Those of us involved in social change face enormous challenges. Daily we meet injustice, loss, and suffering in the world around us. We also meet our own responses, our fears, frustrations and anger. How can we best work with these responses creatively to achieve our goals? Where can we find the personal resources and skills that could make our action more effective and sustainable? And what collective tools can we use to enable our groups, organisations, and networks to better embody our values?

We use the term ‘regenerative’ because we don’t want things to just be sustainable. As in the world of permaculture, we want systems to regenerate through processes that restore, renew or revitalise their own sources of energy and materials. Our organising and activism can be a context within which we can thrive, where we create a shared context that enables us to flourish as we support others to do so. Our organising can embody a life-affirming vision and exemplify the values of social justice that we are inspired to realise in the world.

The course explores these issues using holistic and participatory methods – drawing on popular education, ecological and systems thinking, as well as reflective practices. It will bring together activists from across Europe, to share practice and strengthen networks.

What are the aims of the course?

• To explore methods of working effectively with the personal and inner dimensions of activism, deepening our awareness and integrity, exploring motivation, and equipping us to avoid burnout and to better empower ourselves for action.
• To offer tools which support more skilful interpersonal work in our groups and networks – building cultures of effectiveness, care and resilience, and fostering ways of organising which exemplify the values we want to realise in the world.
• To create a vibrant and supportive temporary community of activists, as a courageous space for deep reflection, analysis, and the sharing of experience of the personal and interpersonal dimensions of our work – finding nourishment and inspiration from each other and the landscape around us.

So, the workshop will help participants to:

1.1 Gain an increased awareness of the importance of self-care (or solidarity with ourselves), and be better equipped to incorporate it in life.
1.2 Learn ways of developing greater personal balance, clarity, inspiration, and resilience – including the use of reflective and contemplative practices.
1.3 Explore issues and techniques relevant to managing energy, fears, frustrations, despair, and despondency – and become better able to avoid emotional hardening and cynicism.
2.1 Increase understanding of group-work skills, including communication skills and ways of addressing conflict, to transform energy depleting situations.
2.2 Examine issues around understanding power dynamics and collective processes.
3.1 Reflect on personal history in activism, identifying patterns and tendencies, and finding ways of skilfully transforming these where needed.
3.2 Identify and draw upon the sources of nourishment and inspiration that support engagement and enable the realising of potential as organisers and empowered agents for social change.

Who is it aimed at?

Anyone involved in socially engaged action addressing ecological, political and social justice issues. We embrace a broad definition of activism, including: Resistance – action preventing further damage to ecosystems and social justice; Renewal – action focused on developing and creating alternatives for healthier societies and communities; and Building Resilience – action supporting increased resilience in communities to weather the uncertain times ahead.

Nb. This course is not designed to be a rest or retreat space, but a training to look at how we can better relate to our work as activists, sustainably. There are four sessions of content and engagement per day, which can feel quite full. Of course exploring these themes with like minded people can be very recharging and inspiring, as can being offline and connecting more deeply with ourselves and experience. There will be down time in the afternoons, and a ‘solo day’ for reflection and processing and the environment is beautiful, calming and nourishing. And we also encourage people to take care of themselves – none of the sessions are compulsory to attend. But it is important to understand the intention of the space – not as a retreat as such, but as a space to engage and learn in a relatively consistent and ‘full’ way.

This course grows out of our experience of running the Sustaining Resistance course on sustainable activism since 2010.

The main spoken language on the course will be English.