July 2024, Braziers Park. Theme: Expression

Some of the main sessions were recorded. We’re currently working out file hosting and will have recordings available in our archives sometime soon.

The programme is available here, and details of the sessions are below.

The theme for the 2024 edition of the UK Communities Conference was Expression. The conference also ran in parallel with the symposium of the Intentional Communities Research Group, who hosted joint in-person/online sessions each evening.

Community Showcase: Mornington Grove Community: Coop Housing in London’s East End (Aryo Feldman, Eleanor Smith-Hahn, and Kate Bootle)

Mornington Grove Community is unique in having been located in London’s East End since 1981. The hybridity between communal living and the hustle and bustle of big-city life lends itself to interesting negotiations. For example, how do we account for diversity when we operate by consensus? And how do we protect our quality of life while having a rolling non-competitive enquiry process? In our talk, we will share our challenges and celebrations in creating a place of mutuality and safety against a hectic and imposing backdrop. We will also invite people to explore why and how we establish and practise values when shaping a dynamic community identity.

Community Showcase: Bowden House—Community Introduction (Ian and Rhiannon, Bowden House)

Bowden House Community near Totnes, Devon, was established in 2005. It has 20 self-contained houses and flats. Community members own leases for their properties and all have a share in the freehold company. Decisions are made by consensus minus two. We are currently exploring our shared values and communication structures and enjoy—amongst other things—singing, working and celebrating the seasons together.

Community Showcase: Life at Pilsdon (Mary Davies, Pilsdon Community)

Life in the Pilsdon Community is difficult to talk about; most people say that it needs to be lived and experienced in order to be understood. It is a challenge to express and explain this life to others, but we feel a desire to really try. Having experienced how living in community can deeply transform the ways we see ourselves and inform the way we live in this world it is of importance to us to think about how we can best share what we are learning with a wider audience. How might we best describe the fruits of this life so that others can be inspired to see what community living might mean for them?

The Joy of Improv 1: The Joy of Play (Jaishree Patel)

Come out and play! We will play a selection of short games for the sheer joy of playfulness and being a bit silly under the guise of learning improv skills. Come along and pick-up some games that you can use in meetings, workshops, trainings or just for fun. In addition to bringing creativity, play and outright joy, improv can also offer an exploration of more reflective themes such as taking risks, responding to failure, being in the present moment and saying yes not only to our fellow improvisers, but to life! No experience needed, just a willingness to play.

The Joy of Improv 2: Teamwork, Collaboration, and Co-operation (Jaishree Patel)

More improv games to take back to your community, workplace or family/friends. This time we will be focusing on playing together as a supportive and collaborative team. We’ll have a ridiculous amount of fun, whilst developing our cooperation, collaboration and creativity skills. In addition to bringing creativity, play and outright joy, improv can also offer an exploration of more reflective themes such as taking risks, responding to failure, being in the present moment and saying yes not only to our fellow improvisers, but to life! No experience needed, just a willingness to play.

Senior Moments (Aggie Forster, Braziers Park)

This will be the second readthrough of an emerging work that examines ageing in an ageing community and how the group navigates change. The audience will be the cast, with some scripted roles and some ad libbing, and it’s played in the round. Senior Moments is Aggie’s second play (or third if you count Braziers’ 2023/4 New Year panto). The first was about dead mice.

Authentic Self-Expression VS  AND Belonging: Transforming the Dilemma with NVC (Ozge Altinkaya)
Renowned Nonviolent Communication (NVC) teacher Miki Kashtan defines nonviolence as “the courage to speak your truth with care.” How often have you found yourself at the painful crossroads of choosing between authentically expressing your truth and belonging to a group/community/relationship? Many of us don’t even notice this dilemma and, as part of our evolutionary design, opt for belonging (which provides safety and love) at the expense of silencing our truth. We often realize the tragic nature of this choice only later, through its painful consequences.

This workshop aims to introduce the perspective, mindset, and methodology of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) to address the dilemma between authenticity and belonging. What if we didn’t have to choose? Instead of an “either/or” scenario, NVC offers a path to another possibility: belonging to our truth and our community at the same time. It is only when we bring the voice of our truth that we can truly belong to any community or relationship.  

In the second part of the workshop, we will explore how we can create a safe space for others to share their voices, with particular attention to those who have less access to power and who are systemically marginalized. There will be exercises, group work, and journaling during the workshop. Please bring a pen and paper if possible.

As an NVC trainer, mediator, and advisor, Ozge has been experimenting with increasing individual, collective, and systemic capacity for liberation from the domination culture that perpetuates separation, oppression, and discrimination. She supports communities and organizations with NVC by providing training in skills, tools, and practices, fostering culture shifts towards conscious, authentic, and integrative interactions&collaboration, and creating systems for nonviolent structural changes, all based on human connection, our interconnectedness and orientation around universal human needs. 

From Anger to Peace—Expressing Our Full Truth Without Causing More Pain (Kirstin Heidler, NVC Matters UK)

Many people find their voices when they are angry or upset. Unfortunately, expressions coming from this often end up bringing more pain and separation, deepening the rift. In this workshop we will explore what Nonviolent Communication has to offer towards expressing in ways that can foster peace. By transforming anger into mourning and grief for unmet needs, we can learn to express with clarity without compromising our authenticity or the care we have for others. Kirstin Heidler brings together feeling deeply, humility, how to foster connection between people, understanding human relationships and beauty in an experiential workshop for exploring your own edges. Practices will include conversation, mindfulness meditation, journaling and role play. Let’s meet as human beings—we’re all a bit messy.

Kirstin is also running a Truth Mandala ,which is a community practice to give space to the emotions of grief, anger, despair, numbness and whatever else may be there in relation to the state of the world. We will sit in circle and bear witness to those through whom we can hear the pain and grief about the state of the world. The understanding and trust is  that: even though we cannot imagine it right now, feeling the emotions and going through them as a community will help us see with new eyes. What needs to be done next will find us.

Class and Community (Emma Cardwell, Lancaster Cohousing)

Our observations on living in communities are that most community members are middle class, meaning that the values and norms of communities can skew towards middle class values and norms. We would argue that the values and norms of working class people are more communitarian, but despite this, working class people are often sidelined or overlooked when trying to bring their community knowledge and learning into intentional community spaces. This session will be a led discussion about the perspective of working class people on what makes successful community, and how these can both be sidelined in, and beneficial to, the intentional communities movement.

Building Blocks for Sustainable Community Living to Challenge Hyper-Individualism (Jonathan Herbert, Hilfield Friary)

Jonathan Herbert, presently living at Hilfield Friary and formerly leader of Pilsdon Community, will look at some of the necessary core virtues needed to healthily hold people together in community. Given the growing breakdown of common life in the West and the threat of the further disintegration of society caused by accelerating climate breakdown, the need for resilient and sustainable models of community living is greater than ever. He will speak from 30 plus years of living in intentional communities, and will explore themes such as generosity, trust, boundaries and celebration.

Coed Hills Rural Artspace—Community Introduction (Blu-Jay)

Set up by a diverse group of artists and sculptors, Coed Hills spans 180 acres, including 80 acres of woodland managed for fuel, biodynamically managed forest gardens and vegetable gardens, polytunnels, pasture, and a market garden. Staffed and run by its residents, Coed is both a gallery for land-based art and a beautiful venue for many events, attracting artists from all over the country. We are also a sacred space, and a lot of healing work takes place here.

This introduction to Coed Hills covers some of the events we run, how we manage our land, and how the community works together, following its ups and downs as we have developed over the years. I finish by sharing my perspective over three years as the community’s go-to person for fixing anything and everything, and some of my gratitude to Coed and all that she holds.

Morning Yoga (Liam Faulkner)

Start your day with a gentle yoga practice to awaken your mind, body and spirit. Please note that you don’t need to be particularly flexible, strong or able to stand on your head to participate, you just need to be awake!

Panel Discussion—Expressions of Faith

Community is a place where we share and express our faith, as well as strengthen and sometimes challenge ourselves in it. Our oldest and most stable communities are those with religious affiliations, and many of our newer communities find common ground in shared belief systems, where different forms of ritual are often part of our daily and weekly rhythms. The format of this session will depend on participant numbers, with the aim of having conversation around the significance of faith in our various communities. Members of the conversation will include those in the Pilsden and Hilfield Christian communities, a former Buddhist monk, and an inter-faith minister.

Climate Emergency Centres (Phoenix, CEC Network)

Phoenix—author of How to Set up a Climate Emergency Centre in 10 Steps—will talk about the Climate Emergency Centre (CEC) Network. Phoenix has been an environmental and community activist since the early 90s running eco community centres that have been at the heart of the environmental movement—from the treetops and tunnels of the road protests to the rebellions of XR to the Climate Emergency centres.

The CEC network is expanding rapidly—so far, 27 autonomous centres are reusing vacant property in the high street for eco community centres focused on networking solutions for a sustainable future. These use mutual aid and cooperation to build alliances in each city, creating climate-resilient communities.

Navigating Turbulent Times—A Guided Conversation Exploring Difficulties in our Communities (Cliff Jordan, Braziers Park)

However it has looked from outside, inside Braziers Park it has at times been turbulent these last few years. The same has been true for several other UK intentional communities. But where/when is it safe to talk about conflicts? How can we talk about the real challenges we face without exacerbating them? How can we overcome taboos and raise triggering issues? How can we name our difficulties and celebrate our survival and achievements? In this guided conversation, those with experiences to share can be listened to with care and empathy. This is an enquiry intended to empower, rather than to explain or fix—about how it feels to be in seemingly intractable conflict, rather than an exposition of those conflicts or seeking to solve other peoples’ dilemmas.

Boundaries as Hedgerows (Emma Burtt, Earth Heart Housing co-op; and Emma Cardwell, Lancaster Housing co-op)

A creative workshop to explore our own boundaries using the natural world to inspire our senses and imagination. 

• What is in need of hedgerow boundaries within your life/ family/ community? 
• What if your boundaries could be a place of life-giving vibrancy for the world? A space where magic can take root and deep diversity sheltered? Where we create vital living boundaries that can nourish us and create protection for the vital and sacred in our lives. 
• What would you plant within your vibrant hedgerows? Places for peace, connection, clarity, magic, rest, play, celebration, the sacred? 
• How might this look.. a beautiful fallen tree bench to rest upon, a thicket of hawthorn, heart medicine to soothe the soul? Spaces for the wild creatures to shelter? A wise old oak to climb upon and view the world from a different place?

Sound and Movement (Claudia Marcos Sanchez Manrique)

Movement and sound are inherent in us. We move every day—for survival, instinctively, and for pleasure—and we make all sorts of sounds in the raw and authentic expression of love, hate, anger, sadness, playfulness, and more. Watching or hearing someone else activates emotions in us, as if we were living the same situation. This workshop is an invitation to explore and witness each other in the art of moving and the potential that exists in the relationship between our body and our voice. This is an invitation to observe what this freedom generates in us and how others receive this gift.

Using the Body to Create (Claudia Marcos Sanchez Manrique)

Leting our bodies talk for us, we will play with space, time, and strength and get out of our comfort zone to connect with ourselves and others, responding to situations we create and recreate together. This workshop will encourage us to overcome inhibitions, push physical, mental, and creative boundaries within, listen without words, and play together to develop a collective story. We will use and mix all the techniques and and tools we bring with us to express what feels present. Anyone who feels it will have an opportunity to share what comes from this workshop on Saturday evening.

Net Zero Communities (Mia Lalanne, University of the Highlands and Islands)

Join MSc student Mia Lalanne in an open discussion exploring both the hard and social science behind “net zero” communities. In summer 2023, Mia visited six off-grid communities across the UK as part of her MSc research project for the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland. She used the Place Standard Tool to collect place-based narratives from residents about their views on their off-grid energy system. This fieldwork, along with a 5-month residency at Ecovillage Findhorn earlier this year where she is supporting the development of the community’s Local Place Plan, will provide the foundation of the open discussion around the themes of systemic change, intentionality, and resilience.

Finding the Meaning of Conflict (Lilly Ladjevardi, Clive Willis and Sam Settle)

This workshop starts with framing conflict as a path of transformation (rather than something we’ve got wrong). We’ll look too at how increasing familiarity with different aspects of ourselves benefits the groups and relationships we’re in, and how understanding a group’s explicit and unspoken identities helps with conflict. The workshop’s main activity is a forum where participants first suggest topics around conflict which are “live” for them. We’ll select one topic and explore it together with bravery and compassion, giving space for what comes up as we listen, speak, feel, move, react and interact. Lilly Ladjevardi, Clive Willis and Sam Settle are Processwork UK students. They work in a variety of settings, including psychotherapy, coaching, community facilitation and conflict resolution.

Herbalism ID Walk and Talk (Kaz Goodweather, Seed Sistas)

Kaz Goodweather is one of the Seed Sistas. A clinical herbalist of over 25 years and author (with Fiona Heckels) of The Sensory Herbal Handbook and Poison’s Prescriptions. Kaz is passionately potty about plants and shall be leading a herbal identification and foraging walk in the grounds of Braziers followed by a Q+A. Come along if you are interested in health autonomy and natural medicine.

Collaborative Poetry (Chris Taylor, Canon Frome Court).

Working together as a group we’ll write a poem about living in community. Then we’ll rehearse it so that any of us who want to can perform it together on Saturday evening. Expect fun, amazing amounts of collective creativity and a bit of work on performing live.

Liminality, Post-Consumerism, and Luxury (Shuo Feng, Goldsmiths University)

In this session, Shuo Feng, a former ACRE resident of Braziers, will share her discoveries from her research at Braziers. The talk will begin with an observation that some people in communities experience a sense of liminality as they live on the edge of the mainstream and the alternative. From there, Shuo will introduce the concept of ‘post-consumerism’ to decipher the unease brought by this liminality. Lastly, the conversation will move to ‘luxury’, asking the audience to contribute to the question of how we can reinterpret and redefine luxury in the context of communities.

Singing Workshop with Ian and Rhiannon (Ian and Rhiannon, Bowden House)

Singing was seeded into Bowden House Community from the beginning. For this workshop, while the focus is on learning some songs and having fun together, you will also see how singing can be a tool for community building, for getting to know each other and for cultivating the essential skill of listening to each other. Ian is a natural voice practitioner and has been teaching songs for over 20 years. Rhiannon is a sacred voice weaver and voice coach, working with sound and nature connection, especially with her beloved trees.

Communities Cafe

A drop-in discussion space with many topics and tables, covering various aspects of community living and practicalities. Ask the questions you’ve been wondering about, or that you’d never thought of before! Various conference attendees will be offering their thoughts and experiences to be explored in conversation, with topics popping in and out of existence during a meandering 2 hour café.