Regenerative Activism and the Ecology of Movements

To make meaningful change, we will to need to be in it for the long haul. To face the inevitable failures and losses along the way, we will need deep resilience. To stay motivated and energised, in the face of the immense challenges, we will need deep wellsprings of inspiration. Regenerative practices can help.

With a regenerative approach to activism, our efforts to respond to social and ecological crises become the basis for remaking ourselves and deepening self-awareness. It involves creating collective initiatives that reveal the power of embodying our values together. It revitalises the radical imaginal of what we and our society can become. It is a container for nurturing the relationships of solidarity and care that we need at the heart of powerful and transformative social movements.

During the day we’ll explore regenerative activism in three interconnected spheres: the personal, the organisational, and the movement level. And we’ll conclude by focusing on the interplay between these levels and asking what a holistic approach to activism and movement building might look like.

The exploration will be in four phases:

1. Deeper Resources for Action: Individual and Inner Practices

We’ll ask: How can we balance inner sustenance with outer action? What kind of practices can offer the deeper resources we need to sustain our actions? Are spiritual approaches compatible with hard-nosed political realities? And what can we learn from radical psychiatry and neurodiversity?

1. Walking the Talk: Organisational and Group Dimensions

We’ll ask: How can we create institutions that truly embody our values? How do we balance idealism and pragmatism? What does a culture of care or a regenerative approach look like in our organisations? Are we getting any better that working with power and privilege? How can we balance the demands for urgency with the patience required to build effective organisations and movements?

1. The Ecology of Social Movements: The Creative Tensions of Collective Agency

We’ll ask: What does a healthy movement ecology look like? How can we work creatively with differences of strategy, identity, values, and movement roles? What part do movement cycles and seasons play? How can we balance autonomy and cooperation? What is resilience at a movement level? Are we getting any better at working with the tensions between the grassroots and the institutions? What can strategy look like amidst the high levels of complexity and non-linearity of a social movement?

1. ** Integral Activism and Holistic Movement Building**

How can we integrate our learning from the previous discussions to create a vision for an integral activism and holistic understanding of movement building?

Schedule - Participants & Workshop descriptions below:#

10.45 - Doors open
11.00 - Overview & Presentation - Ulex Project
11.35 - Panel 1: Deeper Resources for Action: Individual and Inner Practices
12.50 - Breakout 1
13.50 - Lunch
14.50 - Panel 2: Walking the Talk: Organisational and Group Dimensions
16.05 - Breakout 2
17.10 - Break
17.30 - Panel 3: The Ecology of Social Movements: The Creative Tensions of Collective Agency
19.00 - Supper
20.00 - Integral Activism and Holistic Movement Building: fishbowl/panel and discussion
20.45/21.00 - Hangout/Practice session
21.30/22.00 - End

Deeper resources for action: individual and inner practices - panel discussion and Q&A with:#

• Matt Carmichael (Spiritual Activism)
• Mama D (Community Centred Knowledge)
• Kara Moses (Rewild Everything)
• Gita Parihar (Environmental Advocate)
• Sam Weatherald (Sunday Assembly)
• Alex Swain (Ulex Project)
• Host: Christabel Reed (Advaya Initiative)

Deeper resources for rction - workshop choices:#

Mama D: Plural Ontologies or Epistemologies of Inner Self

Indigenous or ‘native’ ways of relating to life and the planet do not necessarily approach things based on separations or distinctions based upon inner and outer. It is sad that the Cartesian dualities have established separations of mind, body and spirit in the way they have and reduced so much to atomic values. Nevertheless, as our language is the imperial language of English, and as such is imbued with these distinctions, we can but endeavour to explore something more whole and accessible as we together negotiate the rocky and sometimes turbulent but inherently lovingly curated journey towards a more ‘resonant livity’!

Matt Carmichael: Practices That Nurture Hope

In Emily Dickinson’s poem, hope is a bird in our souls that “never stops at all”. In a spiritual perspective, hope is not dependent on circumstances or optimism, but a life-giving inner resource that is there to be found and nurtured. Matt will briefly introduce four types of practice – gratitude practices, mortality practices, presence practices and vocation practices – that feed the bird of hope. Teaching, open discussion and tasters of some spiritual disciplines.

Kara Moses: Rewilding Activism - creating a movement based on connection

Deep connection with nature can be a source of power and resilience to support our social change work, making us more effective, holistic activists and less prone to burnout. We can choose to do this on an individual level but it must also be integrated into the collective for empowerment on a movement level. How can we bring the wisdom and support of nature into our groups and our movements? Based on models of rewilding, we’ll discuss these themes and ideas for how to implement them.

Ruby Reed, Christabel Reed + Gita Parihar: The Roots & Fruits of our Actions

What is at the root of our action and what sustains us? How do we orientate ourselves towards action and what role does this play in maintaining inner resilience? Over the course of this workshop we will explore ideas from two ancient texts, The Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras, to see what light they might shine on how we can rise up to face the challenges of the modern day in a way that renews and revitalises ourselves, others and the Earth.

Alex Swain: Meditation Maps and Skills for Deep Resilience
How is Deep Resilience established? What are the elements which constitute it? What personal/inner qualities can we develop that will enable sustainability, effectiveness, wellness, authenticity and flourishing in our Social Change Practice?

This session will offer some introductory theory - a simple and clear meditative map - and some practical meditation teaching, exploration and practice, with time for questions. Come explore!

Walking the Talk: organisational and group dimensions - panel discussion and Q&A with:#

• Kat Wall (Organising for Change)
• Fatima Ibrahim (We Move EU)
• Stephen Reid (Psychedelic Society)
• Byron Lee (Bristol Happy City)
• Host: Anna O’Brien

Workshop Choices:

*Anna O’Brien: Whiteness and racism - talking about talking *

What happens in conversations, groups or events when these get discussed? What’s your experience? What works and what doesn’t? Experiential discussion. White facilitator. Everyone welcome.

Byron Lee

Kat Wall: Foundations, Visions and Culture

Groups are a core part of the ecology for social movements - whether formal organisations or spontaneous gatherings of humans for a few days. How we form, vision and work together is a vital ingredient in creating transformative social change. In this workshop we will explore what makes for joyful, transformative groups (and what doesn’t!), and how we can intentionally create spaces where we can thrive in doing the work of changing the world

The Ecology of Social Movements: the creative tensions of collective agency - panel discussion and Q&A with:#

• Asad Rehman (War on Want)
• Nicolò Wojewoda (350.org)
• May MacKeith (Natural Resilience Project / End Deportations & Stansted 15)
• Ali Tamlit (End Deportations, Resist & Renew)
• Host: Gee (Ulex Project)

Regenerative Activism: Holistic Movement Building deepens and furthers an initial exploration on the theme on Saturday 7th April 2018.