showcase Balancing mind-body
Connection. Ownership. Shame
Selfcompassion. Process
Learning to Swim
Playing with Capitalism
Reflection. Vulnerability. Care. Visibility and Voice
Resilience
Art vs. Tech
Our High Streets
Stories. Belonging.
Spiritual Home
power lab
Apr 2019
12 strangers with 12 different questions. 6 months exploring one key theme: power. 6 months ago a dozen people planted a dozen seeds in the form of ‘learning questions’ based on themes around social impact leadership, spirituality, communities, neighbourhoods, structural change, and self.
Since then we’ve been growing these seeds alongside ones another, into projects, games, meetups, podcasts, toolkits, artworks, ways of being and more. Now the learning marathon is drawing to a close, but a new chapter is just starting to unfurl. We invite you to join us tonight to celebrate the journeys we have undertaken and to share your own stories of power.
Alice Irving Question I leave with:
What’s the most powerful way I can show up in the world?
Question I came with: What’s the most powerful way I can interface with the world, given my limitations and gifts?
alice@aliceirving.com www.aliceirving.com facebook.com/alice.irving.161
Humans continue to be flawed beings with a longing for meaning and connection. How can we, on the brink of disaster, make our business in the world honest, impactful, fulfilling? There are too many of us. Industrialisation takes us to extremes of complexity and artificial simplification. I struggled to make my way in the world and asked: ‘why?’ Passion, intelligence and apparent dedication did not amount in the way I expected, driving me deeper. Whilst I long to lead, speak and make a difference, I also shy away from visibility, challenge and the possibility of criticism, leaving me frustrated and unfulfilled. I needed to understand the tension between the desire to act and the inability to take meaningful action. The answers proved to lie in my own nervous system; unconditional connection with others; and the
courage to be honest in ways I had forgotten. My personal journey has led to the germination of a set of organisational and leadership interventions designed to put the human heart back into the heart of work. Join me for an encounter with yourself and each other along with a joyful connecting of the dots towards hope. Ask: • What if we would collectively decide to (re)learn how to connect in the world of work with the simplicity, openness and imagination of childhood? • What if we could, in our adult endeavours, trust our collective and individual human nature instead of fighting against it? And, • How do we recover from the personal and collective hurts which make these into frightening propositions? Realise that, in fact, mounting research indicates that we have no choice. The question is not if, but how. These themes are the key to staying ahead in the connected, information driven economy. They also represent our only hope of evolution in the face of the devastating future ahead of us.
Anna Jagric Question I leave with:
How could I use Integral Theory, mindfulness, and somatic awareness tools in combination to improve a person’s wellbeing?
anna@betterspace.uk Question I came with: Critical thinking, critical feeling
www.annajagric.net @annajagric
My journey has been an inner one. Outwardly experienced. I have met some incredible people, and made some wonderful memories. I’ve explored mindfulness, meditation, dance, art, neuroscience, and various psychotherapies. Particularly exploring duality, extremes, and opposites. At 3 points in my life I have been diagnosed or identified with experiencing severe mental health issues. Over the past few years I’ve been on an intentional journey, to understand how I can help myself live a more comfortable inner and outer life. I did not know when I started the learning marathon that that journey was part of this journey. At the start, my learning question reflected my interest in exploring how two different ways of knowing and experiencing impacted people’s wellbeing. I loosely named them critical thinking and critical feeling. In the first 2-3 months of my journey, I defined these two sets more. Critical thinking was my shorthand for cognitive analytical sense making, and critical feeling for sensory experiencing. These twere attributed to more common language like ‘right brain, left brain’. I wrote several journal style pages, I drew, made a collage of cuttings. I read, copious amounts. I talked with others, danced with them. I meditated, walked, and watched.
After a lot of exploring and experiencing, I believe there are some particular tools, techniques, and theories that are helpful to improving anyone’s quality of life. My specific interest is in how these tools might be combined. I now work in a mental health startup whose focus is on improving people’s wellbeing. I am hoping to find a way to use all that I have learnt to create some resources and experiences for others. Specifically people who often find themselves stressed, anxious, overly analytical or depressed.
I set out to produce a course online. Instead I come away with something far more valuable. A feeling of reaching a milestone in my personal development and psycho-spiritual growth. Now I am asking; out of all the wellbeing tools out there, how can we know what really works?
Azra Javed Question I leave with:
How do I set up my business and become independent?
Questions I came with: How do I better myself? How do I increase my selfconfidence to be less insecure around others?
“I have learnt to have faith in myself, while learning that anything really is possible as long as you work hard and stay resilient, because its okay to have setbacks. Life is a journey, not a race.�
I am a mother of five children, born in Maidstone, raised in Birmingham and now living in London. After having four daughters, I was surprised with a son, who is the icing on the cake of my lovely family. I had been a housewife all my life, with a passion for education, however hvaing kids, I found it was difficult for me to pursue my own dreams, so I realised my dream through my children. My son is now 13 years old and attending Colchester Royal Grammar School. I chose to put my son in this school because I know in any of the local schools he would not be achieving his maximum potential, whereas after visiting CRGS for the first time, I saw boys of all backgrounds behaving as I wish my son would. Having spoken to other parents at the CRGS open days, I spoke with parents in my area who were hoping for their sons to also attend the school. With my kids all grown up and independent, I realised I could have the pleasure of taking my son to school everyday, as well as providing a service to others in providing a means of transport to Colchester. I have been using my time here at ‘Enrol Yourself’ to better understand how to use my own confidence to sell my business, and believe in myself so I
can begin to expand this little venture I have started. The advice and support I have received from my team has been exceptional. In the last few months, I have learnt to have faith in myself, while learning that anything really is possible as long as you work hard and stay resilient, because its okay to have setbacks. Life is a journey, not a race. Having never done anything like this before, it was very difficult for me, but my team was very supportive, helping me develop the skills I would need to be successful in this venture. I truly feel I have made friends for life. Read more about Azra’s journey: https://www.amaliah.com/post/54607/ enrol-yourself-stay-at-home-motherstudying-experience-muslim-mamas.
Azra and her children
azrajaved1171@hotmail.co.uk colchestertransport@gmail.com
Caesar Gordon Question I leave with:
How can we disperse the power in the social innovation sector?
What happens when we foster connection? How do we create spaces for all of our gifts? What can we do to support the emergence of what often remains unsaid?
Fallen Angel, Jean-Michel Basquiat
caesar@defydoom.com www.defydoom.com @defydoom101
Question I came with: How can we create systemic change without leaders? Anger, frustration, and fatigue brought me to my learning question. I was finding it hard to swallow the ineptitude of traditional forms of leadership and authority within my sector. I soon realised that it was not the notion of leadership that made me uncomfortable but a desire for a whole new practice of leadership to be realised. To the 11 other individuals on this wild ride - together we carved out spaces for creativity, reflection and emotion. It surpassed all support I had received in the past, it felt like breathing new air and gave me new ideas on how to co-create spaces of support for social entrepreneurs. I imagine a way of working in this space that does not rely on poverty porn and instead maintains the dignity of those we serve. There are often too many felt divisions between those that deliver and those who use services in the third sector. The gaps between our life experiences frequently appear too great. When the truth of the matter is: We are all beneficiaries. “there is still another, darker way of judging what goes on when elites put themselves in the vanguard of social change: that it not only fails to
make things better, but also serves to keep things as they are.” ― Anand Giridharadas I’m now on a mission to make membership models sexy, to embed inclusive governance practices within the organisations I work with, so that influence and power can be shared. At the very least, make the power lines transparent, with the notions of equity never far from the forefront of my mind. “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” ― Arundhati Roy, War Talk
Kindred: 6 Month Peer led crowdfunding accelerator for social entrepreneurs Shameless: 10 week experiment in fearless leadership Coaches Beyond Borders: Volunteerled coop offering free coaching in public parks and outdoor community events
David Heinemann Question I leave with:
How can I devote more of my life to supporting the interplay of the higher _____ in me with the higher _____ in you?
Question I came with: What or where is my spiritual home?
“...birds that fly together, soaring...” God breathes (I guess) This feels raw. Real. A little risky. I’m wondering what ground I stand on? I see shoulders. Many. Of all of us who dream and cry. My Dad’s own quest I can’t deny. My Mother’s love, and her Mum’s grief. Of all my siblings; shared belief. But where’s the ground for me to settle? Of which rose am I a petal? I wrote an essay. Clever, said my head. I raced round the park, grasping ahead. And then I noticed, tired. That there is this golden thread. A thread that’s been here all along. The selfsame air we hear as song. In-2-3-4. Out-2-3-4. In-2-3-4. Out-2-3-more. This breath that was my own first splutterance. This breath that was Oma’s final shaking utterance. This breath I sometimes wheeze or waste,
This breath between us interlaced. Nature’s gold and yet we miss it, (perhaps because we can’t possess it?) It’s there the wind with which we sail. It’s there in the song of whales. A breeze of grace that’s always blowing. A part of us beyond the knowing. That same breath that left my Oma’s body shaking, My newborn child will drink it in awakening. The holy grail of any quest. The stream in which we all are blessed. Not a place but a moment. Not a space but a flame. Like rain trickling in the forest, talking. Or birds that fly together, soaring. A bigness. A _________. A story beyond. In breathless times our timeless bond. The ground that my soul can stand on. God right here, in one small breath. That sacred cycle life and death. As starlings in a murmuration, Our source, our voice, our incantation. And as I sit with Friends in silence, Here I find my full reliance.
heinemannde@gmail.com davidheinemann.com @DBetzH
Farah Ahmed Question I leave with:
How do I change the world without drowning in it? Super.Human is a creative exploration into how I can face some of humanity’s biggest existential threats while maintaining my own emotional wellbeing. I drew a self portrait (almost!) every day for 6 weeks, reflecting on how I revealed myself through each mark.
Farah being art
Question I came with: How can I be braver in facilitating creative action towards kinder, sustainable communities?
My life is devoted to using art to reimagine our world for the better. Daily I digest stories about the very best and also the very worst of humanity; climate racism, exploitation of people and planet, the destruction of the natural world for profit, the hellscapes left in the wake of fossil fuel extraction...the list goes on. I leave work and read more bad news, fake news, hate news, news that makes my heart heavy. I grieve.
I’m exhausted. I spent the first half of my Learning Marathon determined to do something about it. I shared stories, built networks, went to talks, signed petitions, designed workshops and -
that I cannot be all things all at once. I cannot fight for a better world if I am broken. Audre Lorde wrote “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” With each drawing, I’ve taken the time to notice how I feel, the colours and materials I am drawn to, how I see myself. This has been revelatory. It has given me space to be more vulnerable than I have ever allowed myself to be, to care for myself and to bind my frayed edges.
I’m healing.
I’m overwhelmed.
Until I stumbled across something that stopped me in my tracks. Two years ago, emerging from a severe episode of depression, I drew a self portrait. Like the image of Dorian Gray hidden in the attic, she looks like me, but she carries all of my grief and my darkness. One of Farah’s Super.Human portraits
I drew her so I could pour my soul into her and leave myself free to rebuild. Super.Human is about recognising
farahsahmed169@gmail.com @farzja
Gwenno Edwards Question I leave with:
How do I want to engage with capitalism?
Collecting data from interviews with low paid workers and small business owners
Do not pass GO. Do not collect ÂŁ200. Would you Monopoly differently if the tenants living in your property could vote on your next move? Or what if each player in the game owned a percentage of every hotel? Would you share the ÂŁ10 beauty contest prize picked up from the Community Chest?
Question I came with: What role do small businesses play in promoting or hindering inclusion? I’ve always had an entrepreneurial itch. I grew up in a family business and by the age of 6 had appointed myself the Head of Postage and Packaging. The business (only a few months younger than me) was launched when my parents were both unemployed and couldn’t find work in rural Wales. I am drawn to the world of social enterprise and small businesses, intrigued by their apparent ability to play capitalism at its own game. I’ve witnessed the potential for new business to transform lives, increase social mobility and preserve culture in local communities.
using my own power? Do I promote or hinder inclusion in the work that I do? I played around with what it would look like if our structures were different and instead governance, ownership and rewards were up for grabs by workers and local communities. I prototyped letter writing projects, workshops for entrepreneurs and created a board game. I picked the board game as my final project. I like the idea of being able to play with a different set of rules, ones that are outside of what I’d previously known. Games can help us imagine what a different society could look like and how we might navigate it. And if things don’t go to plan you can always just roll the dice again...
But I’ve also seen the strain on loved ones’ mental health of working zero hours contracts at independent cafes and bars. I’ve seen founders unable to pay themselves a Living Wage and therefore their rent. I’ve seen the fear - how will this new independent cafe ‘renew’ or ‘revitalise’ the area? Business also has the ability to steal power from people and communities. A few months into my Learning Marathon, I was left questioning whether capitalism can ever truly promote equality. If not, how am I
Prototyping over an old Monopoly board
gwenno.edwards@gmail.com @GwennoEdwards
Janice Johnson Question I leave with:
How can storytelling be used to tackle loneliness and social isolation? I came to Enrol Yourself with a pull towards more purpose driven work and an intention to connect more deeply with the people around me. I followed my curiosity and drew anyone and everyone I could into talk in a way that allowed them to reveal a bit more than they usually would.
I had no interest in pleasantries, so I skipped the small talk and started encouraging people to talk about the big things in life. As people responded, I heard amazing stories and connected with wonderful people who were very often passed by - seen but unseen. Some were hidden on the fringes of life. Others were hidden in plain sight, successful, surrounded by friends, followers and #livingtheirbestlife, but in reality, haunted by loneliness. The magic of those conversations was in their honesty. People were
hello@eatingwithelephants.com Question I came with: How can storytelling help prevent social isolation and loneliness?
@jj_talks
@with_elephants
www.eatingwithelephants.com
tired of hiding, weighed down by the
did just that: a series of monthly
stories they couldn’t share because
storytelling suppers called Eating With
of the stigma surrounding them. The
Elephants. They are open to all and
more they avoided being shunned by
the aim is simple, to help the world
others, the more isolated they made
share more, hide less and break the
themselves feel. Telling their stories
isolating silence of social stigma, one
was a welcome form of catharsis.
storytelling supper at a time. People
I noticed how so many of these
have come along to a warm, inviting
storytellers wished they’d had a safe
space, shared good food and made
space where they could talk informally
meaningful, authentic connections.
about things that felt forbidden to say out loud. A place they could show up as their whole,selves without fear of being shamed for bravely opening up about experiences we all have.
There’s been no pretence, formality or judgement, just real, honest conversation. Fear always comes along, but instead of being hidden or denied, it’s given its rightful place
I thought about times I’d felt the same
at the table - along with all the other
way, when it seemed like every room I
elephants - to allow that part of our
walked into had a giant elephant in it
stories to be acknowledged, too.
that I tried in vain to ignore. Then, the
People still arrive at every event with a
relief I felt when I’d finally was able to
mixture of emotions. One by one, with
address them. What had made sharing
the support of a table of cheerleaders,
easier, less scary? A few things stood
they each share a personal story about
out: the confidence of being cheered
their elephant in the room and go on
on by others, the sense of belonging
to inhabit their life stories in a newly
when exchanging stories, instead of
liberated and more authentic way.
battling opinions in debate, the sense of comfort and wholeness in sharing a good meal at a dinner table. So, with a little helpful influence from ancient storytelling and circle traditions, I created a space that
Kate Weiler Question I leave with:
How can I create grounding experiences that increase self compassion for myself (and others)? Challenged to spend a day outside the house with no plans, this is where i ended up! I think I was tired from all the thinking :)
Question I came with: How might re-engaging in a dance or movement practice help me foster self compassion?�
This was a personal exploration into dance, movement, physicality, how I feel about myself, and what that means for what I create and how I am in relationship with others, both personally and professionally.
I started this learning marathon while finishing a really tough job. I had this deep sense of needing to ‘reconnect with Kate’. As a default ‘analyser’ my learning question was about challenging myself to move out of my head, and into my body. When I think of dancing throughout my childhood, I remember the aesthetic expectations, the quest for ‘the perfect line’ in ballet or the ‘release’ in contemporary. This sense of there being a right or wrong was a firm foundation in my relationship to my physicality, but also I see now what a huge role it plays in my high expectations of myself and my struggle to be self-compassionate, particularly when I am in the process of something….(which is everything, all the time!) In my experience of dance we were always working towards an exam or a show. I don’t really remember dancing freely just for fun, or ever pausing to enjoy the rehearsal process. That’s where I found my learning question, in returning to dance which I have always loved, and in actively committing to self-compassion. My marathon started by going to a load of dance classes. Then, I realised that I was most able to be self compassionate when I felt grounded, so I started experimenting with morning journalling, with being in nature and
with enjoying unstructured time (see whale pic for how it ended). I also spent two hours ‘exploring movement’ with my dance friend Kirsty. I captured the process of all of this by recording a series of voice messages to myself and others - at the time with no intention of sharing them with anyone. I had many expectations of what I would produce, but the actual things I have gained I could never have predicted. I thought I would break through something in my relationship with dance, or perhaps suddenly have better self acceptance. Actually, I take forward a new-found love of ‘giving myself over to process’ and to being in intentional spaces of community. But perhaps much more fundamentally I take forward a commitment to keep showing up, as me, rawly sharing the rehearsal process of life.
looks like both groundedness and freeness!
katelweiler@gmail.com www.kateweiler.co.uk
Noel Hatch Question I leave with:
How can we make high streets help us support each other?
We Make Neighbourhoods “Supporting the infrastructure that connects different cultures of collaboration is about helping them become ‘neighbours’”. Question I came with: How can neighbourhoods help us live well together?
When people feel supported by strong relationships, be they residents, staff or decision makers, change happens. And when we design new systems that make this sort of collaboration and connection feel simple and easy, people want to join in. And neighbourhoods are the spaces where people are closest to their neighbours.
adapt to these changes? Change in family, friendship and work structures could affect where & how people spend their free time. The increase in self employment and people with multiple care responsibilities could blur boundaries between work & leisure. How can we understand trends in how people live to think differently about the roles we want to play? What people feel and think about their experience of living in a neighbourhood and interacting with others is shaped by values that are deep-rooted in the environment and networks they’ve been brought up in.
What could neighbourhoods look like in the future? Identities could be more influenced by the different cultures & situations people are exposed to throughout their life. Increasing trends by organisations to personalise products & services to the needs & desires of people. Growing opportunities for people pooling their resources with people like them, to save money and belong to a community. The increase in people moving around to work could affect how they can look after themselves & each other. What role can we each play to support local communities & to take advantage of or
Connecting these methods that learn from others to kickstart change with everyday practices that everyone can relate to and already exist in the neighbourhood helps people take part in activities that bridge communities and support people developing these activities to turn them into more sustainable projects. Supporting the infrastructure that connects different cultures of collaboration is about helping them become “neighbours”.
noel.hatch1@gmail.com Twitter & Medium: @noelito
Omie Dale Question I leave with:
If 71% of the world is water, how can we feel at home if we don’t know how to swim? I’m looking at swimming in particular, inclusiveness surrounding the sport. I’ve been exploring why certain groups are more likely to learn to swim than others, and what people’s perceptions of swimming and the water are, whilst exploring my own relationship with it.
Question I came with: How can the most vulnerable and marginalised people in society have more access to the services designed for them? The beginning of my journey marathon started with a question that - despite being something that I was personally interested in - was something very much guided by the pressure I felt to have something “impressive”, yet felt really at a loss when dealing with a question so big. It was when I was sat up on the lifeguard chair one day funnily enough my main place of contemplation and reflection - that I thought, why not make my learning question about swimming? Swimming compromises so much of my life - I’ve swum since a child, lifeguarded for 5 years and now teach others to swim. It’s provided me with fitness, employment, safety skills, and most importantly a sanctuary away from land. Yet I’ve always been confronted with “but Black people can’t swim” - obviously this is a common misconception: we can swim, but we often don’t. It has always been clear to me when looking in the pool that the space is very much dominated by white, middle class, able-bodied people - I wanted to explore why this was, and if anything
could be done about it. I decided to talk to people dedicated to making swimming as inclusive as possible. This took the form of LGBTQ+ swim groups, people focused on swimming for BAME individuals, body positive swimmers, and those who simply work within the community. I’ve also been teaching people for free, to try and discover what their relationship with the water is. This learning marathon actually made me realise that in a very white, middleclass dominated profession, I can in some way - on even a small scale - be the representation for those who need it - representation I did not see when I was growing up. I truly see this the beginning of my journey into the swimming world. This marathon has sparked so many ideas in me, and I can’t wait to see these come to fruition.
oedale18@gmail.com
Siobhan Baker Question I leave with:
How am I valuable as an artist?
Question I came with: How and when is human creativity still valuable in an increasingly technology-led world?
I joined this learning marathon at the start of a career shift, taking an internship to train as a software engineer. I wondered how this training might integrate with my visual arts background and my creative identity.
Whilst working for a social enterprise aimed at increasing gender balance in the tech sector, I developed an interest in coding. So much so that I had applied for an internship and was successful. Though excited about this transition, I was also hesitant. I had questioning thoughts about the role of technology, particularly in visual arts. In my mind there is something specific about artistic creativity in humans, and I wondered just how far we would get in the query of machines as artists. I knew that these thoughts would continue to ripple in my mind as I not only learned how to code, but also begun to understand how my visual arts and philosophy background would come into play when coding. Enrol Yourself felt perfectly aligned for exploring this line of questioning. As I journeyed through my learning marathon, I realised that I’d subconsciously been very prescriptive about what I expected of myself. I’d told myself that I should only be drawing and making, reading and talking with others, then building a space to share thoughts and ideas. But I got stuck at the first part - drawing. Whilst the demand of a blank terminal window in my internship didn’t phase me, when confronted with my blank sketchbook I was stumped. I was tied to a memory of frenzied creativity and
hadn’t yet found new ways to ‘express’. That’s what was amazing about this marathon. I tried things that didn’t feel comfortable, I got out of my head and into my body, I talked with people I’d never met before in ways I hadn’t with some of those closest to me. I ran art workshops, and discovered that whilst the very idea terrified me, so much came out of it for everyone who joined. I delved deeper into my relationship with my late mother, realising that the legacy I’ve inherited is heavily tied to the one I want to shape, creatively and otherwise. I discovered that I was trying to understand my own value. My key takeaways that carry me forward are: • Follow what drives you. It’s important to you for a reason. • There’s beauty in the growth that comes when we see others and allow ourselves to be seen • Continuously learning provides opportunities to play and discover I’m still exploring the space which overlaps between art and technology, their individual value and our relationships with both. I plan to run more workshops where we can question, create and discover together.
sohbaker@gmail.com @sohbaker
Connect with us! We’re looking for... Alice ...places to share and inspire: invite me to talk in your workplace, festival or conference!
Anna ...people interested in talking about their mental health and experiences with ill health, and hearing from others. ...anyone actively interested in improving their wellbeing ...participants for a workshop based on my question
Azra ...anyone who has created a business, has organisational tips or who wants to share what helps them to feel more confident!
Caesar ...participants for ‘Shameless: experiments in fearless leadership’ ...individuals to join the Coaches Beyond Borders project ...people working in cooperatives to talk to and learn from!
Dave ...anyone interested in helping me continue this conversation.
Class of April 2019
Farah ...table smashers! I don’t believe in having just ‘a seat at the table’. I want to smash the proverbial table and sit on the grass, with the animals and insects. Come smash the table
with me!
Gwenno ...people designing or working in cooperatives and other structures that redistribute power. ...people who can recommend things for me to watch and read to understand how to change the rules of capitalism.
Janice ...Eating With Elephants dinner guests! Text me - 07523 292 833 ...Your Stigma Stories. In exchange you’ll get a professional portrait photo and Elephant Talk conversation cards. ...Invitations to speak, or to run a pop-up event for you
Kate ...dancer-seekers, community builders, people who my journey resonates with!
Omie ...people! People of all shapes, sizes, colours, genders to go swimming with or have you tell me about your experiences with swimming.
Siobhan ...more opportunities to do and to dare: • Invite me to speak about coding, art, and community • Let’s create, challenge and explore! - partners and participants for art+tech workshops
Harnessing our collective power at Kick Off, Power Ups and meetups.
Enrol Yourself is an award-winning social enterprise redesigning lifelong learning by harnessing the power of peer groups to multiply individual and collective development. The Learning Marathon is a 6 month peer-led learning accelerator designed to integrate into life alongside work.
WEB: enrolyourself.com BLOG: medium.com/enrol-yourself TWITTER: @EnrolYourself INSTAGRAM: @enrol_yourself EMAIL: hello@enrolyourself.com