Who must we become?
A collective response from a 3-month learning journey
About the Learning Relay
The 2020 Learning Relay Cohort
Who must we become?
Jake Slater
Nikki Adebeyi
How can I follow
How can I apply trauma
my energy?
informed principles in my sphere of influence?
Maddy Maxwell
Zineb Mouhyi
How can creativity, vulnerability, connection, reflection, intimacy and imagination/dreaming continue to be a part of my life?
What if young people
shapes emerge. People huddling together by
Blessing Maregere
Lottie McCarthy
the warmth of the fire, people who have become
How can I enhance
How can I continue to
and people who are still becoming. You sit on a
learning experiences
grow the confidence I
tree stump among the moss. You are handed
through technology?
need to go off-piste?
From September-December 2020, twelve peers
Lizzie Reid
Omie Dale
travelled through the Learning Relay, an online
How can I detangle my
How can I replicate the
peer-led learning journey aimed at supporting
skillset from capitalism?
wellness nature brings in
‘You see a campfire through the thick trees of a forest. Drawn to it, you move closer and
designed the future of education?
the talking stick and asked: ‘Who are you becoming?’
people to discover and learn about the things
an inner-city community?
that are important them. They have been exploring both a collective question: ‘Who must we become?’ as well as their own individual questions spanning themes of trauma, values, capitalism, healing, gifts, intergenerational, creativity, imagination and so much more.
Patrick Vickers
Alana Bloom
How can I use
How can I continue to
compassion and
deepen and develop my
gratitude to show
approach as facilitator,
me my path?
artist and regenerator?
Alex Eisenberg
Nadia Connell
How can I inhabit spaces
How can I hold spaces
in which I feel I can bring
of connection whilst
my whole-self to the
embracing the Chimaera
group?
in me?
Jake Slater
Where has your question brought you?
Question I leave with:
How can I follow my energy?
I arrived at the Learning Relay thinking that
Conversations with other Relayers gave me the
I was in a transitionary moment, I wanted to
confidence to ask: how would it feel to spend
be surrounded by good people and I needed a
the rest of these 12 weeks focused on myself?
process to steer me through. But, I didn’t know
To give myself the gift of time, attention and
what I needed, and I didn’t really know what I
love. To connect with what brings me energy.
was signing up for. A few weeks in, I changed my learning question In the first few weeks, I felt my learning question
to ‘How might I connect with my values and
pulling me in lots of different directions, and I
find what brings me energy?’, and my learning
felt resistance to following all of them. There
journey took a sharp turn.
was a tension between the reason I had arrived at the Learning Relay and the question I was supposed to be exploring.
Question I came with: How might I support young people to be the authors of their own stories?
Email: jakelslater@gmail.com Twitter: @jakelslater Instagram: @jakelslater
What have you created? From the start I felt unsure about the idea of
Reflections on your learning journey
creating anything – it didn’t feel like the reason I was there. Shifting the focus of my learning
First of all, and I can’t stress this enough,
question inwards rather than outwards made
I’m grateful for the imaginative and courageous
the idea of creation even cloudier.
adventurers that I’ve shared this journey with. I’ve learned so much about what it means to be
The day after I changed my learning question, I
yourself, to sit with ambiguity, to show up as
started an Energy Journal –
you are, to be brave, to be curious and open-
a reflective journal to keep track of what I was
minded.
doing and the feelings that came and went. For myself, I’ve learned more in these 12 weeks The journal changed over time. It started as a
than I have in a long time. I’ve learned that
piece of paper. Then became a WhatsApp chat
I needed permission to live in the present. I
between me and myself filled with voice notes,
realised that I needed to look inward before I
photos and text. And last it lived in a journaling
looked outward. I’ve learned that I lean towards
app called DayOne.
overthinking, planning ahead, focusing on answers over questions.
But as it changed, the basic principles stayed the same: - A daily dialogue to keep track of energetic fluctuations - A commitment to confronting the highs and lows - Seeing where that all took me, without thinking too far ahead
But more than that, I’ve started a self-reflective process that I hope will keep me on this journey.
Here’s a template for anyone who would like to try it: bit.ly/34wm25E
Second, following my energy has allowed me to spend more time with music, which I’d always treated as a ‘spare time’ hobby and relegated to the sidelines. From this, I’ve started a new breakfast show on the community radio station Netil Radio. Who knows what will happen from this? But I’m loving it. And I know that, previously, I would have thought too far ahead and paralysed myself from going for it.
Adenike (“Nikki”) Adebiyi Question I leave with:
How can I apply trauma informed principles in my sphere of influence?
Where has your question brought you? I realised that creating a trauma informed
Even these categories need to be broken
society requires focus. This means I have to be
down into smaller and clearer target areas to
specific and intentional with my work rather
campaign around. It all begins at the individual
than aiming for generic impact. The impact
level, so becoming self aware and taking charge
that I want to see in the broader sense will
of my own healing process is a necessity. In
come about as a result of smaller actions that
summary, it’s about doing my part and letting
compound. So, the way we get to a trauma-
others do theirs.
informed society as a whole is by applying the principles to individual agents of socialisation, and beginning from there within our spheres Question I came with:
Website: bounceblack.org
What will it take to create a
Email: bounceblackuk@gmail.com
trauma-informed society?
Instagram/Twitter: @ibounceblack @nikkibiyi
of influence. For example, trauma-informed education systems, healthcare systems, families, peer groups, media, and so on.
What have you created? At the start of the Learning Relay, I launched
I have begun developing and piloting workshops
an online community called Bounce Black, for
that draw on the mental health trend at large,
Black students and professionals navigating
but which are infused with trauma informed
mental health and trauma recovery while
principles and cultural sensitivity. I am working
building careers. I began with curated content
on creating more workshops for different
on social media, and have since launched the
audiences (e.g. groups and corporations), as well
website (bounceblack.org), where viewers can
as trauma informed career and life coaching
find a mission statement, manifesto, blogs,
packages.
events, and meaningful merchandise.
Reflections on your learning journey I am grateful for the time and space to immerse myself in learning both in theory and by doing. I have enjoyed exploring different parts of myself through my peers’ workshops, and have come away enriched with unique insights, fresh enthusiasm and a different perspective on life. I have learned the difference between transparency and vulnerability, and while the former comes easy to me, I have had to learn how to trust people with the latter. All in all, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to encounter and experience such diverse and beautiful people. They have shown me great compassion and kindness, and helped turbocharge my growth for good during an otherwise challenging year.
Maddy Maxwell
Where has your question brought you?
Question I leave with:
My learning question brought me to this group,
How can creativity, vulnerability, connection, reflection, intimacy and imagination/dreaming continue to be a part of my life?
job search. It gave me a lens through which to
Question I came with: How can my feminist politics inform and support my work?
Email: madeleine.h.maxwell@gmail.com Twitter: @1madmax
to this journey. It brought me to an intentional see and reflect on my experiences. It gave me a compass to focus my search for answers. It gave me an excuse to create and connect.
I am letting go of...
I’m leaving with…
My fear of being earnest, and my skepticism
Feelings of confidence and trust in myself and
towards hope and optimism
humanity and this group
My instinct to jump in with solutions and my
So many ideas for workshops, and ways of
urge to be in control all of the time
creating intimacy and trust in online spaces A deep, embodied knowledge of how it feels to
I’ve learned that...
prioritise space to reflect, connect and dream
Vulnerability and intimacy can unlock and reveal
I want to…
creativity, energy, ideas, learning It’s important to give people the benefit of the
Stay in touch and nurture these new
doubt - to trust that they can handle silence
connections, friendships and supportive,
and uncertainty just as well as I can I get better
questioning relationships
at stuff when I try it, and experiment with
Stay grounded, calm and hopeful in 2021
it… when I approach things lightly and with
Remember that I can see the world differently
curiosity
if I step out of my comfort zone, and ask different questions
I will remix and reimagine these commitments over time
I will include people affected by decisions being made in making those decisions, and call it out when I see that this isn’t happening I will champion the slow, the nuance, the what if, the who else should be here, the let’s take a break
I will rest, I will say no, and protect the boundaries between work and the other bits of my life
I will sow the seeds for trust, respect, and interdependence to grow amongst the people I work with I will resist urges to control, to perfect, to prescribe, and I will leave space for others and other ideas to grow, form and flourish, and for mistakes to be made and learned from
I will stay light, stay open to inspiration, ideas, feedback, stopping, starting again connected to my values.
return to when I need to feel grounded or more
be at work - a guiding light to reflect with, and
A set of personal commitments for how I want to
What have you created?
Reflections on your learning journey
Zineb Mouhyi Question I leave with:
What if young people designed the future of education?
Where has your question brought you? Firstly, I’ve learned the importance of having
Finally, I think this led me to reflecting on how I
a primary learning question on the back of my
am connected to that question and become the
mind. This leads to being able to get inspiration,
living question I was exploring.
ideas, and learning from a lot more places as there is an unconscious filter that connects
I would add that my learning question evolved
every day occurrences to my learning question.
but that the overarching question of “Who must we become?” kept providing a clear sense of
Secondly, this learning question led me to want Question I came with: How do we cultivate our personal and collective imagination, coherence, and resilience?
zineb.mouhyi@gmail.com @zinebmouhyi www.weavinglab.org www.youthxyouth.com
to engage with projects that would support further exploration of the question.
direction to my inquiries.
What have you created? I have created a new project as part of my organization (The Weaving Lab) called Youth by Youth (YxY): http://youthxyouth.com/. YxY is a 3-day online dialogue series by young people for young people around the central question “What if young people designed the future of education?” taking place on January 22nd to 24th, 2021. The central goal of the event is to create a global community of youth activists working to influence and transform their education systems.
Reflections on your learning journey The Enrol Yourself learning journey was a transformational learning experience that I deeply cherish. It came at a time in my life when I needed it more than I realized. Being part of a group of people who were all at a junction in their lives was very powerful. I am deeply grateful for the space and time we shared, for how everyone showed up, bringing their full selves in authentic ways, and practicing deep listening and presence together. I’ve learned so many things from my cohort but most of all, I’ve learned to be more myself.
The river of life A collective poem
I am at peace I am expansive I am natural I am an abundant smile from ear to ear I nourish others I live in a place that is alive I am like a newborn baby I am a convivial space of open minds coming together I am the life-force of a new shoot I am as free and expansive as the ocean I am like a childlike alien, inviting others to partake in seeing the world through childlike alien eyes I am like dark eyes looking deeply I am like coming home I am a winding track that leads forwards I am like a rainbow over the sun, taking in the light and reflecting it all its beauty I am myself and the sum of the people around me I am as inviting as the word yes I am a beacon of light and a shore of safety I am warm and filling healthy lunch I am not what you think I am I am a room filled with beauty I am the universe reflected back at itself I am but a wave in the ocean I am the ocean breeze I am the steady help of a lighthouse I am like a book in the bookshop under the ‘reduced to clear’ isle (jokes, bestseller) I am a soft boiled egg I am the trees and the lichen I am all the colours yet only air I am the hand that lifts you up I look great in a hat I am a thousand words ready to be heard I am you, you are me I am like a forest, fully embracing of you as you are right now I am a drop in the ocean I have much to offer I am powerful I am a living ocean
Lottie McCarthy Question I leave with:
How can I continue to grow the confidence I need to go off-piste? Where has your question brought you? I had felt that the different things I do, am interested in, and work in, needed to be sorted out; that I needed to work out and decide what I wanted to “be”. I thought my learning question would help me pick a path. Instead it’s helped me learn what authenticity means to me, and what creativity means to me.
It helped me realise that whilst I’ve been trying different paths and cultivated new things, I’m not left with a tangled mess, I’m actually left with a wide verity of tools and skills that I can use, that all the threads of the tangle, instead of competing with each other, can work together, and as long as I focus on pursuing what I’m
Question I came with: How might I best harness my creativity to do authentic work that matters?
lmccarthy.co.uk Instagram: @l_mac_art lottie44442@hotmail.com
most passionate about I will find ways to use these tools and skills to do helpful things.
What have you created? I created a workshop for the group to create postcards about each others learning questions, to serve as gifts to each other and reminders of our journey. An animation about finding your niche, your stride, embracing the unique tangle that is you and all the gifts that you bring, the removal of labels, trying to fit into boxes, breaking convention and embracing diversity, change and uniqueness; the struggle turning into
Reflections on your learning journey I have learnt…. Though the amazing belief that the group had in me, I learnt to believe in myself. I’m an artist. To think big but also to appreciate the small.
adventure.
To abandon perfectionism; Imperfection is
A manifesto of what is me and a portfolio for my
imperfections, so let go of judgement, and of
king. Most things are, are far more than their
future self.
assuming other peoples judgement.
Proposals for future projects.
To experiment.
Connections with potential future
To take things out of my head and into the
collaborators.
world.
Confidence.
That being my whole self is pretty great.
Trust.
That I can contribute towards the world be a slightly better place. That good things come when you nourish them. That good things come when you nourish yourself. The importance of community.
I am grateful… To have been able to contribute to everyone else’s learning journey and for them to contribute to mine; to the community of 12 people who came together to help each other. To have rediscovered doing art for arts sake… that art is a process not an outcome…and most importantly that the benefit of art doesn’t come from what art is, but in what art does.
Omie Dale
Where has your question brought you? Whew - where do I start? It’s brought me to a
Question I leave with:
How can I replicate the wellness nature brings in an inner-city community?
better understanding of what I do and what I don’t want to do in my professional life, and concrete steps (and some confidence!) to moving more towards the latter. It’s brought me a network of people who are working in the areas I’m interested in and it’s also brought me a group of people who just care about things, want to get things done, and are happy to support everyone in their journeys.
What have you created? Lots of pockets of different activities. I’ve been a lot more loud about what I’m doing - writing more and talking to more people. I’ve formed great connections with people that are able to assist me in my journey - whether it’s those also working in a similar area, local government members of sports charities. I’ve also developed my plans for summer next year, in terms of retreats and teaching. The
Reflections on your learning journey I’m grateful - as always - to the space that Enrol yourself manages to create. Occupying the space with 11 hours, I learnt, I spoke, I laughed, and I even cried. To be able to build a connection with a group of people in such a short of time, and over Zoom most importantly, is no mean feat - but the magic of Enrol manages to allow this. The Learning Relay - and the specific question of who must we become - came at a much needed time in my life. The journey I embarked on with 11 other individuals not only allowed me to reflect a lot on my question and what I wanted to achieve, but also encouraged deep
Question I came with: How can I explore prioritising wellbeing and moving towards more community-based work in a society that values and monietises professional output?
introspection into other factors in my life Instagram: @omiedale Twitter: @omie_dale Email: omie.dale1@gmail.com
external to the relay.
12 weeks have really given me the foundation blocks to focus my ideas and work towards the next steps.
Lizzie Reid
Where has your question brought you? The learning relay came to me at a point of
Question I leave with:
What antidotes are there to capitalism-friendly creativity, and what tools do I need to practice them?
Question I came with: How can I detangle my skill-set from capitalism?
lizziereid.com lizziemtreid@gmail.com Twitter: @lizziemtreid
personal change (I’d recently gone freelance) and societal change (2020!). So it felt like the perfect time to explore a question that had been rattling around my head for a while about the ways creative skills are tangled up with the destructive and consumerist effects of capitalism, and how I could use my skills for more. This question was big - it covered the professional, the personal and the political. With the help of my peers I have been able to see how this question relates to different aspects of my life and society, and sharpen my thinking on it at those different levels. Alongside that, this journey has pushed me to do more self-reflection than ever before, and I feel I am in a head space to be able to apply my thinking to my life in ways big and small, gentle and radical.
Reflections on your learning journey I have left the learning journey completely
During my showcase presentation I spoke about
convinced by the transformative power of
why our peer learning journey felt like such a
peer learning spaces, and am so grateful to
gently anti-capitalist antidote in itself:
my cohort. I left each Tuesday evening feeling inspired and nourised as the space we created
Picture this - 12 strangers from different parts
together was so full of creativity, vulnerability
of the world give up their Tuesday evenings and
and joy - especially impressive considering it
some of their Sundays over three months.
was all on Zoom. They create a space outside of work, outside Alongside where I have got to with my learning
of any of the “normal” societal structures.
question, I have grown in confidence and feel far more in touch with myself and my values.
A space where they exchange ideas,
The guiding question of ‘Who must we become?’
not money. Where they aren’t competing,
is something I hope to keep asking throughout
they build each other up and nurtured
my life, and I feel confident to do so armed with
each others ideas. They plot and plan
the new practices, habits and ways of thinking I
together how to change the world. They are
have learnt from my peers.
vulnerable and silly with each other, they connect emotionally and share stories of their different lived experiences, their ancestors, their dreams and fears. To me, it doesn’t get more gently
What have you created?
anti-capitalist than that.
At some point along the journey, I realised I
The culmination of my learning journey was a
had to take the pressure off myself to “create”
presentation of my thinking at the showcase in
something, and embrace the instinct I had that
two parts:
this journey was for developing my thinking and embracing the parts of it that were complex,
- Firstly I presented a visual essay that outlined
contradictory or unfinished.
the problem of capitalism-friendly creativity I was grappling with in a way that felt powerful but approachable. - Secondly I identified patterns in my professional life or industry that I didn’t like, and antidotes to try soften or counteract them. Both of these things are ongoing explorations I hope to continue and share more widely. I invited friends and family to the showcase, and am extremely grateful for that opportunity and the conversations that have followed.
Alana Bloom
Where has your question brought you?
Question I leave with:
How can I continue to deepen and develop my approach as facilitator, artist and regenerator?
Question I came with: How can I bring forth my gifts and the gifts of others in the journey towards healing?
www.regeneratingrhythms.org regeneratingrhythms@gmail.com insta/twitter @alanablooms
What I’ve understood about gifts is that they are
This journey has been an opportunity to reflect
often thought of as our talents or skills and if we
on all of this in real time through the beautiful
are lucky we can make some money off them,
mirror of peers that I’ve been surrounded by.
but actually our gifts are beyond this. They are
Whilst also beginning to build the foundations
the way that we make people feel, how we listen,
of a wider practice and approach that I would
the way we speak. They are the experiences
like to infuse all of my work and offerings with as
we’ve had, the ways we’ve grown and the people
facilitator, artist and regenerator.
who have been with us along the way. My feeling is that the process of healing is connected to finding your gifts, finding the things that pull you through the darkest times and help you to live fully. Those kinds of gifts are in connection to our soul and can become more potent or clear to us when we’ve had to descend into the underworld to find them.
What have you created? I created a manifesto for gifts for myself
A Manifesto for Gifts:
and anyone who might want to create spaces where people can be nourished and find a way
The only way is through
to connect with the unique medicine they have
Fill your cup
to offer the world.
See the potential in everyone Befriend fear, see what it has to offer you Your soul thrives beyond capitalism Our other than human kin all have gifts to offer Welcome a diversity of intelligence from body, to mind to emotional Your gifts are made up of everyone’s gifts Listen to what the Earth reveals to you Healing happens in relationship Cultivate a Courageous Heart
Reflections on your learning journey The Learning Relay has felt like a beacon and safe harbour in these wild and rocky times. It’s been beautiful to be on this journey with such a brilliant group of peers all enquiring and learning to live in this time in a way that feels good for them. I feel very grateful how effortless connecting on zoom has felt and whilst we’ve not met in person I feel such closeness to these people to the point where I feel like I have been able show up just as I am whether I’m tired, overwhelmed or joyful.
Plus seeing the creativity of my peers and how they hosted their workshops has been a great insight into understanding how much is still possible in the online space. Amongst all of this I feel like this learning journey provided me the space to be more reflective and to explore my question in an intuitive way without feeling like I needed to get anywhere with it. It reminded me of the power of process and taking off the pressure of productivity.
Cheerfulness, Openness, kindness, generosity, teaching, passing on wisdom to the younger generation, Optimism, Kindness, passion, artistry, imagination, love, Playfulness, Listening, Honesty, vulnerability, Energy, hope, ideas, enthusiasm, Putting aside a Tuesday evening to collectively dream, reflection, love, peace, Healing - recognising suffering and enabling people to deal with it and move past it, possibility, fun, Guts, creativity, listening, wonder, compassion, empathy, beauty, Vulnerability and ability to share this, Knowledge of self and boundaries with body, listening, Big-picture thinking, warmth, Connected with younger self, Desire to use lived experience to guide work and help others, the willingness to dive into the unknown, Seeing- really seeing, Hope, fear, GREAT DANCE MOVES!! Knowing and sharing the power of sound, the power of MUSIC, chewing, Music, being humans in bodies that are connected to them, listening, joy, smiles, empathy, sensitivity, openness, deep listening, passion, thoughtfulness, mischievousness, pleasure, Connecting to community, Joy, Giving each other spaces to stretch and get in touch with our bodies, Love, thoughtfulness, healing, music and rhythm, Ability to reflect, impact, Asking for help from others, empathy, Design skills, learning to articulate our ideas and dreams, Empathy, Ability to dream big, Creativity, supportive, to draw out ideas from others rambles, Beauty, and offer guidance, brightness, bravery, DOING skills- there’s definitely some get shit done skills, Creating space for creativity, Generosity with time and resources, Helpfulness, being able to be in the unknown together, face, groundedness, Tying things together, Leaping into the unknown, Seeing patterns, saying yes saying no, persevering, Boundary creation, asking good questions, being seen, mindfulness, passion, Challenging yourself, connecting the dots, Knowing boundaries and pushing our boundaries, different backgrounds, sparks, Opening yourself up to people you’ve just met, Relaxed, being witnessed and witnessing other people, A multitude of lived experiences, curious, Creating safe and open space, coolness, Enabling a group of people to feel grounded and calm, curiosity, Love for life, learning and unlearning, being able to make mistakes and apologies for them, Delving deep, Not being afraid, Sustainability, Will to be a positive agent in this world, Being afraid but moving in anyway, facilitation, Legacy minded, Leaning in, human approach, POSITIVE MISCHIEF, Looking towards ancestry, sense of humour, nourishing each other and ourselves, A feeling of discontent with the status quo, meaning, dreaming, thinking, questioning, listening to the other than human world, Helping people with their practise, Getting to the heart of it, connection to nature, smiles, Sharing, Emotional intelligence, Connection to nature, Open hearts, self compassion, Open minds, Cherishing the natural world, good lighting, Open will, being humble, letting life lead, Embracing differences, Music, celebrating each other, Learning from one another, Growing from each other, bouncing, A space for the mundane and the radical, honesty, Being vulnerable, collaboration, silence, not being afraid to be silly! Imagination, We are becoming (insert your own word), Non judgement, Not taking ourselves seriously, Willingness to try, experimental, Able to make mistakes, trusting, poets, artists, Flexibility, bridge builders, Courage, visionaries, edge dwellers, networks, beauty, big hearts
Our collective gifts
Patrick Vickers
Where has your question brought you? This journey started with the intention to build a
Question I leave with:
specific project - a piece of a new food system
How can I use compassion and gratitude to show me my path?
which is regenerative and resilient. Now I believe that developing the capacities of communities to build solutions for themselves is more important than any individual solution. The turning point was reading an article called ‘Preparing for the end of the world as we know it’ by a collective called Gesturing Towards Decolonial Futures. It’s a critique of many attempts to ‘fix’ the climate and ecological emergencies that emerge from those who have benefited from colonialism. It is still guiding my thinking now, and led me to focus on the process more than the outcome. We don’t just need new solutions - we need them to be brought to life in a way that builds the social fabric.
What have you created? My initial intention was to start a specific project - an urban farm which grows Oyster mushrooms from spent coffee grounds. I have the knowledge and network to do this, but am still searching for the ideal space. Over the course of the journey, my focus shifted slightly to broader community initiatives. This is because in a century that will be defined by severe shocks to our systems due to climate and ecological collapse, the capacity of communities to respond with compassion and healing energy is more important than the mechanisms they respond with. A circle economy Oyster mushroom farm won’t do much good on a street where neighbors don’t have each other’s backs. Over the Christmas period I am taking time to reflect, re-read, and plan how to create an initiative that helps people create climate
Question I came with: How can I build food business/initiative based on interconnection and solidarity?
Email: patrickvickers1226@gmail.com
solutions collectively, in their community. As
Twitter: P__Vickers
with enrol, the connections between people will
Instagram: patrick__vickers
be more important than the ‘tangible’ outcome.
Reflections on your learning journey I’m so grateful that I was part of such an intentional, caring, and accountable space. Something about this blend of characteristics and characters in the group made such fertile ground for personal growth. I feel like I can be myself with this group and be supported, and I feel like I still have a lot to give to the group. I’ve learnt so much from everyone, and the last four months have been the psychologically galvanising of my adult life. I was in a place where I often felt stuck and unable to make progress to the things that mattered most to me. Now I don’t feel intimidated or scared by my intentions as much as before. I don’t feel frozen or the need to withdraw as much. This journey has let me create more space in my life for living more intentionally and serving my calling. I’ve learned that I can try more things and have faith in the process. I can move forward with curiosity about how this journey will unfold. The lessons and outcomes that come my way may not be the ones I expected when I started off, but they will probably be the lessons I didn’t know I needed.
Alex Eisenberg
Where has your question brought you?
Question I leave with:
How can I inhabit spaces in which I feel I can bring my whole-self to the group?
Question I came with: How can I support the creation of sustainable, creative spaces that enable different generations to connect with each other?
Email: alexeisenberg@me.com Twitter/Instagram: @alexeisenberg
I was so shy about my learning question at
All parts of the process are necessary.
the start because I’d put so much into it. I was
The time that I spent creating my LQ was a key
tinkering with it, swapping out this word or that
foundation for my twelve week journey - which
word so that it would be just right! One of the
has been exactly that. As time passed, I gained
ideas in Enrol with your learning question (LQ) is
new perspectives and things began to ruminate.
to see it everywhere, to talk to everyone about
About 7 weeks in, I remembered that things are
it and embed it in who you are. I was really
much more fluid than they are fixed. I accessed
inspired by this approach and as I started to do
the ‘swimming part’ of me and made my way
this a lot of the shyness, the awkwardness and
to the surface. I took a big breath of air which
the attachment to perfection started to drop off.
sustained me for another dive.
What have you created? I came to Enrol with a series of project ideas
In the final few weeks of the relay I discovered
and I was keen to use the 12 weeks to explore
that what was really driving my desire to do this
these. I spent a lot of the learning relay in
work was not just any old learning. I wanted
research mode, reading loads especially finding
to figure out how to make space for difficult
out about the work that is happening in terms
and uncomfortable conversation between
of intergenerational learning. This has been
generations and how this could be done in
invaluable and so the first thing that I’ve
families and communities. This is a complex and
created is an informed basis for my future
hard territory which has brought up many new
work. I was relatively clear from the start that
questions and dilemmas. It’s going to require
I wanted to do something that brings youth
more work and insight from the right people, to
and older generations together to learn and
dive deeper into this idea. And that’s what I plan
this is what I focused on. By the end of the 12
to do in 2021!
weeks I had created an early stage prototype called THE FLIP.
Reflections on your learning journey THE GROUP - what a generous, kind and
Due to a family bereavement which occurred
welcoming bunch of people. There really has
during the relay, my plans changed significantly.
been a sense of bonding which has been
The group supported me through this deftly
amazing considering we’ve been on Zoom.
and I learnt that submitting to a situation can
We have sustained each other and with a
sometimes be the best way to get through it. I
spirit of encouragement that I have rarely
softened myself, I eased my expectations and
seen or experienced. The Learning Relay is
dulled my desire for perfection. It’s not that I
fundamentally about supporting each other
lost these things completely, because they also
rather than competing with each other and this
make up who I am, but I found a new texture to
is radical right now. Getting into this mindset
them.
took me a while but when it comes your way in droves...it’s easy to give it back.
The combination of the group’s warmth and my sense of inner holding is a real gift and I know I need something like this in my life for the a happy and healthy future.
Nadia Connell
Where has your question brought you? There once was a Chimaera who wished for
Question I leave with:
connection, mutual nourishment and a place to
How can I hold spaces of connection whilst embracing the Chimaera in me?
share her gifts. She took on a magical journey with the Enrol School of Wizardry. The journey was challenging, rewarding and sometimes hazy! Along the way incredible things happened; she found connection through new friends, she became the human to a dog called Nessie, she moved in to a house with like-minded souls, she was invited to take part in an incredible co-created musical performance, she found an inner belief in herself and her ability to create magical spaces, she learnt much more about what nourishes her, she laid fertile ground and planted some juicy seeds. This is not a story with a happy ever after, this is a story where a Chimaera continues to live and breathe her question and sub-questions, taking on the call
MANIFESTO
to a lifelong learning journey.
I create connections I hold nourishing spaces I carry my energy I offer myself unconditional friendship I spread roots and share gifts in and with my community(ies) I express myself through music I communicate with care (nonviolent communication) I practice yoga and take care of my body for it to withstand the trials of time Question I came with: How can I nourish my new
Email: nadia_connell@hotmail.co.uk
community/ies in Lisbon?
Instagram: @nadia_connell
I start by scheduling togetherness time with family/love/friendships first, then well-being time, then use the rest of that time for my life’s work
Reflections on your learning journey I’m grateful for having shared a space with this incredible group of fellow learners, fellow questioners, fellow Chimaeras. Whose presence, energy, ideas and spirit shaped my learning journey in the most beautiful of ways. We
What have you created?
held a space which was open to introspection
SPACE & SEEDS
personal, the collective and the wider global.
SEEDS & SPACE
and considering things on the planes of the Brought together through the question ‘Who
I’ve created space for discussion, space for in-
must we become’, I learnt that there is magic
vites and sharing, space for magic and exploring
and power in the small; that small is good, small
our individual and collective power, I’ve created
is enough, small is necessary. That moving slow,
space for rituals. I’ve created space for self-re-
at the speed of trust and with intention feels
flection, space for outward reflection, space to
right for me.
nourish and be nourished. I’ve planted seeds for invites, seeds for bonding, seeds for connection,
Rather than feeling a conclusion to the
seeds for creative explorations. Seeds & space
learning journey I continue forth with my
for sharing gifts.
learning question and am left with many more sub-questions; ‘How can I help people
SEEDS & SPACE
SPACE & SEEDS
see their collective gifts?’, ‘How can I reframe the period leading up to a deadline to stay process focused, playful and experimental rather than be clouded by a sense of resistance to producing a final piece?’ ‘How do I keep nourishing the seeds I laid during the Enrol Relay? And ‘How can I make sure I keep connected to my wonderful Enrol cohort?’. And so the journey continues…
Illustrations by Lottie McCarthy Designed by Lizzie Reid Edited by Alana Bloom 2020