Nourish Tent

‘Activist’ Burnout: what is it and what can we do about it?

with Tim Beasley, Nathalie Griffin

Fri 10th, 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm at Nourish Tent

This workshop is about how we can look after ourselves and each other as activists and within our communities. We'll collectively define 'burnout'; seek to identify the signs someone is approaching 'burnout'; and discuss what we can do to avoid 'burning out'.

The aim is to help ourselves build resilience and sustain ourselves & our communities in the long-term campaigns & struggles we are a part of. As this can be a difficult topic, we try to do much of the workshop in small groups and then give appropriate feedback to the larger group.

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Activism and Alcohol – a Recipe for Fun, or Disaster?

with Tim Beasley, Nathalie Griffin

Sat 11th, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm at Nourish Tent

From pre-action provider of 'dutch' courage, to post-meeting relaxant, to a core ingredient of many a great fundraising social night - alcohol is such an ever-present in activist movements & events (and general daily life), including Off-Grid festivals, that it is rarely questioned.

This workshop will look at the pros & cons of alcohol and its relationship with activism. We'll consider the benefits it might bring to our activities, and the liabilities/disadvantages, and debate when if ever alcohol (or drinkers) should be banned from activities.

Finally we'll look at the alcoholic drinks industry, and ask who benefits from the close relationship between them and us?

This workshop is for alcohol drinkers, non-alcohol drinkers & the occasional tipplers alike to discuss the issues outlined above. We can think of numerous occasions where alcohol has contributed positively to the planning of events/actions and some fine nights out, but also where it has ruined lives & projects & relationships. Can you?

(Note – this is a much adapted version of a workshop we attended in Bristol several years ago. Thanks to Cami for the spark!).

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Fool Expression

with Christie Animas

Sun 12th, 9:30 am - 11:00 am at Nourish Tent

How much of yourself are you actually able to access? Do you long for more energy in your life? Do you long for more inspiration?

The Fool Expression is calling us as human to access the Unicity in ourselves, and learn to play with the masks in us, some known, some not known yet. It is a deeply playful and transformative process. It allows us to dive deeper into ourselves through a safe connection with an audience. In this benevolent container, our human nature is called to open, express and bring transformation. This work comes from the lineage of Franki Anderson’ amazing work – Cornwall.

The Fool is this part of us that has no fear, if she/he has fear, she/he will learn to play with it, to show up within all the different aspects of being a Human Being. One foot in the known, one foot in the unknown.

To be able to access our Inner Fool, to have the freedom of being fully alive at each moment and sharing that with an audience, we meet and learn to play with a range of masks: the mask of ourselves who holds us back; the ones who long to show up; the one who keeps us small; the one who wants to share the uniqueness and subtlety of our being; the mask who knows; the mask who doesn’t know…

In this Introduction, I will invite the participants to deepen their relation with the body, learn some of the basics of the Fool’s Way on stage, explore and learn to play with the different masks/ personalities in ourselves as we step on a stage, and explore the relation with an audience.

After the workshop, participants will feel nourished and inspired by their Inner Player. They will feel supported by their connection with the audience and will be ready to play more.

Welcome to a magic and surprising Fool-filling journey!

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Imagine the World

with Hugh Rose

Fri 10th, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm at Nourish Tent

During Imagine the World, we look specifically at the narratives churned out by politics and the media. These shape how we perceive ourselves and others, which in turn affects how we behave. The workshop aims to a) expose xenophobic, fear-based messages as fallacies, and b) harness storytelling as a way to replace them with a new story, one which celebrates difference and diversity rather than problematizes it.

We are constantly surrounded by stories. They pour out of our televisions, plaster our newspapers and fill the mouths of our leaders. But are these stories ones we want to subscribe to? Do these they represent us for who we, the human race, really are? The narrative of mainstream media and politics is one of fear and mistrust. We are consistently reminded of our differences and pitted against one another: Leave vs. Remain, Left vs. Right, East vs. West. In a country where negative new stories outweigh their positive counterparts by 17 to 1, is it any wonder that xenophobia and social division are seemingly on the rise? The deluge of negativity is relentless – it can be tempting to avoid it altogether, to shut ourselves away and ignore the problem. But maybe we don’t have to. Maybe we just have to replace it with something else. A new story.

Stories are powerful things – they aren’t just for entertainment – they shape our perceptions and beliefs, which in turn effects how we act. We know those who challenge the dominant narrative are important change-makers, because they’re always the first to be thrown behind bars by autocrats (this isn’t part of the workshop). This workshop will build on Stand Up Speak Out (though it will serve too as a stand alone session), this time focusing on imagination rather than autobiography. Our imagination is our most powerful tool for compassion: by putting ourselves in another’s shoes, we grow our capacity to connect with and understand that person. The more we imagine, the more we are free to love, and the less we are bound by fear. Through a series of imaginative games and explorations, we will explore the simple truths of being human, at the ties that bind irrespective of culture, geography race and gender. Because, for all our differences, it’s a small world after all. I have not been to any other workshops that offer quite what I believe these workshops offer, and hope they will contribute value to the Off Grid experience!

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Loss, grief, trauma, change and resilience – a discussion

with Tim Beasley, Nathalie Griffin

Sun 12th, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm at Nourish Tent

Usually when we think of loss & grief it is in the context of the passing away of a loved family member or friend. This can be a painful and traumatic experience requiring significant effort & time to recover from, although with care it can also be a celebratory & life-affirming time too.

However loss & grief is not just contained by the experience of death. It is also present in many other day to day aspects of our lives, but rarely discussed – for example change in our workplaces & campaigns, or Britain leaving the EU. How we cope with and respond to all these differing experiences of loss, grief, trauma & change can have a huge impact on our ability – as individuals & communities – to sustain our dreams and struggles for a better life/world.

In this workshop we would like open up a discussion that identifies the varied experiences of loss, grief, trauma & change; and consider collectively how we can best cope with and respond to them.

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Shamanic Qi Gong

with Maor Netsah

Sat 11th, 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm at Nourish Tent

Open your body and activate your energy in the Ancient Shamanic Way of imitating the movements, breathing and even sounds of animals (in Chinese tradition the Tiger, Deer, Bear, Bird and Monkey). We will connect with our body, nature, and then each other through play and fun massage trains (in the style of each animal!).

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Stand Up Speak Out

with Hugh Rose

Sun 12th, 2:30 pm - 4:00 pm at Nourish Tent

During ‘Stand Up Speak Out’, we look at what stories we tell ourselves (and others) about who we are, and how that affects our lives. I aim to create a space where participants feel able to voice themselves more freely, giving them tools to overcome inhibitions. The workshop uses the power of group work to tap into something deeply personal – our identity – and comprises a series of exercises which balance introspection, creativity and fun.

It’s a lot to cope with, living in the modern age. Amid all the shouting and tweeting, it is easy to lose a sense of who we are. And who’s listening anyway? Establishing an individual idea of self can at times feel overwhelming, let alone an identity as a united community. But what stories should we be telling ourselves, and each other, if we are to create a world in which all can thrive? And how do we go about telling them?

This workshop will explore verbal self-expression, a basic human need and right, and yet one that is so often denied for one reason or another. By gathering together, we can engage hearts and minds to express our stories and see how they might offer a deeper understanding of ourselves and others. Through the simple acts of speaking and listening, we can become more human. The session will focus on meeting the need to bring ourselves to the world head on. We will spend time addressing the barriers that obstruct us from speaking out authentically, exploring physical and emotional techniques to grow confidence in who we are and how to give voice to that. Using a variety of games and exercises, we will build an atmosphere of trust and safety in which there is room for us, every one of us, with all our oddities and eccentricities. Finally, we will look at how to take this renewed self-belief and trust in the value of our unique life story into the outside world. If public speaking is a challenge for you; if you believe your life story irrelevant to the big picture; if you feel drowned out by the noise and chaos of today’s world, then do, please, join us.

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Whole Festival Discussion & Closing

with Association of Resilient Living

Sun 12th, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm at Nourish Tent

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Wild Shakti Dance for Women

with Christie Animas

Sat 11th, 9:30 am - 11:00 am at Nourish Tent

Shakti represents the feminine life energy which moves through the universe giving birth to nature, power, movement, flow and change. Since many generations, this natural force has been pushed down, judged and feared. This Shakti Dance is a free form of dance movement. This particular Shakti Dance (there are several different variations) comes from the work of Jewels Wingfield, based on the energy of the spiral and rooted in earth based connection (it is not Yoga). It is a practice to support women to (re)discover a deeper sense of their feminine principle that is rooted in earth based connection. During the dance session I will be offering a warm, safe environment for women to connect deeper into their mystery and all that comes with it.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. – Marianne Williamson

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Work that reconnects

with Julie Lowenthal

Fri 10th, 9:30 am - 11:00 am at Nourish Tent

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Work that reconnects

with Julie Lowenthal

Sat 11th, 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm at Nourish Tent

There will be two workshops during the festival inspired by Joanna Maceys 'Work That Reconnects'. Come along to one or both.

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Yoga