Over the last three years, we have been guided by this question:
“How are we reinventing ourselves to attend to crumbling systems and accompany new beginnings?”
“To hear this task for what it is, to believe it as enough, to feel worthy of this tenderness and capable of this tending, is the journey.
And when the rain comes to wash away the tears, To wash away the ashes that have settled over our inner and outer worlds, We look up and out in wonder, arms outstretched, fingers wiggling, waking, upon contact. Water meeting earth.”
— Mathura Mahendren
Questions have a spirit, questions are alive.
This might be the summary of we have learned over 10 years of doing participatory research, hosting group experiences, partnering with others to observe and transform communities and organizations.
We have been accompanying each other’s as systems crumble: within ourselves, our organizations, our communities. We watch systems fall apart and ask ourselves, what stays? What is the essence of who we are? What do we have to offer?
We find the way we used to live, and work do not hold anymore. We cannot sustain them. We find a need to come together, slow down, hear what Is not yet been said, accompany heartbeats. What do you want to do now?
We research our realities and create spaces for co-learning together with our partners.
Collaborating on a project is an invitation to meet.
To meet is to discovery the essence of our work, and to realize there is something deeper we can do when we come together
We are excited to introduce you the question that will drive the next phase of our work:
How do I take responsibility for the healing we need?
Do you have a few minutes to explore this question with us? Great! We invite you to set a timer for 5 minutes free write as an exploration to this question.
Here are some tips:
Just let yourself be surprised: What comes up when you read this question? Free writing is all about letting yourself write without over thinking.
Type up your response here and, if you are interested in getting more involved with this research, leave us your email so we can contact you.
Here is our financial statement for the last three years.
Credits
This microsite emerged from a collective need to reflect on the past few years of our work and highlight the insights gained from each project, retreat, publication, workshop, research, and organizational accompaniment. We aim to understand what these experiences have brought to us and the broader ecosystem in which we operate.
We (Emilia Gonzalez, Yasmine Zeid, Fiammetta Wegener, Quime Williams, Gioel Gioacchino) convened in three meetings to share our learnings from each project. We then decided to focus on a few key areas we wanted to discuss with our community. These learnings encompass: the ecosystems around our work (e.g., feminist spaces); the direction of our work (how our PAR and storytelling methodologies are evolving); and the people we co-create with (our partnerships).
These insights are not solely ours, but reflect the contributions of many individuals, movements, and communities involved in our learning and projects. Below, we acknowledge some of them.
Awesome collaborators:
Graphic Design: Cesar Duarte
Concept and writing: Gioel Gioacchino
Quote: Mathura Mahendren from blog entry
Photos: Mahnoor Khan, Lea Boucheron
Illustration of volcanoes: Carolina Neu
Learning pieces:
Feminist spaces: Co-creation between: Emilia Gonzalez, Yasmine Zeid, Fiammetta Wegener, Quime Williams, Gioel Gioacchino
Equal and Creative: Gioel Gioacchino
Openness and trust: Quime Williams
Reflection on our methodology: Co-creation between: Emilia Gonzalez, Yasmine Zeid, Fiammetta Wegener, Quime Williams, Gioel Gioacchino
