Reconnection Tour at Power With - Time to Celebrate Community and Connection
This blog was co-written by Alice Adams, Delia Águila, Bridget Gorham, Caroline Hadley, John McGlone, Carolina Neu, and Ramune, all of whom played a focal role in the execution of Power With’s Reconnection Tour stops.
The Reconnection Tour was born through a partnership of communities and organisations across the UK with the purpose of highlighting stories of those who have managed to foster reconnection, as well as the voices of those who have successfully reconnected with themselves and their communities despite prolonged isolation as a byproduct of COVID-19. The Reconnection Tour was therefore created as a medium to cultivate connections and reconnections throughout communities with an intention of celebrating, listening, and learning.
When Power With was selected as a Reconnection Tour host, we saw an exciting opportunity for our community. Even before COVID-19, our community members had expressed the ways in which homelessness had left them feeling disconnected and marginalised from their friends, families, communities, and the policy-makers whose decisions directly impact their daily lives. Additionally, being an organisation born in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the vast majority of our community members had not met until the Power With event, which was the final stop on our Reconnection Tour, and also our very first in-person community-wide meeting.
Power With was founded as a direct response to the disempowerment and dehumanisation that can be faced by people experiencing homelessness if not treated as equal partners when accessing services. At Power With, we believe that social inequities are caused by power imbalances in society, and we aim to connect lived and learnt experiences of homelessness in order to collectively build a more equitable society. It was therefore fitting that our three Reconnection Tour events, Power Within, Power To, and Power With, were crafted around different types of power. These three events, which are described in further detail below, were created with the intention of illustrating the ways in which power can be used as a positive force for individual and collective capacity to effect change. Through the events, existing and new community members were able to connect with their inner selves to realise their ‘Power Within,’ recognise their strengths and skills to have the ‘Power To’ leave an impact on our world, and lastly, come together to create a sense of ‘Power With’ others.
Power Within
The Power Within Workshop was the first stop of three Power With Reconnection Tour stops designed and facilitated by Power With co-founder Carolina Neu. The intention of this stop was to reconnect with our inner-selves whilst in the company of a diverse community. Tangible outcomes of this stop were a deeper realisation of our self-worth and knowledge, and these were achieved utilising art as a reflective medium.
“My body is the home of…” was the guiding prompt of the session, with the intention of leading the group into a deep dive of their own bodies and of what home means to them. After setting aside time for inner reflection, the group reconvened, opening up a space for sharing wholeheartedly what had emerged from each individual’s creative deep dive. During the group reflection, many participants mentioned that they came to the space carrying a lot of baggage, and as the time passed with each activity, they progressively felt much lighter.
The initial meditation allowed individuals to arrive at the space and feel a deeper connection with their bodies. Participants shared that this connection was intensified during the art exercise, as they were able to visually situate their emotions in a body silhouette drawn by them. Participants even suggested an intention to continue to explore their emotions with the provided art kits following the event, as the exercise helped them to find an additional method of emotional expression. Throughout the session, there was a sense of presence and constant interaction between the participants. One participant shared that the space felt safe, allowing them to open themselves and speak about vulnerable aspects of their life that they wouldn’t normally share.
Carolina reflected “It was a delight to design and facilitate this session; as a gift for participants, and an intimate beginning of the Reconnection Tour.”
Collage of participant drawings created by community member Caroline Hadley
Power To
The second workshop Power With hosted was called Power To, and like Power Within, it was also held virtually via Zoom. Community members Carolina and Ramune co-designed and co-facilitated the event, with an intention to reconnect with others and engage in activities that revealed each person’s unique strengths and abilities to leave an impact on our world. There was a mixture of people with lived and learnt experience of homelessness dialling in from London, Falmouth and Wales, as well as from Madrid, Spain.
It was the first time that Ramune and Carolina collaborated, and they wanted to create a meaningful space for participants. Ramune, who had never facilitated before, learnt that there are no boundaries and that her thoughts must be separated from her inner-self; the soul/spirit is not the same as the mind. For Carolina, it was an opportunity to be guided by new ideas, mix a bit of her experience, and enjoy the process from the beginning to the end, where they could see each other and be proud of the workshop.
Carolina and Ramune conducted activities that had a balance of intimacy, reflection, and laughter. One activity focused on learning from each other and growing more compassionate, while another promoted self-awareness and gratitude. Finally, participants were invited to write a reflective letter to their future self. Beautiful conversations and connections were made, and one of the participants shared what she had written to her future self:
“It can be overwhelming sometimes, especially when so many things feel broken. Remember that you are not alone - there's a whole community of people like you. Find them, keep in touch with them and together create the change that you'd like to see. It doesn't have to be dramatic or novel; it can be small and doable. Don't underestimate yourself and what you can (and have) achieved!”
In Carolina and Ramune’s words, ‘We all need events like this, which help us feel calm, happy, and connected.’
Power With
Power With was the final stop on the Reconnection Tour and the first in-person workshop that Power With had ever conducted as an organisation. The purpose of the event was to connect with others and build lasting relationships that are essential for personal, collective, and systemic change.
The name of the workshop was “Power With -The strength of Collaborative minds” it was co-designed and co-facilitated by John McGlone, Delia Aguila and Caroline Hadley. Together, they wanted to create a space to connect with others and build relationships fundamental to personal, collective, and systemic change. Caroline, John and Delia had never met before, however, during the planning process, were able to connect with the beauty of co-production and managed to transform an idea into something tangible that was equally representative of their unique selves.
Caroline, John, and Delia learned so much about one another while in the process of co-desiging the workshop; every interaction was very nourishing, uplifting, and empowering. When they finally met in person, it felt as though they had known each other for a long time.
At the Bromley by Bow Centre, we were equipped with both an indoor and outdoor area that enabled us to have two different atmospheres. The venue was cosy; people felt safe and at home, and we ended up feeling like family. The day began with a brief presentation about Power With and the reconnection Tour. We introduced ourselves by saying our name and something we would take with us if we were going to a desert island, then we play human bingo, an activity that helped us all to connect with each other and break the Ice.
We then built a community sculpture using clay. This activity was inspired in restorative circles. This is a collaborative , talking, listening and problem-solving technique where all participants were invited to create a sculpture that represented the group by using clay. We were able to reflect on the different ways that the group was interacting over the course of the day and how that was contemplated in the final sculpture. We could observe how the team cohesiveness was naturally strengthened after a day together. We had lunch together, group discussions on topics related to our health and wellbeing and the impact of the pandemic as individuals but also as a community. It was a beautiful moment where people could share their deepest individual experiences and how each of us have processed all the challenges and learnings that we went through and supported each other to incorporate new perspectives on how difficulties can bring opportunities for growth . We played the human knot and outdoor games and we finalised the day by coming back together to re-shape the community sculpture. In pairs we were asking questions related to our hidden strengths, unmet needs, feelings and desires and we supported each other to add with clay and other elements those items that we needed to overcome our mental fears. We closed the day as we started; in a circle, sharing everything we were taking away with us.