“The times are urgent. Let us slow down.” — Bayo Akomolafe
We live in uncertain times. Times of distance, polarization, and a widespread sense of separation that fuels overlapping crises. In such a reality, a genuine encounter with another person is no longer something to be taken for granted. It becomes an increasingly necessary practice, an act of resistance, the choosing of an alternative. Something that requires attention, courage, and time. That is why it is so important today to create spaces where authentic connection, mindfulness, respect, and belonging can be experienced without running away from difficulty.
INVITATION
We invite you into exactly this kind of practice. During the Community Building Process in the tradition of M. Scott Peck, we learn how to create the conditions for a true encounter. We learn how to navigate what is non-obvious, alive, and often uncomfortable in relationships — without the need to immediately solve or control whatever arises. This practice offers practical guidance as well as a lived experience of a group arriving at a state of what he calls True Community — a state of safety and extraordinary mutual respect. It is a form of group meditation, a shared being-with-what-is, in which both tensions and the potential for deeper connection gradually reveal themselves. This process allows us to see what ordinarily remains hidden beneath habitual communication patterns and social roles, and creates space to try being with one another in a different way. Over 4 days, under the caring guidance of trained facilitators, we will immerse ourselves in this process. We will explore ways of being together which support deeper self-insight, authenticity, trust, respect, and collaboration. We will learn practical guidelines for passing through the phases of the process — from pseudo-community (where we are pleasant to one another, but relationships remain fairly surface-level), through chaos and emptiness, all the way to true community (where we might feel a deep bond, respect, or even love, despite our differences). Read more about the process here: Community Building
About The Process
The Community Building Process was developed in the second half of the 20th century by psychiatrist and author Dr. M. Scott Peck as a response to growing polarization, loneliness, and isolation in modern societies. Peck saw the loss of authentic community as one of the main sources of social problems and conflict. He developed a set of communication guidelines that support rebuilding trust, safety, and a sense of community within a group. Workshop participants have the opportunity both to learn these principles and to experience them directly. Since the late 20th century, the method has been developed and adapted for various contexts from organizations and intentional communities, to work with marginalized groups, to environments affected by conflict. Today, this work is continued by Community Building International — an organization founded by Scott Peck's student Edward Groody — which offers, among other things, facilitator training. More at: https://communitybuilding.com
Facilitators
The workshop will be led by a team of facilitators trained, certified, and supervised by Community Building International:
Emilia Ślimko-Tywoniuk
Together with her husband, she co-creates the Wild Cherry Valley project in Laski, near Kłodzko. Emilia integrates personal development and deep ecology in her work. She works as a psychologist and trainer with both groups and individuals. She is a graduate of psychology at the Jagiellonian University, the Mindfulness Teaching Course (MBLC) and the Compassion Course (Mindfulness Association UK), and the Holistic Trainers' School. She is a member of the Integral Ecopsychology School team.
Asia Gumieniak
Danny Iacono
Co-founders of The Living Bridge — a foundation supporting the development of relationality, reciprocity, and connectivity in human spaces. They combine various approaches to working with relationships and community. Both are sociologists by training, currently deepening practices rooted in relationality. Asia's include: eco-therapy (Pacifica Graduate Institute), Authentic Relating (ART International), and Sociocracy (Sociocracy For All). Danny's include mythopoetics and storytelling (Mythic Body by Josh Shrei), as well as wide-ranging conversations on The Passing Through Podcast, of which he is the creator and host.
The team will also include facilitators who are in training.
Venue
Dzika Czereśnia Regenerative Farm in Laski near Kłodzko. The choice of location is not incidental. It matters to us that the experience of building community among people can also extend to a relationship with the more-than-human world. Meeting in the Wild Cherry Valley will be a wonderful opportunity for exactly that. It is a beautiful homestead situated in the picturesque landscape of the Central Sudetes, near the Kłodzko Valley, surrounded by fields, meadows, and forests. Beyond the opportunity for long walks in nature during free time, it will also be a wonderful chance to observe up close the regenerative ways of running a farm — from growing ancient grain varieties (einkorn, emmer wheat), to beekeeping, a backyard henhouse & chicken-tractor, and a vegetable garden. On site, there will be outdoor composting toilets and showers — everything natural and simple. There will also be the option to use an outdoor sauna! The workshop will take place in an original Mongolian yurt, which will provide us with an appropriate level of intimacy and comfort for sitting in a circle.
Who Is It For?
We invite everyone who wants to build more authentic relationships, gain insight into themselves and their relational self, and learn how to move beyond pseudo-community and chaos in their social groups. The workshop may be of particular interest to people who work with groups or co-create organizations and communities — but it is truly for anyone who is ready to be present and meet whatever arises. No experience or preparation is required. Experience shows that this workshop — through encountering a different way of being — can be a turning point which contributes to enduring changes in our relationships in everyday life. If you feel this might be for you but have questions or doubts, feel free to write to us!
Schedule
Start: Thursday, June 18th at 2:00 PM End: Sunday, June 21st at 4:00 PM Due to the nature of the process, partial attendance is not possible. By signing up for the workshop, you commit to participating in its entirety.
Accommodation
We sleep outdoors on the grounds of the homestead. Bring a tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping mat. Need more comfort? We recommend accommodation at the neighboring farm (about a 15-minute walk) or in Laski (we can put you in touch with the owners).
What to bring
Tent (let us know on the registration form if you don't have one), sleeping bag, torch, appropriate footwear and clothing suited to the forecasted weather – biodegradable toiletries (or use ours).
Language
The workshop will be held in Polish and in English. Translation will be provided in both languages as needed.
Food
Each day, as an activity supporting community building, we plan to collectively prepare delicious vegetarian meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) in a beautifully equipped outdoor kitchen coordinated by the hosts. During breaks we also offer snacks, coffee, and tea.
Getting there
The nearest train stations are in Kłodzko and Kamieniec Ząbkowicki (approx. 12 km away). Let us know on the form if you'd like us to pick you up from the station. You can also come by your own car and park on the farm grounds.
Cost
We are learning to build a culture of reciprocity and gratitude, and so we wish to offer this workshop in the spirit of a gift economy. If this experience is of value to you, we encourage you to support our future work through a donation of any amount. We invite you to decide on the size of your contribution bearing in mind both your own means and the organizers' costs. This applies to the workshop itself as well as accommodation and shared meals. You will be able to make this donation at the end of the workshop. For reference, the typical prices for these workshops including accommodation and meals range between 800–2,000 PLN. To reserve your place, please pay a deposit of 300 PLN or 70 EUR to the appropriate The Living Bridge foundation account: PLN: PL98124068301111001150423503 EUR: PL27124068301978001150423529 The deposit can be fully refunded at your request after the workshop concludes (if you participate in the full event), or if you prefer, it can be applied toward your donation. If we do not reach the minimum number of participants two weeks before the event, the workshop will be cancelled and all deposits will be returned in full.
To register for the workshop, please fill out the attached application form. The number of places is limited.
Important
The workshop can be emotionally intense. If you are currently in psychotherapy, please consult your therapist before participating. At the same time, the workshop is not psychotherapy and does not replace it. If you are currently going through a serious crisis, please consider whether this is the right moment to attend. If in doubt, contact us.
"For me, the workshop became a space for mindfulness—both toward others and toward what was happening within me. An important process was unfolding inside me. I was able to examine my own reactions and identify what was holding me back from opening up to others. The group acted as a mirror in which I could see my own fears and patterns. At times, these reflections were very subtle, and at other times intense, difficult, yet liberating.
What stays with me most is the experience of attentive listening. Without judgment, without attempts to fix things or give advice. In this simplicity, something surprisingly profound occurs—the sense of being heard and the wonderful feeling of emerging closeness. And I think that’s what changes the most."
Gosia
Wrocław
★★★★★
"It's hard to put into words what this experience actually is. For me it differs from other forms of group work or therapy, from personal development workshops or family constellations. It is something else. Very powerful, and at the same time natural, organic, and deeply human."
Marta
Wrocław
★★★★★
"It was a very interesting experience. I feel like it's something I've been missing in my life in general, and it required me to develop important life skills that I rarely had the opportunity to learn formally."
Bartek
Lubiąż
★★★★☆
"The workshop was a very important time for me, one in which I was able to genuinely experience how deeply similar we are to one another, at a profound level. Being in a group of strangers had always been a challenge for me and a source of tension and stress. It was hard for me to feel safe. Groups trigger in me a fear of rejection, of judgment, and probably many other fears. The experience of the Community Building Workshop was a breakthrough for me, because it is one thing to know something theoretically, and quite another to be able to experience in your body a sense of safety built on deep connection, on courageously expressed truth."
Gosia
Gdańsk
★★★★★
"It is surprising how close you can become with newly met strangers simply by sitting with them in a circle and following simple guidelines. Having been mostly disconnected from people for years prior to my first workshop, it was a great healing experience for me. I found depth and joy in the community and also started to remember the 'glory of what it means to be human.'"
