An Online Conference about Re-Imagining International Development

September 17-21, 2018

This conference happened in September 2018. Click here to join the Healing Solidarity Collective to get access to recordings of these conversations.

Wondering how to do things differently?

Are you working in international development but sometimes feel out of integrity with your values?

Exhausted by your work in the international development and aid sector and wondering how you can more effectively take care of yourself?

Feel that the current structures & pressures in international development detract from the kind of solidarity you really want to be a part of?

This FREE ONLINE conference will envision how international development can be RE-IMAGINED & ask the critical question of how we HEAL ourselves, both from the inequity in our practice and the working practices that OVERWHELM and EXHAUST us.

What is the Healing Solidarity Conference?

A week of conversations with activists, practitioners and thinkers interested in reforming international development practice, and figuring out how to care for ourselves and each other in the process.

Workbooks included. Entirely online.

This conference happened in September 2018. Click here to join the Healing Solidarity Collective to get access to recordings of these conversations.

MEET THE 2018 SPEAKERS

Agnes Otzelberger

The Good Jungle

Angela Bruce Raeburn

Associate Director, Global Health Advocacy Incubator

Deborah Doane

Campaigner, Writer & Director at Funders' Initiative for Civil Society

Deepa Ranganathan

Communications Officer, FRIDA (The Young Feminist Fund)

Eunice Baguma Ball

Founder of African Technology Business Network (ATBN)

Fredrick Ouko

Disability Activist and Disability Inclusion Advisor at Light for the World

Gemma Houldey

Researcher and Specialist on Stress and Wellbeing in Aid, University of Sussex

Kate Werning

Organiser and Creator and Host of Healing Justice Podcast

Jennifer Lentfer

Communications Director at Thousand Currents and Creator of the How Matters Blog

Jessica Horn

Feminist Activist, Writer & Advisor, African Women's Development Fund

Judithe Registre

Founder of Inclusivus & Host of the Get InPowered Podcast

Lisa VeneKlasen

Executive Director at JASS (Just Associates)

Marion Osieyo

Writer and specialist in global development co-operation

Nomvula Dlamini

Director of Community Development Resource Association (CDRA)

Tina Wallace

Feminist development researcher, teacher and practitioner

Tobias Denskus

Malmo University & Aidnography Blog

Nadia Elboubkri

Communities and Culture Officer, FRIDA (The Young Feminist Fund)

Pontso Mafethe

Leader & Mentor, Women & Girls Rights and Philanthropy

Ruby Johnson

Co-Director, FRIDA (The Young Feminist Fund)

Shawna Wakefield

Gender justice advocate, feminist leadership and org change consultant, trauma informed yoga teacher (photo Daniel-Joseph Cyan)

Swatee Deepak

Director Stars Foundation

Wanja Muguongo

Queer African feminist and social justice activist, Founding Executive Director of UHAI

This conference happened in September 2018. Click here to join the Healing Solidarity Collective to get access to recordings of these conversations.

What we’ll explore

What it means to be practitioners with integrity, responsive to the people whom we serve, whilst allowing our values to stay intact.

How to identify and disrupt the ways in which our sector manifests the things we abhor; colonial attitudes, racism, corporate structures.

What it means to address our wellbeing and be self-reflective as practitioners

How we can build just cultures in organisations, communities and initiatives which create the collective care we crave.

Watch our Conference Trailer

How the conference will unfold

Register to Attend

When you register you’ll get access to a week of conversations and practices featuring two to three hour-long interviews per day and a live practice twice a day. Talks are available for 48 hours beginning at 9am BST each day. Practices will stay live all week.

Free daily workbooks containing self-reflective journal prompts, questions and activities for integrating the content explored in each of the talks + suggestions for group exploration.

This conference happened in September 2018. Click here to join the Healing Solidarity Collective to get access to recordings of these conversations.

Join the Conference Connection Space

Join the Healing Solidarity Facebook group after registering and gain access to conversations about how we reform our sector and take care of ourselves & each other.

During the conference there will be daily questions, ideas and conversations in the group to support your engagement with the conference.

Spread the word

Invite your colleagues, your leadership and anyone else you think would benefit from being engaged in these conversations.

You can even engage with the content as a group as the daily workbooks will include suggestions for collective practice and conversations emerging from the talks.

Get more out of the conference

This conference happened in September 2018. Click below to join the Healing Solidarity Collective to get access to recordings of these conversations and on-going conversations about these themes and ideas.

Join us

What makes the conference different?

All the best aspects of a conference but virtual - join from wherever in the world you are!

You can choose to connect with other attendees via online conversations we will host during the conference week (17-21 September).

We won't be afraid to ask the uncomfortable questions about development & aid and to think together about how things need to change & we'd love for you to join us!

CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONFERENCE & GET RECORDINGS AND FURTHER CONVERSATIONS

Audio Only

Not able to listen to all of the talks you are interested in during the week of the conference? Want to share them with your colleagues or team?

Contribute at least £8 to support the production of this conference and we will give you access to MP3 audio files for all of the talks.

Plus, we will give you access to each day's workbook in one place so you can refer back to them as you engage with the talks.

So you'll be able to listen whenever you want and use the workbooks to explore more.

We are suggesting a contribution of £15 for these - less than £1 a talk - but are offering the recordings and workbooks to those who make contributions of £8 or more.

Contribution of £8 or more (Suggested amount £15)

Audio, Video & Follow Up Group Conversations

If you want to engage in on-going conversations about the conference topics, then this is for you.

When you contribute at least £28 to support the conference we'll give you access to

MP3 audio and MP4 video files for all of the talks
specially expanded workbooks including suggestions about how to use the questions emerging from the conference in organisations and groups.
transcripts of all the talks

Access to the four weeks of live group calls we were offering is now closed as they are taking place during October.

We are suggesting a contribution of £35 for this - but are offering it for contributions of £28 or more. If you contribute at this level you won't now be able to join the live group calls but will be able to access recordings of them after they take place.

Contribution of £28 or more (Suggested amount £35)

Audio, Video, Follow Up Group Conversations + 1:1

This is for those who want more in-depth support.

For a contribution of £68 or more you'll receive everything:

MP3 audio and MP4 video files for all of the talks
specially expanded workbooks including suggestions about how to use the questions emerging from the conference in organisations and groups.
transcripts of all the talks
access to the four weeks of group calls (see the middle column for more about these).

Plus, you'll get a one-on-one hour-long call with conference initiator Mary Ann Clements. Mary Ann is a Coach and Facilitator and this call can be used for a personal exploration of how the conference themes impact you OR to discuss how they impact the work of your organisation or team.

Please note access to the four weeks of live group calls we were offering is now closed as they are taking place during October. If you contribute at this level you won't be able to join the live group calls but will be able to access recordings of them after they take place.

We are suggesting a contribution of £75 for this - but are offering it for contributions of £68 or more.

For this amount or more we are also able to invoice your organisation for payment. Please email maryann@healingsolidarity.org if that's something you'd like us to do.

Contribution of £68 or more (Suggested amount £75)

Meet the Host

Mary Ann Clements

As an anthropology undergraduate in the mid-1990s I learned about the critical place of ‘ local knowledge’ and participatory practice in development initiatives. I feel sad and angry that many of our attempts to integrate this still feel like lip service today.

15 years ago I became the leader of an INGO (AbleChildAfrica), and was actively involved in a number of initiatives hoping to reform practice. I learnt how difficult it is to change culture and practice. I also worked in a way that led to me overwhelming and exhausting myself.

I’ve now been in the international development sector for over 20 years and am initiating this conference because I see a clear intersection between all the ways in which we overwork and exhaust ourselves and the ways in which we become accustomed to doing things in ways that betray our values.

Viewed from a feminist lens the personal is political andI believe that getting into integrity in our work requires us to get in integrity with & heal ourselves, to be in radical resistance to the idea that sacrificing ourselves is what will ultimately change the world and to allow our values and convictions to take a much more central place in our practice.

Let’s explore how doing things differently could help us practice solidarity that heals.

This conference happened in September 2018. Click here to join the Healing Solidarity Collective to get access to recordings of these conversations.

Our Speakers have been featured in

F.A.Q

How many conference sessions are there?
At least 15 Speakers + 5 Live Practice Sessions

How long is each session?
Sessions last no more than an hour

I’m not based in the UK, is the conference for me too?
Yes. The conference is accessible from anywhere in the world.

How long do I have to watch each session?
During the conference, you have 48 hours starting at 8 am British Summer Time. You can also choose to ‘take the conference away’ and for a modest fee get permanent access to all the recordings.

But what about the time difference? Will I miss everything?
No, you have 48 hours to view the talks will just start at a different time of day depending on where in the world you are.

Is this really free?
Yes, it's free to participate during the week of the conference itself. Register and get access to the talks during the conference week (17th-21st September) + a daily workbook each day of the conference. If you choose you can also receive recordings of all the sessions in return for a contribution towards the conference. Read more about that and make a contribution here.

Can I share my daily link with my colleagues?
Everyone needs to register at healingsolidarity.org

I don’t actually work in international development. Can I still join?
Yes absolutely. Anyone interested in issues of global solidarity and collective care is welcome to join us.

Can I still attend the conference if I don't want to join the Facebook Group?
Yes, you don’t need to join the Facebook Group but if you do you’ll have access to additional content and information throughout the conference.

This conference happened in September 2018. Click here to join the Healing Solidarity Collective to get access to recordings of these conversations.