Since I entered the field of community building in 2016 when I joined the team of Impact Hub Kigali, I have been hooked with the possibility of fostering social change by creating spaces of trust and nurturing collaboration. Being a part of Extinction Rebellion’s Global Support in the Regenerative Cultures team for about two years gave me a deeper insight into the systemic nature of the climate and ecological crisis.
Fostering Regenerative Cultures
I believe any change we want to see has to start within us. To create futures worth living, we need to be able to dream and act from a place of possibility while healing our relationships with ourselves, each other and the more than human world. Regenerative communities are resilient and sustainable, both in a human and environmental sense. They prioritise healthy power, good communication, strong relationships, iterative learning and creativity. Practices that support conflict resilience & transformative justice, grief processing or burnout prevention and an active feedback culture, are as important as connection, celebration, play and rest. In the past years I have experienced and helped to create pockets in which these cultures exist.
“A regenerative human culture is healthy, resilient and adaptable; it cares for the planet and it cares for life in the awareness that this is the most effective way to create a thriving future for all of humanity.”
Daniel Christian Wahl, Designing Regenerative Cultures
Understanding Collective Trauma
I am currently learning from and working with Sophy Banks, who’s Healthy Human Culture (HHC) framework helps to create relationships, communities and societies where all can thrive. It explains underlying patterns of collective and individual trauma, why people so often create harm even when they don’t mean to and how we can address this with effective and compassionate action. I am trying to apply these insights in my work and practicing to teach and pass on this knowledge.
Community building
Working with diverse organisations and communities, I’ve experience with a range of organisational structures, tools, collaborative practices and decision making processes. Often in international environments and across multiple facets of difference. I am familiar with working in self-organised, de-central, leader-full, innovative organisations, where power is named and fluid and I bring these experiences and mindset to the spaces I become part of. I coordinate projects and small international teams, design processes, facilitate conversations, workshops and gatherings, help engage people and spread the word.
With Ouishare, I supported the creation of the Toolkit for Virtual Community Builders.
We are three! 