Active Hope Community Resilience Programme

9-month programme & Community of Practice, building capacity & action for change. Based in Joanna Macy's Work That Reconnects. Join the fifth year of this ongoing programme! [ This is NOT a Facilitator Training Programme! To learn about the Facilitator Training Programme, please click here. ] Welcome to this Active Hope programme & Community of Practice, where we build capacity, support and connection, and strengthen ourselves to live well and participate in the changes needed for our world. Based in Joanna Macy's Work That Reconnects. • 9 month program, October 2026 - June 2027 • One Sunday/month, 10 am - 5pm (dates below) • Takes place IN PERSON at Crann Og eco-farm in Gort, Co. Galway, Ireland • Offered on sliding scale; payment plans available • Facilitated by Anna Swisher (+ team) This is a 9-month immersive program that is designed to: • Build a strong and consistent Community of Practice, that rejuvenates us, enables us to face the crises and pain of our world, and take action on its behalf • Resource ourselves and each other. • Support local action, collaboration, and community building, leading to stronger and more resilient local networks • Address our concerns and equip ourselves to respond to local + global crises with resilience and creativity • Deepen our understanding and living of the Work That Reconnects so that it supports our daily life • Facilitate and move towards life-sustaining community action • Give our heads a break and get into our bodies more! "The Active Hope programme with Anna is one of the most transformative courses I have ever undertaken...and a lot of fun! I felt that I emerged from the course with a sense of clarity and purpose for what my role in The Great Turning is." -Paul, 2023 participant This work acknowledges that our world--and we--are in multiple levels of global and local crises, and asks together: What shall we do about it? How then, shall we live? Together over the span of 9 months, we will meet one Sunday a month, to spend the day together building community, addressing our concerns, evolving ourselves and our approaches, cultivating resilience and creativity, and inspiring + supporting each other to take collaborative action within our own communities. The program is capped at 15 people. The program will weave together practices from Active Hope and the Work That Reconnects, as well as incorporating a bit of movement and somatic practice. NO MOVEMENT EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY to participate! This is guided, free movement accessible to all body types and physical abilities. Active Hope/The Work That Reconnects is a set of tools and practices that helps us address our pain for the world, and discover new and inspiring ways to do something about it. We use movement to give our brains a break and build resilience in our bodies, not to mention, it's great craic! and helps us to laugh, relax, let go, stomp our feet, and act a fool! Movement practices will encompass roughly 10-15% of our time together. "It's hard to know where to start in describing all that this programme has given me, my husband (also on the programme), and (indirectly) our children, wider community and workplaces... so much! This past 9 months has been an incredibly rich learning and practice space in navigating life. We all need this. This programme has offered me deep reconnection. And with that came healing, more meaningful relationships, adaptability, new skills, deep joy, and a fresh relationship with myself, my body and my gifts which I can share for the healing of our beautiful world. As a professional life coach, I have participated in many programmes, and Anna's Community Resilience programme has been the most transformative." -Roisin, 2023 participant + apprentice WHO IS THIS FOR? This program is ideal for people who are looking for sustainable ways to engage with the world, appreciate life, and play your own part in doing something about the planetary crises we collectively face. You may be someone who is new to the Work That Reconnects (WTR), and is trying to figure out how to navigate our current local and global situations; maybe you are simply trying to figure out how to face the enormity of the mess we are in, and keep going. Perhaps you are already familiar with the WTR, and you want to explore it more deeply, and/or apply it towards taking action in your community. Maybe you are a burnt out activist in need of a regular visit to the "well" of rejuvenation. All are welcome. In terms of movement practices, everyone is welcome, of all physical abilities and/or limitations. Even it dancing makes you nervous or uncomfortable. The way you move is always up to you; you are in complete control of your own body and your own needs for comfort. If you have questions about whether this program is for you, please reach out to Anna ([email protected]). We can also put you in touch with past participants who are happy to share about their experience. The program also includes Accountability Partners. Throughout the 9-months, each person will have partners with whom you will connect in between our group sessions, to support your own personal reflection and action steps. You will be provided with formats for these meetings at first, based around the WTR format; partnerships will change throughout the program so that natural supportive connections have a chance to develop organically. Partner meetings can take place according to your own schedule. (A minimum of one hour a month will be necessary for your partner meeting.) TUITION INFORMATION: Sliding-scale Tuition: The aim is to keep the program accessible, while still covering costs and giving a fair and liveable wage for the facilitator. Please consider what you are able to give. If you are able to give higher on the scale, you are helping to create funding for those who are less-resourced. Scholarships are currently unavailable. Scholarships may become available if we receive tuition fees on the higher end of the sliding scale. If you would like to help contribute to scholarships, please email Anna! Monthly tuition: €65 - 120 per month DEPOSIT: To hold your space for the program, we ask for a non-refundable deposit which will carry over towards your first month of tuition. To register for the program, please click the "tickets" button and make your deposit of €65. If you prefer to make your deposit via paypal, revolut, or bank transfer, that is welcome as well; please simply email Anna. Please email Anna if the financial component is a barrier to your participation. Monthly payments can be made through paypal, revolut, bank transfer or cash, throughout the program. You will be asked to sign a simple written contract to commit to the entire duration of the program. SESSION DATES (2026 - 2027) -25 Oct -22 Nov -13 Dec -17 Jan -21 Feb -21 Mar -18 April -16 May -13 June (All sessions 10am - 5pm.) Please email Anna ([email protected]) to inquire further about any aspects of the program. You can learn more about the work Anna does here: https://www.projectmobilise.com/ Or learn more about the WTR here.....https://workthatreconnects.org/