Community Building Workshop At Mokri Potok Ecovillage (Slovenia)

Separation. Scarcity. A crisis of belonging. These are what we have inherited from the structures of power and economy in our modern era. We face a loneliness epidemic, societal unravelling, unprecedented biodiversity loss and historic wealth inequality.

In this current climate, things can often seem hopeless. It can feel like there are no viable alternatives. But this isn’t the first time humans have faced collapse. In reality, there are alternatives. Tools and methods exist which can help us build resilience, solidarity, and mutual flourishing for all beings — not just humans. Techniques to build authentic connection, unusual safety and extraordinary respect have been identified and are waiting to be adopted and put into shared practice.

Community in this sense of the word moves beyond a simple noun, or thing, and becomes intentional and active: an actual lived experience of deep relationship with ourselves, each other, and the wider ecology in which we live.

 INVITATION

We invite you into exactly this kind of experience which will take place at Mokri Potok, an eco-village in Slovenia, where people are continuously exploring what it means to live in relationship, with each other and with the land. 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. 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: https://www.thelivingbridge.earth/community_building…

 REGISTRATION: https://forms.gle/9FQPFiDSwcLM1UGB7
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 ABOUT THE METHOD

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/

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 FACILITATION

The workshop will be led by a team of facilitators trained, certified, and supervised by Community Building International:
Asia Gumieniak and 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 deep conversations on The Passing Through Podcast, of which he is the creator and host.
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 VENUE

Ecovillage Mokri Potok is located in a forested area of the Kočevsko region in the south of Slovenia. It is a relatively remote and peaceful place, surrounded by small streams, gentle hills, and a few open meadows. The nearest town with services, Kočevje, is about 15 km away. The ecovillage currently consists of four family homes, with plans to gradually expand to around seven family houses or small homesteads, together with shared community spaces.
At the event location there is an open outdoor kitchen where we will prepare our meals, a large tipi for evening gatherings around the fire, and a yurt where the workshop will take place. On the land you will also find compost toilets and solar showers. A nearby stream offers a refreshing place for washing or cooling down during breaks.
There will be a designated area nearby for setting up tents (please bring your own tent and sleeping equipment). As the venue is located in higher altitude nights can be fresh. The surrounding forests are home to abundant wildlife, and it is not uncommon to see deer passing quietly through the landscape.

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 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!
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 LOGISTICS

DATES
Start: Thursday, July 30th at 5:00 PM
End: Sunday, August 2nd 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 ecovillage. Bring a tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping mat. Need more comfort? There are limited spaces for indoor accommodation in the ecovillage and its surroundings, please contact organiser for that option.

 WHAT TO BRING
Tent, sleeping mat and bag (if you’re planning to sleep on-site), torch, appropriate footwear and clothing suited to the forecasted weather. Please bring biodegradable toiletries (or use ours), and if you wish, natural tick repellent. As nights can be fresh in the forest, bring warm clothes for evenings and mornings.

 FOOD
Each day, as an activity supporting community building, we plan to collectively prepare delicious vegetarian meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). During breaks we also offer snacks, coffee, and tea.

 GETTING THERE
Because Mokri Potok is located in a peaceful and relatively remote natural area, most participants choose to arrive by car. When registering for the event, you will have the option to coordinate car sharing with other participants. The drive from Ljubljana takes about one hour. The final 1.5 km is a gravel forest road, which is usually accessible with a regular car. If you prefer to travel by public transport, the closest town is Kočevje, about 15 km from the venue. Kočevje can be reached from Ljubljana by train or bus. From there, we will be happy to arrange a pickup and bring you to Mokri Potok.

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 a 4-days workshop including accommodation and meals range between 200–500 EUR. To reserve your place, please pay a deposit of 90 EUR to Društvo Mokri Potok account:
IBAN SI56 6100 0003 1100 390.
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.

 LANGUAGE
The workshop will be held in English.

 REGISTRATION: https://forms.gle/9FQPFiDSwcLM1UGB7
Places are limited. We can’t wait to build community with you!

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.
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 WHAT OTHERS SAY

“Community building is the therapeutic art of remembering together who we are.”

“I had long intuitively dreamed of a space like the one we experienced during the workshop. A space where chaos and ’emptying out’ are welcome, even necessary. Where each person can safely express what is alive in them and in need of expression. I was surprised by how little it took for me to become attached to specific people and to stay in touch after the workshop, while at the same time a sense of something greater than the sum of individuals stayed with me for a long time. What was new and unique happened somehow between us: beyond what each person brought individually. For me it was an experience of what can emerge when we truly meet, and how deeply needed and powerful that is. I would love to experience this ‘magic’ more often. (…) I feel deeply moved and inspired.”

“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.”

“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.”

“What moves me most is truth. Space for truth and authenticity is so enormously important. The most important thing I experienced was the fact that the risk taken in expressing your truth and vulnerability brings you closer to others, though it takes courage to take that risk.”