Rise in Our Roots: Reconnecting and recharging people leading social change

A two-hour participatory session for people leading, supporting and funding social change to step out of the urgency, connect with others, explore different ways of sustaining ourselves and our work.

Does this sound familiar?

Does it feel as though social justice work has become harder?
Are you or the people around you feeling exhausted or demotivated, with the challenges sometimes seeming insurmountable?

If so, this session is an invitation to step out of the day-to-day and explore those questions with others working for change.

Health Poverty Action are bringing Rise in Our Roots to London for the first time, following our work with community and social leaders in South Yorkshire.

“Encouraging, inclusive, powerful and attentive. You invited us into a very deep experience in a most loving way.”Madeleine

What will we actually do?

This isn't a presentation or conventional leadership workshop.

Over two hours, we'll use facilitated conversation, personal reflection, group sharing and gentle, optional somatic practices to explore some of the challenges we're carrying as people working for social change.

Together we will:

Explore the challenges facing community and social leaders and how this relates to colonialism
Begin reconnecting with the ancestral wisdom carried through our past, our cultures and our communities
Rebuild our life energy for the heavier times
Uncover old worries and ancestral anxieties that continue to shape us
Create some space for energy, connection, play and possibilities

Every Rise in Our Roots circle is different. We respond to what is present in the room rather than following a rigid agenda.

✨ Our intention is that you leave feeling more connected, resourced and energised, with new perspectives on the challenges you're carrying and what you might do next. ✨

You don't need any previous knowledge of decolonial practice. Just curiosity about whether there might be different ways of leading change.

Who is this for?

Although the full programme is usually focused on community from the Global Majority and those seeking sanctuary, this session is open to anyone passionate about social change, whether you're working directly with communities or helping create the conditions in which people and communities can flourish. I

We're intentionally bringing together people from across the system, including:

Community and social leaders
Organisational leaders and managers
People working with local leadership and community partners
Programme, partnership, equity and organisational-development staff
Funders, commissioners and sponsors

If you're working with communities or social leaders in the UK or internationally, we'd love to have you in the room.

✨ If this speaks to you, come and join us. ✨

What is Rise in Our Roots?

Rise in Our Roots is a decolonial leadership programme developed with community and social leaders in South Yorkshire, exploring how identity, lived experience, history and community shape the way we lead.

Across our first two cohorts, 95% of participants reported taking more purposeful action in their lives and communities.

Venue

We’ll send the venue details with your confirmation. It’s a five-minute walk from Camden Town Tube station. Even those of us from up north found it :)

The venue is on the first floor and is accessible only by stairs. If there are ways we can make the session more accessible for you, please email us and let us know.

Snacks will be available from 9.30am, so please feel free to arrive early, meet others and settle into the space.

Pricing

We are committed to making the event accessible, so tickets are offered on a sliding scale from £20 to £75. We also have five fully subsidised places available.

Please choose the rate that feels sustainable for your current financial circumstances. Higher-priced tickets help fund subsidised places, while everyone receives the same experience.

The information on the payment page will help you decide. You may also find our linked sliding-scale model helpful.

Places are limited. Choose the ticket price that works for you and join us in Camden.

About Adeola and Mohammed

Adeola Banjoko is a social justice advocate and inclusive wellbeing and EDI coach whose work focuses on helping communities thrive with courage, strength and authenticity. Her approach is shaped by her own experience of identity, belonging and healing, alongside her work with communities in Sheffield.

Mohammed Ali is a leadership coach and facilitator who has supported leaders and organisations across more than 25 countries, from South Sudan to Sheffield. His work brings together leadership, justice and belonging, creating spaces where people can explore difficult questions with courage, compassion, humanity and play.