Reclaiming Joy in the Work of Change | ❄️ Winter Work That Reconnects Study-Action Circle

Featured Reading: Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good — adrienne maree brown

Winter invites us to slow down, turn inward and reconnect with the joy and aliveness that make our work for change worthwhile. In our third Study–Action Circle of 2027, we explore adrienne maree brown's Pleasure Activism, guided by the principles of The Work That Reconnects.

What if pleasure, rest and joy were not distractions from social change, but essential parts of creating the world we want to live in? Together, we'll reflect on how productivity culture, burnout and systems of oppression shape our relationships with wellbeing, and explore how cultivating pleasure, connection and collective care can sustain our movements and help us embody the futures we're working towards.

Hosted by the NENA Systems Change Hub, and supported by the School of Social Impact and the Humanitarian Changemakers Network, this is a space for people committed to shifting deep systems and building the foundations of a new economy grounded in care, justice and regeneration.

We approach the text as a community: reflective, curious and willing to sit with complexity together.

The Work That Reconnects (WTR) offers practical tools and reflective practices to help those working to transform our economic systems navigate complexity, build resilience and sustain collective action. By combining deep reflection, experiential exercises and group dialogue, WTR supports changemakers in facing ecological, social and economic crises with clarity, courage and connection—enhancing their ability to envision and co-create a more regenerative, equitable and wellbeing-centred economy.

As we move through the seasons in 2027, we will:

📚 Explore a selected text that offers new perspectives on personal, social and ecological transformation. Reading is optional.

🌀 Gather for a LIVE online community circle to share reflections, deepen into experiential practices and strengthen our individual and collective resilience.

🌱 Co-create a space where personal growth and systems change are nourished together as we work to build the New Economy movement.

People who care deeply about transformation—policy thinkers, community organisers, educators, researchers, practitioners, cooperative builders, activists and transition leaders.

Join us as we explore how reclaiming joy and collective wellbeing can help us sustain our work for change—and begin living the values of the new economy we hope to create.