“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” — Rumi
The Community Building Workshop is for anyone who is curious to experientially discover what real community can be like. It is for all of those wishing to journey into the unknown. It’s for learning and practicing new tools in real-time which build deep connection and relationality. It is a process for becoming aware of and releasing the obstacles which stand as barriers to authentic connection.
About the process:
M Scott Peck, renowned psychotherapist and author (The Road Less Traveled, The Different Drum), concerned about the state of today's divided world, saw the loss of authentic community as the root cause of social problems and global conflicts. In response, he developed a potent tool - the Community Building Workshop - to help us meet again, in an atmosphere of trust and respect, to regain our sense of community. But there are many other ways to look at this process - it is simultaneously a type of mindfulness exercise, a practice of relational contemplation, a deep and intense inner journey into the depths of self-discovery, and even a community rite of passage, initiation, collective ceremony of grieving and renewal, and a transpersonal experience. Today, this tool is used in many intentional communities and social programs around the world. M. Scott Peck's legacy is currently carried out by Community Building International, offering workshops for participants and trainings for facilitators.
Invitation
During the workshop, under the care of experienced guides (facilitators), we will be learning special communication guidelines and have the chance to move through 4 phases of the process:
Pseudo-Community Chaos Emptiness True Community
True community is understood as an experience of deep respect and connection, while fully accepting and celebrating the individual differences of each member. This is the experience of being seen, heard and fully received in your authenticity, as well as seeing, hearing and receiving the Other.
Who is it for?
We invite everyone who wants to build more authentic relationships, intentional communities, gain insights about their relational selves, learn how to move beyond pseudo-community in their social groups. It may be especially interesting for people who create organizations, community organizers, group work practitioners, but really it is for anyone interested in human connection, psychology, or peace-making.
Facilitators
Vanda Marečková
Senior Facilitator and sole European Facilitator-Trainer for Community Building International.
"All my life I have observed how communication channels between people fail. Despite good efforts, misunderstandings and conflicts repeatedly arise and I am part of them. The need to understand myself and others well has led me to different places, cultures, learning different languages, trying out different professions and roles. I have found a real tool to see people and to be seen as a human being in the Community Building method. It was only here that I found the answer, the direction and the hope that the possibility of True Community is not just a dream."
Mother of three and co-founder of the first forest kindergarten in Moravia, Vanda spends her time as a special educator at a Community School in Tišnov. She works with the ORBA project where she creates performance art, writes music, and sings. Vanda will co-facilitate the workshop with a team of CBI trained facilitators.
Asia Gumieniak
Asia studies community-weaving, regenerative and ecocentric practices. She believes in the power of authenticity and intimacy carrying the revolutionary seeds of deep and much needed transformation in the world, which is why she is a Facilitator-in-Training of M. Scott Peck's Community Building process. A sociologist by training, recently, she co-founded The Living Bridge project, which seeks to invite the spirit of reciprocity, connection and vulnerability into human spaces through an ecology of diverse practices. She loves getting lost in the woods, singing, dancing, constructing with wood and sharing everyday life with others.
Danny Iacono
Co-founder of The Living Bridge and host of The Passing Through Podcast, Danny seeks to be in service of midwifing a more beautiful world waiting to be born.
As a sociology major, I’ve always been fascinated by social dynamics and the invisible connective tissue that binds us (and the whole world) together. Community Building is a powerfully therapeutic way to exercise those interpersonal muscles. The process allows us to examine the small fibers and sinews which make up our relational selves and identify the movements necessary to activate an awakening to authenticity. Community, and our connections to others, is what gives life meaning; deepening our understanding of others helps us better understand ourselves.
Schedule
The workshop will take place on Friday March 28th-30th, 2025, with the following schedule: Friday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Saturday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM Sunday: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM Each day we will have several shorter breaks and one 1,5h long lunch break. Be sure to arrive early. NOTE - It is not possible to participate only in part of the workshop. When signing up for the workshop please ensure you are able to participate in the entire workshop, from start to finish.
Thanks to the kindness and generosity of the school's hosts, we have the opportunity to meet in the heart of Wrocław - very well connected to every part of the city.
Language
The workshop will be held in English. Understanding of the English language is required. However, for Polish speakers more comfortable expressing themselves in their native language, translation will be available.
Food
We provide tea, coffee and snacks during breaks; please bring your own lunch or use one of the many nearby restaurants.
Cost
We are happy to offer this workshop in the spirit of a Gift Economy. Each participant, as part of a ritual of gratitude and reciprocity, will have the opportunity to make a donation to The Living Bridge Foundation in an amount of their choice. For further insight into organizational expenses, a contribution of: PLN 500 / EUR 120 - covers basic organizational costs PLN 700 / EUR 170 - covers organizational costs and remuneration of the entire team of facilitators PLN 900 / EUR 210 and above - covers all costs and helps to organize future workshops and subsidize the cost for future participants *The normal fee for these workshops ranges between 200-400EUR To reserve your spot we ask for a deposit of PLN 300 (or 70EUR) to the account indicated in the registration form. The deposit, at your request, can be fully refunded after the conclusion of the workshop if you participate in the entire event, or, if you prefer, the deposit can be used toward your donation contribution. If a group of at least 14 people do not sign up before March 21st, the workshop will be canceled and the deposits will be refunded in full.
To register for the workshop, please fill out the attached application form. The number of places is limited.
Important
If you are in therapy or going through emotionally difficult times, please consult your therapist about participating in the workshop. Although we provide a safe and supportive space, the workshop can evoke strong emotions.
