THE HEARTH: wisdom exchange for hosts, facilitators, and community builders

A community for community builders 😊

This event is for anyone with an interest in bringing people together.

If you haven't launched your community yet:

• use us as a sounding board for your ideas
• benefit from the wisdom of experienced hosts
• get inspired by existing communities
• leave with the support of the group 🔥

If you already host a community or group:

• connect with fellow hosts
• eflect on your work
• celebrate successes
• workshop new ideas
• find opportunities for collaboration
• leave with renewed energy and fresh perspectives.

WHY 'THE HEARTH'?
Hestia is the goddess of community, hospitality towards strangers, home, and warmth. Her name translates to 'hearth' and she is symbolised by the sacred fire burning in every home and city. She's known for her inner strength, calm demeanour, and commitment to peace - I think these qualities can be very helpful when hosting! 🔥

HOW IT WORKS (...at the moment - we're continuously evolving according to feedback) :

We will start by discussing a thought experiment related to hosting/community building

• this is a tried and tested method of getting into good conversations quickly, see my other community "THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS" for evidence!
• we will split into small groups for about 25 minutes to discuss

We will then open up discussion to the room (15 people max).

There will be an opportunity to choose focus topics for the evening:

• E.G. philosophical(ish) issues: purpose, leadership, ethos, what we mean by community
• E.G. practical issues: structuring an event, marketing, communication between events

We can either continue in the big group or split into smaller groups again, depending on preferences for topics.

There will also be opportunities for storytelling, trouble shooting, and celebrating existing communities.

The rest of the evening is unstructured space to continue conversations, discuss collaborations, get to know each other.

NOTES ON THE GENERAL ATMOSPHERE:

• Laid back, light, fun
• Respectful of each other's time, views, ideas
• Generous listening and low pressure sharing

WHO SHOULD COME:
Everyone with an interest in hosting groups and building community. This group is not about being experts, it is about working it out together. That is, bringing our various experiences and lenses on the world together to support, inspire, and uplift one another. The more perspectives, the richer the conversation.

WHERE WE'LL MEET:
The Fitzroy Tavern in Fitzrovia. In the small dining room UPSTAIRS. The nearest Tube stations are Goodge Street and Tottenham Court Road. (It has a nice fire place!)

YOUR HOST:
I'm Bonny. I've created a couple of successful communities (e.g. THOUGHT EXPERIMENTS IN PUBS & THE SUNRISE CLUB) and have a lot of experience hosting groups. I'm always learning. My best ideas come out of conversations with others :-)

WHATSAPP GROUP - stay in the loop
SUBSTACK - sign up for the newsletter

I'm looking forward to meeting you and hearing your ideas!

If you would like to further support these meetups, you can do so here: https://buymeacoffee.com/bonnyastor
Thank you!