Charity Groups Sydney

Weekly Coffee Catch Up

**Everyone is welcome!** Whether you’re part of a local community group that’s struggling with admin friction or you’ve just started "vibe coding" and want to build something that actually matters, come grab a coffee. We are currently collating **Bluehex Blocks**—standalone tools that solve real problems today and will eventually dock into our single 1-stop solution for Australian non-profits, charities and communities. We’re all about open doors and high-energy builds—it’s simply a chance to lean in with your skills (or your community insights) and create real impact for the public good.

Human hearted community of practice (COP)

**Event summary:** The monthly human hearted community of practice (COP) is both a support group, and a mutual encouragement group, for people who want to explore living a more human hearted life. The COP is part of Human Hearted Sydney's goal of building community. Please feel free to join us for a session if you're interested. **Who is the COP for ?** The COP is for people who dislike the alienation and emptiness of our modern finance driven society, and are looking for a new form of community - one based on the reality of our human social capacities such as sympathy and friendship, rather than based on returning to religion and other traditional practices. If you would like to be part of building a supportive community for living out socially positive values in today’s world we encourage you to come along and check it out. **Some background: The meaning problem modern society faces -** The development of modern society has seen the destruction of earlier systems of meaning, like religion and tradition. They have not been replaced by a new set of ethics or community, but by market values and hyper individualism. This has created a world of material wealth in which far too many people feel insecure, alone, and unlikely to succeed. We now live in an atomised society in which each person suffers alone and there is no form of community, or meaning other than material wealth, to sustain them. This has led to substantial increases in loneliness and mental health issues like anxiety in modern society. Now there is even a category called ‘[deaths of despair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disease_of_despair#:~:text=The%20three%20disease%20types%20are,%2C%20West%20Virginia%2C%20and%20Delaware.)’ that refers to people whose reliance on drugs, alcohol etc. to numb their isolation from society leads to their early death. **More background: The solution we will look at -** The obvious solution to the collapse of values in modern society is to build alternative forms of community. Many groups try to achieve this by calling for a return to religious values, or building new religions. As humanists we do not turn to religion but the best of the human potential to provide a foundation for community groups. [Human heartedness](https://web.archive.org/web/20240109160949/https://areomagazine.com/2022/05/05/a-human-hearted-modernity/) is an approach to life which sees humans as inherently social beings. It is backed both by many famous thinkers of the past, and by the findings of recent neuroscience and evolutionary studies which show the path to human happiness and fulfillment is more dependent on building good relationships and positive social connection than on competition and being purely ‘rational’. So one part of the solution to the existential emptiness of modernity is for people to build small communities; groups of like minded people who want to live in a more human hearted way, and support each other to live better in the face of modernity’s onslaught. There are other parts of the solution of course. However in relation to this event our focus is on setting up a COP to support each other to practice living in a more human hearted way, and to provide communal support generally in today’s disenchanted world. **Basic structure of this meeting:** The meeting will be facilitated by a member of the Sydney humanist community and will involve a brief talk explaining human heartedness and the problems of modernity. Then we will proceed to conduct our regular COP meeting. The meeting will finish with a Q/A and discussion period, followed by a lunch and more informal discussion. **Donations:** While this event is free, we would be grateful if you chose to make a [donation](https://www.humanistsaustralia.org/donate) to sustain Humanists Australia which would help it to continue delivering events that serve the community in Sydney. **Please note Date Time and Venue:** In July 2026 the meeting will be held on the second Sunday of the month (July 12th) at 11:00AM. The venue is level one of Darling Square Library. The room we'll be in is called Idea Space 2 **Directions:** The venue is a ten minute walk from both Town Hall and Central station. The Darling Square Library is part of a hive-shaped building called The Exchange. The Idea Spaces are on level one of The Darling Square Library which is accessible via elevators facing towards Darling Square and stairs which are on the other side of the building. Please ask the library staff if you need assistance finding where we are in the library.

Inner West Writers Group - Write Club

Sat 18 July is an in-person event at the Library, starting at 10am. This group started in January 2020 in a beautiful private room granted by Marrickville Library. We have continued to meet in person fortnightly at the Library, with alternate weeks via Zoom. To keep up to date - sign up and receive our messages! The group is flourishing! You will need to RSVP each week for the following Saturday so we can organise the right number of Zoom rooms and Library space to ensure good quality feedback. RSVP's will receive the link. The intention is to give a supportive environment to get traction on your writing project, gain useful feedback, and exchange writing and publishing information with each other. Please note that if you are attending for the first time - you are welcome to observe and listen to how we work. Your turn to read and be critiqued will be invited in the second session. So come along, bring up to 1500 words of your latest writing - fiction writers of all types, memoirists, biographers, graphic novelists, bloggists, poets - all writers welcome. You will have up to eight minutes to read out your work, an equal time of constructive critique and feedback from the rest of the group. If you want a tribe of fellow writers to be with you as you finish your writing project, build your author profile, want to get inspired by other writers, or want to just listen and give constructive feedback (we all need beta readers), you are very welcome. This is a free event, but membership is essential in wider to attend. Many thanks to Marrickville Library! For more information, contact Maria, mariaissaris@icloud.com, or Jamie Ramjan (jamie.ramjan@gmail.com) or Sunnie Mosphilis via DM.

Club Human

At the club, we move through practices borne out of the legacy of [Joanna Macy](https://www.joannamacy.net/main "https://www.joannamacy.net/main"), 'environmental activist, author and scholar of [Buddhism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism"), [general systems theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_theory "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_theory") and [deep ecology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_ecology "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_ecology")'. That came to me via [John Seed](https://johnseed.net/ "https://johnseed.net/"). I integrate with these non-carceral peer-support modalities ([Alt2su](https://alt2su-nsw.net/ "https://alt2su-nsw.net/"), [Emotional CPR). And the practice of 'accompanying' from 'Spiritual Care', often called 'Chaplaincy' or 'Pastoral Care'.](https://www.nswccpe.edu.au/mental-health-cpe-centre "https://www.nswccpe.edu.au/mental-health-cpe-centre") As someone involved in the [psychiatric survivors movement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychiatric_survivors_movement). A person with lived experience of harm within the context of accessing mainstream mental health services. And also a family member of multiple family members who have suffered in the same context. The practices at Club Human are **ever evolving** out of a **mutual learning process**. At the moment they look like: **We re-member our wider body** (10mins) Asking questions like, Where do I land? What carried me here? Where am I at home? Where do I feel myself held? Where do I feel connected? A part? -To ground. -To counter anthropocentrism by reminding us of our sense of belonging and interconnectedness. -To address the loneliness epidemic. **We honour our pain** (10 mins) A practice to honour whatever pain we carry that has not been allowed, or given enough space and time to be felt, seen, heard. It is a practice of fierce vulnerability. Both during the time in which we are honouring our own pain, an act of caring for ourselves, whilst being cared for by others. As well as when we are in the position of caring for others, honouring their own pain, whilst caring for ourselves. It is both an unlearning, and remembering of how to care without judging, fixing, solving, making better, saving face... etc., all forms of repression/suppression. -To heal the epidemic of sickness, disempowerment and apathy. -To counter the loss of how to be with each other in a world of technology. -To counter the pathologisation of human experience. -To counter the medicalisation of human experience. -To counter the stigma of distress. -To accept and embrace that which we would reject, repress, compartmentalise, numb through psych [drugs...etc](http://drugs...etc/) -To re-associate with what it is to be human, to feel. -To remember how to be real with each other. -To rediscover trust and faith that no harm will come from expressing ourselves fully. To address the fear of vulnerability. -To rediscover trust and faith that no harm will come from supporting each other sincerely. To address the loss of trust in each other. -Honouring the truth that harm does happen. And learning how to be safe with each other, reducing harm, and, when we inevitably make mistakes, learning how to repair. -To make space for experiencing community to come out of isolation. -To do so without so-called 'experts', recognising each other's wisdom. **We cultivate mutual care** (10mins) A practice that welcomes being with stillness, being with silence. Cultivating a heart of loving kindness. So we can respond to pain with compassion and love. ***Guided meditation is offered, usually 'Metta'.*** -To listen to our needs and respond with care. -To extend this care beyond ourselves. **We collectively resource how we see with new eyes** (10mins) A time for both wise reflection. Looking into our recent experience to recognise how and when our view has shifted towards understanding and wisdom. As well as engaging in mutual aid and generosity. Pooling and gifting what we have come to know for the benefit of others' journeys. -To participate in what Joanna Macy called the "[Great Turning,](https://workthatreconnects.org/dimensions-of-the-great-turning/)" a shift from a life-destroying society to a life-sustaining one. **We recollect the good qualities that allow us to go forth** (10mins) Giving space and time to recognise and celebrate the good qualities we have cultivated and developed. Giving rise to faith in humanity, the capacity to act responsibly, and out of love. Here we have the means to see our progress. And know that all is not lost. **We rejoice in others' welfare/ wellbeing** (10mins) [Ajahn Nisabho](https://cloudmountain.org/profile/nisabho-bhikkhu/), shared that the Buddha defined 'Mudita' as 'the cure for discontent'. I err towards altruistic joy as an English translation. Mudita is a practice of delighting in others' welfare. Others' well-being. Happiness that isn't based on getting something in a world that doesn't belong to us. Happiness that isn't based on someone's or some being's expense. An antidote to inequality. -To uplift the mind. -To counter misery, melancholy, desolation, etc., -To counter hyper-individualism, competitiveness, greed, and conceit. -To grow communities of mutualism. **CLUB HUMAN** **is given freely**. No one is required to pay to attend. It is **non-transactional**. Instead, everyone is invited to remember what it was like before everything became commodified. To remember what it was, to be in a reciprocal relationship that creates sustainability for all. To be part of a natural ecosystem of generosity. Therefore, **giving in whatever form isn't disallowed.** These practices cultivate and develop generosity. Generosity is supported, in whatever direction people choose. The purpose of these events is to grow wholesome qualities like generosity in the community. The purpose of organising these events is not the material gain of the organiser. I have **a policy of full financial transparency**. Please feel welcome to ask to see my overall finances. What the costs are associated with hosting, I'm happy to direct you to those. **ACCESSIBILITY AND SAFETY**: I am trained in numerous mental health modalities. [Alt2su](https://alt2su-nsw.net/upcoming-training/), [Emotional CPR](https://emotional-cpr.org/), and Spiritual Care ('[Mental Health Ministry' intro and CPE1](https://www.nswccpe.edu.au/mental-health-cpe-centre)'). I am an Autistic identifying trauma survivor living with complex trauma. The Abbotsford Sea Scout Hall is wheelchair accessible, including the toilet. This will be, for the most part, electricity-free, a no-bright-lights event. There is a bus stop with [bus no. 438x](https://transportnsw.info/routes/details/sydney-buses-network/438x/74438-X) coming to and from the city regularly. Abbotsford Ferry Wharf is outside with the [F3 Circular Quay to Parramatta service](https://transportnsw.info/routes/details/sydney-ferries/f3/090f3). Email [mudita4all@proton.me](mailto:mudita4all@proton.me) for any further access needs, and I will do my best to accommodate.5

Leichhardt to Manly

30km [+300M] (-> GCP 1.0) scenic ride, mainly on backroads and paths. Traffic passing close at times. The ride will finish at Manly Wharf, where we'll optionally enjoy refreshments together and (probably!) catch a ferry to Circular Quay in our own time, linking to trains or riding home. Ferries every 20 minutes. Scenery includes Rozelle Park, Darling Harbour, Sydney Harbour from Bridge, Middle Harbour, Manly Creek, Pacific Ocean. Three significant climbs to challenge the unfit/unelectrified: Barangaroo to Harbour Bridge, North Sydney, and after Spit Bridge. Route (approx): https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29221730 You'll need a bicycle in good working order, helmet, water, sun screen, spare tube(s) for puncture(s), clothing layers? Please do NOT come if unwell, or unsuited for the ride as specified. Contact Leader if doubts/queries: Richard 0428 640 975.

Coffee at Art Gallery of NSW

**Event Summary:** We're holding our monthly social event at the NSW Art Gallery. We'll have a cup of coffee together in the gallery cafe and then explore. We welcome everyone interested in meeting new people with similar values, or in refreshing existing friendships with members of our human hearted community. And, of course, anyone who is just curious about what it means to be [Human Hearted](https://areomagazine.com/2022/05/05/a-human-hearted-modernity/) is also very wecome Come along to meet us at the NSW Art Gallery. We'll meet at the steps out front (of the original gallery) at 10:30 am. (Unless its raining in which case we'll move up a bit to get some shelter). Then we'll head down to the cafe for coffee and conversation. After that some of us will stroll the gallery. You're welcome to join us or take your own path through the gallery. **Venue:** The venue is The Art Gallery of NSW in Art gallery road, The Domain. We'll be meeting at the Naala Nura Building (the older building) with the columns and steps at the main entrance. We'll meet at the steps. **Connecting to our values:** This event is part of living out Human Hearted Sydney's values of positive social connection and building community in Sydney. So lets meet and connect with those we already know, and those we haven't met before. All are welcome to socialise, meet new people, and build friendships.

Beautiful Minds Market Stall

Unhurried Conversations at the Pub

In an unhurried conversation, there is time to think differently and connect with people in a refreshing way. Unhurried isn't always slow. It offers a pace where people find it easy to join in and not feel crowded out. And listening can be as satisfying as talking. We use a simple meeting format to make this happen. https://www.unhurried.org/ This newly created event is at a new venue, the Keg & Bew Hotel at Surry Hills. We meet on the 2nd floor around 6:15pm. Food and drinks are available, before and after, on the ground floor and roof top.

meditationHQ FREE Meditations - 14 locations (NSW and WA)

Welcome to MeditationHQ We welcome you to join us for a FREE group meditation session in nature every Saturday for sunrise at 6.30am. With 14 locations across NSW and WA, there are lots of choices, and we operate rain, hail or shine :) The sessions are for everyone! including families and kids... You are invited to do your own meditation practice with us if you already have one, or you can just follow the super easy accessible breath-style meditation that we provide instruction on. You don't even have to meditate if you don't want to :) ... you can just appreciate the opportunity to be silent and witness nature doing its thing. All our sessions are facilitated by passionate volunteer leaders who are incredibly friendly and welcoming. It's perfect for first-timers as well as experienced meditators. MeditationHQ is a registered charity that proudly supports LIFELINE. Click here for more details on how to attend a session : [https://meditationhq.com.au/](https://meditationhq.com.au/) If you would like to establish a meditationHQ community near you, please contact me direct : [jason@meditationhq.com.au](mailto:jason@meditationhq.com.au) Jason and the MHQ team

Heal Your Life with Pranic Healing

Stay healthy, be happy and find peace using the science and art of Pranic Healing. Join us for a transformative session designed to introduce you to the powerful science of Pranic Healing, an internationally practiced, no-touch energy healing. In this interactive experience, you'll learn the basics of energy healing and how prana (life force) affects your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. The session includes a one-on-one Pranic Healing with aura scanning before and after the session, allowing you to see and feel the changes in your energy field firsthand. Whether you're new to energy healing or seeking deeper clarity and vitality, this session offers a practical and inspiring way to begin your journey toward inner balance and self-healing. Agenda: 💫10:30-12:00 Individual Aura Scanning and Pranic Healing Session 💫12-12:30 am: Talk on Pranic Healing & Meditation on Twin Hearts 💫12:30-1:00 Meditation & Closing Date: Sun, 12 July 2026 Time: 10:30am-1pm Venue: Pranic Healing NSW, 86A Pacific Highway, Roseville, NSW 2069 Free Admission, RSVP at 0415777820 Limited seats available. Please confirm your attendance. [https://pranaworld.au/](https://pranaworld.au/)

FACE-TO-FACE@HUMANIST HOUSE:

FACE-TO-FACE@HUMANIST HOUSE events allow for people interested in learning and discussing humanism to meet in a dedicated space, in an atmosphere that allows time and space for good conversation on interesting topics. Topics discussed from a humanist perspective include philosophy and ethics, science and scepticism, contemporary social issues, civilisational and cosmic trajectories, and a range of other insights and issues. Topics are announced at least a week before the event. Participants will get the most of the events if they can come and share on a regular basis and not just picking favourite topics. ABOUT HUMANISM Humanism is a flexible, open-minded life philosophy where we explore our common humanity in an awesome world without theism (religion) and other supernatural beliefs. There is no dogma but a shared reality and an appreciation of basic human values like compassion, reason, and fairness. Humanism can be seen in the best aspects of the modern Enlightenment - secularism, science, social democracy, human rights, and human flourishing. We have a concern for the biosphere, and a delight in the world as it is - and as it could be. Our discussions respect reason, respect one another, and reject all dogmatic thinking. NSW Humanist Meetup is sponsored by the Humanist Society of NSW. The HSNSW encourages honest, open conversations held in a respectful manner.

Unhurried Conversations - Sunday

Bring yourself, we will go over how Unhurried Conversations works.