On community and connection
The Chatty Cafe Scheme creates space for connection for anyone over the age of 18 at hundreds of locations all across the UK. There are multiple Chatty Cafe sessions in North Somerset running at various venues and times, visit the 'Find a Chatty Table' map on the website to see where your closest Chatty Cafe is running. Why not have a chat with a stranger this week?
The School of Life is a whole resource library unto itself and a treasure trove for curious minds. Devoted to bringing you self-understanding, deeper friendships, better relationships, calm, greater effectiveness at work and more fulfilment in your leisure time. They do this via articles, books, their app, podcast, films, therapeutic services and more!
The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker - an excellent read for those wishing to be more intentional about bringing people together.
Belonging: Remembering Ourselves Home by Toko-pa Turner. The world has never been more connected, yet people are lonelier than ever. Whether we feel unworthy, alienated, or anxious about our place in the world the absence of belonging is the great silent wound of our times. 2017 Nautilus Award Gold Winner for Personal Growth.
Everywhere is Queer - A resource (and ever-growing searchable app + map!) created for the LGBTQIA2S+ and ally community to find welcoming, queer-owned spaces to shop, connect, eat, learn, and grow all over the world… even in your own neighbourhood!
Webinar: Mutual Aid 101: Introduction to Mutual Aid with Dean Spade (2025) - Support to survive existing systems. Mutual aid is not charity, it's collective support.
Mutual Aid by Dean Spade. Mutual aid is the radical act of caring for each other while working to change the world. Writing for those new to activism as well as those who have been in social movements for a long time, Dean Spade draws on years of organizing to offer a radical vision of community mobilization, social transformation, compassionate activism, and solidarity.
The Care Manifesto: The Politics of Interdependence. We are in the midst of a global crisis of care. How do we get out of it? The Care Manifesto puts care at the heart of the debates of our current crisis: from intimate care—childcare, healthcare, elder care—to care for the natural world. We live in a world where carelessness reigns, but it does not have to be this way.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a framework for compassionate communication developed by Marshall Rosenberg, emphasizing empathy and understanding by focusing on universal human feelings and needs rather than blame or judgment.
Welcome to the Nuclear Fusion Network! Where folks can Find, Build, & Sustain Modern Villages, Mutual Aid Networks, and Chosen Family. It's early stages, but it's an incredible labour of love that's taking big strides towards it's aims of connecting people to build the villages they dream of.
A really lovely insight into how we can bring the act of laying a loved one to rest back into "community" - meaning being an active participant, showing up for your loved ones in life and in death. Who is your community? You'll have a better understanding of what it can look like after watching this thoughtful offering by Amy Sagar, founder of Tender Funerals based in Australia