Calendar 2026
See below all our talks and workshops (not including Kids Philosophy club)
March 2026
25th March 2026
Singing Circle
Singing for the joy of it, for all ages (10-100 years)
Could Radical Democracy Avert Collapse? with Luke Kemp
26th March 2026
Why have previous societies collapsed? What did it mean for the people living through it? Is our own globalised, industrialised society also heading for collapse and what can we do to prevent it?
In this talk, Luke Kemp, researcher at Cambridge University’s Center for the Study of Existential Risk, will explore the ideas in his recent book “Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse”. Through a radical retelling of human history, he dispels many myths about civilisation and collapse and will look at how different forms of Open Democracy might help us to avoid the catastrophic risks we face today.
April 2026
Writing for Connection
14th April 2026
Exploring what it means to be human in the world right now. For all ages (10-100 years)
15th April 2026
Singing Circle
Singing for the joy of it, for all ages (10-100)
It could be otherwise: Change for our energy system, with Kirsten Ayris & Rich Lane
23rd April 2026
Energy is at the heart of so much of modern life - heating our homes, lighting up our buildings, running our transport. Our relationship with energy is crucial, but for so many people, the system behind our energy is invisible.
The modern energy system is hugely complex, and to those outside the industry, it can be almost impossible to see how we can adapt that system for a greener, fairer future. Join Kirsten Ayris and Rich Lane of York Community Energy to talk about some of the alternatives for our energy future - not just making the hugely important switch from fossil fuels to renewables, but thinking about ways that we can make the energy system work for us.
29th April 2026
Singing Circle
Singing for the joy of it, for all ages (10-100 years)
May 2026
The Good Apocalypse Guide with Alex Evans
7th May 2026
We have apocalypses all wrong. They can be much more hopeful, creative, empowering, energising and fruitful than the gloomy stories of collapse that we keep hearing about. Real apocalypses are much more interesting than that. Yes, they’re moments of extreme turbulence - but they can also be incubators for new futures, that bring out the best of us like nothing else. And while they can certainly lead to catastrophic breakdowns, they can also be times of extraordinary breakthrough.
So what tips the balance? In this talk, Alex Evans – author of the The Good Apocalypse Guide on Substack – will explore how our ancestors made sense of moments of cataclysm, why our mental and emotional states are so central to the kind of future we’ll inhabit, and why the ‘religion shaped hole’ in modern life matters most during apocalyptic times.
12th May 2026
Writing for Connection
Exploring what it means to be human in the world right now. For all ages (10-100 years)
13th May 2026
Singing Circle
Singing for the joy of it, for all ages (10-100)
June 2026
3rd June 2026
Singing Circle
Singing for the joy of it, for all ages (10-100)
Writing for Connection
9th June 2026
Exploring what it means to be human in the world right now. For all ages (10-100 years)
Co-Creating the Future with Jean Boulton
11th June 2026
"The path is made through walking". This Daoist-informed quote by Antonio Machado (translated and adopted by Francisco Varela) conveys the complexity inherent in living systems, and the idea that we co-create the future through our actions and intentions. In this talk, Jean Boulton, a leading thinker in the field of complexity science and author of The Dao of Complexity, will explore what the science of complexity - with its emphasis on dynamic patterning, paradox and emergence - has to offer as we consider our future. She will reflect on the uncanny resonance between Daoist philosophy from the 5th century B.C.E. and complexity science. And explore how do they help us to decide what to do, how to be and how to ‘cultivate’ ourselves with people, planet and the future in mind.
17th June 2026
Singing Circle
Singing for the joy of it, for all ages (10-100 years)
18th June 2026
The importance of ritual in these time, with Kathryn Edwards
Details coming soon
July 2026
1st July 2026
Singing Circle
Singing for the joy of it, for all ages (10-100 years)
Writing for Connection
7th July 2026
Exploring what it means to be human in the world right now. For all ages (10-100 years)
Falling in love with the future, with Rob Hopkins
July 2026 - Date TBC
This will be a whole day event. Details coming soon
15th July 2026
Singing Circle
Singing for the joy of it, for all ages (10-100 years)
Warm Data Lab: Discover new ways of seeing and being together
16th July 2026
In a world that can often feel overwhelming, you are invited into a space of care, curiosity, and humility to learn together and build relationships as we explore new ways of seeing the world and each other. Through this Warm Data process, we will explore how we are all in this together. We will share stories, curiosities, and reflections with one another..
Warm Data Labs were developed by Nora Bateson and are made for a fragmented world. They have been described as a “kaleidoscope of conversation”, filled with enriching stories, laughter, and insight. They are not about quick fixes, but rather about exploring together what’s possible when we pay attention to how we relate to one another.