In Our Hands 2025
Radical approaches to health and collective care
Mondays 6-9pm
10 March – 5 May
In Our Hands is a nine week programme of workshops facilitated by Lisa Fannen and Sapna Agarwal. The sessions will explore radical approaches to health and collective care in the context of movement for liberation and social justice.
Each week we will look at particular aspects of health, share ideas and conversation. And each week we’ll explore some simple embodied practices (e.g. massage, stretching, breathing etc.) and learn about herbal medicine together, getting to know some plants by doing group herb tastings (with herbs and practices to take away from each session).
The programme will build week by week and we ask for continuity of attendance and participation.
The workshop series can be booked on eventbrite.
Please note, on weeks 2 & 3 two workshops will run in parallel. On those weeks participants can select one workshop to attend, based on their identity.
In week 2 there is a BIPOC only workshop (Sat 15 March) and a workshop aimed at white people addressing whiteness and anti-racist action.
In week 3 there is a Trans & Non-binary exclusive workshop and a workshop aimed at cisgender people to cultivate trans allyship.
When booking on eventbrite you will be asked which workshop you will attend in weeks 2 and 3.
Programme Events
Week One: Welcome Session
Lisa Fannen Sapna Agarwal
In this welcoming first session we will look at the basics of using plant medicine – things you might have in your kitchen or easily to hand. We will introduce preparation methods, contraindications, dosages & remedies for common ailments.
Week Two: An Introduction to Somatics, the Resilience Toolkit and Liberatory Ways Of Being
Camille Sapara Barton
Camille Sapara Barton author of Tending Grief will facilitate this BIPOC only session around somatics and racial justice.
Week Two: White Resilience: Embodied Anti-Racism
Tripod
The session – aimed specifically at white people – will be run by Tripod. We will explore and address whiteness, embodied responses to racial tension and somatic techniques to build resilience for practicing anti-racist action. It will be a space to learn and transform together and look at further anti-racist resources and work.
Week Three: We Take Care Of Each Other
River Molloy Zinzi Buchanan River MacAskill
This trans-exclusive workshop, co-facilitated by River McAskill, River Molloy and Zinzi Buchanan, offers body-focused exercises and creative practices for a trans-exclusive space, situated within the present local and global climate. We will bring an array of offerings related to the question: how can we take care of ourselves and one another, when we can’t trust state systems to take care of us? Come as you are and bring anything that adds to your comfort.
Week Three: Gender in the Body
Tripod
An introduction to gender and embodiment for cisgender folk (i.e. those whose experience aligns with their assigned gender). This will look at the ways our embodied experiences are shaped by our gender, and explore what it means to support trans siblings in practice. This session will be led by Tripod.
Week Four: Herbs to Support Psycho-emotional Health
Lisa Fannen Sapna Agarwal
In this session we’ll explore the use of herbs to support psycho-emotional health*, especially focusing on considering ‘nervines’; herbs that support rest, relaxation, that soothe, ground, vitalise and nourish. We’ll also be looking at personal constitutions and plant energetics. And we’ll briefly touch on the use of entheogens (psychoactive substances such as magic mushrooms) as medicine.
Week Five: Mental Health/ Moving Beyond
Lisa Fannen Sapna Agarwal
We’ll look at the language and politics of what gets ‘mental health’ and consider more holistic understandings of experiences that honour the connection between mind/body/soul, and that acknowledge social and political context.
Week Six: Decolonising ‘global mental health’
Lisa Fannen Sapna Agarwal
We’ll be looking at decolonising ‘global mental health’. We’ll look at the concepts of decoloniality, of things being ‘culture bound’, and at hermeneutical injustice* as ways to examine dominator knowledge systems, and the institution of psych/iatry.
Week Seven: Reframing Trauma
Lisa Fannen Sapna Agarwal
We’ll be looking at reframing trauma, how we might understand trauma in the bodymindsoul, taking a look at the physiology of trauma, forms of trauma, and at ways to mitigate and heal trauma.
Week Eight: Psycho-emotional Health – Exploring Experiences
Lisa Fannen Sapna Agarwal
We’ll look more at psycho-emotional health – exploring experiences as opposed to diagnoses. And exploring collective care and collective healing.
Week Nine: Closing Session
Lisa Fannen Sapna Agarwal
This closing session will be a space for reflection and feedback. We can discuss ways we can share what we’ve learned and explored with our wider communities. We can talk about if we want to do more sessions and /or projects together.
Access
Venue access
Clyde Community Hall is a fully wheelchair accessible venue.
All but one of the workshops will take place at Clyde Community Hall.
On Monday 24th March at 6pm, the Week 3 workshop titled “Gender in the Body” will take place at Civic House. This workshop is aimed at cisgender people to cultivate trans allyship.
This workshop will be held in the downstairs part of Civic House, which is fully wheelchair accessible. Civic House is only wheelchair accessible via a wheelchair accessible lift which is accessed via a shutter door next to the main front door. Please contact the workshop provider, via a phone number which will be given by email to all participants, to prearrange access.
On Monday 24th March 6pm, Week 3 the workshop titled “We Take Care of Each Other”, will take place at Clyde Community Hall. This is a trans-exclusive workshop.
Local travel costs
Local travel costs will be covered for anyone in the immigration system or in receipt of benefits. (No proof needed, cash in person on each evening)
Childcare costs
We have a first come, first served limited budget available for childcare costs. If you would like to access this access provision, please email Cloudberry in advance at cloudberry@arika.org.uk
Active Listeners
All sessions will be attended by active listeners: Nosheen Khwaja & Cloudberry MacLean. They will be on hand to offer support to those who might need it, either during or after the workshop. This might be to listen and hear what someone wants to share about their experience at the workshop, to offer brief emotional support if anything comes up at a workshop. Personal matters shared with the active listeners will be held in confidence.
Other access requests
If you would like to take part but something stands in the way or would support you to attend, please do reach out to see if we can help.
Please email Cloudberry cloudberry@arika.org.uk with any access questions e.g. BSL provision, taxi for those with mobility issues etc.
Book Tickets
Book a ticket for the full 9 week workshop series on eventbrite. (FULLY BOOKED)
Standalone Workshop Tickets – tickets still available. Workshops are based on personal identity – see information below.
An Introduction to Somatics, the Resilience Toolkit and Liberatory Ways of Being 15/03/2025 3-5pm @Clyde Community Hall is BIPOC only workshop
White Resilience: Embodied Anti Racism 17/03/2025 6-9pm @Clyde Community Hall is aimed at white people addressing whiteness and anti-racist action.
We Take Care of Each Other 24/03/2025 6-9pm @Clyde Community Hall is a trans & non-binary exclusive workshop
Gender in the Body 24/03/2025 6-9pm @Civic House is aimed at cisgender people to cultivate trans allyship