Authentic Connection Group

After a short break, the Authentic Connection group is returning to the Salisbury Centre. This is only possible thanks to the amazing foundation built over the last few years by Marta Brzosko. The group will now be facilitated by Christopher Panks.

Christopher has benefited greatly from regularly attending the group over the last year, was privileged to co-facilitate with Marta on one occasion, and now hopes to play a part in continuing the authentic revolution in Edinburgh.

When: monthly on (usually the month's first) Tuesday, 6 - 8:30pm. Check Eventbrite or The Salisbury Centre website for details.

How to attend: please make you sure you book via Eventbrite. There are limited spaces and I manage this through Eventbrite. I can't guarantee there will be a space for you if you just show up on the day. If the event is sold out, please join the waiting list and you'll be notified when a spot becomes available.

The group is open to everyone, both regular members and one-off visitors. If you have a question or require additional support, email Christopher: [email protected]

Room: Art Room, occasionally in the Studio.

Suggested donation: £10 - £20. Please refer to the "note on donations" below before you decide your contribution.

Accessibility: Art Room is located on the ground floor and it is fully accessible. Studio is not fully accessible. The Salisbury Centre’s kitchen door and toilet are now wheelchair accessible. The Garden can also be accessed by wheelchairs via a movable ramp via the Art Room Annex.

Refunds: Automatic refunds will be issued up to 3 days before the event. After that, I can't issue refunds.

The Authentic Connection Group, is an experimental community space where we practice the art of conscious relating. We do this through playing Authentic Relating games, learning about consent, Circling, and exploring other practices that bring us closer to ourselves and each other.

Our two keywords are “Authentic” and “Connection”.

Authentic, because we believe in staying true to your experience and expressing it in a skilful way to others, rather than pretending you’re feeling / thinking something else.

Connection, because we value staying in connection with ourselves and others, no matter what our experience is at any point.

We draw a lot on Authentic Relating games, inspired by Sara Ness and the work of Authentic Revolution. We’re also open to other practices that support connection, open communication, and healthy relationships. Each session is different and unique. However, we do have our roots in foundational practices such as The Noticing Game and Circling.

Our informal motto is this quote from Fred Rodgers, an American TV host and author:

“Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone.”

Our agreements are signposts for the group’s culture. They help us know what to expect in the group (both from ourselves and others) and through that, create a space in which we can feel safer to explore edgy relational territory.

We always revisit the agreements at the beginning of the session. You can read through them out here at any time.

Here’s the short version:

1. Honour Yourself
2. Confidentiality by Request
3. Stay Present
4. Own Your Experience & Check Your Assumptions
5. Don’t Give Advice (Unless explicitly asked)

Charging for community events like this can be tricky! On the one hand, I want to make them as accessible as possible. But as a freelance facilitator who relies on them as a chunk of income, I need them to also nurture me financially.

This group is donation-based for now. This is an act of trust that you can assess your ability to contribute more accurately than I ever could. I feel this also improves equitable access for all and provides a more fully representative group.

I also invite you to consider that by putting money towards it, you are self-signalling that this event is valuable to you. This makes it more likely that you'll actually get more out of it!

Currently, the suggested donation for this event is £10 - £20. Feel free to pay less (or more) if that suits your situation better.

If you'd like to help out - for example by opening the door or helping with the room setup, collaborating, or have feedback, please email me at [email protected]

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