Living NVC Gathering – day, residential, optional Foundation Training

Are you looking for deeper connections with others, a chance to be in community, to begin or to deepen your NVC learning in a real-life but still supported situation, to have time away from your everyday life to breathe, explore and grow? This gathering can be a space for all this and more.

This is a flexible event starting on Friday evening June 30th and ending on Friday noon July 7th, with the option of joining an NVC Foundation training at Heath Lodge, Colchester on Saturday and Sunday 1st – 2nd July. This training, led by CNVC certified trainer Clare Palmer, will give you all the basic tools and principles of NVC.

Starting with an introductory weekend, as well as ideal for beginners, will offer the chance for those experienced in NVC to refresh and deepen our awareness of feelings and needs, which we think will be a bonus for the rest of the gathering. However, those who do not want to join the introduction programme can remain at the main venue, Grove House, for time together in community.

The Foundation training is also available as non-residential, and you can choose how many days of the 7 you attend and whether this is as a day participant or residential. Camping space and some indoor bedroom spaces are available.

This means that on some days there might be a few people and at times a larger group. We hope that the flexible options available mean that more people including locals will be able to take part and that we still build connection by gathering in a circle at the beginning and end of each day, cooking and eating together and building our community through shared experiences.
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Our main venue is a private rural site 9 miles from Colchester, Essex with fields, gardens, orchard, woodland, and lots of room to breathe. The Foundation Training and some accommodation will be at Heath Lodge, a beautiful Victorian eco-house near to Colchester town centre.

The gathering will be ‘open space’ in the sense that everyone is invited to contribute of their gifts, whether in offering to share learnings and processes or baking cakes or singing songs. The uniqueness of what each of us brings is the substance from which a rich community experience is created.

Lead trainer for the gathering is Clare Palmer and co-host is Dorothy O’Grady.

Possible activities to inspire learning, fun and connection:
NVC practice time, all themes
NVC ‘Dance floors’ (guided individual NVC process)
Empathy groups
Empathy one-to-one
CNVC Certification mentoring
Grief circle
Guided meditation
Walks in nature
Music and singing (piano and guitars available, bring you own instruments and music)
And more depending on participants!

All are welcome with or without previous experience of NVC. The gathering is designed to serve the needs both of total newcomers to NVC and of old hands who are ready to dive deeper. We intend to offer a space where people of all backgrounds and life experiences are accepted, have a voice and take part – this includes differences of race, sex, gender identity, disability, sexuality, educational background and more.

Children are welcome to join the gathering, but for insurance and liability reasons, no children’s activities or supervised childcare are included as part of the event.

Clare & Graham Timmins held a camp in 2022, this was some of the feedback we received:
“Camp for me was a beautiful blend of both structure and care with planned activities as well as flexibility. A real sense of community developed with meaningful connections and deep dive processing experiences as well as playfulness and fun.”
“a great encouragement to follow the NVC path”
“I am excited and inspired to explore and learn more about NVC”
“This camp made me realise that there are other ways possible to communicate and connect with people and that every feeling has its place. Also that showing and accepting vulnerability (creates) deeper connections and understanding of each other”.
“more confidence in speaking my truth, expressing my needs, saying ‘No’ to requests, witnessing triggers and responding rather than reacting”.
“a deep and tender awareness… a more intimate sense of Self … an experiential understanding of the unity of consciousness”