Welcome to a space designed for deep listening, sharing, and meaningful action within the aid worker community. The Vulnerable Humanitarian Circle of Practice offers a sanctuary where truth-telling, vulnerability, and connection flourish - and enable us to be more courageous and purposeful in our anti-oppression and humanitarian work. Here, we explore themes from my book The Vulnerable Humanitarian with a focus on fostering inclusivity, compassion, and collective wellbeing. 

You do not need to have read The Vulnerable Humanitarian to participate - although, we encourage you to do so in order to help embed some of the topics we will explore in each session. 

In each monthly online session, we delve into a different theme from The Vulnerable Humanitarian, inviting participants to engage in open dialogue and reflection. Upcoming session themes are: 

5/6 November: Collective Resilience. The word resilience comes up a lot in humanitarian and human rights work, but what does it mean for you and your workplace? We will discuss how individualised, western notions of resilience are not sufficient, and explore practices that build community and cultivate greater inclusivity and belonging as gateways to collective resilience. 

3/4 December: Reclaiming our Stories of Resilience. In humanitarian and human rights work, it is easy to forget ourselves - or to focus on our faults and limitations. This session will help you to tap back into your own story, and why this matters for the work you do. With kindness and gentleness, we will reflect on the challenges you have overcome and how this can help you restore hope and purpose in your work. Please note that the 3rd December will run at the slightly earlier time of other sessions, from 4.30-6pm. 

14/15 January: Overcoming Perfectionism. The perfect humanitarian is an archetype within the book The Vulnerable Humanitarian, that many can identify with. In this session we will uncover the patriarchal, colonial patterns that underly our perfectionism and explore practices to support us in overcoming perfectionism and imposter syndrome. 

10/11 February: Brave and Safer Spaces. Our ability to be honest and vulnerable with our mental health and wellbeing depends strongly on the degree to which this feels welcome in the workplace. In this session we will explore psychological safety and look at how we can all take responsibility for cultivating conversations and spaces that encourage truth-telling, vulnerability and belonging. 

Each session incorporates key routines and self-care practices from The Vulnerable Humanitarian, empowering participants to navigate challenges with clarity and courage.

Further topics after the February session will be announced in 2025. 

HOW TO REGISTER

You're welcome to join any session, but attending regularly offers a comprehensive understanding of the book and practical tools for implementation, and brings you into a community that is treading the same path of culture change from the inside out.

For each topic, you have two time/day choices - to accommodate different time zones - 5.30-7pm UTC*, and 1-2.30pm UTC. Please register for each event separately, and according to the topics and dates above that you wish to attend. A Zoom link and further information will be sent to you after registration. 

Pricing: Higher Income £15, Lower Income £8

These sessions are intended to be accessible for everyone, no matter their financial situation. It is up to you which event fee you choose to pay, but please consider carefully what you can afford and know that a higher fee payment will help enable these sessions to continue and for others with more financial insecurity to attend. Please contact the organiser at gemma@gemmahouldey.com if you would like to attend but cannot afford either of the fees suggested, so that we can ensure you can participate. 

*With one exception: the 3rd December session will run 4.30-6pm.