Sensing Lisbon

An initiative by Lúcida Cooperative  ·  In partnership with Michelle Holliday

A gathering for those who have made Lisbon their home, by choice or by need, for now or for life.

Together, we will sense the city through new eyes, seeing its unfolding story, and through a new relationship, that of co-stewards of this place.

What this is - A first sensing gathering

We are starting the conversation with international residents who have chosen Lisbon as their home and who are aware that, paradoxically, they are collectively challenging Lisbon's identity while also being its most passionate admirers.

This first gathering is an open exploration of this tension, asking: How can we evolve from putting pressure on the city to nurturing what is unique to Lisbon, replenishing it with fresh ideas, skills and care?

In other words : What does it mean, and what will it take, to be fully at home in Lisbon?

Program Outline

The gathering will weave dialogue and story-sharing; exploration of the city’s essence and living layers; inspiration from principles of living systems and practices of stewardship; and processes of discerning collective wisdom.

The food will be prepared by Avó Cooking Lab.

JUNE 24  ·  COMING TOGETHER (18H00-21H00)

Opening circle: Arrival, stories of what brought us to Lisbon and what keeps us here.

Sharing food: Communing around the table, recognising the need for this conversation at this moment in time, grounding in shared intention.

JUNE 25  ·  SENSING AND TENDING (9H30 - 18H30)

Meeting Lisbon as a living story: Perceiving the streets, the human ecology, the estuary edge and other less visible elements through our senses. Beginning to sense the larger story unfolding.

Understanding stewardship: Exploring ways of thinking about our role in relationship with place.

Collective tending: What are we stewarding here? Mapping the story and potential of Lisbon as we experience it.

Practicing stewardship: What calls out to us for care and participation? Where might we start to connect, listen, learn and respond? Where are we already practicing stewardship?

Seeding: Evolving from participants to careholders. What change do we notice in ourselves? What do we feel called to cultivate together? What do others need to know about what we have discerned and discovered?

Contribution-based participation

We have created "Sensing Lisbon" based on reciprocity logic because this is an invitation to practice, together, the kind of co-stewardship we hope to seed across the city. Pricing this gathering as a straightforward ticket would limit this intention. So instead, we ask each participant to choose how they want to contribute to the life of this work. We are offering two tiers: 

• Participant contribution — €200*
  Covers your share of the gathering itself: the venue, the food, the materials, and the care and full presence that goes into hosting the two days. Choosing this tier means the event holds itself.

• Steward contribution — €400 *
  Covers your share of the gathering itself and contributes to the preparatory work that makes a gathering like this possible: the months of envisioning and design, the weaving of partners and place, and the hosting of the event. Choosing this tier also means you are seeding the a community of place and careholders that can gradually host the mixing of all the voices of Lisbon and the living place itself.

*VAT included at the legal rate of 23%

If neither tier feels possible right now and you sense this work is yours to be part of, please write to us at hello@sensinglisbon.com. We will find a way.

The hands holding Sensing Lisbon

This invitation comes from a place that is both deeply personal and in service of Lisbon. Constança and Sandra - co-founders of Lúcida - are inhabitants of Lisbon and have been vividly experiencing its transition over the past years. They reached out to a fellow practitioner - Michelle Holliday - to imagine what a new conversation with the city could look like. One that would bring clarity, warmth and deep relational wisdom to the complex transformation process Lisbon is undergoing.

Michelle supports organisations and communities around the world in cultivating "thrivability" - the capacity of living systems to flourish together. Together, we patiently conjured this first sensing gathering, which we hope will spark many more.

www.sensinglisbon.com