Each edition contains the latest from the Grokkist Press, a roundup of events and highlights from our community, and a care package of snackable outside links selected to nurture your curiosity.
We respect your inbox. Use the link at the bottom of this email to unsubscribe if this is no longer for you – no hard feelings!
Hey friends,
More big news - we have another brand new course starting later this month!
The new course is called Intro to Impact: pathways to positive change and it's led by Berlin-based stakeholder engagement specialist Nora Kroeger.
Intro to Impact is a crash-course for change-makers that asks: how does change really happen?
We'll be exploring how social movements work, the art and science of policy change, and techniques for effective communication, all with lots of real-world examples and techniques from across the impact sector.
Like all our cohort-based courses, Intro to Impact is also underpinned by a project that builds towards integrating your own personal synthesis. In this case you'll be developing a robust ‘Theory of Change’ for guiding and articulating your own impact initiative.
Grokkists tend to find ourselves as natural change-makers in whatever field of practice we are in.
Our curiosity is not just for nourishing ourselves – we have a strong desire to use our knowledge, experience, and sense of possibility to make the world a better place, whether as reformers, radicals, or revolutionaries.
I increasingly see Grokkist as a place for change-makers to replenish and resupply themselves – whether that be intellectually, emotionally, socially, or materially – on the way to shaking things up in their own lane.
We're a bit like the town in an RPG game where you rest and get ready before going off to fight monsters in the dungeon.
That's why I'm delighted that we can now offer an entire course specifically about the art and science of change-making, no matter what field of practice you're in.
I was so excited to get to know Nora through our friends at the Association of Sustainability Practitioners and to discover that we share a passion for designing educational experiences that are playful, inclusive, and approachable, while being intellectually robust and pedagogically assured.
Nora is the ideal person to lead this course – she has seen many facets of the impact sector and different approaches in it, from designing learning experiences for policy-makers and fundraising millions of dollars, to working in violence prevention and in climate.
Most importantly, she is bursting with a grokkist's enthusiasm and insistence on possibility. Here's how she puts it:
The truth is I made this course because I want to make the world a better place.
I often preface this with "it's cheesy, but..." to avoid sounding naïve. But instead of trying to sound cool or professionally detached, I want to nourish the parts of me that are wide-eyed and sincere and believe in something better. Honestly, while we are living through the polycrisis, being cheesy should really be the least of our worries.
If you want to make the world a better place too, maybe you’ve felt insignificant, small, or lonely when trying to create change. I know I have – so many times.
This course is an antidote to that. It’s built for nerding out together, being in community, and feeling heard and seen.
Intro to Impact will kick off its first run starting 20 June at 8–10pm CEDT / 2–4pm EDT. Find all the details here.
The suggested tuition is USD$220, with our usual 'Forget About the Price Tag' pathways for those who can't afford the suggested tuition.
Grokkist full members on the Indie Grokker tier or above are welcome to enrol at no charge by claiming one of 2 courses included per year as part of your membership (contact [email protected] if this is you).
Hope to see you there.
Grok on!
- Danu
This newsletter was sent to 575+ curious and caring subscribers. Help us expand the grokkiverse by telling a friend. Here's a direct link to join the mailing list or you can share this edition with others too:
grokk.ist/newsletter/schole-supplement-44/
Meditation Primer: Part 2
by Jude Star (11 min read)
Is Tantra the most misunderstood tradition? This is the second in a 3 part essay series in navigating the rich landscapes of meditation by grokking various practices.
From the Grokkist Network
Events and updates from our community
Create your free Grokkist Network account ↗Featured events and meetups
🟢 Free and open to all
🟠 Open to all with suggested cover charge. Free for Full Members.
🟣 Exclusive to Full Members only (Grokling, Indie Grokker, Groksmith)
Grok Café
🗓️ Tue 4 Jun | 7–9pm ET (view in your timezone)
Hosted by Brittany Cole Houston
🟢 Free and open to all.
Welcome to Grok Café. Our goal is to bring the grokkist community together in an informal and comfortable setting, unearthing connections and interests between participants.
Whether you’re a regular or a first-timer, come along and chill out to share a heart space, info-dump each other's passions, and discover new friends while discussing whatever you want.
Connecting Lines: competitive conversations for a more humane world
🗓️ Wed 12 Jun | 5–7am IST (view in your timezone)
Hosted by Sadique Salih
🟢 Free and open to all. A donation is optional (but appreciated!) Donations are shared 70/30 between the workshop host and Grokkist respectively.
Join us for an experimental showcase of "Connecting Lines: Competitive Conversations for a More Humane World," an innovative structured conversation format developed by Sadique Salih that combines the rigour of competition with the richness of meaningful dialogue.
This event is a live playthrough, with all roles and participants pre-selected, offering a real-time exploration of competitive dialogue designed to foster understanding and empathy. As observers, you'll witness firsthand how this innovative format encourages participants to articulate, challenge, and refine their viewpoints through rigorous, respectful exchange.
Other Upcoming Events
- 27 Jun | 🟢 Grokkist Network Office Hours
Featured Grokkable
Intro to Impact: pathways to positive change (C1)
led by Nora Kroeger (5 week cohort-based course)
How does change really happen? Explore cutting-edge knowledge and develop practical skills to create positive impact for your own project as we journey into the heart of change-making.
>> First cohort (C1) starts 20 June
🍬 Snackables
Assorted awesome links to nurture your curiosity
#1 - Not Too Late - changing the climate story from despair to possibility
A project to invite newcomers to the climate movement, as well as provide climate facts and encouragement for people who are already engaged but weary. Edited by Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young-Lutunatabua, this collection of hopeful resources from the worldwide climate movement aims to change the climate story from despair to possibility. Includes a practical PDF guide called 'What can I do about the climate emergency?' that outlines what we can do against climate chaos and for a just and thriving natural and human world.
#2 - Queer theory for lichens
The close study of lichens has been used previously to make a case for the symbiotic nature of life, questioning the very foundation of individuality in the biological and social realms and arguing that humans cannot be thought of as individuals by any biological criteria. Following this line of argument, this scholarly article published in Journal of Critical Environmental Studies asks "if we have never been human – if we are all composites like lichens – then what does this mean for sexuality?" Interesting and provocative implications for science and society, including reproductive norms and the interconnectedness of life. "If bodies are reconsidered as supra-organisms, always already 'infected' or 'inhabited' by countless infectious agents such as bacteria or viruses, then this could potentially go some way to alleviate the social stigma that accompanies certain illnesses, diseases, or conditions." [Direct link to PDF]
#3 - Why are we addicted to doomscrolling bad news?
Casey Plett
A relatable and revealing mini-memoir on how following the news "went from being a mark of a respectable adult—like making your bed in the morning or filing your taxes on time—to self-destructive behaviour ... like pressing a button that caused one to get punched in the face over and over again by a cartoon glove marked “DREAD.” Similar to how self-injury can be understood as a defence mechanism some young people draw on to cope with immense emotional pain, anxious people may be self-soothing and reclaiming a sense of control by constantly consuming news through "a device that beams nightmares into my eyes". "The world may be awful, but if I know about it, then at least I know."
#4 - The invention of travelling music festivals
The History of the 90s podcast looks at the invention of travelling musical festivals from Lollapalooza to Lilith Fair. Like a circus that would roll into town and leave the place's consciousness forever altered in their wake, travelling music festivals were an optimistic moment in music that aimed to expand minds, tastes and possibilities. This episode explores the story of how such festivals came to be, how the blueprint set by Lollapalooza would dominate the rest of the decade, and what has happened since. (36 min)
#5 - What's the deal with poorly animated juggling?
A juggling enthusiast's deep dive into how juggling has been depicted in various animation mediums over the last century across television, movies, and video games. The question he's most curious about is not why juggling is animated unrealistically, but why it's been so consistently unrealistic for 100 years. What starts as mild frustration morphs into detailed analysis (there's a four-quadrant chart with examples) and finally into appreciation for way the practice of juggling has thoroughly permeated culture while retaining its essential mystique. Well worth the 15-minute ride.
A pair of parting thoughts...
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something is worth doing no matter how it turns out.” — Václav Havel
“We don’t have to wait for anything at all. What we have to do is start.” — Octavia Butler
- Hit reply and share what's on your mind
- Create a free Grokkist Network account and explore our self-paced welcome tutorial
- Book a 1:1 warm welcome with David, our community manager
- Explore ways to get involved in the grokkist community
- Consider becoming a Grokkist Member
🔖 Become a Grokkist Full Member
As a paid Grokkist member, you'll directly contribute to our social purpose while also enjoying a range of additional benefits as part of a grokking community of practice.
