Futurecraft Residency: Brave Earth

A week-long facilitated residency exploring regenerative and resilient futures 

Calling all current and aspiring solarpunks, lunarpunks, culture hackers, metamodernists, Soulcrafters, Homegrown Humans, systems thinkers, fermenters, chefs, botanists, mushroom growers, forest bathers, dancers, swimmers, runners, meditators, yogis, painters, photographers, filmmakers, writers, coders, poets, actors, musicians, clowns, fools, coaches, counsellors, mentors, facilitators, therapists and teachers…

Following the success of our first residency, you're invited to join Stephen Reid, Anna Ling, Laura Gottlieb, jae spencer keyse and special guest facilitators for the next Futurecraft Residency, this time taking place at the stunning Brave Earth in Costa Rica from 12th – 19th December 2023.

This is an incredible opportunity to experience one of the most inspiring places on the planet 🌎 We'd LOVE for you to join us on this special journey.

Apply now

Featuring:

🔮 Artificial Intelligence and Soulful Wisdom with Stephen Reid
💡 Radical Reimagination with jae spencer keyse
🧘🏼‍♀️ Yoga and singing with Anna Ling
👫 Dialogue and authentic relating with Laura Gottlieb
💦 Ceremonial temazcal (sweat lodge)
🌳 Children’s Eternal Rainforest tour
🌋 Arenal volcano, waterfall & lake swim
🛖 Fuerza De Amor local resilience tour
🌙 Rainforest night hike
🕺 Time for co-creation and emergence

The residency will be themed around Brave Earth's Trinity of Values and Trinity of Inquiry:

Trinity of Values

• Regeneration: Implementing regenerative systems for healing, renewal, and restoration
• Resiliency: Creating interconnected, diverse, networks of solidarity and mutual support
• Reciprocity: Cultivating a relational field of symbiotic enrichment

Trinity of Inquiry

• Gnosis: Drawing from all wisdom traditions to establish a direct relationship to the divine
• Eros: Embodied practice cultivating a relationship with that which enlivens
• Polis: Refining our relationship to the whole through systems that promote equity and sovereignty

Some of our favourite future thinkers include Alnoor Ladha, Lynn Murphy, Rob Burbea, Vanessa Machado de Oliveira, adrienne maree brown, Bayo Akomolafe, Dougald Hine, Manda Scott, Ayana Young, Joshua Michael Schrei, Nora Bateson, Daniel Schmachtenberger, Jamie Wheal, Jordan Hall, Tyson Yunkaporta, Douglas Rushkoff, Charles Eisenstein, Richard Dennis Bartlett, Ronan Harrington, Hanzi Freinacht, Terry Patten, Jules Evans, Kevin Owocki, Ethan Buchman, angel kyodo williams, Bill Plotkin, Martin Shaw, Ursula K. Le Guin, Becky Chambers, Kim Stanley Robinson, Jeremy Lent and Fritjof Capra. Check out more inspirations on Stephen's Knowledgegraph, Books and Podcasts pages. 

The residency is the perfect opportunity to make new friends for life, deepen your current practices and explore some new ideas and activities you might not be so familiar with. 

Sample timetable:

One session each day will be left open for offerings from participants. It's OK to miss a session here and there if you have important matters to attend to. You can check out the full timetable of our last residency here.

All meals and snacks are provided, and will be top-quality, microbiome-boosting, locally-sourced organic and vegan with occasional vegetarian options. 

To assist with preparation and integration, all participants will be offered two 30-minute calls, one before and one after the residency.

We will prioritise applications from people who:

• have experience meditating for 30 minutes in one sitting
• have practised some yoga
• are enthusiastic about singing in a group
• have already attended one or more residencies/retreats on relevant topics

The costs per person, including all accommodation, meals, activities and facilitation:

• Gaia Domes $2950 (private room) / $2450 (sharing with one other in a queen bed)
• Jungle Huts $2950 (private room) / $2450 (sharing with one other, two singles)
• Farm Loft $1950 (small private pod a short walk from the main site)

A limited number of subsidised places are available – please say you are interested in this option when applying. Payment plans are available on request. We welcome people of all ages, genders and sexualities.

With the climate in heart and mind, please think carefully before deciding to take a long haul flight to this event.

Apply now

Your facilitators

Stephen Reid

Stephen Reid is a transdisciplinary technologist and mystical mentor devoted to the flourishing of Life on Earth who has trained in the fields of AI/ML, complexity science, physics, transformative coaching, meditation and plant medicine. He is currently leading the development of the Dandelion platform for regenerative events and co-created gatherings as part of not-for-profit worker co-op Symbiota

Previously, he founded The Psychedelic Society, taught the Life as Practice, How to DAO, Tools for the Regenerative Renaissance, The Promise of Decentralisation & Introduction to web3 courses, served as the youngest ever board member of Greenpeace UK, and consulted for organisations including Supermodular, the New Economics Foundation, and 350.org. Stephen has an MPhys in Physics from the University of Oxford, where he specialised in quantum field theory, an MRes in Complexity Science from the University of Bristol, and a Professional Certificate in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence from UC Berkeley.

Anna Ling

Anna Ling is a singer-songwriter, community choir leader and yoga teacher based in Devon with over 10 years experience teaching choirs and yoga.

She has a BA in Ethnomusicology from SOAS and is accredited by the Association of Teachers of Singing and the Natural Voice Network. She has worked with organisations including Wren Music, Talking in Tune, Academy of Music & Sound, Jamming Station, WOMAD and Voice Camp. 

Anna did her first accredited Yoga Teacher Training with Ana Forrest in 2014, and has joined many more yoga trainings since in Hatha, Power Yoga and Iyengar. She lived in an Advaita ashram for 3 years and has a strong daily practice in both yoga and meditation. 

Anna loves nothing more than creating spaces for people to feel their shared humanity and understands the power of both singing and yoga to increase group connection and cohesion as well as individual joy. She’s currently recording her debut album and her music can be found on all major streaming platforms.

Laura Gottlieb

Laura Gottlieb is an integral facilitator and design researcher who has studied philosophy, design, facilitation, Bohmian dialogue, Authentic Relating, yoga, taekwondo and Zen Buddhism. They are a qualified facilitator with Ten Directions, Real LIFE, The Philosophy Foundation and Core Quadrant, and the founder of the Stockholm Bohmian Dialogue group.

Laura has a BA in Philosophy from the University of Southampton, an MA in Information Experience Design from the Royal College of Art, London, and a PhD on Relational Sensitivity in Participatory Design from Mälardalen University.

jae spencer keyse

jae spencer keyse (she/they/he) is a skilled facilitator, community builder, learning designer, and mentor. They are captivated by the question: What if learning and education supported individuals and the world to thrive? This curiosity led to the development of radical reimagination, a collection of initiatives aimed at addressing the urgent need to re-envision and co-create learning experiences and life as a whole.

For the past 13 years, jae has held various positions in the fields of education and systemic change. They recognize that traditional education systems often dictate what is considered "good" and "right," leaving many students feeling like "failures." Based on academic and industrial models, these systems tend to undervalue creative and imaginative practices. Rather than attempting to reform the existing system, jae is focused on radically reimagining it by exploring deeply relational, creative, regenerative, anti-oppressive, and embodied practices.

jae has collaborated with organizations such as the United Nations, FutureLearn, Samsung Not A School, Huddlecraft, Big Change, and HundrED, and co-founded YouthXYouth and The Weaving Lab. They hold a degree in Politics and International Relations from Warwick University and a BPS-accredited master's degree in Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of St. Andrews.

Feedback on the first Futurecraft Residency

My time at the Futurecraft Residency was filled with laughter, learning, and extraordinary connections. In the safe yet expansive container that the magnificent hosting team created, I rediscovered parts of myself and made lasting friendships. It's not just about attending a retreat; it's about stepping into a shared journey, a movement towards crafting a regenerative future together. If you're open to exploring the depth and breadth of your own - and humanity's - potential in a loving, supportive community, I warmly invite you to join this incredible experience. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I came with no expectations and left with a smorgasbord of ideas, healing, groundedness, confidence, knowledge, and filled with the love of a beautiful new family. I feel changed. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A wonderfully wholesome, energising, brain tingling, heart warming week with a mix of brilliant people and facilitators. I learnt so much about myself, the world and others. I feel more equipped than ever to tackle whatever life throws at me, and us. The week was jam packed full of experiences, sharing, practices, fun, workshops, learning, calm, growth, expression, connection and so much more. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Apply now