Growing the Collective: Our retreat gave us a space for connection, joy and dreaming
Manchester Women’s Justice Collective (MWJC) is made up of women and girls who have or are surviving the violence of policing, prisons, borders, mental health and social care systems. We are a community in defiant pursuit of justice. Setting out to build a collective outside state structures in recognition that reforming existing systems does not and will not get us justice. We must dismantle and rebuild anew.
The MWJC is an abolitionist experiment. We are collectively asking what happens if we…
- Centre ‘justice’ as an idea.
- Hold a space to acknowledge gendered harms and failures of systems to deliver justice.
- Practice an ethics of care that prioritises connections and dreaming.
We see the idea of justice as a practice that we build together, as girls and women from all different backgrounds, but who share a desire to support and hold up each other. We have created spaces for girls and women to discuss the harms of policing, of immigration, experiences of community punishment, and most recently we did a takeover of a magazine for women in prison.
Our members value the collective space we are growing because it is hopeful, offers respite, joy and strength. For many the collective is something they feel is lacking, they tell us of the impact on them of a space with the freedom to need, to dream, to be angry, to grieve, to speak, to protect, to act.
As we were approaching two years of hosting meetings, events, get togethers and convenings we knew we needed more than just a few hours together. We needed rest. We needed more time as a community. We needed room to think, breathe, laugh and rage. We also need room to DREAM, to reflect together on what we might do next, the world we want to be part of shaping..
The Synergi Fund allowed us to dare apply for funding with the sole aim of resourcing a retreat for the collective. And when we say retreat, we mean retreat. The aim was simple: time together to rest, eat, chat and dream away from Manchester. We wanted to take members of our collective away from their busy lives for a few days of respite. A small part of us felt cheeky, daring to ask a funder to support us to do what for many would be seen as indulging in luxury, but isn’t that abolition? Being daring enough to create space for care, for support, for rest, for community, for something new.
And we were successful!
We booked a beautiful large property on the seafront just outside of Blackpool. You crossed the road and your toes touched sand, you walked a bit further and your feet were in the sea. The air was so fresh and crisp, something we don’t get in our home city. The property itself was everything we could have wished for and more: a large lounge and kitchenette area with two levels to the front; a large completely kitted out kitchen, with a balconied sitting window seating area. The bedrooms were spread over two floors, beautifully decorated with en-suites and enough of them that people didn’t have to share rooms. The top floor had a gorgeous large lounge area with a kitchenette and huge windows overlooking the sea, and the sunset. The absolute treat was that the house also had a sauna!
The retreat took place over two nights and three days. We adopted two ways for members to engage. A group came for the duration of the trip and others who couldn’t spend two nights away from home travelled up for a day. We arranged return coach travel for all the participants, and the retreat started from that moment they got on board. We had prepped the coach company and so they brought good vibes and care, singalongs on the coach, helping with bags, and of course there were snacks on the bus.
Food is of course one of the most important things in life, not just for survival but to nurture our bodies. We reached out to a wonderful cafe who provided food for lunches and dinners and the most amazing (and big) cakes and pastries you had ever seen. In the home the food and refreshments were there in abundance. And with a home full of women, there was no issue with who was gonna put the kettle on, or keeping the house tidy, we all are natural care givers who get things done, so it was smooth sailing.
The schedule for the retreat was something we invested energy in curating. We knew we wanted to embody ‘less is more’. There had to be the right balance of rest and free time, as well as space for thinking, talking and joy. However we know that some of the best conversations come from just having a brew and a chat outside of a facilitated session. The retreat wasn’t about having a working weekend, it was about everything else, and not least because we know that when you bring together 25 women who are doing the work day in day out and are dedicated to the collective, the work will naturally fall into the retreat.
Growing a strong eco-system
How do we build the foundations for a new eco-system to fight injustice and build community power? The women’s justice collective in Manchester has been growing organically, naturally forming over time through the extended relationships and connections of our members. Like a tree, over time the roots and branches grow and extend outwards, forming new connections. There are also always new shoots appearing, new faces or sometimes old faces bringing new issues. But we need the right conditions, we sometimes need a boost in time and nutrients.
The retreat offered us an opportunity to nurture this growing eco-system. By taking time together, without any time pressure and in comfort, we came away stronger. We have some brilliant memories that make the connections stronger. Whether walking up the beach, or in the sauna, whilst cooking, or over fish and chips (we were in Blackpool!), it gave us all a chance to further build a sense of solidarity.
Building sites of resistance requires new thinking about physical and conscious spaces. Strong foundations require that care and solidarity are prioritised over having clear or immediate demands, outputs or finalised solutions. The retreat was a real treat, but it should also be part of how we build our movements