AWAKEN - All stories matter
AWAKEN, our ongoing community-building program was first developed in partnership with Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) in 2018, in an effort to bring together people from different backgrounds and perspectives in a safe space to connect, explore personal biases and build bridges, paving the way towards a more resilient and compassionate society. Since its launch, the program has hosted an array of multidisciplinary and immersive experiences which engaged over 1000 participants in personal and group reflection, listening and unlearning, moving from the inward to the outward; from self to systems awareness.
Our journey so far….
The people that we encounter in the places that we frequent daily are, whether we are aware of it or not, part of our community. Through the ways in which we interact with these people, we have the power to either validate or challenge the predominant social narratives that characterize our cultural context.
AWAKEN 2024: Exploring Interdependence
The exploration of feelings associated with physical spaces and their relation to connection, inclusion or exclusion, has long been a favorite theme of AWAKEN. This year we are taking it one step further through a collective emotional mapping of Kuwait.
Mapping Belonging 2023
Grounded in collective reflection and participatory design, our community of practice drives all the exploratory and community-building work we do through AWAKEN.
Community of Practice - Paths to Connection 2022
An immersive program for youth to collaboratively reflect on and reimagine public space, towards a more inclusive Kuwait. Participants had the opportunity to better understand and reflect on place as well as themes including migration, equity and belonging. -- their sociocultural and historical roots, and implications on our own individual understandings and experiences of our modern day community.
AWAKEN Youth Fellowship 2021
A community-based effort to document what we’ve lived through during the pandemic so that we may all remember. But more importantly, so that we can act to bring change. What did we get right? What do we need to fix? We are guided by the belief that, no matter how challenging the times, there is always hope--waiting for us to wield it. Hiding, in unexpected places.
Neighbourhood Tales 2020
Reflections 2019
In 2019, AWAKEN highlighted the power of collective action and storytelling in building trust, mutual respect and appreciation of diverse experiences, as well as in creating more equitable opportunities for shared learning and community engagement.
Reflections 2018
In a joint effort between civil society groups, academics, artists, international speakers and a mostly young group of participants, the first edition of AWAKEN in 2018 illustrated the importance of engaging the wider community in fostering more inclusive and effective approaches to social development in Kuwait. Through a series of activities participants were encouraged to think critically and collectively about social identity, boundaries and misconceptions that divide communities in Kuwait.
Activities included a series of immersive experiences guided by innovative international practitioners specializing in systems thinking, shadow work, poetry, and theatre, amongst other things. Below you will find the key take-aways visually illustrated by @blancheillustrates.
Exploring our Hidden Self by Charlie Morley
Servitude, Attitude, Gratitude: Uniting People & Poetry for a Better Society by David Neita
Re-claiming Tradition, Re-thinking Nationality by Maria Llanos del Corral
Network Thinking - from Control to Relationship by Robin de Carteret
What the Fable Reveals: Reimagining Community by Zia Alley
“It was hands down, one of the most inspiring events I have ever participated in here in Kuwait. The energy, excitement and sincerity in the space was palpable, and that is a testament not only to your excellent organizational skills, but to the integrity of your intentions throughout the process.”
— Mai Al-Nakib, Author and Professor (Kuwait University) & AWAKEN Community Partner
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