Exploring Interdependence

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.

This year’s enquiry for AWAKEN, our community-building program, has to do with the nature and quality of these interactions. Together with our Community of Practice, we have created an experimental research tool designed to foster self-reflection about the ways in which we engage with the people that we see on a daily basis but that we don’t consider part of our social circle.

Through the gentle disruption of the social expectations that surround these daily encounters, we aim to understand and dissect what supports them. What happens when we ask the person who sells us our daily cup of coffee (or the cashier at our local supermarket, or the person we always park next to in our building) a question about themselves, instead of just giving them our routine greeting? What impact does that have on our relationship with them? How does that transform the way we perceive each other? Does it have an effect on our and their sense of self? If you’re curious to engage in our little experiment, click here to find the instructions, or reach out to us!

Ultimately, we hope that this collective exploration will give us insights into how we can transform transactional relationships into ones driven by care, for ourselves and each other as individuals and as a part of the same society, no matter our real or perceived differences. Our connections with others, however small or fleeting, are the threads that weave the fabric of our shared humanity—reminding us that in this vast web of interdependence, every interaction has the power to create ripples of change.

On 15 November 2024 we will be hosting our third edition of AWAKEN in the Desert, a day full of playful, artistic, poetic, nourishing and thought-provoking activities related to the different ways in which we can care for one another and for our communities. We’ll explore and partake in different rituals that remind us of our interconnectedness with everyone and everything that surrounds us.

OUR FACILITATORS

  • Founder of Art Scene, Areej Saleh is a Palestinian-American writer and creative who mixes cocktails of music, memory & mathematics to touch on subjects of culture & creativity, while cracking jokes in-between.

  • Cari is a poet, environmentalist, kindergarten teacher, community organizer and baker… but, in the context of AWAKEN, she's known for the Stone Soup!

  • Training and Relationship Manager at en.v, Eleanor has been working in training, design and rights-based community building for the past 25 years. Eleanor believes play and storytelling are beautiful tools for facilitating community connection.

  • Fatemah is a vibrant Filipino-Kuwaiti passionate about building connections through transformative conversations and storytelling.

  • Fatema (founder of Arttt Addiction) is an artist and educator. Her approach to education emphasizes integrative learning, inspiring creativity, fostering holistic development and empowering communities.

  • Hafsa is a 24 years old Pakistani explorer who’s all about art, culture, and meaningful connections. Passionate about learning and sharing, she brings a love for teaching, a boundless curiosity, and a warm heart to every experience.

  • Hawraa is a writer and teacher who is deeply passionate about writing women's worlds and building creative communities.

  • Hussam is a writer, educator, researcher and lifelong student with a passion for social justice.

  • Operations Manager at en.v, Khadija also creates spaces where food, stories, and traditions could bring us closer and spark social change.

  • Maryam is a homemaker and coordinator who creates safe and empowering spaces for teachers and students through the Nudge Club.

  • Mishal is a Kuwaiti-Egyptian who aspires to be a chef. He’s a die hard animation enthusiast who loves everything creative and hopes that he can leave a smile and provide comfort to those he may come across.

  • Mohammed Ahmed is a pianist, composer, playlist maestro, and a long-standing member of the AWAKEN Community of Practice. He is also the Vice President of Art Scene, where artists and creatives connect, collaborate, build community, and amplify the symphony of art and creativity.

  • “Just cuz he somehow pulls off with good food, thinks he’s a chef now”

  • Norah is a literature graduate turned into an early years teacher. She is fascinated by the concept of healing through inner child work for both individuals and communities.

  • An artist and writer who loves meeting and connecting with others.

  • A multidisciplinary Kuwaiti-Indonesian designer, creating through diverse mediums to explore new perspectives.

  • Razan is an artist, curator and educator with a passion for organizing and protecting the environment.

  • Sarah is an educator of small humans and a talented drama therapist.

  • Salem is an expert in international relations, interested in creating spaces for social awareness and cultural diversity.

  • Yasmeen is a designer and writer who engages with the aesthetic, the intellectual, and the everyday.

OUR COLLABORATORS

  • Anonym(us) is a platform where people can share their stories and experiences without fear of judgment. Their goal is to create a community among anonymous storytellers, artists, and poets who find comfort in knowing that other people think like them.

ACTIVITIES

  • A communal eating experience reimagined to transcend cultural barriers and build meaningful connections.

  • Take a moment to join everyone else at the festival to share joyful, funny, deep and thoughtful stories with one another! This is an all-community event but allows you to meet people one-on-one and foster new relationships.

  • The Annual AWAKEN Games is a lively, team-based event celebrating community spirit. This year we focus on the theme of caring: our participants will join in races and activities promoting empathy, compassion and connection.

  • How do we transform transactional interactions into human relationships? How do we use a simple question as a tool to learn about people's inner worlds? How do we humanize the people we interact with daily, whose name we don't even know? This creative writing workshop aims to use a shift in perspective along with a focus on everyday objects to transform thought into kindness, into gratitude, into community. 

  • Our friends from the Ethiopian Domestic Workers Association will be sharing their beautiful Ethiopian coffee ceremony and delicious coffee with us all afternoon.

  • Discover the joy of connecting one-on-one with a stranger through play! Come, sit on a bench, choose a mini-game, and explore the different ways in which fun allows us to open up to one another and strengthen our bonds. 

  • We invite you to explore the defining moments that have shaped your journey and brought you to AWAKEN 2024. Through creative expression and thoughtful introspection, you’ll uncover how your personal experiences connect with the larger collective, reminding us that we are all part of something greater. Join us for a meaningful moment of self-discovery and bonding.

  • This activity invites up to 20 strangers to engage in a unique, guided conversation experience. Inspired by the concept of "36 Questions to Fall in Love," this session is about fostering connection and understanding through open, thoughtful dialogue. Set within the theme of "rituals of care," the goal is for participants to leave with a sense of closeness, empathy, and perhaps even the beginnings of new friendships.

  • A fun game where we will encounter one another in a playful way that acknowledges all the experiences represented in our community. 

  • ‘You Live in a Context’ is an exercise that engages the minutiae of your morning routine with the complex, vast, and interdependent web of people, materials, and history that surrounds it.

  • Trashtag is an environmental grassroots initiative dedicated to raising awareness about Kuwait's outdoors through sustainable, community-based activities and excursions.

  • A throat activation and a journey in opening and utilizing the voice as an innate powerful healing instrument, unblocking and allowing the sound vibrations of the throat to take us on a journey of harmonization and symphony.

  • This activity is designed to explore how everyday ceramic objects—such as mugs, plates, and vases—serve as vessels for community connection and personal care. We will examine the rituals associated with these objects and how they reflect the processes of relationship-building within communities, while also making cool things with our hands!

  • Let your hearts guide you through this simple, childhood nostalgic craft as we discover connections and familiarity through storytelling, and the power of gifting a friendship bracelet to a stranger.

  • Tracing Each Other is an activity that creates a space for you to engage with a stranger in a silence that isn’t awkward. You will draw a portrait of the person in front of you without looking at your own paper—that way, you know that everyone’s drawings will be just as bad as yours. What happens when we slow down in the vulnerable space of encountering another person? What happens when we focus more on their essence than on our representation of them? 

  • Through the use of prompts, a big canvas, some pushpins and a thread, we’re going to map the ways in which the people that we meet and interact with in our lives contribute to our emotional growth. Join us in this thoughtful journey!  

  • Step into a world of warmth and tradition with "Chai & Chill" – an interactive tea journey that invites you to explore the "Rituals of Care" across cultures. Gather around a single table where teas from Pakistan, Kuwait, Japan, Britain, and Kashmir await, each steeped in stories and timeless practices. Craft your own cup, sip slowly, and settle in on a cozy space to engage in soulful conversations. Each tea is a pathway, a moment to connect and savor the unique care that flavors every culture. Join us for a sip, a story, and a shared experience of comfort and connection.

  • A practice aimed to give the participants a space to “let loose”, connect with others and gain tools to handle the many demands of life through laughter, an essential ritual of care. 

  • Through simple origami we’ll fold tiny samosas filled with words to warm the heart. Inspired by the care woven into the rituals of making food for loved ones, we’ll write, fold, and exchange these small parcels of kindness. A gentle gesture to remind us that care is both to be given and received.

  • The Stone Soup is an old children's storybook that illustrates the magic of showing up as a community, starting a humble fire, sharing ingredients, cooking together and eventually celebrating a meal that was made by everyone. Join us in preparing this year's soup, made from all the vegetables and ingredients brought in by participants, while exploring connections through food and engaging in meaningful conversations around memory, taste, culture, comfort and identity.

  • To wrap up a day of community, creativity, and connection, ARTSCENE invites you to join us by the fire for the closing show! We’ll kick things off with a round of Antakshari, a game of shared music and laughter, followed by a Nepali dance performance by Shramik Sanjal. After that, the mic will be open for anyone to share—whether it’s music, poetry, or any other performance. You’ll also enjoy a Samra-inspired set by Yousef Mutawa and Mohammed Ahmed. AWAKEN is all about celebrating expression and connection, and we can’t wait to see what you’ll bring. If you'd like to perform, sign up through the form sent via email or on the day-of.