The Convivial is a not-for-profit community symposium founded by Sophie Craven in 2024. It was inspired by a lecture given by Valentin Gerlier on Ivan Illich’s concept of conviviality at Schumacher College in Devon, during Sophie’s MA Poetics of Imagination at the school.
The Convivial has a set of four core values which guide us as our North Star:
Hospitality
The commitment to showing the hospitality of the mind, body and soul to new ideas. The commitment to be generous and hospitable to speakers as they share their wisdom, thoughts and experience. The commitment to the space and the group as a whole. The commitment to being curious and generative, rather than critical and oblique.
Presence
The commitment to being together in a room and in a moment without distractions. The commitment to honouring the speaker and the gathering with our attention. The commitment to turning off our bloody phones for a few hours!
Shared wisdom
The commitment to sharing wisdom within community and improving access to knowledge for all. The commitment to poking a hole in the institutional and financial barriers to learning. The commitment to equitability and justice.
Imagination
The commitment to imagining new ways of being in the world. The commitment to holding paradox and complexity in our hearts. The commitment to offering portals to whole new worlds!