Held to Hold
Welcome to a peaceful parenting & unschooling gathering for parents at Bælatopia on Bornholm (Denmark)!
Parenting comes with SO much joy, healing, beauty – and also many challenges which sometimes weigh heavy on our shoulders or leave us confused.
You are constantly holding space for big emotions, arranging playdates, listening, cooking, 100s of daily “mum/dad, LOOK!!”, gardening, kids activities, hugging little humans, breastfeeding, working through laundry piles, carrying kids and all the other things – which is amazing and sooo important.
And amongst all of this, there is only little room for conversations about yourself. To check in with how YOU are doing. What YOU need right now. What is bubbling, longing, racing, or neglected, growing, waiting, pondering, or challenging inside of you?
As a parent, you are the foundation of our family. You matter. And you cannot pour out of an empty cup.
The more you allow yourself to be held and supported, the more capacities you create to hold and support others. It DOES take a village. ♥️
This is why I created “Held to Hold”.
This gathering is an invitation for you to bring your questions and share where you feel lost or overwhelmed – to feel less alone, to feel held in gentle arms, heard with compassionate ears, seen with loving eyes, or to ask for guidance (or altogether!).
Held to Hold - the details
WHAT: We will have sharing circles guided by me (Rebecca), eat a nourishing vegan soup plus home made sour dough buns for lunch, have snacks and herbal tea/coffee, and finish off with a cozy bonfire (unless it is too windy or rainy). I envision that these are hours where you feel wrapped in a warm hug of togetherness with like-hearted parents, that you get to lighten the load on your chest, and that you get to fill your cup. AND: I am super excited that the gorgeous Nynne from Bælatopia will, at the end of our gathering, share about the vision of their unschooling community in-the-making – for everyone who is longing to live in a few seconds of walking distance to families who, too, raise their kids with slow mornings, in loving connection and presence, and with plenty of space to roam freely.
WHO: For parents who are unschooling or/and are practising peaceful/respectful/conscious/aware parenting, hosted by Rebecca Jean-Charles, peaceful parenting mentor and the woman behind It takes a village and Unschooling Bornholm.
It feels so hard for me to write this (I know this SO much from being a single mum), but for this gathering, I believe it is best if you come without kids. I SO much want create gatherings WITH room for kids (and I have always done so in the past, and am planning to do another gathering next year WITH kids), but in this location and at this time of the year, there is simply no suitable space on the farm that is warm and spacious and safe for kids to be and roam. If you decide to come with children anyway, please keep in mind that it might be challenging due to the lack of optimal space, and that the intention of this gathering is to create room for deep conversations amongst the parents. Of course, if the day should turn out warm and sunny, it might turn out amazing even with and for the kids. Also, there is a rather spacious camper and outdoor spaces that can be used.
For babies, however, I believe this gathering would feel ok in this setting since they often are good with just staying with their parents and don’t crave much space and movement.
WHEN: Saturday, 12th of October. We will meet at 10.30hrs and will be finished around 15.30hrs.
WHERE: At Bælatopia, an old farm close to Allinge which is going to turn into a wonderful unschooling community within the next years. (You will receive the exact address once you sign up.)
Please bring warm clothes and maybe a wool blanket to be warm enough to sit by the fire.
INVESTMENT: 150DKK for one person/200DKK for couples to cover costs for food, material etc.
REGISTRATION: Sign up via the form below and pay to rebecca.jean-charles@proton.me to save your spot.
QUESTIONS? I am just a message away! Send me an e-mail to info@ittakesavillage.se, or send me a DM on social media.
I am SO much looking forward to gather with you!! ♥️
Meet your host!
Hi! My name is Rebecca, I am the woman behind It takes a village and the founder of Unschooling Bornholm, and I am SO excited that you are here!
Already many years before becoming a mother, I turned into a passionate community creator. Since living in multiple countries for many decades, I basically feel like a foreigner and outsider anywhere on the planet, and I noticed early that I was not the only one longing for togetherness – especially when you are different than the majority of people.
When I then became a mum, I right away started this new chapter of my life with a bunch of non-conventional choices such as birthing my children at home AND without any medical staff, co-sleeping with my children, carrying them in slings, not sending them to daycare, breastfeeding them for many years etc.’
So suddenly I was even more different than “just” being a foreigner. More than ever before I felt the need for togetherness with other women who would not only accept me but deeply support and inspire me to follow my heart, even through the most challenging times. And I found them. And they turned into my nourishing, supportive “village”.
I get to be the mama of the most beautiful little adventurers who never have been to any institutions, who share my love for walking barefoot and for indulging in freshly picked berries, for the sea, campfires, baking, gardening, snuggles, amazing friendships across ages and cultures, and exploring different places on this planet. Together, we dream of building our own house with clay, and to grow a big fruit garden.
I also adore islands (incl. Bornholm, of course!), sheep, and I think I might be addicted to underwhelm. (I.e. places where I feel calm and spaciousness, where I can easily see the moon and the stars, places that grow wild flowers, and where I often hear nothing but the sound of birds, waves, or the wind.)
During my years as a mother, I have had my fair share of challenges: from living in women’s shelters to recovering from people-pleasing/self-abondoning; from being a single mum and solo-provider to solving crazy situations while being in the middle of nowhere, off-grid, in the Caribbean rainforest; and many more.
At the same time, I have also been blessed with an infinite abundance of goodness – most of this emerged as a result of my conscious and courageous life choices, and through the amazing humans I get to be close to in my life.
In the early months of becoming a mum, I realised that I wanted to teach my children a whole bunch of the most beautiful values. But that I was not living them myself! This was a wake-up call, and the start of a massive shift in my life. Because I knew that it is not my words that would mainly teach my children, but the way I modelled my values by living them.
And the more I started following my inner compass, the more confident and courageous I felt to continue on this path.
Ever since then, I have had the honour to support many, many parents on their journey. One of my most favourite places to do so is my 1:1 mentorship, my group program ROOTED & FREE which is the most beautiful, deep group mentorship program, my bigger and SO healing community “Together on the Peaceful Parenting & Unschooling Journey”. Because I so much believe that we need WAY more parents who dare to follow their heart. And it is so much easier to follow our hearts when we feel inspired and supported by others who are on a similar journey.
So… once more, a warm invitation to join us for Held to Hold. ♥️ You so much deserve it, and I would LOVE to have you with us!
You also find me here:
…and can meet me at the Raising Together gathering at KU.BE in Copenghagen on the 19th of October!