Welcome to the Work That Reconnects Network
We are a global community of Work That Reconnects facilitators, emerging facilitators and people inspired by the Work That Reconnects (WTR) who are weaving connections, uplifting creative expressions of the Work and collaborating in service to the Great Turning.
What is the Work That Reconnects?
The Work That Reconnects is a collection of concepts and practices created to support those who are aware of the many complex challenges in the world and who may feel overwhelmed, burnt out or isolated. The Work provides a progression through the natural path of emotions by calling and acknowledging them from a place of re-connection with ourselves, each other and the world.
Based on Deep Ecology, Systems Thinking and non-dualistic spirituality, as well as wisdom and practices coming from many traditions from peoples around the world, the Work has evolved from its roots as “Despair and Empowerment Work” in the early 70’s to a powerful and comprehensive body of work used by individuals and groups that include Extinction Rebellion, Deep Adaptation, Pachamama Alliance, Global Ecovillage Network, the Transition Movement and many others.
The concept and original practices were developed and tested by the root teacher, Joanna Macy, a deep ecologist herself and Buddhist scholar who started this work with groups of anti-nuclear activists in the early 1970’s.
Since its beginnings, the Work has spread globally through facilitators and practitioners who have read the foundational books, created communities of practice and facilitated study circles, workshops and retreats. The Work is now being practiced on every continent and in more than 100 countries of the world and in many languages.
The WTR is open source. This means that anyone who feels called and has experienced the Work as a participant can facilitate WTR. Although there are many ways of learning about facilitating the Work and strengthening your skills as a WTR facilitator, certification is not required. It also means that the Work can be adapted to meet the needs of each community and each moment.
We encourage you to experience the Work for yourself by participating in one (or more) of the many events offered by our Facilitator Members.
Now that you’ve found us, we invite you to become a Community Member of the WTR Network and subscribe to our newsletter. As a Community Member, you can appear on our Network Map & Directory and will be able to join the community forum, where you can interact with others, ask questions and start projects.