Blog

Posted on

Befriending your stressed-out nervous system

(12+)

with Esther Townshend

Do you ever feel like your body is fighting against you? Are you often feeling burnt out or stressed without knowing how to feel better? These signs could actually be your body giving you important messages about how to feel better! This workshop will discuss strategies for better understanding your body’s signals, and how to use these practices to release stress and calm your body and yourself.

about the facilitator

Esther Townshend is a writer, organizer, peacemaker, disturber of the peace, Gestalt psychotherapy student, and nature lover. Since a concussion in 2018, she has been learning to live well with a finicky nervous system. Her favourite stress relief practices include yoga, singing, walks by the lake, tea and chocolate.

Posted on

Dancing for self care

(all ages)

with Sheilagh McGlynn (she/her)

Activists of all types are at risk of burning out – we have high hopes, strong expectations, and passionate feelings! If this sounds like you or someone you know, experience this practice of tending to our needs in physical exploration, so that we can keep working for change in our world. We will move to music in ways that energize and as a meditation – sometimes a very vibrant meditation! Bodies and mobility forms of all types are welcome. You may find laughter, tears, and joy through your expression as you build your resiliency and capacity.

about the facilitator

Sheilagh is the Anglican Church of Canada’s Animator for Youth Ministries. Prior to her current position, she worked at the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund as their Youth and Young Adult program staff. She is former staff with the Student Christian Movement. She feels passionate about working for justice as a form of spiritual expression. She is also a Registered Psychotherapist, a JourneyDance and Nia instructor – working with people to get out of their brains and into their bodies. When she isn’t working, you might find her dancing, cooking in her kitchen or riding her bike along the Martin Goodman Trail.

colourful image announcing workshop titled dancing for self care. portrait style picture
Posted on

Ticket Sales Open

We are so excited to open registration for Cahoots 2024 – join us!

First – register via the Google Form.

Second – pay through CanadaHelps.

Third – tag, shouldertap, or email someone and get them to join you!

Please consider your financial situation when choosing whether you select a sliding scale ticket, a full price ticket, or make an additional donation. We make a limited number of below-cost tickets available. Cahoots is a volunteer-run festival and everyone attending in any capacity has the same right to access a ticket at whatever price point they can afford.

All tickets include food, lodging, and any workshop materials. You should be able to participate in the festival without bringing any money along (although you may wish to bring cash in case a crafter is selling wares). All prices are CAD.

Family tickets are designed to be accessed by 1-2 adults with 2 or more children or youth who they are legally responsible for (depending on the age and size of your group it may be cheaper to buy individual tickets).

  • Adult (18+) – $170
  • Youth (13-17) – $140
  • Child (3-12) – $80
  • Baby (0-2) – free
  • Sliding Scale A-E – limited supply of tickets from $0 to $100
  • Family ticket – $515

Posted on

Save the Date! 2024

The Cahoots festival will return, May 23 – 26 at Pearce Williams camp. We would love to see you there and we hope you’ll bring a story, skill, or song to share.

Before that, we’ll have a special Thanksgiving fundraiser meal gathering in Toronto with our friends from the In This Together network who work towards queer and trans inclusion in the Anabaptist church community. Please save the date – October 5, doors open at 6pm

Posted on

Be blessed, you blessings!

We gathered around and amongst the fires of Pentecost, speaking the languages of craft, company, care, cuisine, laughter, listening, and love.

Thank you for the gift of Cahoots 2023!

The Core Organizers will take a break until the autumn, but until then we crave your feedback to help us know ‘what to repeat, what to repent’. Make a cup of ginger tea and give us your feedback.

Next year we will reconvene for more faith, justice, and do-it-yourself. Are you ready to lead a workshop session? Is there someone you want to hear from? Or is there a skill you can teach yourself in these months ahead which you can teach us next year?

Session proposals will open in the autumn, and in January 2024 we’ll gather to sift the proposals and design the festival. Please be thinking about what you’d like to share! Sign up for the email list and follow us on Instagram and Facebook to get the invitation to propose something.

If you’re interested in joining us as an organizer, let us know through the feedback form. We only ask that you’ve already participated in a Cahoots festival, and that you have some organizing skills you are excited to share and develop.

Until then – peace, power, and righteousness! <3

Posted on

To Cancel or Not to Cancel?

(16+)

with Isaiah Ritzmann

Cancelling, shunning, social boycotting – call it what you will, this tactic for accountability has gone mainstream over the last decade. As the practice has grown it has attracted both controversy and confusion. Is it ethical? Is it effective? This workshop explores cancelling as one tool within our social change toolbox & considers the right contexts for its use. By looking at its history of use both within liberation struggles and religious communities we navigate the tricky questions about how to use social boycotts in morally unproblematic and strategically mindful ways.

about the facilitator

Isaiah Ritzmann (he/him) has been part of the Cahoots “extended family” since the inception of the festival in 2014. A facilitator of community-based learning on sustainability, democracy, & degrowth in Kitchener, Ontario (Haldimand Tract), he also helps coordinate a home-based hospitality network called Open Homes that serves newly arrived refugee claimants. A deep believer that effective nonviolent strategies exist that can help us avoid climate catastrophe, he is excited to explore these in conversation with others.

promotional image for a workshop at a radical festival called cahoots. the picture is of a male presenting person with a light beard and glasses, and the title - to cancel or not to cancel - is made to look like a rainbow
Posted on

Creative Movement

with Jubilene Brewster-Wild

In this workshop, we will explore the various ways that movement can be created. Participants will work together or alone and use verbal and written prompts to discover their own movement style. After creating a short phrase of movements, we will select certain moves from everybody’s piece and weave them together to create a group dance. No experience required!

about the facilitator

Jubilene is a grade 12 dance major at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. She enjoys trying new dance styles and learning from choreographers in contemporary dance circles.

promotional image for a workshop at a radical festival called cahoots. the picture is of a female presenting girl jumping in the air and the title - creative movement - is made to look like a rainbow
Posted on

Oracular Poetry: Listening to Your Inner Wisdom

(12+)

with Jonathon Reed

Join Jonathon for one of the most captivating arts-based activities he ever experienced as part of Partners for Youth Empowerment: the simultaneously mystical and realist mini art project called oracular poetry. Participants will work mostly independently but also with partners to reflect on a big question they want answered through the workings of their spirit and creativity. You don’t need to be good at poetry, but you should be open to reflecting and thinking to yourself while instrumental music plays in the background. See you at the oracle!

about the facilitator

Jonathon has a BEd and MEd and works as Youth Program Manager with a national organization called Next Gen Men. He has a thousand years of experience working with kids and just as much love.

promotional image for a workshop at a radical festival called cahoots. the picture is of the facilitator, male presenting, and the title - oracular poetry - is made to look like a rainbow
Posted on

CPJ’s Advocacy Toolkit for Non-Partisan Political Advocacy

(12+)

with Natalie Appleyard + Rena Namago

Want to be empowered to influence policy and legislation in Canada? Join us for a dynamic, interactive workshop where you will learn how to make your voice heard in the political arena! We will be using Citizens for Public Justice’s Advocacy Toolkit as our guide: a comprehensive resource designed to help you influence policy and legislation in Canada through effective and non-partisan advocacy. You will learn about various methods of advocacy, when to use each, and how to craft a powerful message that makes an impact. While we will primarily focus on advocacy related to poverty, refugee & migrant rights, and climate justice at the federal level, the principles and strategies covered in this session can be applied to any issue or level of government. Whether you’re a seasoned advocate or just starting out, this workshop is the perfect opportunity to learn and grow!

about the facilitators

Rena is the Public Justice Intern at Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ). She is co-authoring a chapter in CPJ’s upcoming book discussing refugee and migrant rights through an anti-oppressive lens. Natalie (she/her) is the Socio-Economic Policy Analyst at CPJ. She grew up and lives today in the unceded and unsurrendered lands of the Algonquin Anishinaabeg People. She feels a strong connection to these lands and a deep gratitude for the people who have cared for them since time immemorial. She now shares her love for the outdoors with her husband and two children.

promotional image for a workshop at a radical festival called cahoots. the picture is of the two facilitators, female presenting, and the title is made to look like a rainbow
Posted on

Cookie Mining: How the Canadian Mining Industry Is Destroying the Planet and What We Can Do About It

with Dean Dettloff + Emily Lukasik + Kiegan Irish + Luke Stocking

Mining and extractives are some of the most dangerous industries for land defenders and the environment around the world. Around 75% of mining companies are headquartered in Canada! This hands-on workshop starts with ‘Cookie Mining’, an easy all-ages activity that illustrates mining’s impact on land and homes. Then the group will split off into deeper, age-appropriate discussions about mining, its impacts on communities (especially in the Global South), and what people of faith can do about it in Canada.

about the facilitators

Dean is the Central Ontario Animator for Development and Peace, a section editor at Geez Magazine, and adjunct faculty at the Institute for Christian Studies. He is also co-host of The Magnificast, a podcast about Christianity and leftist politics, and has a cool story about Christian anarchists making short shorts out of roadkill. Emily is the East Ontario Animator for Development and Peace and a professional stage actor. She is a master crafter and knows a lot about making buttons and screen-printed tees. Kiegan is the West Ontario Animator for Development and Peace. He has worked in frontline services for unhoused people. He can play guitar and knows a lot about niche mid-00s hardcore music. Luke is the Public Engagement Director for Development and Peace and a columnist for the Catholic Register. He is also really good at Bananagrams.

promotional image for a workshop at a radical festival called cahoots. the picture is of a mining organization and the title is made to look like a rainbow
Copyright © 2024 . All rights reserved.