The challenge of fragmentation

The first Hearth Summit in Germany is over.

We are done and have learnt a lot. We are grateful for a moving event with many experiences and great guests. We are aware that the process was challenging and we have experienced first-hand that our chosen topic of FRAGMENTATION is highly topical and has a real impact.

We started with the announcement that we would be tackling social fragmentation and exploring how we experience and reproduce it ourselves - on a mental, physical and emotional level. We were able to experience this on all the levels mentioned - together with 120 participants from business, civil society, politics, science, philanthropy and art.

We organised this summit to create a space for reflection on the possibilities of shaping society and with the conviction that we must make current events in the world tangible within ourselves and in connection with each other if we want to bring about real change. The summit was a start to this.

We set out on this journey and also included the lower layers of the iceberg (see graphic). We experienced how challenging it is to hold very different perspectives on society in one room without creating uncertainty - and how much more difficult it is to connect and enter into dialogue on this basis also crystallised at the Summit and fragmented the group. We learnt that creating trust within a group is essential. Common and clear agreements on how we want to be with each other and respecting them without exception are important cornerstones for connection. At times, however, the cohesion of the group was also put to the test.

Artistic interventions by Naima Nazir and Nick Meehan made deep experiences of connection and the pain of separation tangible. Workshops on dying and letting go (with Luka Faradsch and Lukas Geschwind), body and relationship with Christa Cocciole and Maegan Gorbett, speaking and listening with Roman Huber and Claudine Nierth or oppression and marginalisation with Clementine Ewokole Burnley and Flor Fischer enabled further in-depth exploration. The Berlin choir Cantus Domus under the direction of Ralf Sochaczewsky brought fragmentation to life and at the same time made it possible to hear and feel the creation of elements that form a whole.

The Summit was framed by a kick-off discussion on activism and fragmentation with Emilia Roig and Raphael Thelen, who impressively shared their biographical development processes. The summit was rounded off with a joint breakfast and sound spaces designed by Ralf Sochaczewsky and Cantus Domus together with the participants. Individual discussions allowed participants to reflect on their experiences.

The Hearth Summit Berlin was not financially viable (donations are still possible!) - but we will do it again. We will continue to deal openly with these challenges and work on how we can fundamentally shape common futures and how we can do this with great strength and connectedness: in connection with ourselves, in connection with each other and as an integrative part of nature. We conducted an extensive survey for the summit and would like to thank all participants for their open feedback. We will share the feedback and our learning experiences with you in another article.

We are grateful for every element and contribution and for the wonderful collaboration with the global Well Being Project that supported and inspired us in the realisation.