2008 Manchester Gatherings:

Upcoming gatherings

More events will be announced as they are organised. If you have suggestions for events in Manchester or if you would like to organise an event outside Manchester, please contact us.

Thursday 17th July, 6.30 - 8.00 pm
A woman’s place is in the city! Manchester Women’s Design Group (MWDG) leads an interactive session on gender and the built environment.
MWDG recently canvassed 40 women, most of whom had had never stopped to think before about their gender in relation to the city. On reflection, 75% agreed that women use the urban environment (public buildings, streets and open spaces) differently from men, and 73% thought their town or city felt as though it was designed to meet the needs of “men predominantly”. MWDG is an intergenerational group of volunteers who are interested in the design of the built environment. We are planners, architects, housing officers, community activists, artists, students and retired professionals who want to make towns and cities more reflective of the people who live in and use them. We will be running a fun and interactive workshop to explore some of the main themes with Thinking Women: architecture, planning, power, public art, what needs to change and how we go about it.

Thursday 8th May 6-8pm
Thinkingwomen go tantric
People often think that 'tantra' is just about sex, however there is so much more to it than that.... Sue Newsome and Sarah Robinson from Shakti Tantra run workshops for women that explore the fundamental principles of tantra including techniques to connect and awaken sexual energy. They work through issues that women face around sexuality and what prevents us feeling empowered as sexual beings.

They are coming to thinkingwomen to talk about some of the fundamentals of tantric practice from authenticity to vitality. This should be a fascinating event…

Previous gatherings

Tuesday 4th March 6-8pm
Ethical Shopping: Who Foots the Bill?
Kate Byron, Women Working Worldwide and Ruth Bergan, Homeworkers Worldwide
Guest speaker Rozaline Ivanova (Kaloian – Bulgarian Homeworkers Organisation)
Ethical shopping and fair trade have become familiar terms for shoppers, but what does it really mean and who decides what’s ethical? The supermarkets? The highstreet shops? Consumers? Without involving women workers themselves in the discussions about making the system ethical and hearing what they need, are we ever going to make it fair? In the lead up to International Women’s Day, shouldn’t we let the women at the sharp end of consumerism decide what they need in order to work with dignity, safety and respect. Women Working Worldwide and Homeworkers Worldwide will paint a picture of what it’s like for women across the globe that make up the majority of the low paid work force who work in adverse working conditions to meet the demand of consumers.

Rozalina, will give a first hand account of what it is like to be a homeworker in Bulgaria producing goods for the UK market and her struggle to organise homeworkers and fight for their rights. There will be plenty of time for discussion and questions. We want to hear from you about your experiences and ideas about ethical shopping.

TW Report from the event

Thursday 17th January 6-8pm
What is love?
"We love because it's the only true adventure." Nikki Giovanni
"Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away." Dorothy Parker
"It is not how much you do, but how much Love you put into the doing that matters." Mother Teresa

Mother, country, religion, friends, shopping, sex, phones – what don’t we love? What are the characteristics of love? How do we recognise it? When does it go beyond ‘like’ or ‘fondness’? This session will burrow into the essence of love, by exploring participants own perceptions and ideas about love and how it works for them. We will break into groups to explore core characteristics of different types of love and then come together to look for common threads. From this we can produce a ‘Manifesto of Love’ which will be shared with the media, community, policy makers and Downing Street…;)

While love (or lack of it) might sit at the heart of almost every activity, it is not actually discussed very much. People don’t sit around asking each other, so what is love anyway? Well thinkingwomen are seeking to redress that balance and share our perspective on love with the rest of the world. So come along to share your view and, if possible, bring an object to the session that represents your idea of love…!