Your presence
From passive consumption to active Co-Creation
Touch&Play from its inception has been based on questions rather than answers. We don’t pretend to know what it is that you want or need nor what you will actually take with you from your time with us.
We frame out spaces as being both Experimental and Experiential and invite you to be the principal author of your journey. Through that lens we give the opportunity to contribute to and enrich the journeys of those around you. We form an (a)temporal and interdependent community where all our thoughts, feelings and actions are woven together in a rich relational web.
How do you want to show up in this tribe and what do you want to offer? How do you want to participate and what would you like to contribute?
As you immerse yourself and become familiar with our practices and culture, you will see many ways of adding your flavour.
Perhaps you feel called to join our Soothe & Care Team, host a booth at the Exploratorium, or perform at the Performance night. Maybe you feel energised and decide to sign up for an extra chore or collaborate in building up a community Ritual.
You might have skills that you feel would benefit the community, you can offer a workshop as a community contribution, host a discussion meal, or organise an encounter with an affinity group.
The ways of stepping up are many and you get to feel into how you weave yourself in. There are many ways to step up and become involved, and we encourage you to explore how you can best integrate yourself into this vibrant community.
We welcome everyone to step in.
We aren’t just creating an event to come experience, Touch&Play cultivates community. It takes all of us stepping-in to co-create a safer inspiring space. This retreat is also more enriched and enlivened by what we all weave into it. Everyone even, if is not holding a role, will be invited to take care of the spaces with signing for cleaning shifts or by simple spontaneous caring acts. We also will be inviting you to consider stepping-in in other ways. Some of which are explained below.
As well it is appreciated that you contribute with your action it is well appreciated to contribute with your loving presence, taking care of yourself and your energy.
Action, speaking and giving are as precious as observing, listening and receiving.
Community Offering, Affinity Group, Meal discussion, Cleaning shifts, support in building a communal ritual, Exploratorium, Performance night, Soothe & Care team
Caring
Offer support and feel supported
Embrace the opportunity to both provide and receive support within the Touch&Play community.
Touch&Play can be an intense and introspective experience. While it is not a therapeutic space and we kindly request all participants to arrive prepared to manage their own triggers, there are ample opportunities within this pulsating environment to connect, feel supported, and extend your support to others.
SOOTHE&CARE TEAM
When you register you will be asked if you want to be part of the Soothe & Care team.
In order to create a safer container we invite volunteers (participants, teachers) to form part of the Sooth&Care team. This means contributing a little of your time supporting participants in processing their experiences by (e.g. co-regulation, deep listening, being present, finding a container for emotional release). As part of the Sooth & Care team you will need to attend a short pre-festival briefing onsite by the Soothe & Care Team Lead(s) in the afternoon the festival starts. During the festival you will meet once or twice as a team to share your observations and experience of the group. The commitment to the role doesn’t require much times and it is flexible so it aligns with your own needs and boundaries. Within the team you’re mutually supporting each other and it’s a lovely way to bring your contribution.
PEACE COUNCIL
We come with such diverse backgrounds and we go deep into interpersonal exploration that eventually consent and conflict more broadly can arise.
In case some interpersonal support is needed during the event we have conflict support and mediation.
More about the Peace Council
The Peace Council is one of the structures that cultivates the culture of welcome and care that Touch&Play wishes to create. The Council deals with interpersonal conflicts between participants, teachers and/or organizers. A major part of its work is dealing with consent issues and the fallout caused by them. Depending on the size and location of the retreat, the councils are made up by the core organizers, a Touch&Play Global representative and an onsite team lead. The Peace Council leads are normally professionals in the field of mediation, restorative justice and/or crisis management. It is their role to gather and centralize relevant information on conflicts and consent concerns or violations, directly or through the Soothe & Care Team. They will evaluate how to support the parties involved in and affected by the conflict with an emphasis on self-responsibility, de-escalation and restorative justice. The full council is responsible for deciding on and implementing larger action such as the continued participation at the event of any given individual. The council is there to support the integrity of the container so that we may hold the complexity and edges of what we come to explore together. It is part of Touch&Play’s mission to seed peace in the world.
MEDICAL & EMERGENCY SUPPORT TEAM
When you register please let us know if you are a medical doctor/counselor/therapist/first aid trained or crisis intervention specialist and are open to being contacted by an organizer during the festival in case of an emergency.
Inclusivity
T&P has its origins in a fundamental questioning of current social structures and has consistently engaged in essential conversations regarding themes that were once buried in the depths of our social construct, yet are increasingly surfacing and demanding attention. T&P is dedicated to dismantling oppressive systems, acknowledging our own blind spots, and actively participating in the collective journey towards awareness. We are committed to growing together, fostering a deep heart connection and bringing intellect to the table in order to propose new ways of existence. Our focus encompasses LGBTQ+ issues, gender dynamics, power structures, parenthood, age inclusivity, our elder population, neurodiversity, and diverse functional abilities.
Specifically in T&P Mexico, we are acutely aware of the implications of race, language, culture, gentrification, colonization, and varying economies. Our goal is for T&P Mexico to establish deeper roots in this land and community, transforming as needed to address the pertinent issues of this particular Latin American community in Mexico, especially in Oaxaca and Zipolite.
We offer discounted tickets to the Latin American population. Although we expect the event will be primarily conducted in English, we aspire to maintain a predominantly bilingual (English and Spanish) team and a well-organized community translation into Spanish to ensure language doesn’t limit anyone attending. We hope that the exchange of cultures enriches us and contributes to our collective growth, celebrating the diversity among us and fostering a spirit of mutual learning.
Self-regulation
Self-regulation is a key aspect of the Touch&Play experience, which can be wonderfully intense.
At Touch&Play, we, collectively, create a supportive environment for intense and transformative experiences. While the container offers structures and a culture of support, we do expect participants to bring the gift of self-regulation.
In order to come it’s essential that you can handle your own emotions and triggers. In other words, you should be able to regulate yourself and deal with what comes up during the explorations.
Is this a therapeutic space?
No. Touchandplay is a transformative space, often with therapeutic qualities, but it’s important to clarify that it is not therapy or it is not a substitute for professional therapy.
To attend Touch&Play, it’s essential that you can self-regulate physically and emotionally.
Touch&Play is an experience of inquiry, liberation, and self-discovery for people who want to grow within a community of like-minded individuals, while improving their relationships.
Is this an event for me?
This is an intimate body event. It is suitable for those who have the ability to self regulate their emotions and are comfortable with and have some understanding of sexy environments.
If you are dealing with significant levels of trauma (specifically sexual or relational) or PTSD this may not be the event for you.