be servants of the world of education, choreographers of hope, tireless seekers of wisdom, credible creators of expressions of beauty. (Pope Leo, 2025)
Since our inception in 2016, we have pioneered a new paradigm and pedagogy for faith based organisation which responds to the crises shaping people, communities, institutions and society at large. We have done this through a wide range of commissions and pioneering research in the UK, USA and Europe - find out more about this through our Gatherings and Recommendations. We can now offer this expertise through a range of short courses which include those listed below. Our first short course offer was delivered in September 2023 for lay leaders across Greater Manchester seeking to respond to the climate crisis - to learn about that course go over to 2023 Gatherings. For more on our latest offers, follow the links below, to learn how to access these courses, pricing structures, and more.
Radical Hope Short Course - This course has been born out of 15 years of lived experience and professional practice which has led to an international search for Radical Hope launched at the Inner Temple in April 2025. In this course, you will understand and be able to define the terms radical and hope, in the context of some basic theories and concepts that make Radical Hope applicable to your everyday contexts. You will understand important historical contexts and cases studies that will locate this course as a process for personal and shared transformation. You will understand the impact of Radical Hope for responding to the different crises shaping society today, how to begin to map the meanings that are shaping the spaces you are occupying, and you will understand some proposed solutions and equip yourself for our world in an era of poly-crisis.
Being Human in a Liminal Age Short Course - In 2010 my world was turned on its head in a deeply ordinary way. In the 15 years that followed I went on an intentional journey to learn what it meant to be human; made in the image of God, and to find my way in the world. This journey comprised a series of 'rites of passage' which I came to characterise as 'living with liminality'. In this course, you will understand and be able to define the term liminality and receive some basic theories and concepts that open up the question of what it is to be human in a liminal age. This course is for all ages, but it is especially for those who have left full time education and are seeking to find their way into the world - typically this will mean you are aged between 18 and 30. During this course, you will consider cases studies of living with liminality, that will help you make sense of your own context, and how to become more fully human, made in the image of God. You will understand the importance of this for responding to the different crises shaping society today, how to begin to map the liminal spaces you are occupying, and you will understand some proposed solutions and equip yourself for growing up in an era of poly-crisis.
Radical Reconciliation Short Course - In his narrative poem Inferno Dante attributes the 9th circle of hell to betrayers. Yet, leading Peace and Reconciliation scholar John Paul Lederach is quoted as saying "you are not truly initiated into reconciliation work until you have been betrayed by those who are closest to you". This course will explore the context in which we are living today, experiences of betrayal and responses to them, and what it means to engage in radical reconciliation work which is known by its fruits. This course is based on a retreat which was first delivered at Coventry Cathedral in November 2025, which has a global reputation for reconciliation work and a history of reconciliation work which is almost as old as Dante's poem.
Transformational Leadership Short Course - This Short Course will set out and explore the Curating Spaces of Hope approach to leadership and its applications to the context of poly-crisis that is defining our era. During this course, you will develop your own preliminary diagnosis of the poly-crisis, receive an introduction to Curating Spaces of Hope, and work through an initial application of the approach that you can take away. This short course draws on 1) the 15 year journey, practice and pedagogy set out in Curating Spaces of Hope: Transformational Leadership for Uncertain Times, 2) A Transformational Leadership Masterclass that was delivered through Virginia Theological Seminary in 2025 to leaders from California to Connecticut.
Communicating Radical Hope in an era of poly-crisis Short Course - This course has emerged following the international conference, Communicating Radical Hope in an era of poly-crisis at the Inner Temple in April, 2025, which explored critical questions relating to how faith based organisations communicate hope in an era of poly-crisis. This marquee gathering was inspired by the 15 year journey set out in Curating Spaces of Hope: Transformational leadership for Uncertain Times. In this course, you will understand the basic ways in which hope might be defined for communicating it into the public square and why that is significant for your stakeholders. You will learn about 5 different contexts from which hope is emerging: struggle, ecology, co-creation, experimentation and leadership, and how to use those to reimagine the story of your organisation, your comms strategy and messaging. You will receive some basic theories and concepts to shape your communications practice and you will understand the impact they can have for engaging your stakeholders and responding to the different crises shaping society today. You will also gain access to the Authentic Communication Charter.
Reimagining responses to the Climate Crisis Short Course - Over the last 15 years, Spaces of Hope has emerged as a new paradigm for conceiving of, mapping and finding hope within our environments. This short course will introduce you to that paradigm and help you understand how it can help you to reimagine responses to the climate crisis. You will be able to define key terms for engaging with the climate crisis, and learn some basic theories and concepts that make the climate crisis applicable to your everyday contexts. You will understand important historical contexts and cases studies that will locate this course as a process for personal action in response to a global crisis. You will also understand the significance of responding to he climate crisis as one of many crises shaping society today. This course will include green political theory developed from our work with a global thought leader in environmental politics, a case study of professional practice in DR Congo, and a case study of community work in former mining community in north west England. These materials have also been developed through experience of pioneering an Eco-Transformation programme across Greater Manchester, delivering a community learning process at the Laudatory Si Centre in Salford, and delivering scholarly work to the Laudato Si Institute at the University of Oxford.
Co-creating responses to Poverty and Inequality Short Course - Over 1 in 5 people (approx. 14.3 million) in the UK live in poverty. Child poverty affects 3 in 10 children and wealth inequality is severe, with the top 10% holding 57% of wealth, while the bottom 50% hold less than 5%. In this short course, you will understand and be able to define key terms relating to poverty and inequality, and learn some basic theories and concepts that will help you respond to poverty and inequality in your context. You will understand important historical contexts and cases studies for poverty and inequality in the UK, with specific case studies from statistically the most depressed community in the UK and the city of Liverpool, which is the UK's 3rd most deprived city in the UK. You will understand how to begin mapping your contexts, and you will understand some proposed solutions and equip yourself for co-creating responses in your own context. This course was developed in one of the cities that pioneered the Marmot City designation and is rooted in research with city leaders, institutions, community leaders and those with lived experiences of poverty and inequality.
Faith Based Organisations and Social Policy Short Course - In 2020 Spaces of Hope was acknowledge as a paradigm shift in understanding of Faith Based Organisation from the one established by Robert Putnam, the Harvard Professor who pioneered social capital theory and authored Making Democracy Work, Bowling Alone, American Grace and The Upswing. In this course, you will understand and be able to define the terms faith based organisation in the context of some basic theories and concepts that shape the landscape for their place in UK society today. You will understand important historical contexts and cases studies that will locate faith based organisations in the post-World-War-Two welfare landscape in Great Britain. You will understand the impact faith based organisations can have in responding to the different crises shaping society post-pandemic, and you will understand some proposed ways of reimagining faith based organisations and their role and significance, for our era of poly-crisis.
Era Defining: Liminality, Transition, Rupture and Crises Short Course - In 2025, Pope Francis wrote that what we are experiencing is "not an era of change, but a change of era". What did he mean by this and how do we relate it to the way we live? In this course, you will understand and be able to define terms for the changing nature of the spaces we are living in; liminality, transition, rupture, and crises, along with some basic theories and concepts for defining the era we live in. You will learn to ground these terms by making them applicable to your everyday contexts. You will understand important historical contexts and cases studies that will locate this course as a process for personal and shared transformation. You will also understand the significance of this new era for responding to the different crises shaping society today. This is a course rooted in an internationally recognised paradigm for organising the social, material and spiritual content and expression of our lives, and relies on rigorous multi-disciplinary research and practice developed with both community members with lived experience of crisis and senior leaders in the UK and USA.
An introduction to Radical Living Short Course - In this course, you will understand and be able to define terms for radical living in an era of poly-crisis, along with some basic theories and concepts for mapping your road ahead. You will learn to apply radical living through reflections on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew, 5-7), which was Jesus' first sermon which set out the scope of his ministry to come. You will also learn how to begin process of radical living in your own contexts and understanding important historical contexts and cases studies that will locate this course as a process for personal and shared transformation. You will also understand the significance of radical living for responding to the different crises shaping society today. This course is rooted in more than 100 gatherings with approaching 2000 participants from the last 10 years, and draws on internationally recognised research and practice.
Embracing Differences: Finding hope in an Age of Division Short Course - Aesop (620-560 BC) the famous Greek Fabulist said, "United we stand, divided we fall" . This feels hopelessly true today, but need not be the case. Our belief is that if you can learn to embrace differences, you can find hope and ultimately overcome division. In this course, you will understand and be able to define terms for embracing differences, along with some basic theories and concepts for applying this idea in an age of division and crisis. You will learn to apply this meta thinking to a process of seeing differently, and curating spaces in your own contexts. You will deepen understanding of important historical contexts and cases studies for embracing differences, that will locate this course as a process for personal and shared transformation. You will also understand the significance of embracing differences for responding to the different crises shaping society today. This course is rooted in more than 100 gatherings with approaching 2000 participants from the last 10 years, and draws on internationally recognised research and practice.