- Art of Hosting

The Art of Hosting Conversations that Matter – ‘untraining’

How can we playfully navigate the territory between power and participation?

A three-day dialogue on power and participation, and the joy of standing in the not-knowing, hosted by Andrea, Angel, Damien, Kristiana and Nell.

📍 Location: La Ferme du Bois-le-Comte, Belgian Ardennes, Belgium
🗓️ Dates: September 2–4, 2026 (Arrival: September 1, 18:00 | Departure: September 4, 16:00)

Details on how to join and ticket prices

Since the dawn of time – and just as much today – humans have faced a peculiar dynamic. Whenever we gather to solve problems, make decisions, or build together, the same challenges surface: Who gets to speak? Who gets heard? And how do we move forward?

While people have often ignored or struggled with these questions, today, we are inviting them directly into the room.

This is not a new story. It plays out in boardrooms and bedrooms, in families and social movements, in online chats and public squares.

The tension between individual voice and collective wisdom, between leading and following, between knowing and not-yet-knowing, is very present with us here today as we call for this gathering, with the intention of learning how to practise the art of being human together.

We are not here to resolve these tensions, but rather to explore how they show up and how we can work with them. We invite you to join us in living inside them – with a bit more playfulness, joy, and grace than before.

The questions we’re carrying

Have you ever sat in a meeting where one person did all the talking, and everyone in the room knew it, was overwhelmed by it, but no one said anything?

Have you tried to introduce participatory ways of working into your organisation, only to meet a wall?

Have you ever felt that unspoken rules and hidden power dynamics were quietly suffocating the collective wisdom in the room, yet no one dared to name it?

On the other hand:

Have you felt so disengaged from endless discussions that you were okay with someone else deciding for you?

Have you felt moments when hierarchy was actually supportive — creating clarity, containment, or trust in times of uncertainty?

And in general:

What does it truly mean to self-organise?

Have you ever doubted whether real self-organisation is possible, or just a utopian idea that breaks down the moment things get complex?

What are the conditions for “power with” – not “power over” – to emerge?

If any of these questions feel familiar, you might want to join our conversation.

(And if none of them feels familiar, we’d love to know your secret.)

What we’ll be working with

We’ll work with collective intelligence and emergence – the living, unpredictable, sometimes uncomfortable process of what happens when people genuinely think, feel, sense, presence, and act together.

We’ll explore what it means to be present and to truly participate in groups, sitting with the following polarities:

Beginner’s mind	Mastery
Individual voice	Collective wisdom
Participation	Power
Following	Leading
Play	Seriousness
Innovation	Tradition
Chaos	Order

Not to pick one, but to move freely between them, and to discover what each moment truly asks of us.

Why do we call it an ‘untraining’?

This ‘untraining’ starts from a collective inquiry on the theme of power and participation. In order to foster deep collective learning and transformation, guided by experienced hosts, we will explore this theme together while practising, playing, learning and experimenting with participatory methodologies that ultimately serve us in our inquiry.

This means that we want to explore a different relationship to learning, authority and hosting, building on the concept of an unconference: a participant-driven meeting designed to overcome the hierarchical, top-down structure of conventional gatherings. In doing so, we want to return to the origins of the Art of Hosting practice: a passionate group of practitioners coming together to practice, learn, play and experiment in the service of asking better questions and weaving better relationships.

If you have attended Art of Hosting trainings before, you will recognise many of the practices. What may feel different are the roles and power dynamics around them. Expertise is welcome, but it sits in the circle, not above it. Leadership can move. Initiative can come from anywhere. We will practice familiar Art of Hosting methods together while also making space for new approaches conducive to collective intelligence. If you’ve never been to anything like this before – perfect. Your beginner’s mind is not a disadvantage; it might be your greatest gift to the group.

Our starting point is the belief that the required wisdom is already present in the collective. Everyone enters as both learner and contributor, participant and host. Rather than transmitting a fixed body of knowledge, this gathering is an experiment in collective practice, shared responsibility, and emergent learning while being guided in the methodologies by the hosting team.

We want to dance with polarities and power dynamics. Experienced stewards who are present may find themselves learning alongside everyone else. Participants may find themselves hosting meaningful parts of the process. The design of these three days is not fixed in stone; it will evolve through the questions, tensions, needs, and contributions of us all. The space is held, but held lightly enough for the unexpected to shape it.

This is why we call it an untraining. Not because there is no learning, and not because there is no structure, but because we want to move away from the implicit separation between those who know and those who receive knowledge. We come together not primarily to be taught, but to practice hosting together, witness how power moves and learn from what unfolds between us.

What will we dive into?

Dialogue and conversational patterns/methods:

Gain hands-on practice with core participatory frameworks (like Circle Practice, World Café, and Open Space) that break through resistance and turn draining meetings into energising ones.

Designing for emergence (and letting go of the script):

Discover how to hold an agenda that is structured enough to be safe, yet flexible enough to capture the unpredictable brilliance of the group.

Dancing with polarities:

Gain practical experience holding the tension between individual voice and collective wisdom, tradition and innovation, order and chaos, or play and seriousness – without needing to pick one.

Conscious power navigation:

Learn to identify unspoken rules and hidden power dynamics in a room, and practice shifting from “power over” to a joyful, generative “power with.”

Powerful sense-making (“Harvesting”):

Learn how to capture the insights, decisions, and unsaid feelings in a room, transforming a good conversation into tangible, actionable momentum.

Who is this for?

New to collective intelligence

You’ve never encountered these practices or the Art of Hosting before. You arrive with fresh eyes and genuine questions – and we will learn from you as much as you learn from us.

A seasoned practitioner

You’ve seen these approaches work, and you’ve seen them fail. You’re ready to go deeper – and to question what you thought you knew.

Someone who leads or facilitates

You carry the weight of making spaces work for others. Come and set that role down for a bit. Let yourself be hosted and create room for joy and play.

Anyone navigating power

Which is to say: anyone alive. Anyone who works with others, lives with others, or has ever sat in a room and wondered whether their voice truly mattered. We invite you to come, explore, play, host and be hosted.

A word on power

Power isn’t a problem to be solved or a villain to be defeated. It’s an energy – one that moves through every gathering, every organisation, every conversation. The question is not whether power will be present (it will), but whether we can learn to work with it consciously, generously, and even joyfully. Recognise it, keep it, share it or pass it along as needed.

We’re interested in “power with” rather than “power over” – and in the surprisingly playful territory between the two. We’ll ask: where does joy live in our relationship with power? What happens when participation itself becomes a source of strength?

And we start with ourselves. As the hosting team is small, European, white, and middle-class, we are aware that our specific background may limit our perspective on power and participation. We cannot facilitate a conversation about power while pretending our own dynamics don’t exist. The same questions we invite you to explore – around race, gender, class, and privilege – are the ones we are actively inviting and navigating within our own team. We don’t have the answers, but we are committed to looking at them.

Come as you are. Come as a beginner. Come with your questions.

If your curiosity is sparked, you can find our sign-up form here, with all details related to pricing, accommodation types inside.

Come and find out what an untraining is.

Some practical information:

Date & location

We look forward to welcoming you at the beautiful location of La Ferme du Bois-le-Comte, an oasis of peace and quiet, tucked away in the forests of the Belgian Ardennes. On 10 hectares of land, cultivated using the principles of permaculture, The farmhouse was built in the 19th century, ecologically renovated and routinely welcomes groups in their beautiful, spacious rooms and outdoor areas. Here we will be served local, organic, mostly vegan food. Read more about the place on their website.

The untraining will take place from 2-4 September 2026. Arrival will be on the evening of the 1st of September from 6 pm onwards. Departure will be at 16:00 on the 4th of September. After registration and payment, you will receive a Welcome Package with practical information on how to get to the location, carpooling options, some preparatory material, and any other information you may still need to attend the untraining.

Ticket Prices

We, as a hosting team, are organising this event pro bono, meaning we don’t make any profit out of it, because we mainly want this event to reach the people that feel called to it, without finances being a barrier.

However, not everyone has the same financial means, and to make the event as accessible as possible, we offer different pricing levels.

The average cost for participation is 485 euros per person. Below you will find some suggested ticketing tiers to respond to a range of financial needs.

We invite you to be mindful of keeping the event sustainable when choosing your tier.

We remain available to have a conversation about it.

If an employer pays for your ticket, we kindly ask you to choose the corresponding ticket tier.

1. ACCESSIBLE TICKET – €300 + VAT

Designed for participants facing financial barriers.

Accommodation: Dormitory (3 or 4 people)

2. STANDARD TICKET (At Cost)

Reflects the per-person cost of the retreat.

Dormitory (3 or 4 people): €400 + VAT
Double room: €500 + VAT
Single room: €600 + VAT

3. BENEFACTOR/CORPORATE TICKET – €750 + VAT

Covers your participation and contributes directly to the accessibility fund, enabling the Supported tier.

Accommodation: Single Room

What’s included in your stay:

Full access to the three-day interactive program and all collaborative spaces.
Three nights of on-site accommodation at the eco-renovated farmhouse.
All meals, coffee, and tea, featuring local, organic, and mostly vegan food sourced directly from the land.
(Please note: Transportation to and from the venue is arranged independently).

To maintain full transparency, a complete budget breakdown will be shared during the event.

Meet your hosts

Nell Lenoir (she/they)
Belgium

Sociocultural facilitator and interdisciplinary artist based in Belgium. I like to create spaces for listening, collective intelligence, and embodied emergence, leading circles, participatory workshops, and visual harvesting processes that blend artistic practices with collaborative methods.

Shaped by volunteering, residencies and collaborative projects across Europe in my late teens and early twenties — experiences that helped me adapt to context and people — I’ve supported teachers and young people in prevention work and facilitated art-based mediation with high-school students. Now, I focus on participatory art and co-created community projects that center nature and inclusion, challenge patriarchal discourses and foster spaces of repair.

I weave play, storytelling and visual facilitation into processes that surface personal and collective narratives to support care, empowerment and social transformation.

Ángel Almendros Salerno (any/all)
Spain / Italy / Luxembourg / Belgium

I am drawn to understanding how people connect, listen, and organise together. With a foundational background in psychology and group dynamics, I look for ways to bring a gentle, human-centred approach to teamwork. I believe that the heart of any project lies in creating a space where people feel safe to share their perspectives and find a common path forward.

My path has led me through a wide variety of environments. I have spent some years supporting volunteer networks, engaging with my local communities, and navigating European public policy. It was during my time working inside the European Commission on local energy sustainability files that I noticed a persistent gap : despite the well-meaning goals, formal bureaucratic systems often suffer from deep friction and communication inefficiencies where people struggle to truly talk to one another. This motivated me to look to the sides of formal governance and explore how non-formal education can restore genuine connection.

I first discovered the Art of Hosting in Sweden, where the practice immediately resonated with my desire for open, authentic dialogue. Since then, I have woven these methodologies into my daily life and work in Brussels, and I am currently part of the five-person team hosting the 2026 Belgium edition.

Kristiana Stoyanova (she/her)
Bulgaria / Belgium

As a strategist, weaver, and facilitator, I support people and organisations navigating complex environments and wicked problems. I am known for fostering unlikely connections, hosting meaningful conversations, and helping people move forward – together.

Over the past ten years, I have worked with diverse stakeholders, including the United Nations, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, political actors, international NGOs, and foundations tackling complex social and environmental challenges. I bring courage, compassion, and cooperation into everything I do.

I was first a participant in AoH training in 2020 at the European Commission, where the training is known as ‘Participatory Leadership’. Recently, I have been part of the hosting teams for AoH in Belgium, Bulgaria, and Karlskrona (Sweden).

Andrea Van Acker (she/her)
Belgium

I love to be in places where dialogue seems difficult, questions seem too hard to answer, and people struggle to relate to one another. I am interested in how generative listening, systems perspectives and interpersonal skills can reshape how we live and work together in complexity, and in combining insights from my Buddhist practice with systems change theory for peaceful change processes.

In a previous career, I worked as an investigative journalist in the Middle East and Central Asia, always on the lookout for the slow, very human stories that connect us all, rather than divide. This desire to search for “that which connects” has been the driving force in all my decisions since, including a recent relocation to Brussels where many different worlds and worldviews meet. Over the past few years, I have specialised in participatory research informing European and national climate policy. I have led co-creation and participatory processes in government, research institutions, industry, municipalities and with citizen groups in the fields of climate adaptation, circular economy and just transitions toward a carbon-neutral world.

I first encountered the Art of Hosting in 2022 in Sweden, and have been a dedicated practitioner ever since because it embodies the values I live by daily. Since, I incorporate the tools and practices in work settings, in families and in group processes. I am also a Flow Game Host, meditation group facilitator, food-forest gardener and Ashtanga Yoga teacher.

Damien Versele (he/him)
Belgium

When I encountered the Art of Hosting and Harvesting Meaningful Conversations in 2016, it fundamentally transformed my approach to leadership. It became an operating system for fostering collaboration and focusing on what truly matters within the mental health organization I was leading.

Today, Art of Hosting is at the heart of my work as a learning architect and deep change practitioner. It serves as the foundation for how I design and facilitate processes in complex organizational environments.

I support networks, teams, and organizations in navigating complexity, building trust, strengthening participation, and translating dialogue into collective action in ways that are both grounded and regenerative.

Based in Belgium I work internationally in French, English, and Dutch

Art of Hosting

and harvesting conversations that matter