Reflections from our 'reading week'
This year, we had the Reading week at the beginning of September 2026, and here is what some of our team members have been doing.
From time to time, our team comes together and decides to take a breath and pause operational work, and have a dedicated time for some explorations, inspiration, looking around and within, and reconnecting to our inner North Star.
We call this a 'gentle reading week', or a regenerative break, and we usually schedule it after holidays, either summer or winter, when everything is a bit calmer and low-vibrancy anyway. Here is the one from February 2022, summing up the 'making space' for ourselves.
Transition Network international
This initiative is designed as a living-systems approach to organizational health, allowing team members to transition softly back from holidays, prevent burnout, and find fresh inspiration for upcoming projects rather than jumping straight back into a intense, fast-paced work cycle.
This year, we had the Reading week at the beginning of September 2026, and here is what some of our team members have been doing.
Esther
I had some meetings scheduled for that week, but managed to read through half of the Regenerative Evaluation Living Paper report, written by several authors, hosted by Unitty Effect. They held the questions like "how can measurement contribute to better decision-making and learning?", "How can the process of evaluation itself contribute to our mutual flourishing?" and explored how evaluation and reporting can move from data extractivism to a relationship building and careful regenerative impact. I found it very insightful and loved that they included SCALE 3D (developed by transitioner and researcher Tim Strasser) as an example. Perfect timing, now that we're starting to implement 3D MEL into TNi's work.
Theresa
I picked up a new reading practice over the summer: pairing something more intellectual, challenging, deep with going back to my childhood pleasure of reading fantasy books, inspired by Sophy Strand's musings on how fiction and romantasy help us reimagine our relationships and futures. At the moment I am reading Mothers of Magic by Peredita Finn and Mark of the Fool by J.M. Clarke.
Anahi
Don
I spent part of my reading week previewing articles, videos, and reports for inclusion in an updated version of a course called Towards Cooperative Commonwealth that we inherited earlier this year from the Synergia Institute. Here's a link to one of my favorite videos so far, which is called We the Power: The Future of Energy is Community-Owned.
Elizabeta
I had lots of focus time on reading and preparing some written materials for work, so I decided to have a break from that and spend part of my reading week checking out this wonderful creation from Argentina, El Futuro (Im)Possible, Una serie sobre los problemas y soluciones que definen nuestro futuro (A series about the problems and solutions that define our future). From 18 to 25 October 2026 they will have a Global Projection week - it's truly worth watching it together with a group of friends, neighbours or colleagues.
What have you been up to? Is there anything interesting you came across recently, that you'd like to share with others, for inspiration or discussion? Send us a tip, we'd love you for it.