If you could craft your own 6 month learning journey in 2023, what would you explore?

Join me on a learning adventure in Exeter in 2023.

A previous Huddle member exploring their own learning question.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been connecting with folks in Exeter where I live. Some who are new to the city, some who were born here and have never left, some who are deeply connected to Devon communities through their work. I’ve been asking each of them: if you could explore any question over the next year, what would choose? Some of the responses have included:

What does it mean to be a new ex-Londoner in a South West City?

I’ve reached the mission I set for myself. Now what?

To what extent do the ends justify the means?

Who is my tribe here and how can I find them?

I love asking this question. I find it really cuts to the heart of where a person’s curiosity lies, which makes for such rich and interesting conversation. I also find it much more connecting than “what job do you do?” or “what have you got on in 2023?” Asking about what people yearn to learn opens up space to explore a deeper ‘something’ they are grappling with…be that aspects of their identity, their morality, or their purpose in the world. It’s the real stuff.

Learning questions are part of Huddlecraft’s peer to peer methodology. Huddles are peer groups dedicated to learning and growing together. People who take part in a Huddle choose a learning question that they want to follow; these questions might be societal, professional, personal, or anything in between. The Huddle approach to exploration of these questions mirrors design led thinking; first you explore, then you refine, then you create.

What I love about this, is that it’s a truly self-crafted exploration. In so many learning environments, you’re all learning the same thing. You might relate to the content in different ways, but the stimulus is the same for everyone, often set by one teacher or institution. What’s amazing about a Huddle, is you have the opportunity to connect with up to 12 peoples’ learning inquiries, that might be vast and varied in their themes, and that are self-directed. This creates a rich, co-created tapestry of learning where the potential of what you’re getting out of it is multiplied by the number of people taking part. I took part in a Huddle in 2017, Power Lab 2, alongside others exploring power in all sorts of ways. I spent six months exploring how to grow my self-compassion through dance. It was playful, magical, different.

In April, I will start hosting Exeter’s first ever Huddle, Exeter Connection. This group is for anyone longing to grow their connections to people and place in the city of Exeter. It’s for you if you’re hungry for motivation, inspiration and accountability for the year ahead, or if you have a project or topic in mind you’d love to explore. As your Host, I will be a fellow co-learner in the group, and I’ll help you craft your own learning question, as well as exploring my own! I play with allowing my question to change and evolve over time, but right now it is: How do I build my community in Exeter: a city I am from, yet feel like a stranger in?

If you’re in Exeter or the surrounding area, and you love the idea of crafting a learning inquiry in 2023, check out Exeter Connection kicking off in April. If you love this vibe but you’re not in Devon, check out the other Huddles on offer here.

✨And if nothing else, I invite you to give yourself 5 minutes right now to go on a thought-adventurer…what would you love to learn in 2023?* ✨

*if you’re stuck, why not use Huddlecraft’s question generator!