FOR LEARNERS

join a huddle

Browse current huddles (coming soon)
Browse current huddles (coming soon)
try an immersion day →
try an immersion day →

Whatever you're navigating — a career pivot, a community challenge, a question that keeps you up at night — a Huddle puts you in a small, purposeful group with peers who are also climbing steep learning curves.

so, what actually is a Huddle?

A Huddle is a small, purposeful peer group (between 5 to 12 people) built around shared questions that don't have easy answers.

Past Huddles have been organised around: education for liberation, fear factor, fatherhood, climate action, locally rooted economic justice and more. Different themes and places, but the same underlying shape: a group of people intentionally gathered around a steep learning curve.

In a Huddle, everyone has their own learning question. You might be trying to build power in your community, work out what's next in your career, or tackle a challenge your organisation hasn't cracked either. The group designs and populates the curriculum together - pooling the potential within and between you all.

A trained Host holds the space and keeps the learning moving. You don't need to be an expert. You need to be curious, brave, and committed to showing up.

IF I HADN’T HUDDLED, I MIGHT NEVER HAVE…

  • "...started Rooted, a social design house centering the experiences, needs and futures of UK Black Communities."

    —Julian Thompson, Huddle Participant

  • "...gone on to host further learning journeys in my community around climate and retrofit."

    —Raechel Kelly, Huddle Participant

  • "...met so many people that I feel I could call upon at any time in the future, no matter how long it has been or how often I’ve seen them."

    —Amir Hajizimani, Huddle Participant

  • "...have had the confidence to start an open mic night in London that's still going 5 years on."

    —Matt Weatherall, Huddle Participant

  • "...met some of the bravest, kindest, most playful people I feel fortunate to now know, and even sometimes work with."

    —Dave Heinemann, Huddle Host

  • "...created the Dial-An-Ancestor phoneline. It's a long-term participatory audio installation."

    —Tamika Abaka-Wood, Huddle Participant

  • "...learned to live differently. My first Huddle was all about disrupting my ways of being, with the backing of my peers."

    —Katie Slee, Huddle Host & Participant

  • "...taken my poetry writing seriously or published my work in a poetry anthology launched at Waterstones."

    —Roxana Bacian, Huddle Co-Founder & Host

take action

Whether you're ready to join a huddle or even host your own — here are some next steps to explore.

FIND YOUR HUDDLE

Browse the Huddle Directory

We keep a directory of every Huddle that's running or upcoming. You can also browse past Huddles and their resulting showcase booklets. Filter by topic, host and date.

(COMING SOON)

huddle directory →
huddle directory →

NOT SURE YET?

Try it for a day

The honest truth is: peer learning is hard to describe and easy to feel. An Immersion Day is the fastest way to understand what Huddlecraft actually is - by living it for a day, in a room with other curious people.

immersion day →
immersion day →

HOST YOUR OWN HUDDLE

Learn the craft

Can’t find a Huddle around your theme or local? Or perhaps you’re just keen to host your own. Check out our practitioner offerings to step towards hosting your own Huddle.

practitioner courses →
practitioner courses →
Huddle Camp - Peers laughing on the lawn
Huddle Camp - Peers chatting by the fire - photo by Ruth Davey
Huddle Power Up Session - Peer to peer sharing
Makers Huddle Showcase - High Five
Huddle showcase - Huddle participant gives a talk

what to expect

Huddles come in many shapes and sizes, to suit their purpose, but the essential ingredients are always the same:

01

Purpose

Every Huddle happens for a reason. The purpose might come in the form of a theme, a goal or a shared inquiry question. Common goals include learning, unlearning, making, behaviour change, mutual support and taking action.

You get:

  • Space to tackle a purpose, project or live challenge that matters to you

  • A social learning environment, ideal for bringing multiple perspectives to knotty questions and challenges

  • The opportunity to add a project or story of real value to your portfolio

02

Peers

Huddles are always led by the peers. Your peer group is the heart and soul of the Huddle: a rich pool of perspectives and experience, for everyone to draw on. The more you put in, the more everyone can take out. On average, learners leave with 7 personal friendships and 6 professional relationships.

You get:

  • Up to a dozen peers who are also working on something that sets them alight. You'll pool ideas, skills, perspectives, momentum

  • Access to the wider combined network of your peer group

  • Access to the wider Huddlecraft community and programme of activities

03

Pathway

The Pathway is a structure of meet-ups and activities designed to support you to maximise their collective potential. Hosts shape our tried and tested structures to create a Pathway that will meet the purpose of the Huddle.

You get:

  • A carefully crafted Path to meet the needs of the Purpose and Peers

  • Structure and accountability to keep you moving

  • A Host, trained in the Huddlecraft philosophy and approach, there to guide, not to lead. Your Host will participate alongside you

PATHWAY IN DETAIL

  • Four people in an office shaking hands and smiling, with one person standing on a raised pillow on another's shoulders, creating a humorous scene.

    kick off weekend

    A Huddle will always start with a Kick Off. Depending on the Huddle this might be a short session or a full weekend.

    Kick Off will usually comprise of introductory storytelling, coaching training, skills and networks mapping, contracting, co-designing the journey and connecting as a group.

  • Four people closely examining something on a table in a well-lit indoor space.

    meetups

    Every Huddle will have a rhythm of meetups, often fortnightly, bringing the whole group together. This is the backbone of the experience which keeps momentum levels high.

    Meetups are usually designed and facilitated by the peers - usually every group member will host one.

  • Two women having a discussion at a table. One woman is gesturing with her hand, and the other woman appears to be listening with her hand on her face. On the table, there is a laptop displaying the words "Fear vs Hope," along with a red mug and some papers.

    buddies

    In many Huddles, participants are connected with a buddy. This is someone you will check in with regularly alongside meet-ups, to support accountability and creativity.

    It will be up to you whether to connect face-to-face or online. Your Host might provide prompts, peer coaching frameworks and session outlines.

  • Group of people participating in a meeting or workshop in a modern, well-lit room with large windows and green and purple triangular banners hanging from the ceiling. One person stands presenting a poster to the audience, while others sit around a large table or on chairs, some holding green folders or notebooks. The room has plants and decorative rugs.

    power ups

    Power Ups are check points when the whole Huddle comes together to share where they're at or their work in progress, for critique, feedback and creative input. 

    Power Ups are designed to boost motivation, and sometimes involve inviting external champions to join the group to add further accountability and more perspectives.

  • Two women sitting and talking in an indoor space with large windows and urban buildings outside. One woman wears a blue sweater with a white geometric pattern, glasses, and patterned socks. The other woman wears a blue dress with ruffles, black tights, and boots, and is holding a notebook and pen.

    coaching

    Very often a Huddle begins with some coaching training, so that you can learn the skills to coach your peers, and be coached by them.

    Depending on the nature of your Huddle, your Host may decide to offer some 121 coaching. This is a space that's space just for you, where you don't also have to act as a peer coach in return.

  • A man sitting at a desk writing on a large document with markers and a laptop nearby, in a bright room with large windows and view of plants outside.

    get shit dones

    These sessions are for 'heads down' time where you'll come together to work on the Purpose, either in collaboration with or alongside your peer group.

    Your Host may schedule some of these, or they might invite you to self organise.

  • Young man in white shirt holding clipboard giving presentation on stage with large backdrop of a Polaroid photo labeled "Joe" and showing a person outdoors with trees.

    showcase event

    Every Huddle works toward some kind of public sharing and/or material manifestation of the work and learning that has happened in the Huddle. 

    This is hugely valuable for accountability and motivation and makes space for celebration with family, friends, collaborators or whoever you'd like to invite.

  • A group of ten people celebrating a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside a house with a stone facade. They are smiling, raising their fists, and wearing medals around their necks.

    finish line

    A Huddle always needs a ritual to close, whether large or small. This is usually co-designed by the group and makes space for reflection, self-assessment, peer endorsement, storytelling, celebration and/or planning the next steps of your journey.

    Finish Line might be a short session or a full weekend, depending on the nature of the Huddle.

ASK YOURSELF

is it for you?

✔ Is there a challenge — professional, personal or societal — you want to grow to meet?

✔ Are you willing to learn in non-traditional ways that puts you in the room as a peer, not a student?

✔ Do you believe change happens relationally - through people, not just ideas?

✔ Do you want to meet new people and connect with them in deeper, more meaningful ways?