A free space for listening, care, and co-creation for parents and caregivers and those involved in parenting.
June/July 2025 and September/October 2025

An invitation to parents, caregivers, and those involved in parenting

UP invites you to take part in a free series of sharing circles – open to every parent and caregiver  – where you will have the opportunity to explore deep and complex themes through storytelling, deep listening, and the practice of Visual Sensing – a technique that uses visual perception and images to evoke lived experiences and spark new insights and language.

We especially welcome parents from non-traditional families, a term we use to include queer, rainbow, blended and patchwork families that are constantly evolving and reshaping what it means to be a parent today.

Each circle will be online and devoted to a specific theme and subtopics, as described below. These topics were carefully selected in collaboration with a pool of experts working with and within non-traditional families. Now, we want to deepen and adapt these themes together with you, through lived experience and collective reflection.

Which of these themes resonates most with you?
Which circle(s) would you like to join to share your story and resonate with the stories of others?

  • Disruption and Finding Balance – How to navigate changes and find stability in family Life?
  • Pressure from the outside – How to dealing with social expectations and the challenges they bring?
  • Systemic pressure within the family – How to navigate unspoken rules, role confusion and conflicting values?
  • Self-pressure – How to manage the expectations you place on yourself?
  • Patriarchy and privilege – How to understand gender roles and unequal power dynamics?
  • Exhaustion and recovery – How to manage stress and find time to recharge?
  • Difficult emotions and how to manage them – How to explore strong emotions and find emotional balance despite the ups and downs?
  • Insecurity and threats – How to explore the fears and uncertainty in parenting?

Why participate?

In addition to offering a space for mutual listening and connection, these circles are part of a larger journey.

The stories and themes that emerge will contribute to the co-creation of a deck of cards designed for parents, caregivers, and those working with non-traditional families – a practical, poetic, and powerful tool to promote awareness, dialogue, and transformation in educational, social, and community contexts.

These circles are free as part of an experimental phase. Participating is a way to reconnect with our shared humanity as parents who — despite the diversity of our experiences — face challenges and seek spaces where we feel comforted and free to bring our stories out of the shadows, without shame.

How do the circles work?

Each circle will focus on a specific topic and follow a simple, welcoming structure to give you ample opportunity to share your story, if you wish, and listen with your heart to the stories of others. These circles are free because we are in an experimental phase. Participating helps us connect with our shared humanity as parents who – despite our diverse experiences – share challenges and seek spaces to feel comforted and step out of the shadows with our stories, without shame. It’s an experience that helps you feel less alone in parenting.

When?

Here are the scheduled dates:

  • 18 June 2025 | 18:00–20:00 CEST on Disruption and the search for balance (in English) – online
  • 24 June 2025 | 19:30–21:30 CEST on Pressure from the outside (in English) – online
  • 26 June 2025 | 10:00–12:00 CEST on Systemic pressure within the family (in English) – online
  • 4 July 2025 | 18:00–20:00 CEST on Exhaustion & recovery (in Italian) – online
  • 11 September 2025 | 19:00–21:00 CEST on Patriarchy and privilege (in German) – online
  • 18 September 2025 | 18:00–20:00 CEST on Self-pressure (in Italian) – online
  • 3 October 2025 | 10:30–12:30 CEST on Difficult emotions and how to manage them (in Italian) – online
  • 7 October 2025 | 18:00–20:00 CEST on Insecurities and threats (in Italian) – online

How to participate?

Simply fill the registration form.

An do not forget to stay connected and join us on this journey by following us on  Facebook or LinkedIn,  subscribing to our Newsletter, or simply reaching out to us at: paola.bortini[AT]limina.at.

Partners

UP – Unravelling Parenthood is a project between LIMINA, weMIND, and Casa del Cuculo, in collaboration with Mindful Compassionate Parenting, Mother Nature, and Anna Maggi Studio, co-financed by the EU.

Von der Europäischen Union finanziert. Die geäußerten Ansichten und Meinungen entsprechen jedoch ausschließlich denen des Autors bzw. der Autoren und spiegeln nicht zwingend die der Europäischen Union oder der Europäischen Exekutivagentur für Bildung und Kultur (EACEA) wider. Weder die Europäische Union noch die EACEA können dafür verantwortlich gemacht werden.