Today’s youth are the most disillusioned generation in living memory. Everything feels too relative or absolute to imagine real change. We are gathering our bodies and souls to reawaken the spark that makes life worth living, connecting with where, what and whom we belong to. 

Politics is about navigating our individuality and togetherness in the pursuit of human flourishing. In a society that is obsessed with breaking things down to the smallest possible units, we have a politics where we are driving ourselves all together, while looking straight into our lanes, off the edge of the world. Beyond electoral politics, beyond parties that are two sides of the same coin... 

It is time for those of us who haven’t given up to embrace political economy again. We must remember our non-separate (and thus inherently political) selves as a key to collective agency. For if we don’t, we give up on living, together.

Want to read more about the next Political Generation? See here.

We will gather for five days, in a space of restoration and brave inquiry for people aged 18-35 who are wandering off the beaten track to find our place in this stormy world. During this time, we will hold dialogues about what it means to be political today, in the deepest sense of the word. We will also explore practices like ecstatic dance, all while learning how to live together in community by camping, cooking, gardening,  cleaning, and living together.

Over five days, in nature and with each other, we’ll be touching on the following topics:

• What is politics, in the deepest sense of the word. Why does it feel so dirty today, and how does avoiding it get in the way of achieving systemic change?

• How deeply engrained the notion of an end of history is, and how to really feel into the possibility of the world being very different within our lifetimes. Politics is being creators of history, and partaking in its stream.

• The link between education and democracy: what are the training grounds for being good citizens today, how do we make those institutions more effective, and create spaces where people who are interested in how society works can learn about it?

• The political necessity of beauty — and the link between moral and aesthetic ambition, building on our recent inquiries

• Our personal journeys and challenges in carving a life with integrity in a society that rewards selfishness and the pursuit of capital above all

National Emergency Briefing community screening and discussion: Friday, September 4

On the Friday we’ll be joining the wider community around Furnace Brook for a screening and discussion of the People’s Emergency Briefing. What are the challenges we face today? What people and resources and we mobilise to face them? What are the inner, human struggles we might face in doing so? These are deeply political questions, and we’ll be discussing them from that perspective. Panelists include Villo Leskes (Defra Water systems expert and civil servant), Liam Kavanagh (Climate Majority Project Co-Director), Pooran Desai (The Bioregional Development Group Director) and other special guests. This will be an opportunity for the residents of our gathering to participate in a place-based political discussion, to bring back into bigger-picture themes.

No particular background or belief system is required—only a willingness to step together into the unknown.

When? September 3-8

Where? Furnace Brook, near Hailsham

Who? People aged 18-35

Cost: £260 early bird, £240/person for couples and friends, £300 full fee, £400 supporter rate (if you are sponsored by an organisation or able to give more). Early bird deals end on August 1, 2026.

Organisers: Jadzia Tedeschi, Liam Kavanagh and Liam Bureau

Deposit: to secure your spot, we will ask you to make a £50 non-refundable deposit

Room & Board

We’ll be camping and mostly cooking on an open fire and using compost toilets. Eco hot showers are available as well as hot water for tea, etc. There are 6 bell-tents on site which can hold up to 4 people each, though we are defaulting to 2-3 people per tent. If you have issues sleeping, you can bring your own tent but unfortunately we cannot provide single room solutions. The total group size we are aiming for is 20-25.

More about Furnace Brook

It was crucial for us this year to gather in a place where we could witness and support people who’ve taken risks to ‘walk the talk’. Apart from the grazing goats on premises and on-site tap-room (providing real ales brewed by none other than our host Di!), just a few hours South of London, Furnace Brook will greet us with eighty acres of farmland, lakes, meadows & old farm buildings that are becoming a home for thriving wildlife, regenerative farming & a growing family of nature-based enterprises. Its vision is to connect people of all ages with nature & with each other. Furnace Brook partners with local farms & schools to help children understand where their food comes from, supports local residents to grow produce for their community & facilitates a Community Gardens Network to engage older adults, isolated individuals, young people & those navigating mental health challenges.