BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:26877@offbeat.amsterdam SUMMARY:Different Roots\, Common Ground DTSTAMP:20260831T024557Z DTSTART:20260918T170000Z DESCRIPTION:Building community through dialogue. Where our voices take root .\n\nHave you ever walked into a room and felt like your story didn’t quit e belong\nthere? For many in diaspora communities\, that feeling is all to o familiar. Yet\nfor decades\, community organisers\, creatives and thinke rs have been building\nspaces where we do belong. SPORA builds on that tra dition. Our goal: a platform\nin the Netherlands for voices\, stories\, an d ideas\, growth\, intergenerational\neducation and visibility. A space fo r voices from the African and Caribbean\ndiaspora to speak freely\, connec t deeply\, and share ideas on their own terms\,\nwhere diaspora narratives are not translated\, filtered\, or minimised\, but\nexpressed fully. Beca use when we gather\, we grow.\n\nTogether with Jody Morgan Bite the Bullet podcast Host and Entrepreneur\n[https://www.instagram.com/itsjojorenee/] Kriticos Pandelis Mwansa Cultural\ncurator\, founder of The Book Club [htt ps://www.linkedin.com/in/kriticos-mwansa/]\nGlenn Helberg Psychiater\, dir ecteur praktijk voor psychiatrie en psychotherapie\n'Introspect' [https:// www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-helberg-baa441b]\n\nFor our first edition\, thre e changemakers explore what it means to connect. To\nnature\, to each othe r\, and to ourselves:\n\nKriticos Mwansa – “The Art of Bringing People Tog ether”\nCommunity can’t be manufactured\, but we can create the conditions for it to\nflourish. In an era where “community” is often reduced to a bu zzword\, Kriticos\nshares insights on gathering people in a way that feels organic and sincere.\nFrom spatial arrangements to conversation prompts. True belonging isn’t\nengineered\; it surfaces when people feel genuinely invited\, safe\, and when we\nintentionally design the room for connection s to take root.\n\nGlenn Helberg – “Dispersion of Seeds”\nWhat we call cul ture is often something that exists as a reaction to the\nenvironment. Gle nn explores the nervous system\, the behaviors we show\, and\nunderstandin g why that behavior is shown\; adaptation to what our cultures used\nto be or meant to be.\n\nJody Morgan – “Touch Grass”\nHow does nature shape our identity\, culture\, wellbeing\, and sense of belonging?\nWhat can nature teach us about connecting with ourselves and with others? Humans\nare inh erently relational\, and we often think of nature as scenery\, but what if \nit’s actually one of our oldest relationships?\n\n\nMORE ABOUT THE KEYNO TE SPEAKERS\n\nGlenn Helberg is a psychiatrist\, author\, speaker\, and ac tivist who has spent\ndecades improving the position of Antilleans and Aru bans in the Netherlands. He\nbroke multiple taboos within the Caribbean co mmunity\, including absent\nfatherhood and homosexuality. In 2011\, he ini tiated the first Antillean boat at\nAmsterdam’s Pride Canal Parade. He rec eived a royal knighthood in 2013\, the\nBlack Achievement Award oeuvre pri ze in 2019\, and the Jos Brink Oeuvre Prize in\n2021 for his work as a men tal health father of the queer community. Helberg is\nco-founder of the Ex pertise Center for Transcultural Therapy.\n\nKriticos Mwansa is a Zambian- born creative with deep Tanzanian roots\, a cultural\ncurator\, and the vi sionary founder of The Book Club. He has cultivated a vibrant\ncommunity c entered on a refreshing premise: “No reading required to spark an\nincredi ble dialogue.” By bridging literature with music\, art\, and culinary\nexp eriences\, Kriticos reimagines reading as a shared cultural journey rather \nthan a solitary task. From intimate dinners to prisons\, to prestigious museums\nand private members clubs\, his mission remains constant: gatheri ng curious minds\nto exchange knowledge and foster connection through the power of conversation.\n\nJody Morgan was born on the beautiful island of Saba. Her cultural identity has\nbeen shaped by her island home and the co untries of her parents: Suriname and\nSt. Lucia. Moving to the Netherlands at 17\, Jody began pursuing her dream of\nbecoming an entrepreneur and ma king a positive impact in the world. She has\nstarted businesses ranging f rom designing jewelry that represents Saba and\nislands across the Caribbe an\, to graphic and web design\, to consultancy for\nCaribbean companies. Today\, she is also the co-host of the Bite the Bullet\nPodcast. Through a ll her ventures\, Jody continues to find avenues that keep her\nclose to h er culture. URL:https://offbeat.amsterdam/event/different-roots-common-ground GEO:52.376857;4.9220756 LOCATION:Pakhuis de Zwijger - Piet Heinkade 179\, 1019 HC Amsterdam STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:amsterdam-centrum,books,community,dinner,eastern docklands,menta l health,music,pride,queer,social,stories X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:Building community through dialogue. Where our voices take root.

Have you ever walked into a room and felt like your story didn’t quite belong there? For many in diaspora communities, that fe eling is all too familiar. Yet for decades, community organisers, creative s and thinkers have been building spaces where we do belong. SPORA builds on that tradition. Our goal: a platform in the Netherlands for voices, sto ries, and ideas, growth, intergenerational education and visibility. A spa ce for voices from the African and Caribbean diaspora to speak freely, con nect deeply, and share ideas on their own terms, where diaspora narratives are not translated, filtered, or minimised, but expressed fully. Because when we gather, we grow.

Together with Jody Morgan Bite the Bullet podca st Host and Entrepreneur Kriticos Pandelis Mwansa Cultural curator, f ounder of The Book Club Glenn Helberg Psychiater, directeur prak tijk voor psychiatrie en psychotherapie 'Introspect'

For our first edition, three changemakers explore what it means to connect. To nat ure, to each other, and to ourselves:

Kriticos Mwansa – “The Ar t of Bringing People Together”
Community can’t be manufactured, b ut we can create the conditions for it to flourish. In an era where “commu nity” is often reduced to a buzzword, Kriticos shares insights on gatherin g people in a way that feels organic and sincere. From spatial arrangement s to conversation prompts. True belonging isn’t engineered; it surfaces wh en people feel genuinely invited, safe, and when we intentionally design t he room for connections to take root.

Glenn Helberg – “Dispersi on of Seeds”
What we call culture is often something that exists as a reaction to the environment. Glenn explores the nervous system, the b ehaviors we show, and understanding why that behavior is shown; adaptation to what our cultures used to be or meant to be.

Jody Morgan – “Touch Grass”
How does nature shape our identity, culture, wellbe ing, and sense of belonging? What can nature teach us about connecting wit h ourselves and with others? Humans are inherently relational, and we ofte n think of nature as scenery, but what if it’s actually one of our oldest relationships?

More about the keynote speakers

G lenn Helberg is a psychiatrist, author, speaker, and activist who has spent decades improving the position of Antilleans and Arubans in the Netherlands. He broke multiple taboos within the Caribbean community, inc luding absent fatherhood and homosexuality. In 2011, he initiated the firs t Antillean boat at Amsterdam’s Pride Canal Parade. He received a royal kn ighthood in 2013, the Black Achievement Award oeuvre prize in 2019, and th e Jos Brink Oeuvre Prize in 2021 for his work as a mental health father of the queer community. Helberg is co-founder of the Expertise Center for Tr anscultural Therapy.

Kriticos Mwansa is a Zambian- born creative with deep Tanzanian roots, a cultural curator, and the visio nary founder of The Book Club. He has cultivated a vibrant community cente red on a refreshing premise: “No reading required to spark an incredible d ialogue.” By bridging literature with music, art, and culinary experiences , Kriticos reimagines reading as a shared cultural journey rather than a s olitary task. From intimate dinners to prisons, to prestigious museums and private members clubs, his mission remains constant: gathering curious mi nds to exchange knowledge and foster connection through the power of conve rsation.

Jody Morgan was born on the beautiful isl and of Saba. Her cultural identity has been shaped by her island home and the countries of her parents: Suriname and St. Lucia. Moving to the Nether lands at 17, Jody began pursuing her dream of becoming an entrepreneur and making a positive impact in the world. She has started businesses ranging from designing jewelry that represents Saba and islands across the Caribb ean, to graphic and web design, to consultancy for Caribbean companies. To day, she is also the co-host of the Bite the Bullet Podcast. Through all h er ventures, Jody continues to find avenues that keep her close to her cul ture.

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