Public Health England (PHE) has commissioned The Quest to deliver its flagship “The Quest Workshop” to Black African, Black Caribbean, mixed Black and other ethnicity (BME) gay men, and men who have sex with men (MSM).
The delivery of the workshops is part of a wider PHE project evaluating different models of direct behaviour change interventions for BME gay men and MSM, aimed at reducing health risk behaviour and building resilience. The workshop also provides an opportunity for BME gay men and MSM to be come together with others in a safe and friendly space.
The Quest Workshop
“The Quest Workshop is a transforming voyage of Self rediscovery, reconnection, realignment and reignition” – Ade Adeniji, Co-Founder.
“We call this an ‘intervention’. A way of pressing a ‘reset’ button for our lives” – Darren Brady, Co-Founder.
The Quest Workshop for Black and Minority Ethnic Gay Men and MSM starts with pre-work, which participants are sent daily, a week before the workshop commences. The workshop is held over 2.5 days – Friday evening (7pm – 10pm), Saturday (10am – 6pm) and Sunday (10am – 5.30pm); along with a 3-hour follow-up session, three weeks after the initial exploration. Participants are expected to attend all the sessions.
The journey is exhilarating and life-changing – also intense, revealing, nurturing and profound, all experienced from within the comfort of a safe and intimate environment.
The workshop processes include discussions in small and large groups, storytelling, psychological exploration, book-work, journaling, coaching and self-reflection.
OUR APPROACH
We guide the group through a series of carefully constructed activities that constructively reveal a different way forward.
During the journey, The Quest uses a map comprising of four main ‘ports of call’ (or significant milestones) – Investigate, Explore, Release and Cultivate – each port serving as a platform to help you better understand your past and fully step into your present.
- ‘Investigate’ the past, looking at the significant moments and experiences that impacted their childhood, adolescence and early adulthood.
- ‘Explore’ the present, by casting a critical eye over in their respective lives.
- An opportunity to safely work through the pain and ‘Release’ the underlying toxicity that can prohibit them from leading a truly fulfilled life.
- By creating valuable insights and life-skills each participant will become the true architect of their lives and ‘Cultivate’ an authentic way of living.
YOUR JOURNEY
By attending this interactive and engaging workshop, participants will:
- Gain a deeper understanding of how their upbringing and culture has impacted their emotional development
- Develop an increased awareness of their behaviour and emotions
- Be engaged in a healing process with other men from similar backgrounds
- Identify tools to improve their sense of self and their relationships
- Gain clarity on next steps for themselves, their relationships, and the world they live in
- Experience the support and intimacy of a group of BME gay men/MSM
- Create a positive and supportive new network
- Gain a greater sense of living as a BME gay man/MSM in today’s world
WHEN
Fri 6 – Sun 8 March (follow up – Sat 28 March: 10.30am – 1.30pm) – London (cut-off date for registrations – Fri 27 Feb)
Fri 1 – Sun 3 May (follow up – Sat 23 May: 10.30 – 1.30pm) – London (cut-off date for registrations – Fri 24 April)
Fri 5 – Sun 7 June (follow up – Thurs 25 June: 7pm – 10pm) – Manchester (cut-off date for registrations – Fri 29 May)
Fri 4 – Sun 6 Sept (follow up – Thurs 17 Sept: 7pm – 10pm) – London (cut-off date for registrations – Fri 28 August) Please note that the workshop is now sold out and if you register, you will be going on a waiting list
MEASURING IMPACT
A team from De Montfort University (who have been carrying out research in LGBT communities for several years) have been invited by PHE to evaluate how our participants benefit from taking part in The Quest workshop. Participants in this set of workshops will be encouraged, but not required to complete a short set of questionnaires on three occasions, once before and twice after participation in the Workshop.
In addition, as part of the final follow-up session, they will be holding a group discussion with workshop participants in order to explore your views and experiences in more depth. The group discussion is expected to last for around one hour. Involvement in the group discussion is of course optional, but would be warmly appreciated.
No individual will be identified in any final report and confidentiality will be preserved.
REGISTRATIONS
The workshop is being offered free of charge to participants, as its being funded by PHE. Participants will however be expected to pay a ‘commitment fee’ which will be refunded on completing the workshop.
The standard Commitment Fee is £40. The reduced Commitment Fee for unwaged, students, seniors is £20.
Participants must be resident within the EU.
If you have any questions about the workshop, you can email – admin@thequestawaitsyou.com
Testimonials from participants on the March Workshop for BME MSM
“Really fantastic – I knew it would be life-changing; it has been”
“Enriching and transforming”
“Loving, Caring, Nurturing, Supportive, Wonderful”
“Unique, Special, Powerful”
“Challenging, Supportive & Rich”
“Powerful, Moving, Challenging and Yes, at times uncomfortable; but it is reality”
“Amazing – such shared experiences and no need to explain why and how things happen”
“Insightful, Revolutionary, Supportive”
