CONFERENCE 2027
Belonging Weavers
The System, The Collective and The Individual
WHEN
Friday 16th April 2027
WHERE
Midlands Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham
WHY
Come and gather at this fully immersive day built around how we weave belonging which matters now more than ever. Join us as we explore weaving belonging through Dr Lisa Cherry’s framework, creativity, movement and dance. Belonging shapes safety, participation, learning, wellbeing and the possibility of people flourishing in the places they move through every day.
This conference invites practitioners, leaders and thinkers to step into a shared space of urgency and imagination, to examine what belonging really requires, to confront where it is currently failing and to explore what courageous, practical change can look like.
If you believe that belonging is the thread that holds our systems together and that when we strengthen that thread, everything else we care about becomes more possible, then this day is for you.
HOW
9.30 - A Welcome Performance - Care to Dance
10.00 - Welcoming and Grounding - Amelia Brunt
10.30 - THE SYSTEM - The Belonging Mattering & Liminality Framework - Dr Lisa Cherry OBE
11.30 - Break
11.50 - THE COLLECTIVE - Rhythm and Sound to Support Belonging to the Collective Nervous System - Ciara McClelland
12.50 - A Wholesome Lunch
1.40 - THE INDIVIDUAL - Belonging to self – Amelia Brunt
2.40 - Movement Break
3.00 - Creative Weaving - Dr Karen Treisman MBE
4.00 - End
Belonging Weaver Guides
Dr Lisa Cherry OBE
Dr Lisa Cherry is an author, researcher, leading international trainer and consultant, specialising in assisting schools, services and systems to create systemic change to the way that we work with those experiencing and living with the legacy of trauma.
Lisa has been working in and around Education, Children’s Services & adult services for over 35 years, combining academic knowledge and research with professional expertise and personal experience. Her own research on belonging, care experience and school exclusion has contributed to the knowledge we hold on belonging and informed the creation of the Belonging, Mattering Liminality Framework.
Ciara McClelland
Ciara McClelland is a Dramatherapist, Independent Social Worker and Organisational Consultant
With over 20 years of professional experience, including 15 years in clinical practice, Ciara specialises in supporting children, young people, and families impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences.
Ciara's work integrates dramatherapy, reflective social work practice, and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy combining creative, relational, and attachment focused approaches to support healing and connection
Amelia Brunt
With over 30 years of experience working in education, health and social care, Well Educated Founder and Creative Director, Amelia Brunt is a qualified educator, supervisor and coach with lived experience of secondary traumatic stress, burnout and recovery.
Throughout her career, Amelia has worked, researched and studied to better understand overwhelm, stress, trauma, burnout and the nervous system.
Amelia provides a research-informed and evidence-based approach to personal/professional wellness at an individual and organisational level
Dr Karen Treisman MBE
Dr Karen Treisman, MBE, is a specialist clinical psychologist, author and international trainer, known for her creative, relational and trauma-informed approach to working with children, families and the systems around them.
As our Creative Weaver, Karen will help weave together the threads of the day, creating space to pause, reflect, connect and celebrate.
Through creative activities, metaphor and storytelling, she'll invite us to notice the moments, messages and glimmers that strengthen our sense of belonging and travel with us long after the conference ends.
THE VENUE
Midlands Arts Centre has been chosen as the home for this Belonging Weavers Conference because it embodies the very spirit of what we are gathering to explore. Rooted in community, creativity and accessibility, MAC offers a space where people feel welcomed, seen and able to connect with ideas that matter. Its vibrant, inclusive atmosphere and flexible, human‑centred environments make it the ideal setting for a conversation about belonging and mattering, which is an urgent call for our schools, services and communities to do better for the people within them.
Midlands Arts Centre also stands out for its thoughtful accessibility, making it a venue where everyone can arrive, enter and participate with ease. With step‑free access throughout, clear signage, accessible facilities and staff experienced in supporting diverse needs, MAC removes many of the barriers that too often shape people’s experiences of public spaces.
Its on‑site parking and proximity to major transport routes mean delegates can travel in ways that work for them, without the stress of complicated journeys.
