30 Years of World Cafe

World Cafe is a brilliant facilitation practice which emerged in 1995 when a small group of business and academic leaders were meeting at the home of Juanita Brown and David Issacs in Mill Valley California (full story here). I remember listening to the story when I first learnt the approach back in 2011 when I trained in the Art of Hosting, taking part in my first one in a converted pig barn.
Since then I have used it numerous times to support conversations around climate change, cities of play, early years music policy explorations, school governance and more.

Over the years, I have attended many online sessions hosted by the World Cafe community, met some wonderful people from around the world, and opened to perspectives about people and places that change my own capacity for greater understanding.

This weekend (21st/22nd Feb 2026), was the opening of a longer term process exploring “From Practice to Presence: Listening together in these times”. Full invitation here.

Below are the two graphic harvests that I captured from my time with 75 people from primarily across the US, Asia Pacific, and Europe. There is another gathering coming up on Wednesday which I hope to attend too.

Today I also wrote a poem which is again a reflection on the gathering, and some other things around at the moment around ancestral rituals, migration, and life practices.

World Cafe harvest 21st Feb

World Cafe Harvest 22nd Feb