How to Host an ACTionism Screening for European Coworking Day (May 6th)
You know you should do more community stuff.
Everyone knows.
The problem is the gap between knowing and doing. Between the idea of getting members together and actually creating a moment when something happens.
The people who came to Blue Garage in February for Unreasonable Connection told us two things kept coming up: making the numbers work without selling out, and convincing anyone outside the room that what we do actually matters.
We get it. We run events. We know it isn't easy.
What we've learned: how you communicate the event before it happens matters most. How and why you invite people. Explaining the intent before, during, and after—so people can connect with each other and the content, not spend the first twenty minutes working out what to do.
European Coworking Day is back. May 6th. Fourth year running.
And this year, for the first time, we're recommending something we've seen work: ACTionism screenings.
What's already happened (and why it matters)
Urban MBA hosted an ACTionism screening. Jon Alexander was able to collaborate with them on the event, which made it even better.
It sparked a neighbourhood discussion between students and local people—people who wouldn't normally be in the same room, talking the same language, asking the same questions.
The film didn't just inform members. It activated a local conversation.
One outcome: an existing Urban MBA student project focused on fast fashion and clothes waste in Ghana got further inspiration. It's now become a film project in its own right.
Dragon Coworking in Kent hosted a screening with a panel discussion afterwards.
The post afterwards said: "Last night's screening brought to life the crucial issues of how we can individually and collectively improve our decisions and actions on people, place and planet."
The panel raised harsh truths. One person said: "You probably all want to do something, you just don't really know what to do."
The discussion led to practical steps: buying less but better quality, visible mending, partnering with repair cafés, and sharing skills.
One of the panellists wrote: "The most important thing is the intention and desire to do things differently. By sharing our skills, knowledge, experience and resources, we can collectively create a far better world."
Those aren't hypotheticals. Those are proof points.
And European Coworking Day gives you the container to do it.
Why an ACTionism screening focuses the room
The challenge isn't that operators don't know how to build community.
The challenge is focusing the energy in the room.
In open networking, people drift into individual conversations. They show up, they chat, they leave.
What operators told us they need is something that guides the conversation so people don't just drift, but actually start getting organised and executing faster.
That's what the film does. It focuses the room.
The screening sets the intent. People watch together. Twenty-five minutes. Then they talk about it as themselves, inside the local reality they share.
It does three things:
- Lowers the barrier
You don't have to walk in and perform. You walk in, sit down, and watch. The shared experience does the heavy lifting. - Gets people in the same room who wouldn't normally be there
Because you're inviting people from your coworking space and people from the neighbourhood, it mixes groups.
Screenings create a reason for outsiders to arrive and insiders to stay. - Focuses the energy
When people watch together, they're already mid-activation. The film hands them the question. You just host the discussion.
Because they're doing it in person in their local community, it creates connections or reinforces connections that were already there.
Scale doesn't matter. Participation does.
This can be for 5 people, 15 people, 50 people.
It's not about how many people you get.
It's about the participation and conversations created with a group of people in your neighbourhood that then go on to create something.
There are many examples of screenings that have started conversations—conversations that would never happen if you just told people to come and talk about climate action or community citizenship straight away.
The simplest way to do something that matters locally
If you're an independent coworking space operator, you don't need six months of planning.
You need one good moment, designed for participation.
On European Coworking Day, host ACTionism as a screening and treat it as an invitation to local conversation.
Not a lecture.
Not a corporate conference.
A screening, a facilitated conversation, an easy next step.
Do that well, and you'll invite civic life into your space.
A simple hosting flow (kept deliberately small)
Here's a flow that respects the fact that you're busy.
- Request the screening
Request a screening (ACTionism) - Read the hosting guide
Ellie Meredith (who the film follows) wrote the guide. It includes ideas like:- Circle seating for post-film discussion
- "Wouldn't it be wonderful if..." dreaming activities
- Partnering with repair cafés for hands-on mending
- Creative responses (collage, drawing) to ease conversation
How to host an ACTionism film screening
- Pick a time that makes "yes" easy
European Coworking Day is the container. Let it set the pace.
Choose a time where members and locals can show up without rearranging their whole week. - Frame the conversation as local citizenship
Don't ask "what did you think of the film?"
Ask the question that gets people talking to the neighbourhood:
- What issue in your local area are you tired of watching from the sidelines?
- Who do you know in your community that might care—but doesn't feel invited yet?
- What would "a small collective action" look like in the next month?
- Tell the story in public
When spaces add their event to the map, others can find it and join what's already happening.
Places like Oruspace, Space4, ARC Club, Yonder are taking part
You don't need to be perfect to be part of this.
You just need to be willing.
Right now, spaces like:
…are taking part.
Some will have everything posted publicly.
Some haven't mapped it yet.
But the intention is the same: build local conversation through a shared screening on European Coworking Day.
Why this works (Ellie Meredith, in conversation)
If you want the "why" behind ACTionism screenings—explained through community building rather than just event logistics—here's the podcast episode and show notes with Ellie Meredith:
From the episode:
"A community screening isn't just about watching a film. It's about being together in a shared space with open hearts and curious minds to see where those connections and questionings and feelings might start to move towards something."
"It's just a conversation starter. An offering for upside-down times."
Screening isn't a one-off event.
It's a method for turning members into participants.
The 15-minute start: (please do this today)
Here's the call to action. It's only 15 minutes of work—
and it helps other spaces find you, copy the practice, and join what's already happening.
- Request a screening
Request a screening (ACTionism) - Put your space on the European Coworking Day map
Register your screening / space on the ECD map
That's it.
Two links.
One local activation.
One neighbourhood conversation that wouldn't happen otherwise.
Are you in?
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