We Live in the Space Between Worlds.
The world we have known—built on extraction and disconnection —is unravelling.
Many of the systems and structures that we considered cornerstone, including democracy, are under threat, with rising disinformation, dark money and polarisation threatening their limits.
Climate change and biodiversity loss are causing catastrophic events around the planet, their impacts likely to become only more pronounced in years to come.
The world’s conflict zones have increased by two-thirds in the past three years.
Our world is more brittle, anxious, nonlinear and incomprehensible (BANI) than ever before (h/t James Cascio).
And yet… as one world unravels, so too can another begin.
At Scintilla, we call this the world as it could be. Our work in this time is to lay the seeds of what comes next, prototyping and experimenting across our communities.
Our intention is to empower changemakers with the skills, wisdom, and community to lead in this liminal time, navigating from the world as it is to the world as it could be.
We help you define your role: Get clear on your unique path as a changemaker, guided by your callings and inner compass rather than external expectations.
We equip you with essential skills: From conflict reconciliation and nonviolence to moral imagination and complexity thinking, our programs give you the skills to navigate today’s challenges.
We connect you with a community: Join a network of changemakers who support and inspire one another, creating the conditions for a more just & regenerative world.
Our Theory of Change
The work we need in this time is multi-dimensional; systemic, relational and spiritual.
To address the myriad interconnected crises we face, we must cultivate an approach that transforms both the external systems we live within and the internal landscapes that shape how we perceive and interact with the world.
We believe the skills necessary for this time include:
Vision & Moral Imagination: We must be bold and ambitious enough to envision a more beautiful world; to believe in the world we can feel in our hearts, even if we cannot see it with our eyes. It requires dreaming deeper, feeling into the realm of possibilities, and trusting our power. To claim a new world, we must have the audacity to name it, embody it, and call it into being. Imagination is not a luxury; it is one of the most useful tools we have.
At Scintilla, we work with changemakers to cultivate imagination and creativity, planting seeds of possibility and nurturing their growth.
Systems Thinking, Complexity and Narrative Work:
Ideologies like capitalism, patriarchy and white supremacy are created by humans, perpetuated by humans, and play out their impact through humans. They live in our mindsets, beliefs, behaviours and values.
To change the system “out there,” we must also address the conditions within us that consciously or unconsciously perpetuate and internalise these systems. We call this work Getting Free, and it requires deep reflection, unlearning, and a willingness to sit with what is uncomfortable.
We help changemakers develop the capacity to navigate and influence complex systems. This includes identifying leverage points for transformation and working at the narrative roots of our world, where the stories we live by are created and sustained.
Relational Stitching: In our hyper-polarised world, we need community and connection more than ever. We need to learn to work across lines of difference, and build bridges across ideology. Relational stitching includes learning how to work with conflict and nonviolence, developing empathy, curiosity and compassion, and embracing the nuance and complexity that defines our world.
At Scintilla, we help changemakers cultivate the skills to bridge divides, steward nonviolence, and work with the beautiful complexities of a diverse and interconnected world.
Wisdom & Spirituality: The crises facing our world are spiritual and relational in origin, going to the heart of what it means to be human and how we relate to each other and the living world. We integrate the relational and spiritual dimensions of change, nourishing the soil and roots of our shared world.
Why Scintilla?
The word “scintilla” means a tiny spark or amount, often of a feeling, eg, a scintilla of hope.
In the space between worlds, even the smallest spark matters.
A moment of connection.
A spark of creativity.
An awakening of insight.
Here at Scintilla Centre, we believe:
The inner work of healing and liberation is inseparable from the outer work of systems change.
The space between is sacred: a place where old stories fall away and new possibilities are born.
Imagination and play are some of the most radical tools we have for seeding a more just and regenerative world.
Meet The Founder
Laura Hartley is a writer, activist and leadership coach navigating the space between worlds. With a deep belief that change begins within, she founded the Scintilla Centre as a place to nurture wisdom, courage, and moral imagination—the tools we need to dream and build the regenerative futures we long for.
