Community
Building a Field
Together
We are building the infrastructure for a field, not just the reputation of a framework. Borrowed Mirrors is a field in formation, a growing intellectual and practical community in the act of building something.
What We Are Building
Five interconnected pillars.
Research
A peer-reviewed, adversarially evaluated evidence base. Working papers circulated for critique before publication. Partner universities engaged in original research.
Practice
A structured practitioner pathway from initial engagement to full accreditation. Diagnostic instruments tested and continuously refined.
Convenings
An annual convening architecture beginning with the Nairobi Gathering. Regional gatherings designed around depth of inquiry.
Learning
Modular learning journeys for individuals, teams and institutions. The Depthwork Institute as the learning and development arm of the field.
Get Involved
Differentiated pathways into the field for researchers, practitioners, institutional partners and contributors.
Inaugural
Nairobi Gathering
Invitation-only. Harkness format. A considered circle of senior institutional leaders, organised around a single question: what becomes possible when institutions are released from the borrowed mirrors through which they have been taught to see themselves?
Mon 12 October 2026 · 18:00–21:30 EAT · Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi Upper Hill
Future
Regional Gatherings
Planned for East Africa, West Africa, Southern Africa and the UK and European diaspora contexts. Not replicating the Nairobi Gathering, adapting the inquiry to each context.
Future
Global Gathering
A proposed annual convening for the global field. Year three of the field architecture.
Get Involved
Differentiated pathways into the field.
Research Circle
For researchers and scholars. Access to working papers, research agenda and research community.
Practitioner Network
For facilitators, advisors and practitioners. Access to practitioner development materials as they are released.
Institutional Partners
For organisations wishing to partner on research, convening or applied diagnostic work. Senior-level engagement only.
The Reckoning
Periodic publication from the field. A quiet, infrequent dispatch.
Volunteer
For early-stage contributors willing to support the field's infrastructure.
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A field is not built in isolation.
It is built by a community.
It is built by a community.