Preconference Description:

The 2026 International Conference of Community Psychology Preconference is a three-day sacred journey to Badagry, Nigeria. Badagry is a sacred site of water convergence – where ocean, sea, river, lake, and lagoon meet holding the weight of memory. It is a historically significant site of departure, marking the point of no return for enslaved Africans who were forcibly taken across the Atlantic through the transatlantic slave trade. This preconference aligns with the main conference theme, Waterways, and is designed to honor the inherent role of water as a connector, conduit, and guide for our ancestors.

We invite pre-conference participants to join us for three days of practice and process to enhance sociocultural and historical memory, prioritize somatic experiencing of place and time, awaken intuitive guidance, and acknowledge ancestral wisdom. We will mirror the convergence of waters at Badagry with holistic practices that honor the convergence of mind, body, earth, water, and spirit. Collectively, we will remember how to use multiple technologies—spiritual, cultural, and embodied—that support our individual journeys towards collective liberation.

On the first day, we will begin our pilgrimage by learning how to greet the land and setting intentions for this shared space. On the second day, pre-conference participants will enter a ceremony with elders, spiritual practitioners, and other keepers of traditions and histories, who will guide us in using the ways of water to advance our individual and collective transformation. On the third day, we will reflect on what we have gathered during our time, and make space to integrate lessons, insights, and practices into our everyday lives.

You do not need to be from a particular religious or spiritual space to join us. We only ask that you remain open to multiple ways of knowing, sensing, and experiencing the natural world, and approach this convening with curiosity and compassion. You also do not need to be from a particular racial or cultural background to attend. All humanity is bound to Africa - the womb of life and movement, memory and return. Still, we ask that you remain mindful of how your social position shapes your relationship to this place and space.

Please look for a registration form to express your interest in joining the 2026 ICCP pre-conference convening. We look forward to supporting you.

ICCP 2026 Pre-conference Planning Committee

• Tiffeny Jimenez
• Nkiru Nnawulezi
• Moshood Olanrewaju
• Leo Wilton