During Mental Health Week, Scattered teamed up with Vent Over Tea for something new — our first major online workshop, open to participants from across Canada.
The goal was simple but powerful: bring together two approaches that both centre the human experience. Scattered’s mindfulness and automatic writing practices, combined with Vent Over Tea’s active listening techniques — all in one supportive, judgment-free space.
The workshop was structured in three segments, following the format that had worked so well in our in-person events.
We opened with an introduction to mindfulness and the Headspace Method — helping participants feel grounded and ready to explore their inner world. Then came a guided meditation, flowing naturally into an automatic writing exercise. The invitation was familiar: write continuously, without editing or filtering. Let whatever is there come out onto the page.
What came next was what made this workshop unique. After each writing session, participants moved into small breakout groups. There, they could share their writing — or simply talk about what came up for them. Trained Vent Over Tea facilitators guided each group, modelling empathetic listening and making sure every voice felt heard and valued.
Even through a screen, the sense of community and connection was real.
The workshop closed with a group reflection. Participants shared how the combination of mindfulness, writing, and active listening had helped them feel more understood and more supported than they expected.
For Scattered, this collaboration was a turning point. It showed us that our methods translate online. It showed us the power of partnering with like-minded organizations. And it opened the door to a whole new way of reaching people — wherever they are.