This is a BAATN Gathering Event
BAATN Weekend Conference
Being neurodivergent: The gifts and the challenges
Saturday, 17th April 2027 (including evening Dinner and entertainment) and Sunday, 18th April 2027
Call for submissions: Speakers and workshop facilitators
We are opening a call for submissions from our members and other therapists of Black, African, Asian, and Caribbean heritage with a specialism related to the conference title, as well as those with lived experience, who may wish to deliver a keynote talk or facilitate a workshop.
How to apply
Download the Application Form
Complete the Application Form, then attach it to the online submission form
This year, our conference title is “Being neurodivergent: The gifts and the challenges.” We have chosen this theme in honour of Professor Jason Arday, whose scholarship and advocacy continue to inspire our communities. The conference will explore the diverse experiences of neurodivergence among Black, African, and Asian diaspora communities, highlighting both the systemic obstacles and the unique strengths these experiences bring. We welcome proposals that engage deeply with this theme from various therapeutic, academic, and lived-experience perspectives.
Submission Guidelines:
- Keynote Presentations: Ideas and concepts that speak to the heart of the theme.
- Workshops: Interactive sessions that offer information, experience and insights for practitioners.
Key Information:
- Venue: Eastwood Hall, Eastwood, Nottinghamshire
- Conference Date: 17 and 18th April 2027
- Submission Deadline: 2nd October 2026
Special rate accommodation
This year, we are upgrading the accommodation and venue from 3-star to 4-star and relocating the venue from Milton Keynes to Eastwood Hall in Nottinghamshire, a historic Georgian country house set in 26 acres of landscaped gardens.
The venue is offering a special rate of £105 per night for single occupancy and £115 per night for double occupancy, including bed and breakfast, available until 16th Dec 2026. You could book accommodation for Friday and Saturday evenings if you wish to arrive the day before and be fresh for the conference’s Saturday morning start. After the 16th of December, accommodation at the venue will be subject to dynamic pricing, and bookings will be required for both Friday and Saturday nights. Alternatively, you are free to find accommodation elsewhere.
To book accommodation :
Contact Eastwood Hall on 01773532532, quoting reference number 5107270.
Go to the Eastwood Hall website to view the rooms and amenities.
Dates and Times
Saturday 17th April, 2027 – 9:30 am registration and Yoga, 10:30 am start – 5:00 pm end (Saturday Night dinner, DJ and entertainment 7:00 pm to midnight)
Sunday 18th April 2027 – 9:00 am registration, 09:30 am start – 3:30 pm end
Venue
Eastwood Hall Conference Centre,
Mansfield Road, Eastwood, Nottingham NG16 3SS
Attending the conference
Our annual conferences offer us a rare opportunity to:
- come together, share our knowledge,
- tell our stories and feel connected
- gain mutual support and inspiration.
You can attend both days or just one. On Saturday evening, we have dinner with entertainment plus a DJ. If you book everything, there’s a discount. You can book accommodation at the conference venue or elsewhere near the venue (more details about booking the conference venue are below)
– Students, get a student discount.
– Lunch and dinner are Halal
– There will be a dedicated space for prayer. Some prayer mats will be available, but feel free to bring your own; sheeting is provided.
Booking will be open 5th October 2026
PROGRAMME
Saturday, 17th April 2027
09:30 – Tea / Coffee / Registration
10:00 -10.15 Yoga session
10.30 – Conference Start – Introduction to the conference and opening remarks – Eugene Ellis, founder and director of BAATN
10.45 – Opening Ritual
11:00 – Keynote: (30 min followed by 15 min reflections)
11:45 – Break (30 mins)
12:15 – Keynote: (30 min followed by 15 min reflections)
13:00 – Lunch (1hr 30 min)
14:30 – Workshops (1hr 30 min)
16:00 – Break (30 min)
16:30 – Plenary and Ending Ritual (30 mins)
17.00 – End
Dinner
19:00 – Meet for welcome drinks
19:30 – Dinner
21:30 – Entertainment and DJ
24:00 – End of evening
Sunday, 18th April 2027
09:00 – Registrations
09.30 – Conference Start – Introduction to the conference and opening remarks
09:35 – Opening Ritual
09:45 – Keynote: (30 min followed by 15 min reflections)
10:30 Break (30 mins)
11:00 – Keynote: (30 min followed by 15 min reflections)
11:45 – Celebrations and Notice board
12:00 – Lunch (1hr 15 min)
13:15 – Workshops (1hr 30 min)
14:45 – Break (15 mins)
15:00 – Plenary and Ending Ritual (30 mins)
15.30 – End
Cost
This conference is for people of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage. The conference is also open to other People of Colour who are also affected by prejudice due to the colour of their skin and global white power.
The venue is offering a special rate of £105 per night for single occupancy and £115 per night for double occupancy, including bed and breakfast, available until 16th Dec 2026. Click on the About tab.
MEMBER TICKET |
| Complete package Sat & Sun + Dinner & Entertainment Normal Fee £320 Early Bird £275 |
| Saturday Day Ticket Normal Fee £145 Early Bird £120 |
| Saturday Dinner & Entertainment Normal Fee £80 Early Bird £70 |
| Sunday Day Ticket Normal Fee £130 Early Bird £110 |
| *** |
STUDENT MEMBER Ticket |
| Complete package Sat-Sun & Dinner & Entertainment Normal Fee £235 Early Bird £200 |
| Saturday Day Ticket Normal Fee £105 Early Bird £90 |
| Saturday Dinner & Entertainment Normal Fee £70 Early Bird £60 |
| Sunday Day Ticket Normal Fee £90 Early Bird £75 |
| *** |
NON-MEMBER TICKET |
| Complete package Sat & Sun + Dinner & Entertainment Normal Fee £395 Early Bird £340 |
| Saturday Day Ticket Normal Fee £180 Early Bird £160 |
| Saturday Dinner & Entertainment Normal Fee £105 Early Bird £95 |
| Sunday Day Ticket Normal Fee £155 Early Bird £135 |
Booking Conditions
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Bookings can be made up until 2nd April 2027
- Early bird Conference tickets can be purchased until 19th February 2027.
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If you have difficulty booking, email the events administrator
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Email the events administrator to go on the waiting list if an event is full. If a place becomes available, priority will be given to those at the top of the waiting list.
Full payment is required to guarantee a place.
What delegates from last year said:
“I have never been to a conference that has left me feeling so enriched, inspired, connected and uplifted. Such a wonderful experience. Thank you and see you next year!”
Yvonne Johnson-Mills
“What a delight and privilege to have been part of such an enriching, connected experience. I am already eagerly anticipating next year’s offering!”
“The conference nourishes my soul, opens up reflections about how I approach my work and gives me a reset to go back into the world again.”
Jennifer Jean-Paul Integrative Psychodynamic counsellor
“This is the first baatn event I have attended and it has changed my life. I can’t wait to get more involved and contribute to the network in any way I can!”
Raveena
“Simply, I found my tribe.”
“It was my first time attending, and wow, it was amazing to see people in the field who looked like me. It felt so good not to be in the minority for once, definitely attending the conference again”
Monique Fearon
“Thank you for creating and facilitating such an incredibly nourishing, playful and thoughtful community. There was so much connection, through both laughter and tears and an abundance of love and care. I am already looking forward to next year”
Dr Saafi Mousa
“The conference was nourishing, inspiring & informative; best conference I’ve ever attended in my career as a therapist”
Davina Aidoo
“Attending the BAATN Conference was a way of pouring back into myself and this was my first ever BAATN event, online or in-person. For me, it felt like going back to your childhood home as an adult and bringing something meaningful back with you like the toy you used to love playing with as a child, or family photos that give you joy. I needed to bring something back home to myself and being at the conference did that for me.”
Anaum Hammad
Day tickets include lunch and refreshments throughout the day. Booking opens on 5th October 2026. Accommodation will need to be booked separately (see above)
This conference is for people of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage. The conference is also open to other People of Colour who are also affected by prejudice due to the colour of their skin and global white power.