This is a BAATN Gathering Event
BAATN Weekend Conference
The Child Within: Separation and Loss
Saturday 26th April 2025 (including evening Dinner and entertainment) and Sunday 27th April 2025
Outline
This conference will be our third two-day conference. You can attend both days or just one. On Saturday evening, we’ll host a dinner with entertainment and a DJ. If you book everything, there’s a discount. You can stay overnight at the conference venue or arrange your own accommodation elsewhere in Milton Keynes.
As always, our annual conferences offer a rare opportunity to:
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Come together and share knowledge
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Tell our stories and feel connected
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Gain mutual support and inspiration
Key Details:
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Students:Â Student discounts are available.
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Meals:Â Lunch and dinner are Halal.
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Prayer Space:Â A dedicated prayer space will be provided with some mats and sheeting. Feel free to bring your own mat if preferred.
The conference, Saturday evening dinner, and entertainment are for people of African, Asian and Caribbean heritage. It 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.
Dates and Times
Saturday 26th 2025Â – 9:30 am registration, 10:30 am start – 5:00 pm end (Saturday Night dinner, DJ and entertainment 7:00 pm to midnight)
Sunday 27th April 2025Â – 9:00 am registration, 09:30 am start – 3:30 pm end
Booking closes on the 10th of April, 2025, at 1 pm.
Speakers
Conference Chairs
Saturday – Eugene Ellis
Sunday – Carmen Joanne Ablack
Keynote speakers
Abi Osho and Lola Jaye – Black Child White Nanny
Sabina F. Khan – Re-storying and restoring the inner child
Veena Ganapathy – Let Us Play: Playing and Grieving in Adult Psychotherapy
June Allen – The Mother Wound and Your Money
More about the Keynote speakers
Conference Workshops
Saturday
- Reflection on keynote talk: Black Child White Nanny – The Experience and Complexities of Cross-Cultural & Private Fostering – Abi Osho and Lola Jaye
- Reflection on keynote talk: Re-storying and restoring the inner child – Sabina F. Khan
- Let’s Play Together – Dennis L Carney
- Giving a Voice to Our Inner Child – Mickey Peake
- On Growing up a Multi-Heritage Child – A Reflective and Creative Exploration for those who identify as having a multi-heritage background – Mary-Claire Wilson
- Heart Hub Gender and Sexual Diversity reflection space – Kirath Ghataora and Wayne M. Mertins-Brown
- Open Discussion Space – Naila Dunleavy and Ian Thompson
Sunday
- Reflection on keynote talk: Let Us Play: Playing and Grieving in Adult Psychotherapy – Veena Ganapathy
- Reflection on keynote talk: The Mother Wound and Your Money – June Allen
- Let’s Play Together – Dennis L Carney
- Giving a Voice to Our Inner Child – Mickey Peake
- East and South East Asian reflection space – Sandra Chittick and Christine Shaw
- Open Discussion Space – Moriam Grillo and Robert Sookhan
Dinner and Dance
With DJ Dil
Dil specialises in various genres, especially R&B, Afrobeats, disco 80s, house, Bollywood, Bhangra, and arab Bellydance music.
Venue
Kents Hill Park Conference Centre,
Timbold Drive, Kents Hill Park, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK7 6BZ
PROGRAMME
Saturday, 26th April 2025
09:30 – Tea / Coffee / Registration
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: One (30 min followed by 15 min reflections)
11:45 – Break (30 mins)
12:15 – Keynote: Two (30 min followed by 15 min reflections)
13:00 – Lunch (1hr 30 min)Â
14:30 – Workshops (1hr 30 min)
16:00 – Break (30 min)
16:30 – Plenary and Ending Ritual (30 mins)
17.00 – End
DinnerÂ
19:00 – Meet for welcome drinks
19:30Â – Dinner
21:00 – DJ and Dance
24:00 – End of evening
Sunday, 27th April 2025
09:00 – Registrations
09.30 – Conference Start – Introduction to the conference, opening remarks and reflections– Carmen Joanne Ablack
09:45 – Keynote: Three (30 min followed by 15 min reflections)
10:30 Break (30 mins)
11:00 – Keynote: Four (30 min followed by 15 min reflections)
11:45 – Celebrations and Notice board
12:00 – Lunch (1hr 15 min)Â
13:15 – Workshops (1hr 30 min)Â
14:45 – Break (15 mins)
15:00 – Plenary and Ending Ritual (30 mins)
15.30 – End
 Cost
This conference, Saturday dinner and entertainment are 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.
Accommodation must be booked separately. You can reserve single, twin, or triple accommodation at the conference venue. If you book a room there, please mention the code BAATN25 to indicate that you are part of our group. Rooms at the conference venue can be cancelled and refunded up to three days in advance. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
You can also, of course, look for accommodation elsewhere.
Member TicketÂ
Saturday Day Ticket – £120
Sunday Day Ticket – £110
Saturday Dinner & Entertainment – £70
Complete package Sat & Sun + Dinner & Entertainment – £270
STUDENT MEMBER Ticket
Saturday Day Ticket – £90
Sunday Day Ticket – £75
Saturday Dinner & Entertainment – £60
Complete package Sat & Sun + Dinner & Entertainment – £200
NON-MEMBER TICKET
Saturday Day Ticket – £155
Sunday Day Ticket – £130
Saturday Dinner & Entertainment – £90
Complete package Sat & Sun + Dinner & Entertainment – £335
Booking Conditions
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Bookings can be made any time until Thursday, 10th April, at 1 pm.
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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 will need to be made to guarantee a place.
What delegates from last year said:
“The annual BAATN conference just keeps getting better and better. We get to share our pain and joy. We get to laugh and cry. We get to learn and teach. We get to Heal. More please. Is it time for a Winter and Summer conference/retreat?”
Wayne Mertins-Brown, Counsellor
“160 black and brown therapists supporting each other was so inspiring”
“My first BAATN conference, and it lived up to my expectations! I was left feeling Uplifted, Inspired and Joyful! I’m ecstatic that I have been a part of this and to have met so many incredible individuals. I feel proud of us all and what we have and will continue to achieve moving forward. Excitedly looking forward to the next conference!!! Thank you, Eugene and all the BAATN team involved in putting this together. You are appreciated!”
x Simone Reid
“Intelligence, humility, welcoming criticism and ideas and embracing them goes a long way and BAATN’s success is proof of that well-mixed cocktail. Thank you. You don’t only lead a donkey to the well but you also leave it no choice but to want to drink !! Kutenda kwakitsi kuri mumoyo (Shona saying) meaning the gratitude of a cat is in its heart, deeply felt”
MJ Maher
“This was my first conference and I instantly felt welcome and that I belonged. Thank you for a wonderful Saturday, for all the rich content and the amazing energy that made my heart smile”
Yvonne Johnson-Mills
“This weekend was so fulfilling, enriching and vibrant. I am so glad to have BAATN in my life – it has been a lifeline when I was ready to walk away from my profession”
Davina Vencatasamy
“It was a felt experience that allowed my nervous system to say you can learn to relax, breathe and play. You are home, safe with your brothers and sisters (family)”
Berhane
“My first BAATN conference but not my last…a truly wonderful experience being together for us by us” 🥰
Carol Cumberbatch”
Day tickets include lunch and refreshments throughout the day. Booking closes on Thursday, the 10th of April, 1 pm. Accommodation will need to be booked separately (click on Cost tab for more details)
This conference, Saturday dinner and entertainment are 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.