The Needs’ Year
52 weeks of connecting with your needs
by Joachim Berggren
One of the key assumptions of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) says that everything people do is their attempt to meet needs. When you know what your needs and the needs of another person are, then you can understand each other much better and find a solution that fits both of you.
But what are the needs and how to know what you need?
Moreover, how to recognise the needs of other people?
Getting in touch with what is alive in you and others can be really challenging, especially if you have never tried it before. It requires self-awareness, curiosity, openness and broadening the vocabulary. And a lot of practice!
Do you want to discover the beauty of needs and build a better connection with yourself and others?
Every week you will have a chance to focus on one need. We will invite you to:
- discover what this need means to you;
- check how you take care of this need;
- find easy strategies to fulfil this need in your everyday life;
- implement some of these strategies during the week;
- find the beauty behind other people’s actions, even when they are not in line with your values.
Participating in the Needs’ Year will help you to:
- have a greater understanding of needs;
- recognize and identify the needs with more ease;
- be in contact with yourself and what you long for in life;
- expand your strategies and be able to fulfil your needs to a greater extent;
- increase your empathy and compassion both for yourself and others;
- have richer and more meaningful relationships.
How?
You can participate in the Needs’ Year to the extent that you wish.
- You can just follow our blog and read articles about the needs.
- You can choose a free subscription to receive weekly emails with reminders and the link to free Zoom Talks.
- You can choose a premium subscription to additionally receive PDFs with questions and 1-year access to the online platform with all materials and recordings of the Zoom Talks.
Become Premium subscriber to receive:
Weekly PDF
Editable file with an introduction to the need of the week and questions for reflections

Needs Tracker
Every day check if your needs were met or not.
To do that you can use one of our “Needs Trackers”

Recorded Zoom Talks
Possibility to watch the recordings of all Zoom Talks, even those who have happened.
Already available at the platform:
Week 1 – Acceptance
Eva Rambala
Week 2 – Community
Volkmar Richter
Week 3 – Rest
Shona Cameron
Week 4 – Creativity
Sarah Dekker
Week 6 – To matter
Sarah Peyton
Week 7 – Mutuality
Pernille Plantener
Week 8 – Integrity
Kay Rung
Week 9 – Safety
Ivana Horáková
Week 10 – Mourning
Ida Rump
Week 11 – Trust
Nic Burnand
Week 12 – Harmony
Goni Zilberman
Week 13 – Meaning
Jürgen Licht
Week 14 – Dignity
Liv Larsson
Week 15 – Autonomy
Kirsten Kristensen
Week 16 – Choice
Meenadchi
Week 17 – Peace
Irmtraud Kauschat
Week 18 – Empathy
Melanie Sears
Week 19 – Honesty
Gabriel Stille
Week 20 – Cooperation
Ian Peatey
Week 21 – Belonging
Agnieszka Rzewuska-Paca
Week 22 – Subsistence
Robyn Marie Bors Veraart
3 June 2022
10:00 am CEST
Week 23 – Ease
Rhonda Mills
7 June 2022
19:30 CEST
Week 24 – Support
Mireille van Bremen
16 June 2022
19:00 am CEST
Week 25 – Hope
Magdalena Kosinska-Klaehn
23 June 2022
18:00 am CEST
Week 41 – Respect
Paula Rossi
11 October 2022
12:00 CET
Pricing
Free subscription
1-year access- Weekly blog post (available also without subscription)
- Possibility to participate in a Zoom Talk about the need (announced every week)
- Weekly emails with a reminder and a link to the Zoom Talk
- PDFs with weekly questions
- Access to the online platform with PDFs and recordings of Zoom Talks (for one year)
- Possibility to ask questions and share reflection on the online platform (for one year)
Premium subscription
1-year access- Weekly blog post (available also without subscription)
- Possibility to participate in a Zoom Talk about the need (announced every week)
- Weekly emails with a reminder and a link to the Zoom Talk
- PDFs with weekly questions
- Access to the online platform with PDFs and RECORDINGS of Zoom Talks (for one year)
- Possibility to ask questions and share reflection on the online platform (for one year)
Watch our first Zoom Talk
Watch an introduction to the Needs’ Year during which Joachim Berggren and Carolyn Davies talk about needs from the perspective of Nonviolent Commucation and their own experience:
FAQ
When is the last day of registration?
The Needs Year is planned for the whole 2022. We started on the 1st of January, but you can join whenever you wish until 31 December 2022. If you choose the Premium subscription, you will receive access to the platform for 365 days counting from the registration date.
When are the Zoom Talks?
The day and the time of our Zoom Talks will change almost every week. We will inform you by email and on the online platform when the upcoming meeting is. If you can’t participate, choose the Premium subscription to get access to the recording.
Can I resign from receiving emails?
Yes, of course, just remember that if you do that, we will not be able to send you any information connected to this project, such as reminders about the Zoom Talks and links to the meetings (if you choose premium subscription, you will find it on the platform).
Is it possible to receive an invoice?
Yes. Send your details to contact@empathiceurope.com
Can I upgrade from the free plan to the premium plan?
Yes, you can do it HERE – choose the Premium subscription, add to basket and pay.
About the author
Joachim Berggren
CNVC Certified Trainer and communication consultant
I work with groups and individuals who want to be able to communicate better and build sustainable connections in their family, with their friends, at their workplace and in the bigger community. I am offering lectures, workshops, mediation and individual training online and in person. I came into contact with NVC in 2005 and in 2009/2010 I participated in my first annual program with Friare Liv (Liv Larsson and Kay Rung). I have participated in a wide range of NVC workshops both in Sweden and abroad. Since 2010, I have been sharing and teaching NVC myself. In 2017, I became a certified NVC trainer by CNVC. My main focus within NVC has been to teach the NVC fundamentals, community building and to organize major events, such as the European and the Swedish NVC festivals. What captivates my interest lately is how we humans develop both as individuals and groups and how this evolutionary drive affects our ability to learn and integrate NVC into our lives.
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