Pleasure Académie & Playground
By popular demand, Reno & Matthew have partnered with Men in Touch to bring back another edition of Pleasure Académie & Playground!
This event will have two parts.
2:30-4pm: Pleasure Académie
Enjoy a playful workshop with guided games to exchange touch. In this supportive container, we will build our capacity for connection, agency, and pleasure. There are clothing optional practices that may include sexual touch. Step in or out of each activity as you wish. Observers are welcome.
4-5:30pm: Pleasure Playground
This is freeform time to enjoy the shared practices and trust we built together in the Académie. Touch others, touch yourself, or relax and watch your new friends frolic. We will have cushioned spaces to hangout and some tactile items for sensory play. Attendance is limit to the Académie participants.
You are welcome to come for the Académie and not the playground if you choose.
This workshop is offered through Men in Touch (https://www.menintouch.org/). Open to anyone who identifies as male or non-binary. This is a trans-inclusive space. All bodies are welcome. Bring a towel or cloth to sit on. Yoga mats and cushions will be provided.
Several of the Académie games will be based on Betty Martin's Wheel of Consent, and you can read more about that modality here.
Recent offerings of similar workshops reached capacity. Please RSVP if of interest.
At this Event, You'll be invited to:
Practice identifying and naming what you want
Practice giving and receiving touch and affection, without obligation to reciprocate
Notice your nervous system responses to asking for what you truly desire and setting limits to what you can offer with a whole heart
Accessibility is Sexy:
Sensory environment: Low volume speaking, soft music, dim soft lighting, possibly scented candles.
Occupancy: ~25 people in a dance/yoga studio
Interaction intensity: Optional guided partner talk+touch practices.
Sexual content: Low to high based on what you and your touch partner in each activity agree on. Only do things you enthusiastically consent to.
Physical access and mobility: Access to space is via a staircase, and there is no elevator. Activities are primarily seated or standing in place. Chairs are available on request.
If you have access needs or anything that would support your full participation, please don't hesitate to reach out in advance — we're happy to explore accommodations together.
Facilitators
This workshop is hosted by Matthew Cooper (he / they) and Reno Johnston (he / him).
Matthew is a facilitator, writer, and entrepreneur who loves unlocking people's innate play and pleasure. They bring more than a decade of experience leading workshops on masculinity, body image, and touch, drawing from modalities including Authentic Relating, the Wheel of Consent, and queer theory, with an emphasis on embodiment and play. Matthew is also the co-founder of financial health startup EarnUp, a former national champion athlete, and a longtime builder of community spaces; their writing can be found at misfit-monastery.com. They are based in Vancouver, Canada. IG: @seeksevens
Reno Johnston is a facilitator who works with the Body Electric School and leads as a Spiritual Life & Business Facilitator. He playfully and creatively helps people connect to their hearts, become more secure and unapologetically authentic, and experience more freedom and joy in their lives, careers, and relationships, through 1-on-1 and group coaching, workshops, and retreat experiences. IG: @itjustgotreno · itjustgotreno.com
Acknowledgement of Territory
This gathering takes place on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We offer gratitude to the caretakers of this land, past, present, and future.