Siân Walker, June 2026 

In April 2026, the senior leadership group of the International Federation of L’Arche Communities gathered in Taizé, France. For the first time, they were joined by the Great Voices Group, an inclusive speaking group with eight representatives with learning disabilities from across the Federation, each supported by a L’Arche assistant. Representing L’Arche UK, Siân Walker reflects on her experience of the meeting.

The Great Voices Group met in person for the first time at Taizé in France, after two years of meeting each other online. When Laura Matheson, our National Speaking Council Chair, was unable to attend, I was asked to stand in with two weeks to go, supported by an assistant called Christine.

We are the voices of L'Arche across the world ... We want more of a say in what happens, Siân Walker

We stayed at a monastery for six days and five nights, arriving on the Saturday and leaving on the Friday. The highlight of the whole visit for me was going to lunch with some of the Taizé monks on our first day there.

When we arrived in Taizé, we played lots of getting-to-know-you games, such as Whispers and Two Truths and A Lie. I said: I’m half New-Zealander, I was born and bred in England, and I have seven nieces and nephews. I’ll leave you to guess which of those is the lie!

It was a very accessible meeting, with some good decisions, memories and friends made. I felt included from the get-go. There were core members (L’Arche members with learning disabilities) from around the world hailing from as far away as Zimbabwe. On our final day in France, after a big party the night before, Christine and I travelled to Lyon where we got to visit the Old Town, before flying back home to Manchester.

The reason for Great Voices is to talk about what is happening in L’Arche. We discussed the future of L’Arche, L’Arche’s plans for the next five years and hopes to open new Communities. We talked about how to support L’Arche in countries where there is war or people are unsafe. We heard a presentation from the finance team. And I had to present something to the whole International Leadership Group about my work for the Zero Project in Vienna.

Members of Great Voices told the International Leadership Group that core members should be at the heart of decisions L’Arche is making, because L’Arche is here to support us. We are the voices of L’Arche across the world, and it is important that everyone in each country has a voice, on different issues that may happen in our Communities internationally in the future. We want more of a say in what happens.