Facilitating for Change: Building Skills and Possibility in the New Era

with Peter Forbes

So much in our country is changing right now because of the pandemic, the social uprisings and the unresolved legacy of our Presidential election. More than ever before, successful change-makers have the awareness and skills to cross the boundaries between cultures and ideas to create opportunities for different worlds to learn and repair together. They can speak plainly with those who are not like them about how they are different. They understand how their own identity is viewed by others and they know who they are in their work. They see this moment as being about honoring those differences, repairing, and finding the ways to move forward together. They are staunch defenders of what they love, but they do not assume their love is more important than anyone else’s.

This annual workshop teaches practical skills grounded in facilitative leadership. We will explore how this adeptness can transform organizations, coalitions and communities to create progress together. How does one embody that work, to be open to the things we can’t see in ourselves, to more fully recognize one’s privileges, to move our work away from charity and toward reciprocity?

This workshop will help you to answer these questions:

1. How do I translate what I care about most in a way that brings about a real response in someone else?
2. Who am I in this work? What is my long work: the work that’s bigger than a job or title or project; work that arises from my identity, values and purpose.
3. What does allyship really mean and ask of me?
4. What does it mean to transform privileged places and spaces? What does that ask of me and of others?

Facilitating for Change provides participants a rich opportunity to gain personal awareness and explore real applications for how to improve their individual and group leadership skills at creating positive change with and among very different people.

This workshop is a rare opportunity to join peers to push yourself to understand your personal motivations, explore the role of identity and difference, and be in a safe setting where you can try new approaches.

Whether you are a change-maker advocating for an issue, an elected official seeking durable public policy, a committed organizer working for a purpose – anyone trying to find ways to connect across difference, this workshop will strengthen your personal leadership and help you to transform situations through brave and honest action.