Turning Problems into Solutions

Learn how to enable fundamental change in the culture of my organisation, to help people work together better so we can grow and flourish as individuals and as organisations.

In Chile, venue to be announced.

With Liora Adler & Andy Langford

How Much: Sliding Scale US$250-435.00 includes all food, accomodation and resources.

• What skills will I learn?

• What kind of people should attend?

• Why in El Manzano BioBio Chile?

Apply Now: Please complete the  application form for the summer programme in March 2011 here.

Contact: To talk to a real person contact Javiera Carrión by email or phone +56-43-1972262. Javiera will help you with the application process.

An Action Learning Event

This workshop is for individuals, organisations and communities wanting to improve their capacity to collaborate, resolve conflicts and make better decisions. Learn how to create the conditions where people learn, and think together and find solutions to the sistemic challenges they face in today’s world.

Take this opportunity to learn by experience that working together at optimum levels takes individual commitment to personal development and a willingness to be accountable, and It takes organisational commitment to supporting healthy people, healthy relationships and life enhancing processes and practices.

Facilitators

The Gaia University facilitation team consists of a transdisciplinary collective of individuals from the business, non-profit and education sectors who have come together to create a forum to find solutions to the economic, environmental and social challenges of the day in Latin America.

We help groups become more effective by improving their capacity to collaborate, to resolve conflicts and make good decisions. As specialists in participatory processes, we create the conditions that help people learn, and think together and find solutions to the challenges they face.

Through an international network of grassroots organizations, participatory design, and inclusive democracy we are working with local communities all over the planet to develop sustainable solutions. Below are the biographies of instructors and facilitators for the 2011 Chile workshop.

Liora Adler

Liora Adler is a visionary social activist, consensus facilitator, psychologist, holistic nutritionist, event organizer, photographer and dancer. Liora has been a global leader in the ecovillage movement and was an executive board member of the Global Ecovillage Network from 1999 - 2003. She currently serves on its International Advisory Board and as a representative to the United Nations. She is also an advisory board member of the and vice-president of The Global Village Institute for Appropriate Technology.

Liora has helped to create ecovillage and permaculture networks in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, South Africa, China and Cuba. As co-founder and co-president of Gaia University, Liora has been intimately involved with its design and development from the outset. She oversees operations, teaches programs for associates developing new regional organizing circles, and has been known to lead salsa classes when the mood strikes. 

Andy Langford

Andrew is an unusualist, a possibilist and a lover of small-scale living associated with large-scale thinking. Andrew was an early adopter of permaculture design thinking when it first spread through Europe in the 1980’s. He soon became the first permaculture design teacher in Britain, and had a designing at garden and farm scale for private clients, and designing urban retrofits for local governments.

In 1993, Andrew designed and implemented the Diploma in Applied Permaculture system, an action learning worknet for the development of professional permaculture designers that has become a basis for capacity building operations in several northern European countries. Andrew is a strong advocate for participatory learning and decision-making and is skilled in a variety of facilitation methods, including Future Search and Open Space Technology. He is the author of Designing Productive Meetings and Events, a field manual for UN Agenda 21 facilitators, and a recognized teacher of Re-evaluation Counseling, which promotes the discharge of internal distress and resolution of rigid, patterned thinking as primary routes towards the emergence of healthy, intelligent human cultures.

How Much

The Sliding Scale is income dependant. Those with a higher ability to pay contribute more, and are effectively subsidising lower income earners. So if you earn  up to US$10,000 per year you pay the E3 price, US$20,000 the E2, and US$30,000+ you pay the full E1 price.

Unwaged people may apply for a limited number of part scholarships and/or professional trade. 

Please refer to the following table to define your payment. If you are confused please contact us. 

Full Price US$: E1 435.00 E2 323.00 E3 250.00

Early Bird US$: E1 391.50 E2 291.00 E3 225.00

Pay in full before January 25th 2011 and pay the early bird price. E3 people bring a friend and pay only US$225.00. E1 people bring a friend and pay only the E2 price of US$323.00 each. Please note:Gaia University Chile summer program workshops, we will offer you a package deal price reduction. Please ask us for more information. if you book more than one of the

Learning Outcomes

This learning experience will provide opportunities for participants to develop a broad range of values, knowledge, and skills for improving their own professional practice and working environments.

Participants will leave with a wealth of inspiration and materials that enable them to start working for change in their own projects and organisations.

At the end of this workshop students will have a broader range of tools from which to choose when faced with situations that call for more than “simple” facilitation.

You will be able to discern when the client’s needs surpass your level of experience and where to look for additional resources.

Throughout the five days we will explore the core sustainability literacy areas of;

• Facilitating & Training Groups – techniques for large groups, forums and conferences · the challenges of facilitating virtual teams · adding value to organizational change processes.

• Working with Systems – the ability to recognize inter-connections within and between systems · manage complex sustainability problems.

• Strategic and futures thinking – the ability to create positive visions for the future · strategic thinking and planning.

• Effective communication skills – improve communication skills · the ability to expose discourses that undermine sustainability and resist them · how to influence change inside and outside the organisation · new media literacy · skills for culturally appropriate communication.

• Finding like-minded people for cooperative efforts – organisational skills · creative problem solving · adaptability · collective decision making · consensus building · inspiring and motivating others · design leadership · team building· effective collaboration · establishing and managing priorities · project management · conflict resolution · facilitating & training groups · interpersonal skills · team empowerment · communication with internal & external stakeholders · influencing change inside the organisation.

What kind of people should come?

This event is suitable for a wide range of students and professionals in the government, non-government and private sectors wanting to improve their practice in sustainability and move their own organisations forward.

The workshop will provide practical opportunities for learning how to enable our organisations to grow and flourish.

The many faces of a world changer / Spanish.

We recommend the following people attend;

• Local Government staff in Chile or Latin America.
• NGO staff in Chileworking for inclusive business and entrepreneurial innovation.
• Business people commercial engineer exploring ways of doing green business, transforming business.
• University staff.
• Young professionals seeking a career as a sustainability professional.
• Central government staff seeking to understand how to apply sustainability.
• Presidents of Junta Vecinos.
• Gaia University graduates wanting to extend their competency.
• Permaculture Design Certificate holders seeking career pathways in regenerative design.
• Permaculture Diploma students. 
• Permaculture designers seeking to understand regenerative design.
• Ecovillage network members seeking to revitalise their efforts.
• Transition Town planners looking for innovative solutions for their own projects. 

What is the format and educational style?

This is a participatory design workshop, offered as an experiential learning event in a collaborative working environment.
The workshop is participant centred and will require you to practice the arts of facilitation in a supported environment. We will be utilizing the knowledge and skills of participants working in teams to develop working scenarios for a range of typical complex situations.

The facilitation team will utilise a combination of material from various internally regarded sources including Gaia University, Zenergy Facilitation, the International Institute for Facilitation and Change etc to lead participants on a journey of experience, of real world learning.

Why in El Manzano?

In El Manzano we are committed to developing collaborative ways of working together for business, organisations and communities through people centred facilitation.

Working together at optimum levels takes individual commitment to personal development and a willingness to be accountable. It takes organisational commitment to supporting healthy people, healthy relationships and life enhancing processes and practices. Together, these enable the business, organisations and communities to grow and flourish.

Our facilitated processes include strategic planning, cultural change, internal and public participation, team empowerment, conflict resolution, creative problem solving and decision making.

As a dynamic resource, El Manzano can enable fundamental changes in the culture of your organisation. Our team of facilitators is available to work with your organisation. Please contact us.

Sign up for the workshop and add your voice to the conversation. Help us to create a catalytic learning experience that empowers a network of people in Chile and Latin America to engage in improving our practice together in teh creation of world changing projects.