Our past workshops
Facilitating Collaborative Groups
-> Foundational skills, deepening skills, and conflict resilience for facilitators. More information here. (2021/2022)
-> Foundational skills, deepening skills, and conflict resilience for facilitators. More information here. (2021/2022)
Living Systems for Thriving Groups. More information here (2020)
Collaborative Organising - Transforming Power in our Communities: More information here. (2020)
Finding Collaboration in Conflict: Exploring Convergent Facilitation as a process for making difficult decisions in groups (2019)
Would you like to learn how to facilitate groups that are stuck in disagreement to move forwards?
Do you want to better support groups to come up with decisions that work for everyone?
In this 3-day training, we will be exploring a process called Convergent Facilitation and learning how to facilitate effective collaborative decision-making. Convergent Facilitation is a method for bringing a group to decisions that everyone supports, by going into the disagreement and finding a way forward that includes what really matters to everyone involved.
Where and when
Dates: Thursday evening 28th February – Sunday 3rd March 2019
Timings:
Thursday 6.30pm arrival for 7pm start – 9pm
Friday 10am – 5.30pm
Saturday 10am – 5.30pm
Sunday 10am – 4pm
Location
The training will be held at a wheelchair accessible venue in central Edinburgh. We will confirm the venue closer to the date.
Who is this for?
This workshop is for people who are actively involved in facilitating groups working towards social and environmental justice. We would also like to hear from you if you’re just starting your journey as a facilitator but have a clear context to apply your learning.
If you aren’t sure if this workshop is for you, please get in touch and we can talk about it.
What is Convergent Facilitation?
Convergent Facilitation is a model developed through practical engagement with groups and organisations over many years by Miki Kashtan, a facilitator, trainer and author. As well as being a specific decision-making model, it offers principles and practices that can be used in facilitation and communication in lots of different situations, and can be applied to other processes (including Consensus Decision Making and Mediation).
You can find out more about the process by watching this short Youtube interview with Miki Kashtan or by reading this summary here.
Learning goals
This training will be focused on learning through experience and practice, supported by a clear map to make sense of the process.
In the training, you will:
* Learn and practice Convergent Facilitation, a process for bringing groups that are stuck in disagreement to a way forward that everyone can support
* Learn and practice a range of key facilitation principles and skills from Convergent Facilitation that can be applied to facilitation in many contexts
* Gain confidence and trust in your ability to hold and facilitate groups that are polarised or experiencing tension or disagreement
* Explore some options for handling complex power dynamics and moments of conflict and emotional intensity in groups and supporting the group get on with what it’s come together for
* Be part of a temporary supportive ‘learning lab’ where we can experiment and try things out together
Practical details:
– The venue will be wheelchair accessible and easily reachable by public transport.
– We will provide hot drinks and snacks. You should bring your own lunch.
– If you are travelling from further afield for the training and require accommodation, please get in touch. We’ll do our best to find you a bed or crash space accommodation.
– We are planning an evening social on either Friday or Saturday evening – details to be confirmed!
– Detailed practical information will be sent once participants are confirmed.
Cost
We operate a sliding scale for participating in our workshops:
Individuals from funded organisations, larger charities & NGOs with a training budget: £400
Individuals from smaller charities and NGOs with very limited funds: £200
Waged individuals: £100
Students and unwaged individuals: £50
If you can afford to pay more it allows us to offer more spaces for those who cannot.
If cost would be prohibitive to your participation, please get in contact to see about arranging a subsidised or free place. We want our workshops to be accessible to everyone.
This training is jointly organised by Tripod: Training for Social Action and Navigate Coop. Part of the costs of this training are generously covered by Alert Fonds.
How to apply:
Fill out this questionnaire by 14th January 2019. We will confirm places by 22nd January 2019.
About the trainers:
Paul Kahawatte
I work for Navigate as a mediator, facilitator and trainer. My work is grounded in my experience of studying and applying the principles of Convergent Facilitation, Restorative Circles, Nonviolent Communication and Community Mediation. I’ve been exploring these and related processes over the past 9 years, and I’m passionate about drawing on them to support restorative and collaborative systems and processes in empowering social change. I see the ways we engage with conflict, share power, make decisions and work together as central to unleashing the potential of our movements, and I believe better ways of doing these things are fundamental to a world that works for everyone.
Kathryn Tulip
I’ve campaigned on a wide range of social and environmental justice issues for more than 30 years and have been offering training and facilitation to grassroots groups with Seeds for Change and now with Navigate for 14 years. I’m continuously re-inspired in this work by the commitment and creativity of the people that we work with. My way of working is influenced by Training for Change, the field of Process Work, the work of NVC and conflict facilitator Miki Kashtan and my Buddhist practice. I’m passionate about supporting groups working for social and environmental justice to be as effective as they can be in achieving their goals. I believe this can be achieved through working collaboratively, communicating effectively, attending to the power dynamics in the group, addressing conflict, applying an anti-oppression lens to their work and valuing sustainability so that together they can create a thriving, effective and resilient group.
Do you want to better support groups to come up with decisions that work for everyone?
In this 3-day training, we will be exploring a process called Convergent Facilitation and learning how to facilitate effective collaborative decision-making. Convergent Facilitation is a method for bringing a group to decisions that everyone supports, by going into the disagreement and finding a way forward that includes what really matters to everyone involved.
Where and when
Dates: Thursday evening 28th February – Sunday 3rd March 2019
Timings:
Thursday 6.30pm arrival for 7pm start – 9pm
Friday 10am – 5.30pm
Saturday 10am – 5.30pm
Sunday 10am – 4pm
Location
The training will be held at a wheelchair accessible venue in central Edinburgh. We will confirm the venue closer to the date.
Who is this for?
This workshop is for people who are actively involved in facilitating groups working towards social and environmental justice. We would also like to hear from you if you’re just starting your journey as a facilitator but have a clear context to apply your learning.
If you aren’t sure if this workshop is for you, please get in touch and we can talk about it.
What is Convergent Facilitation?
Convergent Facilitation is a model developed through practical engagement with groups and organisations over many years by Miki Kashtan, a facilitator, trainer and author. As well as being a specific decision-making model, it offers principles and practices that can be used in facilitation and communication in lots of different situations, and can be applied to other processes (including Consensus Decision Making and Mediation).
You can find out more about the process by watching this short Youtube interview with Miki Kashtan or by reading this summary here.
Learning goals
This training will be focused on learning through experience and practice, supported by a clear map to make sense of the process.
In the training, you will:
* Learn and practice Convergent Facilitation, a process for bringing groups that are stuck in disagreement to a way forward that everyone can support
* Learn and practice a range of key facilitation principles and skills from Convergent Facilitation that can be applied to facilitation in many contexts
* Gain confidence and trust in your ability to hold and facilitate groups that are polarised or experiencing tension or disagreement
* Explore some options for handling complex power dynamics and moments of conflict and emotional intensity in groups and supporting the group get on with what it’s come together for
* Be part of a temporary supportive ‘learning lab’ where we can experiment and try things out together
Practical details:
– The venue will be wheelchair accessible and easily reachable by public transport.
– We will provide hot drinks and snacks. You should bring your own lunch.
– If you are travelling from further afield for the training and require accommodation, please get in touch. We’ll do our best to find you a bed or crash space accommodation.
– We are planning an evening social on either Friday or Saturday evening – details to be confirmed!
– Detailed practical information will be sent once participants are confirmed.
Cost
We operate a sliding scale for participating in our workshops:
Individuals from funded organisations, larger charities & NGOs with a training budget: £400
Individuals from smaller charities and NGOs with very limited funds: £200
Waged individuals: £100
Students and unwaged individuals: £50
If you can afford to pay more it allows us to offer more spaces for those who cannot.
If cost would be prohibitive to your participation, please get in contact to see about arranging a subsidised or free place. We want our workshops to be accessible to everyone.
This training is jointly organised by Tripod: Training for Social Action and Navigate Coop. Part of the costs of this training are generously covered by Alert Fonds.
How to apply:
Fill out this questionnaire by 14th January 2019. We will confirm places by 22nd January 2019.
About the trainers:
Paul Kahawatte
I work for Navigate as a mediator, facilitator and trainer. My work is grounded in my experience of studying and applying the principles of Convergent Facilitation, Restorative Circles, Nonviolent Communication and Community Mediation. I’ve been exploring these and related processes over the past 9 years, and I’m passionate about drawing on them to support restorative and collaborative systems and processes in empowering social change. I see the ways we engage with conflict, share power, make decisions and work together as central to unleashing the potential of our movements, and I believe better ways of doing these things are fundamental to a world that works for everyone.
Kathryn Tulip
I’ve campaigned on a wide range of social and environmental justice issues for more than 30 years and have been offering training and facilitation to grassroots groups with Seeds for Change and now with Navigate for 14 years. I’m continuously re-inspired in this work by the commitment and creativity of the people that we work with. My way of working is influenced by Training for Change, the field of Process Work, the work of NVC and conflict facilitator Miki Kashtan and my Buddhist practice. I’m passionate about supporting groups working for social and environmental justice to be as effective as they can be in achieving their goals. I believe this can be achieved through working collaboratively, communicating effectively, attending to the power dynamics in the group, addressing conflict, applying an anti-oppression lens to their work and valuing sustainability so that together they can create a thriving, effective and resilient group.
Sustaining Resistance Training of Trainers (2019)
18-29th May 2019 Ulex Centre, Catalunia
This training of trainers aims to support activist-trainers who want to develop and deliver trainings on sustainable activism and are interested in the approach developed within the Sustaining Resistance project. Through the training we will share experience and offer a range of tools and methods, both personal and collective that can support people to make their activism more effective and sustainable. The training will provide space to design and deliver sessions and receive feedback from peers.
The training will support participants to develop understanding, skills and confidence to design and deliver high quality sustainable activism trainings which:
The faciltators of this training are Kathryn Tulip from Navigate and G from the Ulex Project
Read more
This training of trainers aims to support activist-trainers who want to develop and deliver trainings on sustainable activism and are interested in the approach developed within the Sustaining Resistance project. Through the training we will share experience and offer a range of tools and methods, both personal and collective that can support people to make their activism more effective and sustainable. The training will provide space to design and deliver sessions and receive feedback from peers.
The training will support participants to develop understanding, skills and confidence to design and deliver high quality sustainable activism trainings which:
- explore methods of working effectively with the personal and inner dimension of activism, helping us take better care of ourselves, equipping us to avoid burnout and to better empower ourselves to bring our best to our work.
- offer tools which support more skilful inter-personal work in our groups and networks, supporting personal and organisational wellbeing and effectiveness, as well as enabling ways of organising which exemplify the values we want to realise in the world.
- create a vibrant and supportive temporary community of activists, as a space for deep reflection, analysis, and the sharing of experience of the personal and inter-personal dimensions of our work – and as a space to find nourishment and inspiration.
- The course is aimed at activist-trainers with previous facilitation/training experience who are already developing, or want to develop, trainings for sustainable activism. The training is focused towards those involved in direct action, grassroots campaigning and community empowerment, addressing ecological, political and social justice issues. Ideally participants will have participated in a Sustaining Resistance training, or be able to demonstrate a similar level of engagement with the personal and collective aspects of sustainable activism.
The faciltators of this training are Kathryn Tulip from Navigate and G from the Ulex Project
Read more
Exploring Class (2019)
Saturday 12th January 2019, 10.30 –5.30pm, Bristol
The class system is embedded in all of our lives and its not surprising that when we organise for social and environmental justice in our groups and networks that the same class oppressions are often perpetuated. This one day workshop aims to give space to reflect on our own experience of class, to build awareness of how class oppressions are reproduced in our groups and what we can do to change that, so that we can create stronger and more effective groups and movements for social change.
Class injustice (classism) is about barriers to accessing material resources (money, home ownership). Its also about social and cultural barriers to accessing education, jobs with decent pay and conditions, decent housing, where ‘what you know’ and ‘who you know’ provide greater access to resources.
Some of these barriers are rooted in explicitly classist government policies and employment practices. Others are rooted in implicit attitudes, frequently fostered by the media, where unequal respect, trust and opportunities are given to people with different education levels, occupations, cultures, accents etc. The consequences of these barriers are enormous, yet they have become so ‘normalised’ that they are invisible.
We will use a mix of large and small group activities, share personal class life stories and use class-based caucuses to explore our classed experiences, build awareness of how class oppressions are reproduced in our groups and explore ideas for practices we can implement in our groups to change that. We will also explore how class identity intersects with other aspects of our identities such as race, gender and ability. As facilitators, our approach is to create a learning environment which supports curiosity and care as we explore the impacts of classism together and share our lived experience of class inequality, without blame, guilt or shame.
Who is it for
If you are working for social or environmental justice, paid or unpaid, whether you call yourself an activist or campaigner or not, we would love you to join us!
Accessibility
The venue is wheelchair accessible. Please get in touch if you have other questions about accessibility of the workshop or the venue.
Facilitation team
Kathryn Tulip and Lyndsay Burtonshaw who work with Navigate will co-facilitate the workshop.
Kathryn grew up in a working class family in Manchester. Her mother was a cleaner, her father worked all his life on the shop floor in a factory. Kathryn was the first person in her family to go to university and has since lived and worked in mainly middle class environments. She sees herself as a ‘straddler’, someone who grew up working class, went to university and then moved into the middle class. She is currently a trainer/facilitator with Navigate, where she has led anti-oppression workshops and supported groups when issues of classism, racism and sexism have arisen.
Lyndsay grew up in a small working class town in East Yorkshire. Their father worked as an estate agent, and mother worked part-time in a bakery. After growing up with low aspiration and motivation at school, Lyndsay was the first person in their family to gain further education. Lyndsay is a participatory facilitator and activist, specialising in public speaking, Theatre of the Oppressed, power dynamics, spiritual activism, and radical youth work, recently working with collectives Navigate, Resist + Renew and Beautiful Trouble, and organising with LGSMigrants, Plane Stupid and End Deportations. In their spare time they cycle mountains, and hang out at punk gigs, Quaker meetings, and herbal medicine gardens.
Cost
Sliding scale from £25 – £125. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
Applying for a place
To apply for a place please complete the short questionnaire here. Your responses will help us to design the workshop to meet the needs and interests of participants. The application deadline is Friday 14th December 2018 and places are limited.
If you have any questions please contact Kathryn: kathryn@navigate.org.uk or 07795 171652
We look forward to hearing from you!
Kathryn and Lyndsay
The class system is embedded in all of our lives and its not surprising that when we organise for social and environmental justice in our groups and networks that the same class oppressions are often perpetuated. This one day workshop aims to give space to reflect on our own experience of class, to build awareness of how class oppressions are reproduced in our groups and what we can do to change that, so that we can create stronger and more effective groups and movements for social change.
Class injustice (classism) is about barriers to accessing material resources (money, home ownership). Its also about social and cultural barriers to accessing education, jobs with decent pay and conditions, decent housing, where ‘what you know’ and ‘who you know’ provide greater access to resources.
Some of these barriers are rooted in explicitly classist government policies and employment practices. Others are rooted in implicit attitudes, frequently fostered by the media, where unequal respect, trust and opportunities are given to people with different education levels, occupations, cultures, accents etc. The consequences of these barriers are enormous, yet they have become so ‘normalised’ that they are invisible.
We will use a mix of large and small group activities, share personal class life stories and use class-based caucuses to explore our classed experiences, build awareness of how class oppressions are reproduced in our groups and explore ideas for practices we can implement in our groups to change that. We will also explore how class identity intersects with other aspects of our identities such as race, gender and ability. As facilitators, our approach is to create a learning environment which supports curiosity and care as we explore the impacts of classism together and share our lived experience of class inequality, without blame, guilt or shame.
Who is it for
If you are working for social or environmental justice, paid or unpaid, whether you call yourself an activist or campaigner or not, we would love you to join us!
Accessibility
The venue is wheelchair accessible. Please get in touch if you have other questions about accessibility of the workshop or the venue.
Facilitation team
Kathryn Tulip and Lyndsay Burtonshaw who work with Navigate will co-facilitate the workshop.
Kathryn grew up in a working class family in Manchester. Her mother was a cleaner, her father worked all his life on the shop floor in a factory. Kathryn was the first person in her family to go to university and has since lived and worked in mainly middle class environments. She sees herself as a ‘straddler’, someone who grew up working class, went to university and then moved into the middle class. She is currently a trainer/facilitator with Navigate, where she has led anti-oppression workshops and supported groups when issues of classism, racism and sexism have arisen.
Lyndsay grew up in a small working class town in East Yorkshire. Their father worked as an estate agent, and mother worked part-time in a bakery. After growing up with low aspiration and motivation at school, Lyndsay was the first person in their family to gain further education. Lyndsay is a participatory facilitator and activist, specialising in public speaking, Theatre of the Oppressed, power dynamics, spiritual activism, and radical youth work, recently working with collectives Navigate, Resist + Renew and Beautiful Trouble, and organising with LGSMigrants, Plane Stupid and End Deportations. In their spare time they cycle mountains, and hang out at punk gigs, Quaker meetings, and herbal medicine gardens.
Cost
Sliding scale from £25 – £125. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.
Applying for a place
To apply for a place please complete the short questionnaire here. Your responses will help us to design the workshop to meet the needs and interests of participants. The application deadline is Friday 14th December 2018 and places are limited.
If you have any questions please contact Kathryn: kathryn@navigate.org.uk or 07795 171652
We look forward to hearing from you!
Kathryn and Lyndsay
Exploring Class – A training for trainers (2018)
14-17 June 2018, Gloucestershire. Do you want to support your own or other organisations working for social change to deal more skillfully with social class and classism in the organisation, in individual’s lives and in the wider society? Do you want to strengthen your workshop facilitation skills and apply them to class issues? Read more
Facilitation Training (2018)
This training is about strengthening your ability to facilitate meetings and gatherings, helping groups to become something more than the sum of their parts and unleash their collective potential.
Facilitation is about making it as easy as possible for a group to get on with whatever it came together for. While there are many ways of facilitating, and every situation is different, there are some powerful underlying principles of facilitation that will support you wherever you facilitate.
If meetings drain energy rather than creating progress, then this workshop can help you find a way to turn it around. If you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, or there’s a lot of tension and no one knows how to deal with it, this workshop will help you navigate your way through it. If your group has power dynamics that aren’t being dealt with, where some people’s voices seem to count more than those of others, then we’ll look at how you can address this. We’ll look at ways to bring people together and move forward without leaving people behind, even when things are difficult, tense or stuck.
We’ll explore ways of listening to and intervening in what’s going on in a group, you’ll discover more about your role as a facilitator, and we’ll help you find the right balance between sticking to the agenda and following the unplanned. You’ll develop ways of integrating what’s important to everyone, even when there’s a lot of disagreement.
This workshop is designed to support you to learn through experiences, trying things out and thinking things through together; we believe that people learn best through doing and reflecting on what they have done, rather than just being told.
We’ll plan the workshop based on what you tell us you’re interested in learning (via a questionnaire beforehand), and we’ll adapt our plan as the weekend unfolds.
The Trainers
Kathryn Tulip and Paul Kahawatte are both experienced facilitators and trainers with Navigate. Kathryn has been facilitating groups and training for more than 14 years with Seeds for Change and now with Navigate. Paul has extensive experience as a community mediator, drawing on years of studying the principles of Nonviolent Communication and Convergent Facilitation.
How to apply
Apply Here. This workshop is for people active in groups or organisations working for social change in some way. We welcome you if you’ve been facilitating for many years, or if you’re just starting out.
Email kathryn@navigate.org.uk with any questions. The workshop has limited places, so get in touch soon.
Logistics
This weekend workshop will take place in Bristol. We can provide accommodation if you want it. The cost of the workshop is £30 – £250, depending on your income. If you want to come and can’t afford £30, please let us know what you can afford – no one will be turned away through lack of funds.
Dates & times
Saturday 24th March 11.00am – 6.00pm
Sunday 25th March 10.00am – 4.00pm
Facilitation is about making it as easy as possible for a group to get on with whatever it came together for. While there are many ways of facilitating, and every situation is different, there are some powerful underlying principles of facilitation that will support you wherever you facilitate.
If meetings drain energy rather than creating progress, then this workshop can help you find a way to turn it around. If you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, or there’s a lot of tension and no one knows how to deal with it, this workshop will help you navigate your way through it. If your group has power dynamics that aren’t being dealt with, where some people’s voices seem to count more than those of others, then we’ll look at how you can address this. We’ll look at ways to bring people together and move forward without leaving people behind, even when things are difficult, tense or stuck.
We’ll explore ways of listening to and intervening in what’s going on in a group, you’ll discover more about your role as a facilitator, and we’ll help you find the right balance between sticking to the agenda and following the unplanned. You’ll develop ways of integrating what’s important to everyone, even when there’s a lot of disagreement.
This workshop is designed to support you to learn through experiences, trying things out and thinking things through together; we believe that people learn best through doing and reflecting on what they have done, rather than just being told.
We’ll plan the workshop based on what you tell us you’re interested in learning (via a questionnaire beforehand), and we’ll adapt our plan as the weekend unfolds.
The Trainers
Kathryn Tulip and Paul Kahawatte are both experienced facilitators and trainers with Navigate. Kathryn has been facilitating groups and training for more than 14 years with Seeds for Change and now with Navigate. Paul has extensive experience as a community mediator, drawing on years of studying the principles of Nonviolent Communication and Convergent Facilitation.
How to apply
Apply Here. This workshop is for people active in groups or organisations working for social change in some way. We welcome you if you’ve been facilitating for many years, or if you’re just starting out.
Email kathryn@navigate.org.uk with any questions. The workshop has limited places, so get in touch soon.
Logistics
This weekend workshop will take place in Bristol. We can provide accommodation if you want it. The cost of the workshop is £30 – £250, depending on your income. If you want to come and can’t afford £30, please let us know what you can afford – no one will be turned away through lack of funds.
Dates & times
Saturday 24th March 11.00am – 6.00pm
Sunday 25th March 10.00am – 4.00pm
Conflict in Groups - Facilitating Change (2018)
Conflict in a group can be profoundly challenging; sometimes it’s like wading through a swamp, other times it’s like a whirlwind pulling everyone in and tearing things apart. Though conflict can be intensely painful, it is possible to find ways through tensions and disagreements together. Engaging with conflict can bring a lot of energy, a sense of cohesion and better communication to a group.
Though conflict is powerful, and potentially destructive, it is not inevitable that it’ll ruin a group, community or project. It can be a sign that change is somehow needed, and it can be a catalyst for helping the group to develop resilience and grow stronger. This is more likely when there are some people willing to get involved, with the capacity to see the situation from everyone’s side, support everyone to express themselves and listen to each other, and help the group navigate through the rough waters.
What this workshop offers
Over the course of the weekend you’ll develop your ability to engage with conflict, whether you’re on the sidelines or right in the middle. Through small group exercises, whole group interactions, and time to reflect alone, you’ll increase your capacity to step in to conflict situations, and you’ll leave the workshop feeling more confident in what you have to offer.
This workshop can help you become a resource for your group when conflict arises. If you keep finding that conflict happens around you, and you aren’t sure how best to get involved, then this workshop will help you develop the skills and awareness to step in when you’re needed.
The Trainers
Paul Kahawatte and Hannah Lewis have been collaborating for two years, supporting and training groups in relation to conflict. Paul has extensive experience as a community mediator, drawing on years of studying the principles of Nonviolent Communication and Restorative Circles. Hannah has been facilitating groups through sticky situations for eight years, and is currently studying group conflict facilitation with Processwork UK. We enjoy working together a lot.
Who is this workshop for
This workshop is for people active in groups working for social change in some way. Whatever your experience level, or role in your group, you are welcome.
How to Apply
Apply here. Email hello@navigate if you have any questions. The workshop has limited places, so get in touch soon.
Costs
This workshop cost is on a sliding scale of £30 – £250, depending on whether an organisation is paying for your place, and your personal financial situation. If an organisation is paying for your place, we ask that you pay the upper limit. We can support a limited number of free places. If you need one, please let us know.
Logistics
Saturday 10th March: 11.30am – 6.30pm
Sunday 11th March: 9.30am – 4pm
Food and Accommodation
We will provide refreshments, lunch on Saturday, dinner on Saturday evening, and lunch on Sunday. The venue itself isn’t residential, however we can provide you with a bed in a shared room at a local hostel if you need it.
The Venue
The workshop will take place in a building right next to Alexandra Park, Manchester, just over 2 miles from Manchester Piccadilly. It is fully wheelchair accessible.
Though conflict is powerful, and potentially destructive, it is not inevitable that it’ll ruin a group, community or project. It can be a sign that change is somehow needed, and it can be a catalyst for helping the group to develop resilience and grow stronger. This is more likely when there are some people willing to get involved, with the capacity to see the situation from everyone’s side, support everyone to express themselves and listen to each other, and help the group navigate through the rough waters.
What this workshop offers
Over the course of the weekend you’ll develop your ability to engage with conflict, whether you’re on the sidelines or right in the middle. Through small group exercises, whole group interactions, and time to reflect alone, you’ll increase your capacity to step in to conflict situations, and you’ll leave the workshop feeling more confident in what you have to offer.
This workshop can help you become a resource for your group when conflict arises. If you keep finding that conflict happens around you, and you aren’t sure how best to get involved, then this workshop will help you develop the skills and awareness to step in when you’re needed.
The Trainers
Paul Kahawatte and Hannah Lewis have been collaborating for two years, supporting and training groups in relation to conflict. Paul has extensive experience as a community mediator, drawing on years of studying the principles of Nonviolent Communication and Restorative Circles. Hannah has been facilitating groups through sticky situations for eight years, and is currently studying group conflict facilitation with Processwork UK. We enjoy working together a lot.
Who is this workshop for
This workshop is for people active in groups working for social change in some way. Whatever your experience level, or role in your group, you are welcome.
How to Apply
Apply here. Email hello@navigate if you have any questions. The workshop has limited places, so get in touch soon.
Costs
This workshop cost is on a sliding scale of £30 – £250, depending on whether an organisation is paying for your place, and your personal financial situation. If an organisation is paying for your place, we ask that you pay the upper limit. We can support a limited number of free places. If you need one, please let us know.
Logistics
Saturday 10th March: 11.30am – 6.30pm
Sunday 11th March: 9.30am – 4pm
Food and Accommodation
We will provide refreshments, lunch on Saturday, dinner on Saturday evening, and lunch on Sunday. The venue itself isn’t residential, however we can provide you with a bed in a shared room at a local hostel if you need it.
The Venue
The workshop will take place in a building right next to Alexandra Park, Manchester, just over 2 miles from Manchester Piccadilly. It is fully wheelchair accessible.
From Burnout to Balance: Co-creating cultures of collective and self-care (2018)
2nd – 4th March 2018, Bristol.
When we think of our escalating refugee/hospitality crisis, mounting inequalities, eco-systemic collapse and runaway climate change – the challenges we face can seem insurmountable. No matter what we do, it never seems to be enough. The transformations that we are looking for seem to require such immense and relentless effort that the self and mutual-care necessary to sustain ourselves and our groups long-term can feel like an unaffordable or self-indulgent luxury.
If this resonates with you, if you have felt or feel on the edge of burnout and want to develop insights and skills to avoid it, join us for a nourishing weekend reflecting on and exploring effective and regenerative activism and personal sustainability through the co-creation of cultures of collective- and self-care.
A space to reflect, rest and replenish
This introductory weekend draws on ecological/systems thinking, embodied holistic-participatory learning, nature connection, mindfulness, Process Work and the Work that Reconnects to explore the causes of, and tools for addressing and avoiding burnout and disillusionment within our movements for social/ecological justice and renewal. The workshop offers a space of reflection and rest as well as practical methods for engaging in the inner and interpersonal ‘work’ that underpins effective activism and social change. Content includes:
Who is it for
If you are working for social or environmental justice, paid or unpaid, whether you call yourself an activist or campaigner or not, we would love you to join us!
Dates and times
Friday 2nd March 6.30 – 9pm,
Saturday 3rd March10.30 – 6.30pm,
Sunday 4th March 10.30 – 4pm
Facilitation team
Claire Milne, Madelanne Rust-D’Eye and Kathryn Tulip will co-facilitate this weekend workshop.
Claire has been working within the social and environmental justice movement for two decades. Within that time she has managed to get well and truly burned out – and reap the rich rewards entwined within learning how to recover from this dis-ease of our times. Claire is now the Inner Transition international Coordinator for Transition Network, which involves coordinating the integration of Inner Transition across the international Transition movement, along with creating collaborative relationships with allies and critical friends.
Madelanne is a Canadian body-based psychotherapist with a private practice based in Totnes, Devon, England. She believes in the transformational potential that body- and movement-based psychological paradigms hold for global culture. She offers experiential educational programs and consulting for organizations, communities, and change-makers, teaching the latest insights from neuroscience and embodied psychology to build collaborative group cultures from the inside-out.
Kathryn is a trainer and faciltator with Navigate, a training collective dedicated to supporting individuals and groups working for social and ecological justice. She has been campaigning and taking direct action in various parts of the social and ecological justice movements for the past 30 years. Kathryn experienced burnout about 12 years ago and is passionate about supporting others to develop healthy practices to avoid burnout and to create resilient and effective groups and organisations.
Investment
Sliding scale from £25 – £150 including food.
We do not want money to prevent anyone from attending so please give what you can afford. We have set the lowest donation at £25 because we feel this is an amount everyone, even those working almost exclusively for free, is able to generate between now and the course. We hope and trust that participants will contribute generously to enable this workshop to be financially viable and so that we are able to continue to make this important work available for the growing number of activists in need of it.
Applying for a place
To apply for a place please click here to complete a short application form. Application deadline: Friday 2nd February 2018
If you have any questions please contact Kathryn by email: kathryn@navigate.org.uk or phone: 07795 171 652
We look forward to hearing from you!
Claire, Madelanne and Kathryn
When we think of our escalating refugee/hospitality crisis, mounting inequalities, eco-systemic collapse and runaway climate change – the challenges we face can seem insurmountable. No matter what we do, it never seems to be enough. The transformations that we are looking for seem to require such immense and relentless effort that the self and mutual-care necessary to sustain ourselves and our groups long-term can feel like an unaffordable or self-indulgent luxury.
If this resonates with you, if you have felt or feel on the edge of burnout and want to develop insights and skills to avoid it, join us for a nourishing weekend reflecting on and exploring effective and regenerative activism and personal sustainability through the co-creation of cultures of collective- and self-care.
A space to reflect, rest and replenish
This introductory weekend draws on ecological/systems thinking, embodied holistic-participatory learning, nature connection, mindfulness, Process Work and the Work that Reconnects to explore the causes of, and tools for addressing and avoiding burnout and disillusionment within our movements for social/ecological justice and renewal. The workshop offers a space of reflection and rest as well as practical methods for engaging in the inner and interpersonal ‘work’ that underpins effective activism and social change. Content includes:
- Practices of of collective- and self-care
- Changing behavioural patterns that cause burnout
- Building group dynamics that support sustainable activism
- Avoiding disillusionment/staying inspired
- What is ‘enough’?
Who is it for
If you are working for social or environmental justice, paid or unpaid, whether you call yourself an activist or campaigner or not, we would love you to join us!
Dates and times
Friday 2nd March 6.30 – 9pm,
Saturday 3rd March10.30 – 6.30pm,
Sunday 4th March 10.30 – 4pm
Facilitation team
Claire Milne, Madelanne Rust-D’Eye and Kathryn Tulip will co-facilitate this weekend workshop.
Claire has been working within the social and environmental justice movement for two decades. Within that time she has managed to get well and truly burned out – and reap the rich rewards entwined within learning how to recover from this dis-ease of our times. Claire is now the Inner Transition international Coordinator for Transition Network, which involves coordinating the integration of Inner Transition across the international Transition movement, along with creating collaborative relationships with allies and critical friends.
Madelanne is a Canadian body-based psychotherapist with a private practice based in Totnes, Devon, England. She believes in the transformational potential that body- and movement-based psychological paradigms hold for global culture. She offers experiential educational programs and consulting for organizations, communities, and change-makers, teaching the latest insights from neuroscience and embodied psychology to build collaborative group cultures from the inside-out.
Kathryn is a trainer and faciltator with Navigate, a training collective dedicated to supporting individuals and groups working for social and ecological justice. She has been campaigning and taking direct action in various parts of the social and ecological justice movements for the past 30 years. Kathryn experienced burnout about 12 years ago and is passionate about supporting others to develop healthy practices to avoid burnout and to create resilient and effective groups and organisations.
Investment
Sliding scale from £25 – £150 including food.
We do not want money to prevent anyone from attending so please give what you can afford. We have set the lowest donation at £25 because we feel this is an amount everyone, even those working almost exclusively for free, is able to generate between now and the course. We hope and trust that participants will contribute generously to enable this workshop to be financially viable and so that we are able to continue to make this important work available for the growing number of activists in need of it.
Applying for a place
To apply for a place please click here to complete a short application form. Application deadline: Friday 2nd February 2018
If you have any questions please contact Kathryn by email: kathryn@navigate.org.uk or phone: 07795 171 652
We look forward to hearing from you!
Claire, Madelanne and Kathryn
Collaborative Leadership (2017)
How do non-hierarchical groups and social movements express leadership? Are there ways that leadership and shared-power can fit together? What different meanings does leadership have?
In this workshop we’ll explore what leadership can look like in the context of non-hierarchical organising. We will look at what makes collaborative leadership possible at personal, inter-personal and systemic levels, as well as what stands in the way of making the most of ‘grassroots’ styles of leadership. This will also include space to explore your own leadership style.
The idea of leadership has a lot of very negative associations for some people. We appreciate that the dominant style of leadership, adopted by the heads of government and business, can involve squashing the voices of the many, in particular the most marginalised. And we also realise that it might seem impossible to organise in a horizontal way, and at the same time support leadership from different people at different moments. But perhaps there are some leadership styles that aren’t oppressive, that don’t re-enforce hierarchy, but can work for the well-being of the whole.
We believe that grassroots movements would find even more success if they faced these questions head on.
The Facilitators
Paul Kahawatte and Hannah Lewis are both trainers with Navigate, and have been facilitating for a total of 15 years. Hannah has been helping groups discover their own leadership, first as a facilitator with Seeds for Change Oxford, and now with Navigate, and is currently studying for a diploma in Processwork. Paul has extensive experience as a community mediator, drawing on years of studying the principles of Nonviolent Communication and Convergent Facilitation.
Who is this for
You are welcome to this workshop if you’re involved in a grassroots group working towards social change. Whatever your experience level, or role in your group, you are welcome.
If you contemplate questions about the role of leadership in non-hierarchical settings, if you’re interested (even if you’re shy) in exploring your own unique style of leadership, or if you think this whole area is a big minefield, then you’re welcome to join us at this workshop.
How to apply
Apply here. Email hello@navigate for any questions, The workshop has limited places, so get in touch soon.
Costs
This workshop cost is on a sliding scale of £15 – £125, depending on whether an organisation is paying for your place, and your personal financial situation. If an organisation is paying for your place, we ask that you pay the upper limit. We can support a limited number of free places. If you need one, please let us know.
Logistics
We will provide hot drinks and snacks. You are welcome to bring a packed lunch, or there are cafes and shops nearby.
Dates & times
Sunday 10th December: London (NW3) 10.00am – 3.30pm. Please arrive at 9.30am for a prompt 10am start.
In this workshop we’ll explore what leadership can look like in the context of non-hierarchical organising. We will look at what makes collaborative leadership possible at personal, inter-personal and systemic levels, as well as what stands in the way of making the most of ‘grassroots’ styles of leadership. This will also include space to explore your own leadership style.
The idea of leadership has a lot of very negative associations for some people. We appreciate that the dominant style of leadership, adopted by the heads of government and business, can involve squashing the voices of the many, in particular the most marginalised. And we also realise that it might seem impossible to organise in a horizontal way, and at the same time support leadership from different people at different moments. But perhaps there are some leadership styles that aren’t oppressive, that don’t re-enforce hierarchy, but can work for the well-being of the whole.
We believe that grassroots movements would find even more success if they faced these questions head on.
The Facilitators
Paul Kahawatte and Hannah Lewis are both trainers with Navigate, and have been facilitating for a total of 15 years. Hannah has been helping groups discover their own leadership, first as a facilitator with Seeds for Change Oxford, and now with Navigate, and is currently studying for a diploma in Processwork. Paul has extensive experience as a community mediator, drawing on years of studying the principles of Nonviolent Communication and Convergent Facilitation.
Who is this for
You are welcome to this workshop if you’re involved in a grassroots group working towards social change. Whatever your experience level, or role in your group, you are welcome.
If you contemplate questions about the role of leadership in non-hierarchical settings, if you’re interested (even if you’re shy) in exploring your own unique style of leadership, or if you think this whole area is a big minefield, then you’re welcome to join us at this workshop.
How to apply
Apply here. Email hello@navigate for any questions, The workshop has limited places, so get in touch soon.
Costs
This workshop cost is on a sliding scale of £15 – £125, depending on whether an organisation is paying for your place, and your personal financial situation. If an organisation is paying for your place, we ask that you pay the upper limit. We can support a limited number of free places. If you need one, please let us know.
Logistics
We will provide hot drinks and snacks. You are welcome to bring a packed lunch, or there are cafes and shops nearby.
Dates & times
Sunday 10th December: London (NW3) 10.00am – 3.30pm. Please arrive at 9.30am for a prompt 10am start.
Developing Personal and Group Resilience (2017)
Sat 25th November 2017, 11am – 4pm
Fully accessible venue in central Oxford
Being involved in campaigns and taking action on issues of social and environmental justice can be immensely rewarding. It can also pose challenges. How do we respond to overwhelming news? How do we deal with insufficient political action without burning out, feeling overwhelmed by despair or taking our frustrations out on other group members? How do we sustain our motivation and keep our hearts open? How can we make our groups and campaigns more successful, and more welcoming to others?
What?
A one day workshop for people who want to learn healthier and more effective ways of working together and looking after themselves. You are welcome to attend one or both workshops.Learn ways for working together supportively and effectively. Practice skills for looking after ourselves in difficult times. Connect with others who care about these issues, building solidarity, support and inspiration. The workshop will be facilitated by Jo Hamilton and Kathryn Tulip, trainers and campaigners with many years of experience working with social justice movements.
Who is it for?
The workshop is for people working for social and environmental justice. Whether you are working to save the NHS, challenging racism, taking action on climate change, working for affordable housing or to create safer and healthier communities. Whether you call yourself an activist or campaigner or not, whether you are paid or unpaid.
To book a place or for more information, email sustainingourselves101@gmail.com or call Jo on 07941 135 664 . Places are limited so please book in advance, booking for the workshop closes on 15th November.
Cost:
The workshops are offered on a ‘pay what you can’ basis with a suggested donation of £30. If payment is a problem, please contact us, as we don’t want to exclude anyone for financial reasons, there will be a small number of concessionary places.
We are grateful for financial support from:
Fully accessible venue in central Oxford
Being involved in campaigns and taking action on issues of social and environmental justice can be immensely rewarding. It can also pose challenges. How do we respond to overwhelming news? How do we deal with insufficient political action without burning out, feeling overwhelmed by despair or taking our frustrations out on other group members? How do we sustain our motivation and keep our hearts open? How can we make our groups and campaigns more successful, and more welcoming to others?
What?
A one day workshop for people who want to learn healthier and more effective ways of working together and looking after themselves. You are welcome to attend one or both workshops.Learn ways for working together supportively and effectively. Practice skills for looking after ourselves in difficult times. Connect with others who care about these issues, building solidarity, support and inspiration. The workshop will be facilitated by Jo Hamilton and Kathryn Tulip, trainers and campaigners with many years of experience working with social justice movements.
Who is it for?
The workshop is for people working for social and environmental justice. Whether you are working to save the NHS, challenging racism, taking action on climate change, working for affordable housing or to create safer and healthier communities. Whether you call yourself an activist or campaigner or not, whether you are paid or unpaid.
To book a place or for more information, email sustainingourselves101@gmail.com or call Jo on 07941 135 664 . Places are limited so please book in advance, booking for the workshop closes on 15th November.
Cost:
The workshops are offered on a ‘pay what you can’ basis with a suggested donation of £30. If payment is a problem, please contact us, as we don’t want to exclude anyone for financial reasons, there will be a small number of concessionary places.
We are grateful for financial support from:
Facilitation Training (2017)
In this training you’ll strengthen your capacity to facilitate meetings, gatherings and other events by helping the group to become something more than the sum of its parts and access its collective potential.
Facilitation is about making it as easy as possible for a group to get on with whatever it came together for. While there are many ways of facilitating, and every situation is different, there are some powerful underlying roots of facilitation that will support you in every meeting or event you facilitate.
You are welcome to this workshop if you’ve ever been part of a group that has faced problems. If meetings drain energy rather than creating progress, then this workshop can help you find a way to turn it around. If you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, where there’s a lot of tension and no one knows how to deal with it, this workshop will help you facilitate your way through it. If your group has power dynamics that aren’t being dealt with, where some people’s voices seem to count more than those of others, then we’ll look at how you can address this.
We’ll explore ways of observing and intervening with what’s going on in a group, you’ll discover more about your role as a facilitator, and we’ll help you find the right balance between sticking to the agenda and following the unplanned. You’ll develop ways of integrating what’s important to everyone and moving forward together, even when things seem stuck in disagreement.
This workshop is participatory, which means that most of what you learn will come out of your own direct experience during the weekend. We know that people learn from doing, and by reflecting on what they have done, rather than being told by a ‘sage on the stage’. We’ll design the workshop based on what you tell us you’re interested in learning (via a questionnaire beforehand), and we’ll adapt our plan as the weekend unfolds.
The Trainers
Paul Kahawatte and Hannah Lewis are both trainers with Navigate, and have been facilitating for a total of 15 years. Hannah has been facilitating groups through sticky situations for eight years, first with Seeds for Change Oxford, and now with Navigate, and is currently studying for a diploma in Processwork. Paul has extensive experience as a community mediator, drawing on years of studying the principles of Nonviolent Communication and Convergent Facilitation.
How to apply
Apply here. This workshop is for people active in groups working for social change in some way. We welcome you if you’ve been facilitating for many years, or whether you’re just starting to facilitate now.
Email hello@navigate for any questions, The workshop has limited places, so get in touch soon.
Logistics
This weekend workshop will take place in North London. We will provide lunch on both days, and accommodation if you want it. The cost of the workshop is £30 – £250, depending on your income. If you want to come and can’t afford £30, please let us know what you can afford – no one will be turned away through lack of funds.
Dates & times
16th September 11am – 7pm
17th September 9am – 3pm
Facilitation is about making it as easy as possible for a group to get on with whatever it came together for. While there are many ways of facilitating, and every situation is different, there are some powerful underlying roots of facilitation that will support you in every meeting or event you facilitate.
You are welcome to this workshop if you’ve ever been part of a group that has faced problems. If meetings drain energy rather than creating progress, then this workshop can help you find a way to turn it around. If you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, where there’s a lot of tension and no one knows how to deal with it, this workshop will help you facilitate your way through it. If your group has power dynamics that aren’t being dealt with, where some people’s voices seem to count more than those of others, then we’ll look at how you can address this.
We’ll explore ways of observing and intervening with what’s going on in a group, you’ll discover more about your role as a facilitator, and we’ll help you find the right balance between sticking to the agenda and following the unplanned. You’ll develop ways of integrating what’s important to everyone and moving forward together, even when things seem stuck in disagreement.
This workshop is participatory, which means that most of what you learn will come out of your own direct experience during the weekend. We know that people learn from doing, and by reflecting on what they have done, rather than being told by a ‘sage on the stage’. We’ll design the workshop based on what you tell us you’re interested in learning (via a questionnaire beforehand), and we’ll adapt our plan as the weekend unfolds.
The Trainers
Paul Kahawatte and Hannah Lewis are both trainers with Navigate, and have been facilitating for a total of 15 years. Hannah has been facilitating groups through sticky situations for eight years, first with Seeds for Change Oxford, and now with Navigate, and is currently studying for a diploma in Processwork. Paul has extensive experience as a community mediator, drawing on years of studying the principles of Nonviolent Communication and Convergent Facilitation.
How to apply
Apply here. This workshop is for people active in groups working for social change in some way. We welcome you if you’ve been facilitating for many years, or whether you’re just starting to facilitate now.
Email hello@navigate for any questions, The workshop has limited places, so get in touch soon.
Logistics
This weekend workshop will take place in North London. We will provide lunch on both days, and accommodation if you want it. The cost of the workshop is £30 – £250, depending on your income. If you want to come and can’t afford £30, please let us know what you can afford – no one will be turned away through lack of funds.
Dates & times
16th September 11am – 7pm
17th September 9am – 3pm
Sustaining Ourselves - Developing Personal and Group Resilience (2017)
26th September 2017, Oxford. Being involved in campaigns and taking action on issues of social and environmental justice can be immensely rewarding. It can also pose challenges. Participants learned healthier and more effective ways of working together and looking after themselves.
White is Not a Neutral Colour (2017)
ENQUIRY INTO WHITENESS AND WHITE PRIVILEGE
26TH SEP '17 6.30 - 9.15PM, EAST LONDON
In this workshop we’ll explore different issues related to race and whiteness through discussion and exercises. We take the approach that white people, no matter how well intentioned or anti-racist, sometimes lack awareness of their whiteness. It doesn’t mean white people are ‘bad’, but it does mean that they have an opportunity explore what this means, and take more accountability on how this impacts others.
What will happen
We’ll explore some key issues connected with whiteness. Two key themes we’ll work on are ‘white neutrality’ and how white people ‘re-centre’ themselves.
In this country having white skin means something. If you grew up without the fear or reality of racist abuse; if you turn on the TV and see people who look like you; if you can buy plasters or ‘nude’ tights that match your skin colour; if you don’t regularly get asked ‘but where are you really from?’ – if you have white skin, it means something. But, white people are subtly and constantly taught that they have no race because apparently, white is neutral. We’ll explore where this idea of white neutrality comes from; and how white people benefit from it. We’ll also explore what can shift once white people get more aware of it.
White people have a knack of “re-centering” themselves, often without realising they are doing it. Just like any privileged group, white people can put themselves front and centre, and make everything about themselves, even racism. But it doesn’t have to be this way: white people can wake up to how they are doing this, and can consciously stop putting themselves in the middle.
Who is this workshop for
The workshop is open to people from every racial identity and background. It is for anyone who is interested in reflecting on their own relationship with race and whiteness, and who can help to create a supportive learning environment. Whatever experience you have working on issues of race and whiteness, this workshop will support to take the next step in your learning journey.
The facilitators
The facilitators are white people, with many years’ experience of running workshops and facilitating groups. We recognise we have a lot to learn about our own whiteness – we aren’t experts in this topic, however we bring an openness to learn about our whiteness, and what it means. Hannah is a facilitator and trainer with Navigate, Mark is an independent trainer, facilitator and coach. Both are studying for a diploma in Processwork.
How to book
Places are limited. Book your place by emailing hello@navigate.org.uk, and tell us a couple of lines about why you want to come to the workshop. The workshop is free, and we ask for a small donation towards running costs of the Common House
Venue: The Common House, Unit 5E (press the buzzer), 5 Pundersons Gardens, Bethnal Green, E2 9QG London. Click for a map and directions.
26TH SEP '17 6.30 - 9.15PM, EAST LONDON
In this workshop we’ll explore different issues related to race and whiteness through discussion and exercises. We take the approach that white people, no matter how well intentioned or anti-racist, sometimes lack awareness of their whiteness. It doesn’t mean white people are ‘bad’, but it does mean that they have an opportunity explore what this means, and take more accountability on how this impacts others.
What will happen
We’ll explore some key issues connected with whiteness. Two key themes we’ll work on are ‘white neutrality’ and how white people ‘re-centre’ themselves.
In this country having white skin means something. If you grew up without the fear or reality of racist abuse; if you turn on the TV and see people who look like you; if you can buy plasters or ‘nude’ tights that match your skin colour; if you don’t regularly get asked ‘but where are you really from?’ – if you have white skin, it means something. But, white people are subtly and constantly taught that they have no race because apparently, white is neutral. We’ll explore where this idea of white neutrality comes from; and how white people benefit from it. We’ll also explore what can shift once white people get more aware of it.
White people have a knack of “re-centering” themselves, often without realising they are doing it. Just like any privileged group, white people can put themselves front and centre, and make everything about themselves, even racism. But it doesn’t have to be this way: white people can wake up to how they are doing this, and can consciously stop putting themselves in the middle.
Who is this workshop for
The workshop is open to people from every racial identity and background. It is for anyone who is interested in reflecting on their own relationship with race and whiteness, and who can help to create a supportive learning environment. Whatever experience you have working on issues of race and whiteness, this workshop will support to take the next step in your learning journey.
The facilitators
The facilitators are white people, with many years’ experience of running workshops and facilitating groups. We recognise we have a lot to learn about our own whiteness – we aren’t experts in this topic, however we bring an openness to learn about our whiteness, and what it means. Hannah is a facilitator and trainer with Navigate, Mark is an independent trainer, facilitator and coach. Both are studying for a diploma in Processwork.
How to book
Places are limited. Book your place by emailing hello@navigate.org.uk, and tell us a couple of lines about why you want to come to the workshop. The workshop is free, and we ask for a small donation towards running costs of the Common House
Venue: The Common House, Unit 5E (press the buzzer), 5 Pundersons Gardens, Bethnal Green, E2 9QG London. Click for a map and directions.
Developing personal resilience, creating thriving groups (2017)
27-28 May 2017,
Moss Side, Manchester
Saturday 10am-6.30pm (evening meal provided),
Sunday 10am-4pm
Cost: free/donations (bring your own packed lunch)
Access: fully accessible for wheelchairs
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
Audre Lorde, feminist activist & writer
It’s all too easy, as people who care about the world, to forget to take care of ourselves. Our movements and organisations often need a lot of dedication, or value overwork as a sign of strength. We risk weakening our movements through exhausting ourselves. To help us stay nourished, creative and inspired for the long haul, we need to value our own health and wellbeing, learn ways to become more resilient, support each other and develop ways of organising that help our groups thrive.
What:
A free weekend course for people working for social and environmental justice, to learn together how to sustain ourselves in our struggles for a just, peaceful, and healthy world.
Over the weekend we will:
• Learn ways for working together supportively and effectively
• Practice skills for looking after ourselves in difficult times
• Create a temporary community to support each other and learn together
Although non-residential course, participants need to be able to come to both days, including eating together at the end of the day on Saturday (food will be provided).
Who is it for?
People working for social justice, whether you call yourself an activist or campaigner or not, paid or unpaid, who want to learn healthier ways of working together and looking after themselves. People who want to make their movements, support work, and campaigns more sustainable, even joyous!
How to apply:
Go to the application form and tell us about yourself and why you want to take part. Deadline for applications: 2 May 2017.
Who we are:
Facilitators Adam (Rhizome Coop), Clare (Turning the Tide) and Kathryn (Navigate) are trainers and activists with backgrounds in many social justice movements: peace, environmental justice, indigenous peoples’ rights, disabled rights, asylum-support, feminism, and more.
How this course came about:
This course is possible due to funding that covers the venue and food costs; the facilitators are donating their time. We have struggled personally to find creative ways to sustain our activism and avoid exhaustion. We have been developing and delivering sustainable activism courses for some years, including Sustaining Resistance.
If you have any questions please contact us,
Email: developingresilience2017@yahoo.com
Phone: 07719 699 136
Moss Side, Manchester
Saturday 10am-6.30pm (evening meal provided),
Sunday 10am-4pm
Cost: free/donations (bring your own packed lunch)
Access: fully accessible for wheelchairs
“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”
Audre Lorde, feminist activist & writer
It’s all too easy, as people who care about the world, to forget to take care of ourselves. Our movements and organisations often need a lot of dedication, or value overwork as a sign of strength. We risk weakening our movements through exhausting ourselves. To help us stay nourished, creative and inspired for the long haul, we need to value our own health and wellbeing, learn ways to become more resilient, support each other and develop ways of organising that help our groups thrive.
What:
A free weekend course for people working for social and environmental justice, to learn together how to sustain ourselves in our struggles for a just, peaceful, and healthy world.
Over the weekend we will:
• Learn ways for working together supportively and effectively
• Practice skills for looking after ourselves in difficult times
• Create a temporary community to support each other and learn together
Although non-residential course, participants need to be able to come to both days, including eating together at the end of the day on Saturday (food will be provided).
Who is it for?
People working for social justice, whether you call yourself an activist or campaigner or not, paid or unpaid, who want to learn healthier ways of working together and looking after themselves. People who want to make their movements, support work, and campaigns more sustainable, even joyous!
How to apply:
Go to the application form and tell us about yourself and why you want to take part. Deadline for applications: 2 May 2017.
Who we are:
Facilitators Adam (Rhizome Coop), Clare (Turning the Tide) and Kathryn (Navigate) are trainers and activists with backgrounds in many social justice movements: peace, environmental justice, indigenous peoples’ rights, disabled rights, asylum-support, feminism, and more.
How this course came about:
This course is possible due to funding that covers the venue and food costs; the facilitators are donating their time. We have struggled personally to find creative ways to sustain our activism and avoid exhaustion. We have been developing and delivering sustainable activism courses for some years, including Sustaining Resistance.
If you have any questions please contact us,
Email: developingresilience2017@yahoo.com
Phone: 07719 699 136
When decision-making gets stuck (2018)
Dates & Location
28th February: Shirley House, St Andrews Psalter Lane, Sheffield, S11 8YL
29th March, St Werburghs Community centre, Horley Road, St Werburghs
Bristol, BS2 9TJ
When Decision-Making gets Stuck
Almost all groups have moments when they’re going round in circles while trying to make a decision. This can feel like a waste of time, and can drain the group of its energy. Sometimes people resign themselves to this way of working, but it doesn’t have to be like this! There are ways to get out of this stuck place, and into making decisions that work for everyone.
This evening is about developing your resources to support groups in making strong collaborative decisions, even when it looks hopeless. Through experiential exercises and discussion, we’ll explore ways to get agreements that include what’s important to everyone, in efficient ways.
In this workshop we’ll explore things like:
+ Making space for a range of perspectives
+ Choosing when to work in pairs, small groups and the whole group
+ Getting down to what’s really important to people at a level where everyone can support it
+ Using questions and interventions that move conversations forward
+ Naming the ‘elephant in the room’
This workshop is for people active in groups working for social change in some way. Whatever your experience level, or role in your group, you are welcome.
The trainers, Paul and Hannah, have extensive experience of facilitation, mediation and training.
Suggested donation £5- £10. If that’s too much, please come anyway.
Book your place: Email kathryn@navigate.org.uk and briefly tell us why you’re interested in participating. There are limited places, so get in touch soon.
The venue is wheelchair accessible. If you have other access needs please let us know and we’ll do our best to make the workshop accessible to you.
Timing: Please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start. The workshop will end at 9.15pm.
28th February: Shirley House, St Andrews Psalter Lane, Sheffield, S11 8YL
29th March, St Werburghs Community centre, Horley Road, St Werburghs
Bristol, BS2 9TJ
When Decision-Making gets Stuck
Almost all groups have moments when they’re going round in circles while trying to make a decision. This can feel like a waste of time, and can drain the group of its energy. Sometimes people resign themselves to this way of working, but it doesn’t have to be like this! There are ways to get out of this stuck place, and into making decisions that work for everyone.
This evening is about developing your resources to support groups in making strong collaborative decisions, even when it looks hopeless. Through experiential exercises and discussion, we’ll explore ways to get agreements that include what’s important to everyone, in efficient ways.
In this workshop we’ll explore things like:
+ Making space for a range of perspectives
+ Choosing when to work in pairs, small groups and the whole group
+ Getting down to what’s really important to people at a level where everyone can support it
+ Using questions and interventions that move conversations forward
+ Naming the ‘elephant in the room’
This workshop is for people active in groups working for social change in some way. Whatever your experience level, or role in your group, you are welcome.
The trainers, Paul and Hannah, have extensive experience of facilitation, mediation and training.
Suggested donation £5- £10. If that’s too much, please come anyway.
Book your place: Email kathryn@navigate.org.uk and briefly tell us why you’re interested in participating. There are limited places, so get in touch soon.
The venue is wheelchair accessible. If you have other access needs please let us know and we’ll do our best to make the workshop accessible to you.
Timing: Please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start. The workshop will end at 9.15pm.
Sustaining ourselves: building resilient communities (2018)
Dates & Location
8th March: Aston Room 1, Methodist Central Hall, Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JQ
27th March: The Common House, Unit 5E, Punderson’s Gardens, London, E2 9QG
Sustaining Ourselves: Building Resilient Communities
Being involved in campaigns and taking action on issues of social and environmental justice can be immensely rewarding. There can also be enormous challenges in consistently facing and seeking to transform society, which take their toll on us – impacting our relationships, our mental, physical and emotional well-being and the effectiveness of our work.
This workshop will provide an opportunity to get away from the day to day and take stock. We’ll explore some strategies and practices that can support well-being and ways of working and organising together that can help our groups and communities to thrive.
This workshop is for people working for social and environmental justice, whether you call yourself an activist or campaigner or not, paid or unpaid.
Kathryn experienced burnout 12 years ago and is passionate about supporting others to develop healthy practices to avoid burnout and to create resilient and effective groups and organisations.
Suggested donation £5- £10. If that’s too much, please come anyway.
Book your place: Email kathryn@navigate.org.uk and briefly tell us why you’re interested in participating. There are limited places, so get in touch soon.
The venue is wheelchair accessible. If you have other access needs please let us know and we’ll do our best to make the workshop accessible to you.
Timing: Please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start. The workshop will end at 9.15pm.
8th March: Aston Room 1, Methodist Central Hall, Oldham Street, Manchester, M1 1JQ
27th March: The Common House, Unit 5E, Punderson’s Gardens, London, E2 9QG
Sustaining Ourselves: Building Resilient Communities
Being involved in campaigns and taking action on issues of social and environmental justice can be immensely rewarding. There can also be enormous challenges in consistently facing and seeking to transform society, which take their toll on us – impacting our relationships, our mental, physical and emotional well-being and the effectiveness of our work.
This workshop will provide an opportunity to get away from the day to day and take stock. We’ll explore some strategies and practices that can support well-being and ways of working and organising together that can help our groups and communities to thrive.
This workshop is for people working for social and environmental justice, whether you call yourself an activist or campaigner or not, paid or unpaid.
Kathryn experienced burnout 12 years ago and is passionate about supporting others to develop healthy practices to avoid burnout and to create resilient and effective groups and organisations.
Suggested donation £5- £10. If that’s too much, please come anyway.
Book your place: Email kathryn@navigate.org.uk and briefly tell us why you’re interested in participating. There are limited places, so get in touch soon.
The venue is wheelchair accessible. If you have other access needs please let us know and we’ll do our best to make the workshop accessible to you.
Timing: Please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start. The workshop will end at 9.15pm.
Evolving the work that reconnects: training for trainers (2018)
18th – 23rd September 2018, Brussels, Belgium
A residential Training for Trainers in ‘connection-work’ (verbindingswerk), exploring the Work that Reconnects, integrating an anti-oppression framing and marginalized perspectives, whilst building your facilitation skills and confidence
Labo invites you to a training for trainers in ‘connection-work’ (verbindingswerk) from 18th – 23rd September in Brussels, Belgium. During this 5 day residential training we will explore how we can adapt and apply the ‘Work that Reconnects’ in our work for social and environmental justice.
The Work that Reconnects is a form of group work that uses experience-based activities. It supports us to come back into relationship with ourselves, each other and the world around us. This can motivate and empower us to reclaim our lives, our communities, and our planet from corporate and colonial rule. The Work that Reconnects is open-source and has its roots in the teachings and experiential methods of Joanna Macy. For more information click here.
Goals of the training
Kathryn Tulip is a trainer and facilitator with Navigate Cooperative, a UK-based training collective. Navigate supports groups and organisations to be effective and resilient in their work for social and environmental justice. She has been facilitating and adapting the Work that Reconnects for more than 10 years.
Gee is a trainer and programme director at Ulex Project, a residential training centre in Catalonia. Ulex offers trainings that build social movement capacity for social justice and ecological integrity. Gee has designed several training programmes in areas such as sustainable activism, wilderness immersion and nature connection work.
Who is this training for?
This training is aimed at trainers or facilitators with basic experience in facilitating experiential learning spaces. We welcome trainers who feel like they are still learning and finding their own style and the training will include time and space to practice, experiment and receive feedback. English will be the main shared language, but we expect most of the participants to be non-native English speakers.
Practical info
The training will take place in Brussels, giving us a chance to practice using these tools in a busy, urban environment. We invite everyone to arrive on the evening of the 18th of September, when we will have dinner around 19:00. We will finish the training at 16.00 on the afternoon of the 23rd. We ask participants to make a commitment to be there for the whole of the training. Because of our experiential approach, it is not possible to come late or leave early.
The training will be residential, meaning that we will sleep and eat together in the venue where we host the training. We might have sessions in the evenings, depending on the training design, the energy of the participants and the group’s momentum. If you really need to go home in the evenings, please let us know. Please be aware that this workshop can bring up emotions and personal issues. There will be breaks throughout each day and we will create space for processing and reflection.
The costs for food and accommodation are 135 euros per person. We recommend a sliding scale donation from 75 euro to 250 euro, depending on your financial situation. The costs for the training are 230 euros per person. We ask for a donation to cover these costs, depending on what you feel able to give. If you are able to contribute more, please do, so that people who cannot afford it can participate as well. We are able to offer 3 bursary places for people facing economic obstacles, so if you feel you are unable to contribute financially, please let us know. Unfortunately we cannot cover travel costs.
Applications
To apply for the training, please complete this application form and email to verbinding@labovzw.be by 27th July. We will get in touch with everyone who applied the following week. We particularly encourage applications from trainers who feel they face challenges in accessing training spaces due to social, personal or economic reasons. If you have any needs around accessibility, please let us know!
A residential Training for Trainers in ‘connection-work’ (verbindingswerk), exploring the Work that Reconnects, integrating an anti-oppression framing and marginalized perspectives, whilst building your facilitation skills and confidence
Labo invites you to a training for trainers in ‘connection-work’ (verbindingswerk) from 18th – 23rd September in Brussels, Belgium. During this 5 day residential training we will explore how we can adapt and apply the ‘Work that Reconnects’ in our work for social and environmental justice.
The Work that Reconnects is a form of group work that uses experience-based activities. It supports us to come back into relationship with ourselves, each other and the world around us. This can motivate and empower us to reclaim our lives, our communities, and our planet from corporate and colonial rule. The Work that Reconnects is open-source and has its roots in the teachings and experiential methods of Joanna Macy. For more information click here.
Goals of the training
- explore the background to the Work that Reconnects and the frameworks and traditions that it draws on.
- explore ways to adapt the work to integrate an anti-oppression framing and analysis, and embrace marginalized perspectives
- explore ways to make the work safer and more relevant for a greater diversity of participants
- build skills and confidence to facilitate the work and to design sessions for different contexts, including shorter workshops and workshops in an urban environment.
Kathryn Tulip is a trainer and facilitator with Navigate Cooperative, a UK-based training collective. Navigate supports groups and organisations to be effective and resilient in their work for social and environmental justice. She has been facilitating and adapting the Work that Reconnects for more than 10 years.
Gee is a trainer and programme director at Ulex Project, a residential training centre in Catalonia. Ulex offers trainings that build social movement capacity for social justice and ecological integrity. Gee has designed several training programmes in areas such as sustainable activism, wilderness immersion and nature connection work.
Who is this training for?
This training is aimed at trainers or facilitators with basic experience in facilitating experiential learning spaces. We welcome trainers who feel like they are still learning and finding their own style and the training will include time and space to practice, experiment and receive feedback. English will be the main shared language, but we expect most of the participants to be non-native English speakers.
Practical info
The training will take place in Brussels, giving us a chance to practice using these tools in a busy, urban environment. We invite everyone to arrive on the evening of the 18th of September, when we will have dinner around 19:00. We will finish the training at 16.00 on the afternoon of the 23rd. We ask participants to make a commitment to be there for the whole of the training. Because of our experiential approach, it is not possible to come late or leave early.
The training will be residential, meaning that we will sleep and eat together in the venue where we host the training. We might have sessions in the evenings, depending on the training design, the energy of the participants and the group’s momentum. If you really need to go home in the evenings, please let us know. Please be aware that this workshop can bring up emotions and personal issues. There will be breaks throughout each day and we will create space for processing and reflection.
The costs for food and accommodation are 135 euros per person. We recommend a sliding scale donation from 75 euro to 250 euro, depending on your financial situation. The costs for the training are 230 euros per person. We ask for a donation to cover these costs, depending on what you feel able to give. If you are able to contribute more, please do, so that people who cannot afford it can participate as well. We are able to offer 3 bursary places for people facing economic obstacles, so if you feel you are unable to contribute financially, please let us know. Unfortunately we cannot cover travel costs.
Applications
To apply for the training, please complete this application form and email to verbinding@labovzw.be by 27th July. We will get in touch with everyone who applied the following week. We particularly encourage applications from trainers who feel they face challenges in accessing training spaces due to social, personal or economic reasons. If you have any needs around accessibility, please let us know!
Sustaining our gaze: developing personal and group resilience for action on climate change (2017)
Saturday May 13th 2017, 11am – 4pm, Oxford
Taking action on climate change can be immensely rewarding. It can also pose challenges: how do we respond to news of the hottest month / year on record or of Antarctic ice sheets breaking up? How do we deal with the frustrations of insufficient political action in the right direction without burning out, feeling overwhelmed by despair or taking our frustrations out on other group members? How can we make our groups and campaigns more successful, and more welcoming to others?
We and others in our groups are likely to be feeling a whole range of emotions in response to climate change, and what action to take. This workshop will give you the time and space to acknowledge and reflect on these emotions. It will offer space to connect with others who care about these issues, building solidarity, support and inspiration for the long haul. It will help you develop greater emotional resilience, supporting you and your groups to sustain the gaze of big, potentially overwhelming issues, such as climate change.
Format: The workshop will include exercises in small groups or pairs, reflection, discussion and sharing ideas for incorporating practices that can help us develop emotional resilience for climate change action. If the weather’s good we will spend some time in the garden. Workshop spaces are limited, and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Please register by Monday 24th April by emailing sustainingourgaze@gmail.com
Time: 11am-4pm. Room open, tea and coffee and a warm welcome from 10.30 am.
It can be disruptive for others if you arrive late / leave early, so please make sure you are able to come for the whole workshop.
Venue: Garden Room, Friends Meeting House, 43 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LW.
Cost: We are grateful for financial support from CAG Oxfordshire towards venue costs and some refreshments. The workshop is free for members of CAG groups, if you are not a member of a CAG, we are asking for a contribution to the costs of between £10-20. If payment is a problem please contact us, as we don’t want to exclude anyone for financial reasons.
Please bring veggie food to share for lunch, or your own lunch to eat. Accessibility – the room is on the ground floor, and is accessible by wheelchair.
If you would like to contribute to a ‘pay it forward’ – whereby you donate a small amount to act as a seed fund for the next workshop, we will have details at the workshop.
The workshop is facilitated by Jo Hamilton and Kathryn Tulip.
Jo Hamilton is currently studying for a PhD on emotions and climate change action at the University of Reading, and retraining to facilitate group work drawing on ‘The Work that Reconnects’. Prior to this she was at the Environmental Change Institute, first co-ordinating Oxfordshire ClimateXchange and working alongside CAG Oxfordshire to develop and support community climate change action groups in Oxfordshire, then more recently as a researcher focusing on community energy projects.
Kathryn Tulip is a trainer/facilitator with Navigate. She has many years experience as an activist working on social and environmental justice issues. She has been offering training to grassroots groups for more than 13 years and is passionate about supporting people to stay energised, balanced and resilient and to develop effective and thriving groups working for social change.
For more information and to book, contact Jo Hamilton
Email: sustainingourgaze@gmail.com Tel: 07941 135 664
Taking action on climate change can be immensely rewarding. It can also pose challenges: how do we respond to news of the hottest month / year on record or of Antarctic ice sheets breaking up? How do we deal with the frustrations of insufficient political action in the right direction without burning out, feeling overwhelmed by despair or taking our frustrations out on other group members? How can we make our groups and campaigns more successful, and more welcoming to others?
We and others in our groups are likely to be feeling a whole range of emotions in response to climate change, and what action to take. This workshop will give you the time and space to acknowledge and reflect on these emotions. It will offer space to connect with others who care about these issues, building solidarity, support and inspiration for the long haul. It will help you develop greater emotional resilience, supporting you and your groups to sustain the gaze of big, potentially overwhelming issues, such as climate change.
Format: The workshop will include exercises in small groups or pairs, reflection, discussion and sharing ideas for incorporating practices that can help us develop emotional resilience for climate change action. If the weather’s good we will spend some time in the garden. Workshop spaces are limited, and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.
Please register by Monday 24th April by emailing sustainingourgaze@gmail.com
Time: 11am-4pm. Room open, tea and coffee and a warm welcome from 10.30 am.
It can be disruptive for others if you arrive late / leave early, so please make sure you are able to come for the whole workshop.
Venue: Garden Room, Friends Meeting House, 43 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LW.
Cost: We are grateful for financial support from CAG Oxfordshire towards venue costs and some refreshments. The workshop is free for members of CAG groups, if you are not a member of a CAG, we are asking for a contribution to the costs of between £10-20. If payment is a problem please contact us, as we don’t want to exclude anyone for financial reasons.
Please bring veggie food to share for lunch, or your own lunch to eat. Accessibility – the room is on the ground floor, and is accessible by wheelchair.
If you would like to contribute to a ‘pay it forward’ – whereby you donate a small amount to act as a seed fund for the next workshop, we will have details at the workshop.
The workshop is facilitated by Jo Hamilton and Kathryn Tulip.
Jo Hamilton is currently studying for a PhD on emotions and climate change action at the University of Reading, and retraining to facilitate group work drawing on ‘The Work that Reconnects’. Prior to this she was at the Environmental Change Institute, first co-ordinating Oxfordshire ClimateXchange and working alongside CAG Oxfordshire to develop and support community climate change action groups in Oxfordshire, then more recently as a researcher focusing on community energy projects.
Kathryn Tulip is a trainer/facilitator with Navigate. She has many years experience as an activist working on social and environmental justice issues. She has been offering training to grassroots groups for more than 13 years and is passionate about supporting people to stay energised, balanced and resilient and to develop effective and thriving groups working for social change.
For more information and to book, contact Jo Hamilton
Email: sustainingourgaze@gmail.com Tel: 07941 135 664
Introduction to power dynamics (2018)
Date & Location
4th April: Shirley House, St Andrews Psalter Lane, Sheffield
Introduction to Power Dynamics
Power is like an intricate web, that underpins and influences how people in a group interact. Sometimes power is used in supportive ways, and can lead to healthy and empowering relationships between group members. Other times, power can be mis-used, causing resentment at best, and abuse at worst.
Many groups fall apart due to conflicts around how power is used, but it doesn’t have to be this way. When group members get aware of their own power, and learn to use it responsibly, everyone can feel empowered, and the group itself becomes more empowered.
This workshop is an introduction to power dynamics. Through discussion, presentation and experiential exerciss, we’ll explore:
1. Types of power: Social power including race, gender and class, as well as psychological, spiritual, structural and contextual power
2. The general patterns of power in a group
This workshop is for people active in groups working for social change in some way. Whatever your experience level, or role in your group, you are welcome.
The trainer, Hannah Lewis, has extensive experience of facilitation and training, and has a particular interest in power dynamics.
Suggested donation £5- £10. If that’s too much, please come anyway.
Book your place: Email kathryn@navigate.org.uk and briefly tell us why you’re interested in participating. There are limited places, so get in touch soon.
The venue is wheelchair accessible. If you have other access needs please let us know and we’ll do our best to make the workshop accessible to you.
Timing: Please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start. The workshop will end at 9.15pm.
4th April: Shirley House, St Andrews Psalter Lane, Sheffield
Introduction to Power Dynamics
Power is like an intricate web, that underpins and influences how people in a group interact. Sometimes power is used in supportive ways, and can lead to healthy and empowering relationships between group members. Other times, power can be mis-used, causing resentment at best, and abuse at worst.
Many groups fall apart due to conflicts around how power is used, but it doesn’t have to be this way. When group members get aware of their own power, and learn to use it responsibly, everyone can feel empowered, and the group itself becomes more empowered.
This workshop is an introduction to power dynamics. Through discussion, presentation and experiential exerciss, we’ll explore:
1. Types of power: Social power including race, gender and class, as well as psychological, spiritual, structural and contextual power
2. The general patterns of power in a group
This workshop is for people active in groups working for social change in some way. Whatever your experience level, or role in your group, you are welcome.
The trainer, Hannah Lewis, has extensive experience of facilitation and training, and has a particular interest in power dynamics.
Suggested donation £5- £10. If that’s too much, please come anyway.
Book your place: Email kathryn@navigate.org.uk and briefly tell us why you’re interested in participating. There are limited places, so get in touch soon.
The venue is wheelchair accessible. If you have other access needs please let us know and we’ll do our best to make the workshop accessible to you.
Timing: Please arrive at 6.45pm for a prompt 7pm start. The workshop will end at 9.15pm.