Who’s organising things anyway?Free Training: Supporting Grassroots Leadership.
Like many in Scotland during 2014, I ‘dared to dream’ what local autonomy & self determination could look like. Whatever your opinion was about the referendum, what was achieved as a result is many peoples imaginations were kindled, and local autonomous groups and movements emerged across the country with folk across multiple generations hungry for pro-social & environmental change.
I have a conviction that given opportunity, local people find innovative solutions to local issues. With both knowledge of place & unending creativity, solutions to things ’emerge’ given the right conditions & if enough of ‘us’ can provide ways to share how to stimulate the ‘right conditions’; we might well make a world we feel hopeful about.
What?
I’m offering a short course at no charge; with the aim of placing some systemic tools into the hands of groups that are organising solutions to issues that affect their community.
I’m thinking short presentation followed by internalising & integrating the content to local realities by people in the room through some simple open space technologies.
Over a 2-3 hour session, we’d cover:
- What the acorn model for regenerative cultural design is about.
- How it’s been applied for forming teams of engaged citizens to creatively deliver community events, programmes, organisations & campaigns.
- Suggestions for how to use it for renewing leadership, cultural mentoring, keeping things fresh and avoiding burnout.
Where
As i live in the Inverness area, i figure that’s the best place to be most involved. However, if an invitation is genuine, i’d consider traveling to other regions; but would require help with travel and flexibility when negotiating a date.
When?
By invitation, I aim to trial a range of free, bespoke talks & presentations in 2015. Evenings are good.
What for?
I hope this gesture will also help me move a little outside my usual haunts i.e. from the outdoor classroom & take short excursions into spheres which i can both contribute too and get insight from; without massive divergences from my day to day obligations.
As a popular education specialist working with indigenous marginalised grassroots communities put to me:
“What if a group of facilitators passed on their different systemic tools for change to folk that really want it, for free, across all the regions of the country; through the fantastic grassroots networks that have up following the referendum?
It was a revolutionary proposition. I said “lets do it; but lets start small & see what’s fun”. Will you join in?.
Ok I’m really interested in this concept – having spent 11 years running a grass roots project and learning first hand of the vast & varied barriers to community groups bringing about the necessary change & the frustration within those groups. Systemic tools eh – I would like if you could explain what you mean by that? A blue print is what is needed for success, a document of support of particular process and action, signed up by ALL local councils to allow groups to grow rather than find themselves smashing into the same walls, group after group after group. Such wasted energy, time and money causing change to take so long whilst the money etc is spent in the wrong way. mentoring also equals success in my experience. Paul ?? at Lammas did this ‘blueprint’ thing with Carmarthen council & consequently changed the law on low impact building – hence we saw the first public sale of straw bale homes last week! It’s the only way forward. HEHE HAHA xx