The Art of Building Power and Self-organisation is a 34hr+ intensive and highly interactive online training programe blending 2 very powerful practices
 The Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations That Matter + Community Organising.
Join people from across the world over the course of 4 months to explore & practice:
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  • How to design, host & harvest highly participatory, inspiring & creative meetings, gatherings and events of any size: in person or online.​
 
  • Tech hosting & online collaboration such as Miro Boards, Kumospace, Google Jam Board, Zoom & more.
 
  • How to improve the quality of conversations through the art of powerful questions.
 
  • How to improve your ability to listen, lead and build trust & relationships
 
  • How to work around issues of power & privilege in all its expressions, sources, dimensions & dynamics.
 
  • How to create inclusive spaces which welcome diversity and conflict with openness, sensitivity & care.​
We'll explore & practice models & frameworks for work with complexity, emergence, reflection and self-organisation.  

During 5x 2hr (optional bi-weekly) coaching sessions  you will be coached  in small teams to practice hosting parts of the 6 x4 hrs live sessions.
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Learn, practice and receive practical guides for Open Space, World Café, Circle Practice, Design-Lab, Harvesting, Tech Hosting, A Problem Posing Approach, Pro-Action Cafe, Appreciative Inquiry, Collective Story Harvest, and more. ​

WHY NOW?

We all want to see flourishing communities, groups, networks and organisations where people are connected, where they know and are able to mobilise their resources, co-produce, have real power and a collective voice to influence decision making. ​
Communities, businesses, community enterprises, public sector organisations and funders supporting huge social change are increasingly having to step up their game with less financial resources available and the growing complexity of society, meanwhile many organisations are struggling to shift internal dynamics to cultivate spaces capable of devolving power. ​

To rise to this challenge we need to know how to work with complexity and diversity, how to truly listen to what is needed and harness the power of the collective voice in action.
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Now more than ever we need to transform our relationship to power & foster an environment of collaboration and interconnection across the sectors.
Since 2018 Community CoLab has partnered with various organisations to run this blended training in Bristol & London UK and now we are bringing this training online so that people from across the world can connect meaningfully, explore & learn together the essence & practices of participatory leadership with a focus on understanding & building collective power.
Here is a video with interviews from participants at previews trainings

WHO IS THIS TRAINING FOR?

This training is for:
  • Engagement workers
  • Funders
  • Public sector workers
  • Community Organisers
  • Activists
  • Facilitators
  • Educators
  • Trainers
  • Organisational development consultants
  • Organisational leaders
  • Change makers
  • Politicians
This training is for:
  • Anyone who acknowledges the need to build power in the communities they work for or with
  • Anyone seeking to transform their organisational approach to navigating diversity in all its complexity and build people's ability to self organise & bring about  action & change.
  • Anyone wanting to learn how to host online or offline creative and participatory meetings, events and gatherings.
  • Anyone wanting to move their organising, facilitation or hosting practice online
  • Anyone wanting to harness the power of passion, personal transformation and collective intelligence towards wise collective action.

WHERE & WHEN?

This programe will be hosted online using Zoom, Miro Boards, Google Jamboard & Kumospace.
​To participate you  will need to join the sessions from a laptop or desktop  
Sessions will take place every Tuesday from July 13th- July 27, with an August summer break and from September 7th - October 26th 


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Dates & themes:
​July 13/  1-5pm BST:  Program Intro -Tech tools for online collaboration​
July 20/ 1-3pm BST:   Coaching (harvesting & tech hosting)
July 27/ 1-5pm BST:  Building relationships through listening + Intro Art of Hosting

SUMMER BREAK

Sept 07/ 1-3pm BST:   Coaching (check in/ check out, tech hosting & world cafe)
Sept 14/ 1-5pm BST:  Working with Collective Intelligence + Designing for Diversity
Sept 21/  1-3pm BST:   Coaching (circle practice & collective story harvest)
Sept 28/ 1-5pm BST:  Understanding privilege & power dynamics
Oct 05/   1-3pm BST:   Coaching (check in, tech hosting, open space technology)
Oct  12/  1-5pm BST:  Chaordic Leadership & Inviting diversity
Oct 19/    1-3pm BST:  Coaching (check In, design lab, harvest)
Oct 26/   1-5pm BST: Group process design &  project design labs
***You will be required to join all bi-weekly live sessions from July 13th***
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***If you take up a coaching opportunity (optional) expect 2hrs extra of planning with your practice team aside from the allocated coaching time***
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The time commitment & managing your level of participation
We expect your time commitment will vary from 24- 60 hrs during the programme including coaching sessions, watching video resources, taking part in coaching sessions, planning & reflecting with small hosting teams which will be formed to practice with other participants

WHAT TO EXPECT?

This programme will allow you to: ​ 
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  • Experience new tools which can support community building and organising in communities of interest and organisations.
 
  • Develop online & online facilitation skills & a toolkit that you can practically use in your work 7 communities.
 
  • Gain skills in facilitating meetings of any size using the latest online tools available to enhance participation & collaboration.
 
  • Gain skills and knowledge to host conversations around inequalities and power.
 
  • Explore what comes next - after you’ve brought people together and they have formed groups around shared interests – how do you grow it to something bigger?
 
  • Connect with other organisations, progressive businesses, community organisers, community development workers, NGO's activists, organisational consultants and active citizens to move from isolated action to a movement of people and organisations collaborating to bring about effective change

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Why different prices?
At Community CoLab we recognise that our privileges and economic situations may vary and whilst we want to value our practice and our work as trainers, we are also very keen to invite diversity and make sure this training is accessible.
For this reason we invite you to consider your privileges or needs and consciously choose one of the following options. 

​Offer what you can and a little bit more!

THE REGISTRATION & PAYMENT PROCESS

The registration and payment process is as follows: 
1. Please click on this link to complete the registration form
​2. Following your registration you will receive a confirmation email with payment details. (If you've applied for a half or full scholarship please email info@communitycolab.co.uk to check for availability before making your payment)

Our refunds policy:
If you can no longer participate after making your payment we will offer:
  • Full refund before the 31st of May (minus transaction fees)
  • Half refund after the 31 of May and before the 12 of June (minus transaction fees)
  • No refund after the 12 of June, unless we are able to sell your space to someone else on waiting list or you find someone else to take your place.
STANDARD FEE PLUS
​£650
Select this fee if you are from an organisation or a consultant paid well to do your work, or otherwise able and willing to cover the full cost of the training and a little bit more to support the participation of people who couldn't otherwise afford this opportunity. 
STANDARD FEE
​£425 ​
Select this fee if you are from an organisation or a consultant paid to do your work or otherwise able to pay the full fee.

This reward covers covers in full your own cost of participating
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TEAM 4+ Discount ​​£375 
Select this fee if​ you are joining us as a team of 3 or more from a small organisation

GLOBAL SOUTH
​£300 (limited spaces)

Please choose this fee if you are unable to pay the full fee & live in a developing country/ anywhere in the Global south 
Scholarships & Additional Economic support
We are appealing to the generosity of participants to offer what they can and a little bit more to support people on low incomes to access this opportunity.

On the basis of how many participants join paying the Full Fee Plus we aim to offer:

2 full scholarships  (£50.00 Refundable on completion) & 2 half scholarships (£200) to people who really need it because of economical hardship.
Please apply for scholarship on a conscious basis. 

Additional economic support:
If your economic situation doesn't allow you to pay the lowest fee, we would still like to invite you to consider what you can offer and get in touch so we can discuss your situation before registering.
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Offer what you can and ask for what you need. 

THE TEAM

For this training we are bringing together a diverse team of community organisers, activists, campaigners, facilitators and Art of Hosting practitioners from Bristol, Leeds, London and Colombia bringing the best of their international experience and practices to support power building and self organisation
PAULETTE SINGER
Paulette is a community organiser, Art of Hosting practitioner, community development research facilitator and permaculture gardener/trainer. Her frustrations working across the homeless sector led to a desire to connect locally to her community and ultimately to her becoming a Community Organiser.  

Paulette believes most systemic and structural issues can be overcome through the power of truly connected and resilient communities.

​Co-founder of Our Yard and Field to Fork workers co-operative Paulette has a keen interest in innovative social businesses and their role within communities to support individual and collective power.

Karime Hassan

Karime is a historian, urban planner & economist, Art of Hosting trainer & tech host based in Colombia. As co-founder of Sentido Comun Associados. she designs and hosts workshops, events, trainings  and programs online & offline which inspire better results in organisations and communities in Latin America and beyond.

Karime has more than 10 years experience in international cooperation and with the public sector working on entrepreneurship support & development, public engagement innovation and  has a focus on developing  conceptual models and tools kits for engagement, collaboration and action.

JOSE AUGUSTO BARCO

Jose is a community organiser, Art of Hosting practitioner/ tech host/ trainer as well as  a social entrepreneur living between Colombia & Bristol UK.
Jose is co- founder of Community CoLab, Inside Hub, Community Organisers & Wati Collective. His passion is to create meaningful participation & collaboration (online & offline) whilst working around issues of power, privilege & diversity in communities & organisations.

Since 2012 Jose has been busy organising, training & coaching people from diverse  communities as well as offering change management consultancy with a focus on participatory leadership to NGO's and organisations from the public & private  sector in Latinamerica, Europe and the UK.

His work is influenced by his creative practice, his Colombian musical roots and permaculture principles.
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JON DORSETT

Jon is a graphic facilitator/ practitioner and trainer in The Art of Hosting based in Leeds.
He is an associate of  Together for Peace where he is facilitating the Poverty Truth Commission, and being a learning partner with local Gypsy and Traveller organisation Leeds GATE.
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Jon works across the country helping groups and organisations to harvest their learning, and making films for organisations to communicate complex information simply and engage audiences creatively. Jon's background is in campaigning for various NGOs, and in running programmes that create space for activists to reflect, learn and do inner work. He is continually interested in the dynamic between inner well-being and outer change, and sees a powerful potential in the combination of Art of Hosting and Community Organising practices. 

CONTACT
Have any questions?
Contact us: info@communitycolab.co.uk
+(44)7739195011 (What's App only)
Organised by Community CoLabas a laboratory for collaboration, participation and social action in collaboration with Inside Hub, Sentido Comun & The Yard.
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 This training aims to build our individual and collective capacity to amplify voices, discover new insights, methods and tools that will enable organisations, communities & societies ​ to take on some of the greatest challenges of our time.

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