Center for Environmental Sustainability Reflection/Action Workshop

 

"We are all connected, now let's create the future together": A reflection/action workshop

 

The Center for Environmental Sustainability (CES) and Lifelong Learning Center invite you to spend a day with leaders from United Way, Groundswell, CES, and Compassionate Communication exploring the nature of effective collaboration and action planning for working together toward shared goals. Wally Woods, organizational development consultant and CES co-founder, will facilitate.

 

Collaborative learning and action is a dynamic gateway for shifting consciousness and culture from competition to cooperation, a shift essential for creating a sustainable future. When approached through a systems perspective, it also enables us to access deeper levels of the knowledge, wisdom, creativity and courage required to meet the escalating threats of social, economic and environmental injustice and deprivation.

 

Following Woods' introduction to this natural systems approach, a panel of local leaders will share reflections on their organizations' efforts to build strong, just and sustainable communities through:

• co-designed projects (United Way)
• a strong local food system (Groundswell)
• sharing tangible as well as creative resources (CES)
• effective communications (Compassionate Communications)

Working in small groups, participants will then examine the values that undergird their organizational missions, and identify common values-based goals. Moving from shared reflection to participatory action planning, they will then develop specific first steps for addressing concrete objectives through collaborative action; and present these visions to the group.

 

Where: Lifelong Learning Center, 119 W. Court St., Ithaca
When: Saturday, November 5, 9:30am - 4pm
Free and open to the public. Light lunch provided. All participants will receive a Bio-Regional Map, two subscriptions to YES Magazine, and applications for CES mini-grants for implementing workshop visions.

 

Pre-registration requested by November 1st. For questions and registration, contact Wally Woods (607) 272-1312 or ces.ithaca@gmail.com.