Taking time to reflect and reconnect. This can be done in many different ways, including journaling, regular meditation, going into nature (e.g. vision quest). It is also helpful to create embodied experiences or “rituals” that honour our roots. … Read more
Conflict Transformation Theory and Practice of Working with Conflict
Welcome conflict and embrace it as an inevitable part of human experience. See the other as yourself and sense the feelings and needs that underpin the outer expression. Create a sense of safety, possibly by bringing in a facilitator, in order to hold a bigger perspective and allow win-win solutions to emerge. Bring compassions to the conflict and see it as an opportunity for learning and deepening intimacy. Would you rather be right or happy? … Read more
Community Building A process to develop authentic communication in community
Scott Peck has identified 4 phases of group development and created guidelines for skillfully navigating these that culminate in an experience of a mature, authentic community. Once we know that going through, for example, phases of pseudo-community, chaos and conflict, vulnerability and letting go of expectations, are necessary steps in the evolution of a group, we will be more willing to embrace them. The conscious practice of authenticity counters any tendency we might have to hide in habits … Read more
Collective Wisdom How the whole becomes more than the sum of the parts
We need to reinstate meaningful conversations at every level of society. We need to learn how to creatively express our individual diversity and potential, without attachment to being right, contributing our piece to the jigsaw puzzle of life. We start listening for new connections and win-win-win outcomes instead of holding onto knowledge we already have. We know that one size doesn’t fit all, and every situation calls for a fresh approach that is grounded in the collective experience of the … Read more
Coaching Supporting someone to become more effective in their own unique way
Using processes drawn from the world of sport, we can coach people into finding their own way forward. A common coaching method is the GROW process which involves: establishing Goals for a session, exploring the Reality of the current experience, generating Options, and finally arriving at action plans of what the person Will do as a result of the session. Using a coaching style helps somebody own their own solutions and is much more likely to lead to them doing the things that they say they … Read more
Attunement Bringing a group together consciously at the beginning and end of meetings, aligned to the highest purpose.
Taking a minute or two at the beginning of the meeting, either in silence with a few words of guidance offered by the facilitator, to pause and notice that we are in a new space; to consciously connect with the others with whom we are meeting; and to clearly connect with the overarching purpose of the meeting, can radically transform the experience of the meeting. A similar process can be undertaken at the end of the meeting, to bring it to conscious conclusion. … Read more
Gambia – a box expanding journey
- Date: 3 – 12 November 2015
- Language:
- English
- Location: Gambia
In our western civilised world we are educated to remain nestled within our comfort zones. We sacrifice an enormous part of our aliveness on the altar of so-called security. Because of this we don’t have access to the unlimited possibilities life offers us in every moment. Drilled and domesticated from childhood on, we have yet to experience our inherent power and potential. Gambia – A box expanding journey could be a personal step for you to make a radical … Read more
The Miracle in the Desert Sekem / Egypt
Led by the vision to promote sustainable development of the individual, the society and the Earth, Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish began to cultivate the hot, arid sandy ground of Egypt. Here, he initiated a community as an incentive for new approaches to economy, science, culture and societal life. He named this initiative Sekem – the ancient Egyptian Hieroglyph for “vitality”. Dr. Abouleish received many awards for his achievements, including the 'Right Livelihood Award', and an honorary doctorate from … Read more
Editorial GEN Newsletter June 2015 20 Years of GEN: 20 Years of Regeneration – Coming Home to our Planet
20 years ago, a group around the Danish couple Hildur and Ross Jackson founded the Global Ecovillage Network, launched at an Ecovillage Conference at Findhorn. They understood that the power of communities and ecovillages to love, work with and regenerate the life systems that they are a part of is essential to building a sane and sustainable culture. From that insight, it was a natural step to dream of a community of communities, a network of trust, mutual support and knowledge transfer between … Read more
Learning is Living La Cité Ecologique, Canada and USA
La Cité Ecologique started in Canada in 1984 as an alternative school based on holistic education. Today La Cité has two ecovillages - one in Quebec with 90 inhabitants and another in New Hampshire with 40 inhabitants. The glue that keeps the two communities together is the shared focus on care for children and youth. Marie Vaillant moved in as a teenager with her family and later became the director of the second ecovillage. My family moved to La Cité Ecologique when I was 14 years old, in … Read more
