In whatever way we envisage contributing to the wellbeing of our world, for most of us it is going to mean working with others. It is going to mean collaborating. Collaboration is key to collective agency and empowerment. It’s a basis for effectiveness, a crucial means of embodying our values, and it can bring forth emergent and creative qualities that alone we could barely imagine. And collaboration is not only a root of social transformation, it also provides a vital context for individual transformation, enabling us to share and live out our deepest values.

But working in groups is not always easy. It can feel frustrating, draining and unproductive. Meetings drag, personalities clash, power conflicts arise, chaos reigns and all this gets in the way of achieving what the group or organization set out to do at the beginning.

This training will help you to learn how to collaborate, communicate and make decisions effectively. It will help you to draw out the best in yourself and others, to stay in healthy relationship, build teams based on shared values – and get things done! We will look at challenges related to financial sustainability and meeting the ongoing resourcing needs of our groups. This course integrates practical skills and approaches to group and organisational development with reflective and group practices that explore the personal-interpersonal dimensions of organisational life.

This training is for activists and organisers based in CEE. It is part of Ulex CEE Programme pilot year.

Through a blend of participatory education and immersive learning you will learn how to:

• Develop shared purpose and vision
• Create a culture that reflects your shared values
• Keep your approach responsive and relevant in an ever-changing world
• Communicate more collaboratively and understand patterns that help us hold important conversations
• Think strategically to turn vision into effective pathways for action
• Work with power – transforming it, distributing it, and using it well
• Manage conflict creatively
• Create a structure where tasks and roles are clear and empowering
• Learn effective decision making skills for a range of contexts, that support accountability, creativity and initiative
• Sustain motivation and involvement
• Understand the inner life of group dynamics and cycles
• Explore issues related to financial sustainability and resourcing.

This course description will be refined by the training team early in 2024.

This training will take place in Kunbábony, Hungary
This venue is accessible for people with limited mobility.

Some travel bursaries will be available. There is no charge for the training, so economic difficulties should not prevent you attending!