The Berkana Institute invites participants for a Learning Journey to South Africa and Zimbabwe that will open your eyes, minds and hearts to essential learning about the leadership that is emerging in one of our planet’s most vibrant places. On this journey, participants will meet and learn with extraordinary pioneering leaders in Johannesburg, South Africa, and at Zimbabwe’s Kufunda Learning Village. The Learning Journey will also spend time learning from the wildlife of Africa whose grace and beauty and interdependent relationships are an inspiration. Marianne Knuth, part of the Shambhala Institute’s hosting team and founder of Kufunda, will join Berkana Institute Co-President Bob Stilger as hosts of this journey. Together participants explore innovative approaches to leadership that offer new possibilities for making a difference in our own lives. For more information about the Southern Africa Learning Journey, taking place October 30 – November 11, 2006, visit the Berkana Institute’s website: www.berkana.org or contact Jeana Corbett, Learning Journey Coordinator, jeana@berkana.org

The Shambhala Institute has just announced an upcoming workshop: The Art of Hosting and Convening Meaningful Conversations with Toke Moeller, Monika Nissen, and Sera Thompson. This workshop explores the art of convening the conversations most important to our communities, families and organizations. You will learn a variety of methods and practices for engaging in conversations that matter which create wise action and clear outcomes. The workshop will take place in Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia – August 14-16, 2006. For more information, contact tim@oftheshire.org.

Yellow Wood Associates, Inc., of St. Albans, VT, has just announced a training that will enable professional facilitators to deliver a powerful planning and evaluation tool, called You Get What You Measure® to their own clients. In development for over ten years, You Get What You Measure® recognizes the importance of values in group work, incorporates systems thinking, and creates a culture of group learning. It explores in detail the connections between goals, indicators, measures, and the assumptions about how or whether specific actions will affect progress towards the goal. Ideal measurement guide candidates are community or organizational development professionals in a variety of fields seeking to build the capacity of their organizations or communities to make real and measurable progress towards their goals. After completing the three-day Becoming a Measurement Guide training, participants will be well on their way to becoming a licensed guide able to deliver You Get What You Measure® to clients of their choice. The training will be held at Yellow Wood Associates in St. Albans, VT, November 13-15, 2006. One or two of the available slots for this training will be available for smaller organizations at discounted rates. For more information, visit their website at www.yellowwood.org/BMG.htm, call 802-524-6141 or email yellowwood@yellowwood.org.

Amid the violence of the last few weeks, Libby and Len Traubman continute to send us hope about the possibility for dialogue and peace in the Middle East. The latest news story concerns groups of city mayors from Israel and Palestine meeting in Indidana to dialogue and to find common ground. To read the story from the Indidana Star, visit http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006607190458.

The Shambhala Institute has just announced an upcoming workshop called “Authentic Leadership in Europe: Empowering the Journey through Circle, Brush & Sword.” In this intensive participants will increase their capacity for presence, courage, and flexibility. They will practice stepping back to allow creativity to emerge and stepping forward when intervention is called for, and will learn how to design change processes that include both broad engagement and a concrete plan of action. This intensive is for leaders and entrepreneurs of all levels-team or project leaders, facilitators, managers, executives, community builders, and other agents of change. The workshop will be led by oke Moeller, Barbara Bash & Bob Wing, from December 6-9, 2006 at the Heinsheim Castle Hotel, 1.5 hours south of Frankfurt, Germany. For more information, email Susan Szpakowski at susanls@shambhalainstitute.org.

The National Issues Forums (NIF) website (www.nifi.org) now has information (including a video clip to watch) about this year’s “A Public Voice 2006”—an annually produced one-hour public affairs television program that examines how well the United States public is tackling an important public issue. The program for 2006 is titled: “People and Politics: Facing Democracy’s Challenge” and includes glimpses inside some of the National Issues Forums around the country where people have held deliberative discussions using the NIF issue book “Democracy’s Challenge: Reclaiming the Public’s Role.” The television program also features a panel of office holders, experts, and members of the media as they view and discuss excerpts from forums held earlier this year. You can watch a clip from this new program and find more information about the “A Public Voice” series, including a current listing of public television stations around the country that have made commitments to air this year’s “A Public Voice 2006.” Links to all this information and to a page that will let you watch a clip from this year’s program (or from last year’s program) can be found in the lower left hand side of the NIF homepage. To order a copy of this video, contact Ruffolo at ecruffolo@ec-ruffolo.com, call 800-600-4060, or FAX: 937-435-7367.

This October, the Center for Policy, Planning & Performance will organize a 4 day Mediation Training workshop in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. This 40-hour basic Mediation Process Training meets the standards of the Minnesota Supreme Court ADR-Rule 114 for neutral qualification, which is required for private mediation centers and state rosters. Specific practical applications include organizational conflict management, community or group dispute facilitation, and interest-based interpersonal communications. Trainers are Bernard Mayer and Barbara Raye. Cost is $860.00 (includes materials). To register for the workshop, held October 2 – 6, 2006 contact the Center for Policy, Planning and Performance at 2233 University Avenue West, St. Paul, Minnesota 55114; Phone: (612) 874-0535; Website: www.effective.org.

We’re pleased to spread the news about NCDD member Adrienne Dessel’s new article called “Using Intergroup Dialogue to Promote Social Justice and Change” co-authored with Mary E. Rogge, and Sarah B. Garlington. The article will be published in the journal Social Work this October. It examines intergroup dialogue as a bridging mechanism through which social workers in clinical, other direct practice, organizer, activist, and other roles across the micro–macro practice spectrum can engage with people in conflict to advance advocacy, justice, and social change. The article defines intergroup dialogue and provide examples in not-for-profit or community-based and academic settings of how intergroup dialogue has been applied to conflicts around topics of race and ethnic nationality, sexual orientation, religion, and culture. It concludes with recommendations for practice-, policy-, and research-related actions that social workers can take to understand and use intergroup dialogue.

Peace it Together is an important youth program that brings ten Israeli, ten Palestinian and ten Canadian youth together to discuss conflict in the Middle East. Together they will create short films that will help them and their audiences struggle with, and come to terms with the escalating violence that continues to impact their lives. After getting to know each other for a few days in the city, the youth will gather on Galiano Island at the Gulf Islands Film and Television School. Activities will focus on dialogue and listening exercises, leadership training, outdoor and wilderness experiences, and film-making. In small and culturally-mixed groups, the youth will collaborate on creating drama, documentary or animated short films about how the conflict impacts their lives, hopes and fears. The summer program will culminate in a public screening of the films in Vancouver. All are invited to the Peace it Together Gala on Sunday, August 20th at the HR MacMillan Space Centre, 1100 Chestnut Street, at 7:00 PM. For more information, visit the program’s website: www.creativepeacenetwork.ca/camp/2006.htm

UC Davis Extension has just announced a new program, Coaching: Life and Career. In partnership with the Coaches Training Institute, this program will teach co-active coaching techniques that provide the foundation needed to become a Certified Professional Co-active Coach (CPCC). Participants work with certified coaches practicing coaching techniques with real people and real issues. Those interested in learning more about the program should plan to attend the free information session on August 30th from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Sutter Square Galleria, 2901 K St., in Sacramento California. Enroll in section 062OPE600. To learn more about the individual courses in this program, visit the program website at www.extension.ucdavis.edu/bm or call (800) 752-0881.

The Western Justice Foundation Center has announced openings for two positions: a Full-Time Administrative Assistant and a Director of Development. WJCF’s mission is to work with children, communities, schools, governments and courts to assure peaceful conflict resolution and improve access to justice. For more information on Western Justice Center Foundation, visit their website at www.westernjustice.org. To read descriptions of each position, click on the link below.
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Nancy Aronson and Gil Steil have just announced an exciting three-day workshop on custom designing large group interventions called “Large Group Design and Facilitation: What To Do When Your Whole System Gets Together.” The workshop is coming up this November 1-3, 2006 at the Gregg Conference Center, Bryn Mawr, PA, USA. The workshop is aimed at consultants and organization leaders, and will cover large group design principles, group dynamics, facilitation methodologies and practice designing large group sessions tailored to participants needs. Cost is $1490 (includes, meals, new Bunker/Alban book, other materials, etc.). For more information or to reserve a spot on in the workshop, email Gil Steil at gilsteil@gilsteil.com or Ferne Kuhn at FFK2006@comcast.net.

The fourth annual Air Innovations Conference will be held September 6-8, 2006 in Denver, Colorado. This event is sponsored by EPA in collaboration with the Department of Energy. Last year, more than 300 attended this successful conference and this year promises to be even better. The theme for this year’s conference is Integrated Approaches for Environmental Results. The conference will provide the latest information on new and innovative approaches and technologies to achieve clean air goals. For further information on specific topics and to register, see the conference Web site,
www.cleanairinfo.com/airinnovations.

The Public Conversations Project (www.publicconversations.org) has two new publications. Fostering Dialogue Across Divides: A Nuts and Bolts Guide from the Public Conversations Project is an extensive resource describing PCP’s core principles and practices, offering advice about working with conveners and planning committees, and providing step-by-step suggestions for multi-session as well as single-session dialogues. PCP’s new guide also includes sample formats, sample invitations, and suggested questions on a range of topics. Second, Constructive Conversations About the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: A Guide for Convening and Facilitating Dialogue in Jewish Communities in the US was written in close collaboration with the Jewish Dialogue Group in Philadelphia, which has had extensive experience in the field using PCP’s general approach and methods in Jewish communities on the topic of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It includes an appendix on Jewish texts and dialogue. Both guides are available at PCP’s website as pdf downloads for a voluntary donation. Nicely printed and bound copies of both guides can be purchased at www.cafepress.com/pcp_press. The multi-issue dialogue guide is $21 plus shipping & handling and the intra-Jewish dialogue guide is $18 plus shipping & handling. The intra-Jewish dialogue guide also is available from the Jewish Dialogue Group, www.jewishdialogue.org. You can also take a workshop offered by the lead author of the guides this November – to learn more, click below.
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A program of the Bush Foundation (www.bushfoundation.org), the Bush Leadership Fellows Program seeks accomplished, motivated individuals from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, or northwestern Wisconsin who are eager to prepare themselves for greater leadership responsibilities within their communities and professions. Applicants are invited to propose academic or self-designed learning experiences that will help them attain goals that they set for themselves. The program encourages applications that will expand fellows’ experiences beyond the familiar to learning environments that might be inaccessible without a fellowship. Fellowships support learning experiences that may include academic course work, internships, self-designed study programs, or various combinations of these and other kinds of learning experiences. Fellows are required to pursue their fellowships on a full-time basis; however, they may design their programs to include two or three segments of full-time study interrupted by periods of full-time employment. The duration of fellowships ranges from two to eighteen months. The application deadline is October 13, 2006. To read more about the fellowship and who is eligible, click on the link below. Or visit the Bush Foundation website for complete program details.
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