GRASSROOTS LEADERSHIP FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL CHANGE with Ben Haggard, Micha Kurz and Thomas Renault

dates: May 29 - 31, following the Taos Peace Conference, an open-ended series of discussions and presentations representing various grassroots organizations and initiatives

cost: $75 - $250 per day, sliding scale

Many dedicated grassroots groups have been working to improve the lives of people, ecological and social systems worldwide with little time to develop deep and systemic strategic thinking. In many cases, this has led to working on pieces rather than whole systems, on crisis management rather than pro-active long-term strategies. This retreat, which comes at the end of the Taos Peace Conference, will provide a format for participants to clarify what they are doing within a process that will focus and transform their energies into measurable results.

It is designed for fellow change agents--individuals who are working to manifest the full potential of the communities that we serve. Its intention, to introduce new ways of thinking, of becoming more effective in our work; explore ways of collaborating; establish a network of connections; generate relevant, compelling and unifying visions that can be woven into strategies for attracting support and building alignment among diverse groups and develop action plans that translate insights into results.

Grassroots community organizers from Jerusalem will be joined by their local counterparts to face common challenges to different issues.

Ben Haggard: (benhaggard@gmail.com) Author, educator and designer, Ben is a long-time friend of Lama Foundation. In the late 80's he helped to introduce the community to Permaculture and has advised on land management, reconstruction, and community process. For the past 12 years, he has worked with Regenesis, a Santa Fe based company, in pioneering the field of Regenerative Community Development. Ben brings a whole systems, ecologically based perspective to assisting communities, organizations, and individuals create transformation in the world.

Micha Kurz: (micha_kurz@care2.com and www.grassrootsJerusalem.org) Micha was born and raised in Jerusalem. He was active in the National Youth Movement for over ten years, where he trained teenagers to serve as leaders in their local communities. Micha has implemented leadership programs for youth in new immigrant communities in Israel; met with grassroots activists around the world and gained perspective on the importance of effective local community organizing; has traveled in and out of the occupied territories mapping the vast social justice and environmental sustainability grassroots efforts in and around the Jerusalem area and is currently engaged in creating a network for Palestinian and Israeli NGO's with the intention of weaving a common vision among communities working on the urgent issues.

Thomas Renault: (thomas@renaultalliance.com) In 2007, Thomas and Ben co-facilitated a workshop that explored process and collaboration. Micha attended that workshop and saw a natural progression of the work into grassroots organizations which have the ability to impact multinational business and governments, including Jerusalem and New Mexico. Thomas brings a corporate organizational development background and conflict management experience to the collaboration. He is currently working with global teams located in Asia, Europe, and North America.