Letting Life Lead: Working on Societal Challenges

A retreat for organisational leaders, social entrepreneurs, activists and change agents working on major social, cultural and environmental challenges. The retreat will provide a space for deeper reflection and experimentation with a key challenge that you are working on.

The focus of the retreat will be on how we can best support system-wide change for the issue we are working on.

Constellations is particularly effective for helping to generate breakthrough insights and “aha!” moments – where to best focus our attention, what obstacle need to be acknowledged and addressed, and where our blind spots have been and what missing element need to be re-included.

We will use practices from Systemic Constellations to bring fresh perspectives on questions such as:

• What are the deeper truths about what is blocking change in the system?
• Who is currently excluded from this system that needs to be included?
• What truths need to be seen and acknowledged in order to catalyse change?
• What change is possible and what beyond our ability to change?
• How can I/we best support change in this system?
• How can I resource myself in the work I do?

To support this work we will include elements of movement, time outside, creative practice and peer inquiry. Hawkwood Centre for Future Thinking supports a sense of rest and retreat whilst tackling challenging themes.

The retreat include a pre-retreat Zoom meeting to meet each other, surface questions that you want to focus on in the retreat, and begin some embodied practice. After the retreat there will be another Zoom meeting to support the integration of insights from the retreat into your working life.

Registration

Registration for this retreat is via the Hawkwood website https://www.hawkwoodcollege.co.uk/event/letting-life-lead/ 

Who is it for?

This retreat is for those working on an important societal challenge – this could be social, environmental, cultural, political or economic, or most likely a combination of these. You may be working with government, the private sector, civil society or community groups. You could be a leader at the top of an organisation, a change agent, an external consultant or community organiser, or an artist.

You are, no doubt, concerned about the state of the world and may be frustrated in the slowness in addressing critical challenges facing the world. Openness to innovative approaches that bring new insights is something that you value.

The retreat is open to those who are new to Constellations work, as well as those with some prior experience. The only requirement is that you are open to exploring issues in new and innovative ways. Systemic Constellations are very embodied and intuitive, therefore it is important to be willing to trust the process.

Hawkwood

Hawkwood is a stunning Grade II listed 19th Century country house, surrounded by 42 acres of sustainably managed woodland, farmland, and gardens. Set in the heart of the Cotswolds – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – it is a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. With a diverse selection of nearly 150 courses, there’s plenty to choose from, including courses in transformative leadership, future thinking, inner life, music and the arts. Our programme of courses is led by experienced tutors and leaders in their fields.

Facilitators

This retreat is delivered by Charles O'Malley in collaboration with Toni Spencer.