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The Learning Together Training sessions focus on poignant issues and key skill-sets of our time. 

 

Dedicated peer practitioners from the Community Engagement Fellows Coalition facilitate these interactive social learning spaces as part of our commitment to knowledge democracy and public service. Be ready to learn something new and share your wisdom and experiences!

 

Sessions are 75 minutes on Zoom, and are free and open to all. 

Stay tuned for future Learning Together Training offerings.

Click on the button below to view session descriptions, or scroll to the bottom of the page.

Learning Together Trainings
Timely Ideas. Caring Practitioners.  Learning Together.

LEARNING TOGETHER TRAINING SCHEDULE
February- March 2022

FACILITATORS 

Alice Fong

Center for Ethical Leadership

Ariane Hoy

Bonner Foundation

 

Arthur Tartee Jr.

Bonner Foundation

 

Brian Davenport

Eastern Washington University

Calleen Herbert,

North Carolina Central University

Christina Kisskeys

Whiteswan Environmental

Free Borsey

Whiteswan Environmental

Jessie Bloss

Spring Church

Joshua Porter

Western Washington University

Katrina Carabba

Whatcom County Library System

Kelsey Martin

Whitman College

Laurel Hammond

Western Washington University

Lindsey MacDonald

Western Washington University

Liz Brandt

Bonner Foundation

Maia Heffernan

Western Washington University

 

Mellissa Jessen-Hiser

Fresno State University

Michael Cox

Whatcom County Library System

 

 

Mahtahsie (Tonya Teton)

Whiteswan Environmental

 

Mona Gonzalez

Mid Columbia Libraries

Nang-Sk'ataas (Joseph Hillaire Jr.)

Whiteswan Environmental

Natalie Baloy

Western Washington University

 

Nathaniel Kidd

Whatcom Love Inc.

Nicole Kendrick

University of Puget Sound

Rachayita Shah

Bonner Foundation

Renee Houston

University of Puget Sound and Level Up Pro Consulting

Rissi Zimmermann

Imagining America So. California

 

Ron Marks

Unity Care NW and Marks Development Consulting

Rozzell Medina

Oregon Humanities &

Portland EcoFilm Festival at the Hollywood Theatre

Sadie Olsen

Whiteswan Environmental

Shirley Williams

Whiteswan Environmental

 

Sophia Jackson

Whiteswan Environmental

Travis Tennessen

Western Washington University

All times listed as Pacific Time (UTC-8 )

Tuesday, February 1

 

9:00-10:15: Exploring How Our Values Drive our Actions

 

10:30-11:45: Becoming a System Convener

 

1:30-2:45: Making Space for Diverse Faith Perspectives

Wednesday, February 2

9:00-10:15: Building a Foundation to Co-create a Beloved Community

 

10:30-11:45: Elements of Healthy Partnerships

 

12:00-1:15: Advancing Racial Justice in Higher Education and Beyond

1:30-2:45: Bringing Our Vibrancy to Social Movements

 

Thursday, February 3

 

9:00-10:15: Cultivating Teams to Serve Diverse Public

10:30-11:45: Integrating Permaculture Principles in Learning               

Communities 

12:00-1:15:Advancing Racial Justice in Higher Education and Beyond

1:30-2:45: Acknowledging Land and History 


 

Friday, February 4

 

1:00-2:15: Fostering Culturally Safe Spaces

 

Tuesday, February 8

9:00-10:15: Exploring How Our Values Drive our Actions

 

10:30-11:45: Building a Community of Practice 

 

12:00-1:15: Navigating Transformation through Focusing on Strengths and Opportunities

 

Wednesday, February 9

 

12:00-1:15: Being a Good Guest and Host

 

1:30-2:45: Bringing Our Vibrancy to Social Movements

 

Thursday, February 10

 

10:30-11:45: Elements of Healthy Partnership

 

1:30-2:45: Producing and Assessing Value in Learning Communities


 

Tuesday, February 15

10:30-11:45: Organizing a Social Learning Event

 

Wednesday, February 16

10:30-11:45: Inspiring New Behaviors on a Changing Planet

 

1:30-2:45: Infusing Equity into Meetings

 

Thursday, February 17

10:30-11:45: Acknowledging Land and History 

1:30-2:45: Reimagining the Workplace During Times of Change

 

Tuesday, February 22

10:30-11:45: Building a Community of Practice 

 

3:00-4:15: Listening as an Inclusive Practice 

 

 

Wednesday, February 23

 

1:30-2:45: Centering Social Learning in Organizations 

 

Thursday, February 24

12:00-1:15: Being a Good Guest and Host

1:30-2:45: Infusing Equity into Meetings


 

Tuesday, March 1

9:00-10:15: Building a Foundation to Co-create a Beloved Community

10:30-11:45: Becoming a System Convener

3:00-4:15: Find the Others: Innovating within Large Organizations 

 

 

Wednesday, March 2

 

9:00-10:15 Putting Ideas into Action

1:30-2:45: Navigating Transformation through Focusing on Strengths and Opportunities

Thursday, March 3

12:00-1:15: Making Space for Diverse Faith Perspectives

 

1:30-2:45: Producing and Assessing Value in Learning Communities

 

3:00-4:15: Bringing Our Vibrancy to Social Movements

 

Tuesday, March 8

 

10:30-11:45: Integrating Permaculture Principles in Learning Communities 

 

Wednesday, March 9

12:00-1:15: Using Design Clinics to Mobilize Collective Wisdom

 

1:30-2:45: Cultivating Teams to Serve Diverse Public

 

Thursday, March 10

 

9:00-10:15: Developing Resiliency through Civil Discourse

 

12:00-1:15: Using Design Clinics to Mobilize Collective Wisdom

 

1:30-2:45: Organizing a Social Learning Event

 

3:00-4:15: Reimagining the Workplace During Times of Change

 

 

Friday, March 11


1:00-2:15: Fostering Culturally Safe Spaces

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

LEARNING TOGETHER TRAINING DESCRIPTIONS

Acknowledging Land and History

Facilitators: Natalie Baloy and Kelsey Martin

 

How do we acknowledge lands and territories in our institutions, our work, and our practice as educators? Through a combination of critical reflection, somatic exercise, narrative sharing, and action planning, participants in this workshop will explore our various positions and responsibilities to the land on which we live and work and the communities around us.

Being a Good Guest and Host

Facilitators: Natalie Baloy and Katrina Carabba

In our homes, classrooms and organizations how do we play the role of guest and host?  How do our cultural backgrounds inform how we show up in shared spaces?  Join us for a conversation on practices of intentional and transformative hosting and "guesting" to support connection, belonging, and care. 

Building a Foundation to Co-create a Beloved Community

Facilitator: Alice Fong

How do we build a foundation for a beloved community? One strategy is to look from within. Creating an equitable and just society that is grounded by values-based leadership on behalf of the common good for all. Choose to lead and critique the status quo not because it sounds good, because our values tell us to. 

Developing Resiliency Through Civil Discourse

Facilitators: Calleen Herbert and Joshua Porter

Curious  to experiment with a facilitation model that creates space for hearing differing perspectives? In this workshop we will explore Living Room Conversations as a model to engage intergenerational learning. Our conversation will address questions about how we develop resiliency through connecting across divides. 

Find the Others: Innovating in Large Organizations

Facilitators: Renee Houston and Ron Marks

This workshop will help you consider how the change you’d like to see in your organization is possible by enrolling others as partners. We will explore how to map your organization for potential stakeholders, use questions to refine your change vision, identify informal influencers and understand institutional power dynamics, and build community to cultivate the change you're seeking.

 Inspiring New Behaviors on a Changing Planet

Facilitator:  Lindsey MacDonald and Maia Heffernan

How do we integrate the most life giving and impactful sustainability behaviors into our personal and professional lives? In this workshop, we will use Project Drawdown, a climate solutions tool, as well as the collective wisdom of the group to connect sustainability interests with tangible action. We will consider both individual behavior and systems level change.

Making Space for Diverse Faith Perspectives

Facilitator:  Nathaniel Kidd

How do we invite participants in a pluralistic learning community to name and involve their religious backgrounds, commitments, identities and experiences in a way that is constructive for our shared learning objectives? In this workshop, participants will explore methods for effectively evoking faith voices in learning ventures by naming the opportunities and challenges associated with making explicit space for faith, reflecting on the situatedness of their own formation and commitments in reference to the religious identity of others, and engaging Dale Canon's "Ways of Being Religious" as orientations towards the learning journey that can be named and cultivated within a community of practice.

Organizing a Social Learning Event

Facilitator: Travis Tennessen

 How do you efficiently and effectively build a social learning event? In this training, we will discuss the important steps in creating a stand-alone social learning event, including how to manage the event information using Google Suite tools.

Using Design Clinics to Mobilize Collective Wisdom

Facilitator:  Laurel Hammond

Hoping to help yourself and your colleagues move forward effectively with workplace challenges, and learn more about each other’s work? In this training, we will discuss how design clinics - a 30-minute protocol for workshopping a design challenge--can help enhance your collaborative work.

Advancing Racial Justice in Higher Education and Beyond

Facilitators: Liz Brandt, Rachayita Shah, Ariane Hoy, Arthur Tartee Jr.

 

How can higher education institutions and beyond work to advance racial justice in their local communities? In this training, we will discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across higher education, including sharing inspiring examples from ten schools in the Bonner Network that participated in the Bonner Racial Justice Initiative. These student-led projects strengthened campus-community collaborations to address health disparities, food justice, voter education, oral histories, and more. We will discuss the current status of racial justice efforts on your campus or in your local community, how you engage diverse stakeholders (students, staff, faculty, partners, and others) in the process, and share examples and strategies of how we can be involved in advancing racial justice.

Bringing Our Vibrancy to Social Movements

Facilitator: Rozzell Medina

There are countless books, articles, and other accounts that define and explain to us what social movements are. And while there is a lot to learn from the past, it shouldn't come at the expense of the needs, challenges, and abundance in the living moment. Does the mold that contains our predetermined understanding of what social movement is, whom it's for, why, how, etc. sometimes constrain our possibilities? What happens when we combine what is known with what has yet to be imagined? In our time together, we'll explore ways of bringing our imaginations towards a new understanding of social movement that is rooted in creativity, perspective, intuition, vibrancy, and even joy. 

Centering Social Learning in Organizations

Facilitators: Renee Houston and Nicole Kendrick

Social learning calls us to creatively engage others in ways that create space for all participants' knowledge and experiences to be included; it calls upon everyone to be teachers and learners at the same time. Join us consider how you might craft social learning opportunities in your programs, meetings, and classrooms. 

 

With social learning at the center of your collaborative efforts, people can show up with enthusiasm, participate fully, and experience their life-work as a whole person.

Elements of Healthy Partnerships

Facilitator: Brian Davenport

 Hoping to build stronger learning partnerships within and beyond your organization? In this training, we will discuss elements of healthy, mutually enhancing organizational partnerships, and also review questions that new or emergent partners should ask each other to get things off to a promising start.

Integrating Permaculture Principles in Learning Communities

Facilitators:  Rissi Zimmermann and Travis Tennessen

Permaculture principles guide us to design systems in which members enhance the energy and possibilities of those around them. How can we best do that in the human learning communities that we craft and facilitate? Let's explore together. 

Infusing Equity into Meetings

Facilitator: Travis Tennessen

Hoping to structure your meetings so that everyone feels heard and shares the air more equitably? In this training, we’ll discuss how to include social learning techniques, which foster relationship-building and shared understanding among those with different perspectives and backgrounds, effectively in your meetings.

Navigating Transformation through Focusing on Strengths and Opportunities

Facilitator: Nicole Kendrick 

Looking to reinvigorate and strengthen groups to which you belong? Using the "community of practice" concept as a guide, this session will help you create a culture of belonging and stronger communication.

Producing and Assessing Value in Learning Communities

Facilitator: Travis Tennessen

How do you know whether the meetings you facilitate are valuable to the participants? In this training, we will discuss how you can use Wenger-Trayner and De Laat’s “Value-Creation Framework” to assess the impact of your work, produce more value for participants, and help participants articulate their own “value stories” that show the impact that you’re having.

Becoming a System Convener

Facilitator: Travis Tennessen

Hoping to create new spaces for learning and relationship-building across units in your organization, and with other organizations? In this training, we’ll explore the concept of system convening, a form of leadership that breaks down traditional barriers within and between organizations, and begin envisioning how you could infuse elements of this leadership style into your work.

Building a Community of Practice

Facilitators: Brian Davenport and Travis Tennessen

Hoping to connect with others who share your passions and interests, and create new ways for you all to learn together? In this training, we’ll discuss the concept of a “community of practice” and explore ways that you can use this type of learning community to improve your work and build a stronger support network.

Cultivating Teams to Serve a Diverse Public

Facilitators: Michael Cox and Mona Gonzalez

Inspiring great conversations to cultivate teams better prepared to serve many types of diversity in communities. Review hiring practices, develop affinity groups, and identify knowledge gaps while acknowledging every individual is on their own journey towards better understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Exploring How Our Values Drive Our Actions

Facilitators: Jessie Bloss and
Mellissa Jessen-Hiser

 How do we use our values to pay attention to who we are becoming on the way to where we’re going? Join us in an exploration where we will discuss identifying our values: the “why” (why we do what we do), the “what” (our priorities), and the “how” (translating those values into action). Through stories, conversation, and reflection we’ll collectively discover how our values drive our actions.

Fostering Culturally Safe Spaces

Facilitators: Sadie Olsen, Shirley Williams, Christina Kisskeys, Sophia Jackson, Mahtahsie (Tonya Teton), Free Borsey, Nang-Sk'ataas (Joseph Hillaire Jr.), Travis Tennessen

This session will introduce "cultural safety" from the perspective of Indigenous youth leaders, revealing what it looks and feels like, as well as how to work toward achieving it. Participants will take further steps on their own life-long journeys of self-reflection and learning about the experiences of others, particularly those who have been marginalized and traumatized, so that we can work to clear a path for healing.

Listening as an Inclusive Practice

Facilitators: Renee Houston and Kelsey Martin

 Where do we get stuck in our team meeting or in meetings with community partners and other stakeholders? Distractions abound, right? How do we turn toward connecting with intention and attention? In this workshop we’ll explore a value-based listening approach with communication practices that support inclusion, inquiry and connection

Reimagining the Workplace During Times of Change

Facilitators: Katrina Carabba and Mellissa Jessen-Hiser

 How do we leverage times of change to rethink our work and our relationships with our team and community partners? How can we use these hard times as an opportunity to challenge the systems we have in place? Join us for an interactive conversation where we will create space to imagine together.

Putting Ideas into Action

Facilitators: Renee Houston and Kelsey Martin

Attending workshops and learning new ways of connecting, being and thinking about our work is energizing. Then, we return to our work brimming with excitement ready to implement all the things, but where do we start? How can we be supported when we’re trying something new? How do we set a goal that leads to a sustained effort and the outcomes we hope for? Join us to co-create a set of tools to put all your new ideas into an action plan with a community who’s ready to offer support and celebrate your wins.

For accommodations, please contact Travis Tennessen at Travis.Tennessen@wwu.edu.
One week advance notice is appreciated.

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