build capacity
join us for virtual courses and learn with peers. all programs are hosted in an online learning portal with ongoing access to resources, recordings and slides.
'the ability to think and act systemically is the greatest intellectual and practical challenge of this century.' ~ geoff mulgan
VIRTUAL COURSES TO BUILD CAPACITY
learn with us in these systems informed courses
short course intensives
system boundaries
how to move from overwhelm to empowerment by defining the system you seek to change
system boundaries
how to move from overwhelm to empowerment
boost your confidence, and build clarity and momentum towards change in your complex system during this engaging 1 day workshop. packed with practical insights, and accessible tools to define your system, you’ll feel certainty about what is ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ of your system of interest, (*hint* it won’t be everything, all at once, everywhere :). you’ll leave the overwhelm at the door and walk away with confidence about where you are trying to affect change.
why we need to talk about system boundaries
so often when we begin systems work, we talk about big systems, like the health care system, the climate system, the gender equity system, the mental wellbeing system. the problem is, they can feel pretty big and ominous. Where do you start, what can you achieve? these are the questions folks start asking themselves.
thankfully, systems thinking offers some really robust concepts and approaches to start to unpack these systems, and set some boundaries to work within. once these starting points are established, they can provide direction for engagement activities, systems sensemaking, identifying leverage points, and adaptive action. but without these, systems change processes can get bogged down in asking the same question over and over, what is the system we are trying to change? because there is no clear sense of scope and agency to guide the change work.
the intensive will explore:
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why defining systems boundaries is an important starting point for systemic change work
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ethical considerations and implications of boundary work
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6 types of boundaries we can apply to our system of interest
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direction and inspiration of what to do next, now that you've defined your system of interest
outcomes
- gain confidence, clarity and momentum to enable change in your system
- develop a comprehensive definition of your system of interest
- understand the ethical and power laden nature of system boundaries
- experience with easy to use strategies to define systems
details
- workshop deep dive into system boundaries
- short lectures on key ideas and concepts
- opportunity to work on your system of interest through short activities
- readings, slides and recordings shared after the session
new sessions in october and november
- australia/new zealand and america's time friendly options
- sliding scale pricing starting at $425.00 AUD (incl. gst)
- tickets available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. please get in touch for more details
what folks have said about the course
'seanna was a great facilitator, great experience. the opportunity to do this thinking is so valuable.
'i always learn something new each time i participate in the system school sessions.'
'a valuable learning experience. i look forward to participating in future workshops!'
long form courses
introduction to systems thinking
build a foundation in systems and systems thinking
systems
practices
deepen your capacity to think systemically
power
in the system
a deep dive to explore power from where you stand in the system
introduction to systems thinking
in this courses we build a foundation for your learning journey with systems and systems thinking.
*this is a shortened version of the previous course
weekly session topics:
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overview of the development of the academic discipline of systems thinking and systems thinking from a First Nations perspective
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exploring the basics of 'systems' and their key characteristics and behaviours
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what is it we do, when we do systems thinking?
- examples of systems thinking in practice
details
- weekly 2 hr virtual sessions for 4 weeks
- short lectures on key ideas and concepts
- small group discussion and short reflective activities
- readings, slides and recordings shared via learning platform
next session starting september 2023
- offered in both australia/new zealand and americas timezone friendly
- sliding scale pricing starting at $225.00 AUD
- tickets available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. please get in touch for more details
what folks have said about the course
'this series has been such a rich learning experience. seanna so skilfully and passionately breaks down and shares about complex and difficult concepts around systems thinking. highly recommend both for those starting out on their systems thinking journey and for those who think they already know everything about systems thinking.'
'seanna's extensive knowledge was astounding and the way she kept the whole group engaged was really great. the information was pitched just right and included enough time to interact with others, self-reflect and ask questions.'
systems practice
we are very excited to share our new course on systems practices which we will be co-teaching with our colleague dana shen.
in this course we’ll explore what we do, when we do systems thinking. the course will be framed by our newly developed systems practices framework, which will be introduced in week 1. in each week following we will introduce a practice, and then working in small groups you’ll have the opportunity to apply the systems practice to a system of interest. to complement our 'doing', dana will also lead us through a 'being' exercise, a mindfulness practice that complements the systems practice introduced in the session.
the course is highly participatory and will invite you to engage with learning about a system of interest in a small group with others, and to reflect and evolve your practice as we move through. you will also have the opportunity to engage with a self assessment at the start and end of the course to mark your own progress.
this course if for you if you:
- want to hold time to ‘practice’ systems thinking and develop your own capacity
- enjoy learning with others and appreciate diverse perspectives
- value a learning and growing mindset over having the ‘right’ answers quickly
- you are open to mindfulness practice and how it can support you to think and be systemic
- you can attend all sessions live
this course is NOT for you if you:
- prefer reading and figuring out problems on your own
don’t see your own role and perspective in a - expect the course to make you an expert in systems thinking
- plan to watch recordings at a later date and not participate in live sessions
outcomes
- build capacity to apply over 10 systems thinking methods
- gain insight on key systems concepts including complexity, boundaries, power, agency, time and scale, systems purpose
- engage in group sensemaking processes including visual modeling
- develop a baseline of your own systems capacity and evaluate change over time
- practice mindfulness with peers to support your own journey working in complex systems
- gain insight and understanding into a system of interest as part of a collective learning inquiry
- learning how to integrate systems thinking tools and practices into your everyday work
details
- weekly 2 hr virtual sessions for 9 weeks
- short lectures on key ideas and concepts
- small group work, personal reflection, mindfulness
- practice guides, readings, slides and recordings shared via learning platform
- offered in australiasia and americas friendly time zones
- sliding scale pricing starting at $725.00 AUD (incl. gst)
*tickets available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. please get in touch for more details.
*juggling your finances? let us know, we can offer instalment payment options
express interestwhat folks have said about the course
'"the course has become a time in my week I look forward to, they are such approachable, safe sessions. i've been inspired by the way seanna holds space. the mindfulness practice with dana has encouraged me to re-establish this in my life. dana's grounded experience working and interacting in systems and her experience and perspective of the world has been such a cherished part of this for me. the course really honours different modes of experiencing, it feels so multidimensional. I love it."
"i am really enjoying the course. i can honestly say it is my favourite part of the week. i love getting time just to learn together and be with others who are passionate in similar things to me. i love the focus on the mindfulness and the importance of positionality in our work. i love seeing the ways seanna highlights Indigenous people and their work in the sessions. dana’s presence is a gift and feels like sitting in a still forest. although i’ve heard it and read it and thought about it a million times, something about the way seanna teaches that systems change is within our reach has really connected some dots for me. i’ve purposefully shifted so that instead of looking ‘out there’ at what i could/should be doing, i’m focusing on acting right here in my own circle and i can see how it is such a powerful way to show up in life. i think it may be one of the key learnings of this time of my life."
power in the system
we've teamed up with lina patel from revma consulting to bring you this very special offering.
when we engage with systems, we engage with power. yet, our awareness of power is another question entirely. much like a systems practice, we also need to practice seeing and engaging with power in order to become more power literate.
in this learning series we invite you to build your confidence to see, understand and work with power dynamics. both in your own role in the system, and the teams and projects you engage with.
the focus of this learning series is to:
- introduce concepts and framings on personal power, and relational power considerations for engagement activities
- provide you with a space for to reflect, share and listen with others in small groups on your personal power and how power shows up in your systems of work
- provide opportunities for you to apply tools and practices to increase your power literacy
you are invited to bring a ‘case study’ to work on to help ground and make tangible the concepts we will be working with. this could be a group, project, or organisation you have worked with in the past, or are working with in the present.
this learning activity will be valuable to you if you want to:
- build your capability to see and understand power both for yourself, and the work you engage with
- gain confidence with tools and practices to explore and navigate power dynamics
- reflect and examine your own experiences with power in the system
what this learning series will NOT do:
this learning activity will not be addressing or presenting on work from the fields of anti-racism, decolonising systems practice or gender equity. whilst we recognize these topics to be deeply embedded in aspects of power we feel it is prudent to acknowledge the boundaries of our own expertise and capacity and we will not be covering these important, yet out-of-scope topics.
where feasible, we support small groups from organizations to enroll together. this can support your organizational learning and deepen awareness of power through a collective lens.
about the facilitators
details
there are two options to engage with this course
option 1 - virtual course
- weekly 2 hr virtual sessions for 4 weeks
- session recordings and readings are shared via learning platform for 6 months
- recordings are available for viewing, but not download
- you may not use the recording for any other purposes or share it with anyone else
option 2 - in-person
- november 29th melbourne CBD
for both options:
- participation is capped at 24 participants
- facilitators are available outside of session times for further debrief
- sessions are designed to offer reflection on your practice and peer learning
importantly, this learning activity will require you to engage in personal reflection about your role in the system, your personal power and your experience of power in the system. you will be guided by expert mentors in this process and should consider your capacity to engage in this nature of discussion before registering.
in-person social dinner
to further foster a sense of connection amongst those engaging with this topic, there will be an optional dinner in melbourne, after the onsite workshop on wednesday 29th of november. open to anyone who participates in either the online or onsite offer. this will be an informal opportunity to continue the rich conversations you had during the course.
registerwhat folks have said about the course
'i really appreciated the space you both created for the group. Aunty Di's Welcome was incredible and i found the resources you sent out very helpful too. i took away some lasting key messages from the sessions. thank you both for a deep learning opportunity that i hope will continue to inform my practice.'
'the amount of warmth and care was disarming (in a wonderful way). it made me realise that it is possible to offer a shared online workshop space that feels like an embrace. the way you passed the baton to each other was also done with such confidence - the space was held beautifully. thank you.'
'love the safety of the space you held and the invitation to look at power on a personal level not just as something 'out there' to be managed.'
we recognise and pay respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, their ancestors, the elders past, present and future from the different First Nations across this country. we acknowledge the importance of connection to land, culture, spirituality, ancestry, family and community for the wellbeing of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families. (ref: https://emergingminds.com.au)
