power in the system

explore power from where you stand in the system

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.

we're especially keen on people enrolling in groups with others they work with - people from the same team, same project, or potential collaborators.

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 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.

weekly session topics

  1. what is a system?

  2. complexity in systems

  3. how systems change

  4. stories of systems change

  5. what are we trying to change?

  6. a systems thinking framework to guide systemic change

  7. our role in change processes

  8. holding our own in a change process

details

  • 2hrs sessions for 4 weeks

  • minimum of 8, maximum of 30 participants 

  • facilitators are available outside of session times for further debrief

  • sessions are designed to offer reflection on your practice and peer learning

  • tickets available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.  please get in touch for more detail

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​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.

pricing

we want people to be working with power well regardless of life circumstance, or broader political contexts. our prices make the course accessible to a wider range of people.

  • $450 if you're self-employed or paying for yourself

  • $600 if your organisation is paying for you

  • $1,500 for a group of 3

what folks have said about the course

'an opportunity to deepen your practice by understanding the different elements of power, your role in engaging with power, and how power can influence systems. you are taken through a very intentional learning process that allows you to learn through reflection and application alongside very supportive learning materials and facilitation. it was super helpful for me as someone wanting to extend my systems change practice but also could see how it would be equally as helpful and supportive for someone just starting out.'

''this course helped me see power. my own power and the power of people around me. importantly, it helped me realised how much power i have and how i might exercise that to affect systems.'

'the course was relevant, practically helpful, theoretically enriching, and highly reflexive. making it incredibly powerful, potent, and effective. the demonstrations and experiences offered to us, in support of theoretical learning, were also very effective.'