IDEAS, NEWS AND RESOURCES
|
October 2019
The Taos Institute's mission is to bring together scholars and practitioners concerned with the social processes essential for the construction of reason, knowledge, and human value, and their application in relational, collaborative and appreciative practices around the world.
|
|
The Many Ways to Get Involved!
|
|
Brief Encounter with The Taos Institute
|
|
"
What I enjoyed most was the warm, friendly, collaborative, supportive, and inspiring atmosphere
."
|
|
What a blast I had this summer!
By Monica Sesma,
Taos Institute Board Member
I had the most fabulous experience June 26-29, 2019 at the ICCP Congress in Brno, Czech Republic. The gathering and event completely exceeded my expectations! Co-Sponsored by the Taos Institute and the Houston Galveston Institute, organized by the ICCP (
International Certificate in Collaborative-Dialogic Practices
) Board, Program Directors and Narativ group, the ICCP congress welcomed about 200 participants from 32 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and United States of America.
What I enjoyed most was the warm, friendly, collaborative, supportive, and inspiring atmosphere. I saw the collaborative spirit and ideas embodied and enacted before, during, and after the congress. I thought about how this powerful philosophical stance that
Harlene Anderson
, the ICCP board and program directors, faculty, students, and colleagues have shared for so many years has been creating the stimulating, creative, and generative community. I witnessed friendships and strong bonds, collaborations and co-creations, and originality and novelty. It felt like a big loving and caring family. I keep reflecting on what helped to create this unique and magical experience, and of course it was the extraordinary members of this community!
I was amazed by the workshops and presentations. Social construction oriented and collaborative-dialogic practitioners shared their wisdom and ideas on therapy, education, research, organizations, government, and art. I was inspired by the ideas on individual, couples, family, and community therapeutic work. I was moved by the power that collaborative ideas can have in the classrooms. I had fun experiencing and seeing collaborative ideas in body movement activities and playfulness. From addiction recovery to peace-making and high conflict, I witnessed how the ideas from Taos Institute co-founders
Harlene Anderson
,
Ken Gergen
,
Mary Gergen
, and
Sheila McNamee
have influenced so many remarkable colleagues.
I believe the local host, the Narativ group (Pavel, Terka, Petra, Zuzana Premysl, Tereza, Barbora, and many others) did an astounding job finding the perfect location for this congress and organizing tremendously fun local activities, bringing in the local Moravian food and music for our enjoyment and making us feel at home.
Sheila McNamee and Leticia Rodriguez composed an incredible program, it was so inspirational and diverse. It was hard to select which workshops to attend since all the presentations were exceptional and engaging. It was thrilling to see Harlene Anderson and all the program directors so happy. My eyes teared up with contentment when Saliha Bava received the John Shotter Award for bringing his ideas into practice.
Sylvia London did a fantastic job organizing the translations and coordinating the translation teams which made IT possible for this congress to be multilingual in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.
…and now, I cannot wait for the 2021 ICCP Congress in Cancun, Mexico! I already saved the June 23-26 dates and I invite you to stay tuned for all the details as they develop.
For more information about this 2019 Congress presentations, please visit our website:
|
|
Professional Development Opportunities
|
|
Upcoming Events
Workshops
Oct 31 - Nov 2, 2019
with Sheila McNamee and Harlene Anderson
Durham, NH
Nov 4 - Dec 16, 2019
Live calls, Mondays 10:00 AM US Eastern time.
Friends of the Taos Institute Events
Oct 26 - 28, 2019
New York City
Nov. 1, 2019
8:30 am - 4:00 pm
At the NonProfit Center
89 South Street
Boston, MA
|
|
Oct 31 - Nov 2, 2019
Sheila McNamee & Harlene Anderson
Durham, NH
There is still time to register!!
Join Sheila and Harlene in beautiful New England for an intimate workshop. Bringing their breadth of experiences together, the workshop will introduce social construction and relational practices for those new to it and will help those familiar with it deepen their understandings and practices. Additionally, focus will be on the practical application of constructionist ideas in organizations, therapy, education, and community development. We will focus on relational constructionist understandings of language and meaning making, polyvocality, transformative dialogue, and appreciative and future oriented perspectives. Participants will learn how social reality is constructed in language and the implications of this for our understandings, knowledge, and everyday practice. Participants with a background in social construction will have an opportunity to explore issues of special relevance to their projects and practices.
|
Nov 4 - Dec 16, 2019 (Online course)
Live group calls, Mondays, 10:00 AM US Eastern time
Relational theory now provides cutting edge ideas relevant to practices across the professions. The major theoretical shift is from the traditional focus on individuals to the relational processes that are co-produced. This 6-week online course introduces common premises and orienting ideas central to relational theory. The course consists of six modules with online conference meetings, readings, videos and online dialogues.
|
Do you want to expand your professional potential, explore a vision, follow your curiosity, bring about an innovation for a more promising future? Would you like a mentor, coach and conversation partners who will support, inspire, and challenge you to reach your goals? Would you like to work from the comfort of your own office, home or work environment and be part of a global community of learners?
At the Taos Institute, we support and mentor creative practitioners to form the future through relationship, collaboration, and ethical action. The International Diploma in Social Construction and Professional Practices exposes you to expertise from multiple disciplines, all focused on collaborative and relational approaches to generating meaning, values, and practices of significance. Your advisor, mentor or coach works with you to design a learning plan that addresses your goals, with feedback and learning tailored to your situation and project. You will receive support and inspiration from a broad network of conversation partners.
- There are no grades.
- You create your own deadlines.
- You design your own learning goals.
- You work virtually with scholars/practitioners around the world.
- You join a cohort of learners that support each other.
- You participate in a learning relationship with an advisor, mentor, coach.
|
|
Featured Website
Shared by Bliss Browne
Imagine Chicago harnesses imagination for public good, encouraging and equipping people to work together across difference to imagine and create hopeful futures for their communities. It is a treasure trove of free resources on imagination and community development.
|
|
Featured Book
Thriving Women, Thriving World:
An Invitation to Dialogue, Healing
and Inspired Actions
Authors: Diana Whitney, Caroline Adams Miller, Tanya Cruz Teller, Marlene Ogawa, Jessica Cocciolone, Haesun Moon, Kathryn Britton, Angela Koh & Alejandra Leon de la Barra
This book is a celebration of women. It is an invitation to journey from #MeToo to thriving women via Appreciative Inquiry, dialogue, and story telling. It addresses topics, through an appreciative lens, that may be difficult to talk about, yet must be talked about to heal social wounds and create conditions for women to thrive worldwide. If you are wondering what to do in response to the global cry of #MeToo, this book is for you.
|
|
More Ways to Get Involved
|
|
Join in with the Relational Research Network's new project:
The RRN Support Learning Community
|
The Relational Research Network is hosting conversations beginning in July, with researchers who want to to critically think about how inquiry and research processes connect and inspire us when we look at them through the lens of a relational practice. The questions we will explore:
- How can a research project have a relational focus or become a relational practice?
- How can we do relational research and have meaningful conversations about our work?
- Hear about a research project and be in conversation with others in the learning community, engaging through questions, challenges, or issues related to your research project.
- Having the opportunity to be in conversation with other researchers to network, co-learn and create opportunities for collaboration.
See the full schedule for these conversations - The RRN Support Learning Community - on
our website
.
You will need to register in order to participate or "sit in" and listen to these learning conversations.
1:00 p.m. hora de Nueva York / hora del este de EE. UU.
Facilitador: Rocío Chaveste
Investigador: Diego Tapia Figueroa, Ph.D. – Ecuador
Esta conversación será en español
Investigación relacional en procesos de cuidado al cuidador, desde una perspectiva socioconstruccionista.
|
|
 |
International Journal of Collaborative-Dialogic Practices
This free journal brings together members of a growing international community of practitioners, scholars, educators, researchers, and consultants interested in postmodern collaborative practices. Issue 8 is now available.
.
|
|
 |
 |
WorldShare Books
FREE downloadable books in 12 different languages.
With over 28 books in English and many more from around the world, you will enjoy reading about education, spirituality, organizational life, community building, group dynamics, leadership and more.
Order your free book today!
|
|
 |
|
 |
Positive Aging Newsletter
FREE
newsletter
in 9 languages sent right to your email.
By focusing on the positive aspects of aging, and the availability of resources, skills, and resiliencies, research not only brings useful insights into the realm of practice but creates hope and empowers action among older people. By moving beyond practices of repair and prevention, to emphasize growth-enhancing activities, practitioners also contribute more effectively to the societal reconstruction of aging.
|
|
 |
 |
Manuscripts for Downloading
Access hundreds of articles and papers on topics such as:
- Appreciative Inquiry
- Collaborative Practices
- Dialogue
- Appreciative Cultures
- Creativity and Improve
- Narrative Practices
- Relational Learning
- Relational Research
- Qualitative Research
- and so much more!
|
|
 |
|
 |
Donate to the Taos Institute
Given the current global context into which we are moving, the work in which we are engaged is more important than ever. We invite you support the work of institute.
Read more
|
|
 |
 |
John Shotter Memorial Fund
John Shotter's death on December 8, 2016, was a profound loss for the scholarly world, for the Taos Institute, and for many of us personally.
Read more
|
|
 |
|
 |
Jane Magruder Watkins Memorial Fund
We remember Jane as an avid educator. This fund will support students who apply for a need-based scholarship to attend the various Taos programs.
Read more
|
|
 |
 |
Peggy Penn WorldShare Fund
Supports the publication of new WorldShare Books on topics related to the work and interests of Peggy Penn, Ph.D.
Read more
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|