Taos Institute Latin America, Spain
& Portugal Council (TILAC) – Our Vision for 2025
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The Taos Institute Latin America, Spain & Portugal Council (TILAC) serves as a regional and language hub of the Taos Institute led by Taos Institute Associates from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. Our mission is to: i) Strengthen networks of cooperation and support among Spanish- and Portuguese-speakers interested in Taos’ mission and activities; ii) Share and validate the knowledge and practices emerging from these regions, recognizing their unique cultural perspectives; iii) Support the Taos Institute’s initiatives by contributing to the promotion of social constructionist thought.
We are excited to introduce the new Council members starting in 2025: Alma Vanessa Guzmán Díaz (Mexico), Diego Tapia Figueroa (Ecuador), Edgardo Morales (Puerto Rico), Pamela Catalán Barker (Chile), Roberto Ricardi Costard (Brazil), and Silvia Crescini (Argentina). Together, we embark on a new chapter, inspired by the legacy of previous TILAC members and eager to continue fostering meaningful connections and transformative dialogues.
Looking Back and Moving Forward
In past years, TILAC has been a space for rich dialogues, collaborations, and learning. We honor the contributions of previous members who have shaped this community over 15 years and we embrace this transition with the commitment to expanding and deepening our collective engagement.
For 2025, we envision new projects and initiatives that continue to foster relational approaches in different contexts. Among our aspirations are:
Creating interactive spaces for dialogue that encourage the exchange of ideas and practices.
- Organizing online and in-person roundtables, where Spanish- and Portuguese-speakers can share their experiences and insights on Social Construction in diverse professional fields.
- Hosting periodic conversation circles to explore real-world applications of relational and collaborative practices.
Organizing regional and cross-cultural collaborations to explore innovative ways of working together.
- Convening interdisciplinary encounters, bringing together professionals from different regions to discuss relational practices in education, therapy, mediation, and organizational development.
- Establishing collaborative research initiatives, fostering knowledge exchange across Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.
Strengthening the presence of Spanish and Portuguese voices within the Taos Institute’s global community.
- Encouraging the publication and dissemination of articles and books by Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese authors, highlighting their contributions to the field.
- Facilitating writing workshops to support the co-creation of articles and books on Social Constructionist perspectives.
- Translating Taos Institute materials into Spanish and Portuguese, making them more accessible to a broader audience.
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Continuing to grow the Spanish and Portuguese groups in the Taos Institute’s Commons online community by sharing updates, upcoming events, and opportunities to participate in discussions.
Join Us!
Whether you are speaking Spanish or Portuguese, or interested in social constructionist and relational approaches in Latin America, Spain or Portugal, we invite you to engage with TILAC and welcome your input! You can do so by joining the Spanish and/or Portuguese group in the Commons, follow TILAC on Facebook or by emailing us at tilac@taosinstitute.net. Let’s continue to build relationships, exchange experiences, and co-create spaces of learning and transformation. We look forward to connecting with you!
Warm regards,
Members of TILAC
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A note from Celiane Camargo-Borges: A new chapter in my journey with Taos
For the past 20 years, the Taos Institute has been my home—a place where I’ve grown, contributed, and been continuously inspired by this remarkable community. Over the last 7 years, I’ve had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors, collaborating with incredible people and projects. It is time to make space for fresh ideas and new energy.
While this marks a transition, I’m thrilled to continue contributing to this community through Taos Institute Europe (TIE), where we are fostering a vibrant network of activities, connections, and collaborations. You will be able to read more about our work in the next newsletter. If you’re based in Europe and are interested in getting involved, I’d love to hear from you (celianeborges@gmail.com), and invite you to join the TIE group in the Commons online community—there’s much more to come! With deep gratitude and excitement for the journey ahead, Celiane
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New in the Commons for 2025! | |
Coming Soon: New Self-Paced Course! | |
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START ANYTIME. GO AT YOUR OWN PACE.
What if there was no one "truth" but multiple, and all possible, realities? What if rather than resolving conflict, you could learn to appreciate and work with differing views? What if there was always a possibility to ask "how else could this be"?
We are thrilled to introduce the Taos Institute's first online self-paced course! In six modules, each with 3 short videos and questions for reflection, Ken Gergen introduces basic premises of social constructionist theory and how they apply to professional practices in all domains as well as everyday life.
This new on demand course, Co-Creating Futures: An Introduction to Social Construction, is ideal if you are curious about relational practices and want the flexibility to learn within your own timeframe.
Find out more.
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New Format!
A 6-week course with 3 live zoom meetings
May 19, June 2, June 16 | 9:00-11:00 am EST
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Join us in this journey to explore how aspects of the world that are taken for granted are socially constructed, thereby opening space for alternative ways to engage in practice and with people. In this course you will not just learn about social constructionist theory and practice but also connect it to your own field of research, practice, or life and explore the positive impact that this paradigm shift has on society at large.
The course includes 3 live zoom meetings. Between meetings, participants meet with a conversational partners (virtually, on their own time) to discuss the material (articles and videos) and questions for reflection. More details.
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Also Happening in the Commons... | |
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Join with over 2200 members from around the world in the Taos Institute Commons online community as we explore social constructionist, relational, and appreciative theory and practices. We invite you to attend the free events in the Commons to engage in rich dialogue, share valuable resources, watch event replays, and make meaningful connections with others interested in creating more promising futures, one conversation at a time. More details here.
Join in the Taos Institute Commons — it's free, quick and easy, to become a part of our global family.
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February 17, 1-1:30pm EST
Whether you are new to the Taos Institute Commons online community or already a member, we invite you to join this informal gathering to meet other Taos Institute Commons members and share stories of how you are applying (or hoping to apply) social constructionist, relational and appreciative approaches in your work and life. Stop by to say hello, we would love to meet you.
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February 22-23, 2025, 10:00am-4:00pm EST
Join us for a weekend dive into the conceptions and practical tools of social therapeutics and performance activism. We will explore how play and performance can break through social barriers, unleash imaginations, and open doors to new possibilities. See how these tools can work for you, your teams, communities and projects. Perfect for experienced organizers and newly becoming activists. Led by a dynamic, diverse and experienced team of Institute faculty: educators, therapists, theater artists, social entrepreneurs–activists all! More details.
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Illness Narratives: Novel Ideas for Working with People
February 22, 2025, 8:30am-4:30pm EST
Living with a chronic illness can be a complex and challenging experience. A life-altering illness diagnosis impacts multiple aspects of a person’s life, challenging their worldview and sense of self, effecting their relationships and work life. This intensive 6-hour workshop will offer therapists ideas and practices for supporting people navigating the complexities of chronic illness. By integrating the assumptions and principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Narrative Practices, you will learn ways to support people living with a chronic illness in re-authoring a more hopeful view of their future, building resilience, and enhancing their overall quality of life. More details.
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March 20, 2025, 12:30-1:30pm EST
| Join us for this free webinar to hear from and converse with contributing authors and guest editors of the November 2024 issue of the AI Practitioner Journal on the theme: Naturalizing Appreciative Inquiry (AI). We can see when we watch a small child exploring life that Appreciative Inquiry works well when we use it naturally. The contributors to this issue share how they have done so, making AI part of the fabric of their lives, their work, their organizations. The stories range from the personal through small teams to organization and societal change. The settings include family, couples, churches, work with the dying, healthcare and what has traditionally been called ‘heavy industry’. More details. | | | |
One way the Taos Institute carries out its mission to create brighter futures through social construction is by creating and disseminating a wide variety of resources for scholars, practitioners, and students interested in dialogic and relational approaches. These free resources span many disciplines and languages. To suggest a resource, email info@taosinstitute.net. | | |
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This month's feature:
Developing Relational Resilience in the Midst of Conflict
This article by Taos Associate Deb Nathan, explores the Artsbridge program's approach to fostering relational resilience through Transformative Reflecting Dialogue and collaborative arts among Israeli and Palestinian youth. The study's findings suggest that this methodology can lead to more constructive and sustainable outcomes in communities experiencing intractable conflict. Read article.
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The Taos Institute is a non-profit educational organization. We strive to keep our offerings free or at low cost to make social constructionist, relational, and appreciative ideas available to as many people as possible around the globe. Please consider supporting our mission of creating brighter futures through social construction by making a donation. For convenient, monthly small contributions, consider becoming a sustaining donor. | | | | |
