Ecological Organisations Action Enquiry Circles
Explorations into stewarding more ecological organisations.
Since releasing the first version of Ecological Organisations: A Design Lens and the underlying story of ecological organisations into creative commons in 2023, many people drawn to this work ask me similar questions, such as:
Where do we start?
How do we marry current organisational pressures and needs with organisational enquiry and possibilities?
How do we define a field of relationship and allyship that we have the capacity and tools for?
How can we be in better relationship with the people, more-than-human, neighbourhoods, and other organisations within wider ecosystems and social systems?
What does living in a multispecies and multigenerational world mean to us?
These action enquiry circles are an opportunity for organisational founders and leaders to explore these kinds of questions together.
ACTION ENQUIRY INTENTIONS
Through combining ecological enquiry with experimental action, we will hopefully discover new pathways forwards for the organisations we're members of that we would likely not find alone.
The information gathered through these action enquiry circles will ensure that the work can develop the underlying lived experience that it needs to be of better service to the world, while offering organisational founders and leadersa space within which to discover what being ecological means to them and to explore what happens as they start to make changes to their organisation's systems.
FACILITATION INTENTIONS
1. Bring together diverse groups of 3 to 5 organisational founders, leaders, or stewards that are excited to act as the bridge between our action enquiry and ecological organisation experimentation within their associated organisations.
2. Marry ecological enquiry, so that we can bring into the light what lies behind our blindspots, worldviews, and experiences, with experimental action within associated organisations, so that we can start to test out how the organisational systems respond to the changes we ignite and bring our learnings back into ecological enquiry.
3. Hold participants and their associated organisations as unique, whole, complex, and of equal worth, with unique experiences of and references for 'being ecological' that arise from place, culture, histories, language, worldviews, and more.
PRACTICAL DETAILS
Facilitator: Anna-Marie Swan.
Time period: The circle calls last 1.5 hours and we meet 8 times over a roughly five month period (ideally on the same day and time every third week. Once a circle has formed, we find dates and times that work for us).
Circle size: 3 to 5 participants.
Hosting: We utilise Zoom for our calls.
Language: We utilise English as our spoken and written language.
SUGGESTED COST OF PARTICIPATION IN FIVE-MONTH CIRCLE
50 - 75 GBP or equivalent if you have lower access to financial wealth: this generally covers those who depend on benefits, living and earning in the so-called Global South, earn their income in other currencies than Dollars, Euros, or GBP, or are a member of a marginalised and disadvantaged group.
175 - 240 GBP or equivalent if you have access to financial wealth : this generally covers those living in the so-called Global North, earn their income in Dollars, Euros, or GBP, or will receive a pension or an inheritance, or your place is funded by an organisation located in the so-called Global South.
320 - 380 GBP or equivalent if you have higher access to financial wealth: this generally covers those who own a home outright, are able to afford substantial investments, have a household income of over £80,000 per year, or your place is funded by an organisation located in the so-called Global North.
Choice of payment amount is made on trust by self-selecting the amount that feels right to you. Full payment is then due on acceptance, by direct bank transfer if you are sending from a UK bank account or through WISE if you are sending from a USD or EURO-based bank account.
PARTICIPATION BRINGS YOU
1. Access to a small group of 3 - 5 organisational founders, leaders, and stewards that will learn your blindspots, strengths, challenges, and hopes, and support you in your learning and unlearning.
2. An ‘Intro to Your Circle’ document, so you can get to know a little bit about your fellow members before you join the first session.
3. A shared space where we centre care, appreciation, and joy for ecological organisations, along with a shared awareness of the responsibility we choose to carry when we start to shift organisations into becoming more ecological.
4. Inclusion in 8 x 1.5 hour online circle calls.
5. If there are multiple circles formed, access to a shared online Slack space for Ecological Organisations Action Enquiry Circle members.
THIS IS LIKELY FOR YOU IF...
1. You enjoy active, practical self-led learning.
2. You're willing to be an active participant in ecological enquiry.
3. You're the founder, leader, or steward within an organisation, with organisation here defined as multiple organisational members with multiple roles within a defined organisational shape (this can include a collective or institution or other organisational forms).
4. You're joining the enquiry in your role as a founder, leader, or steward within an organisation that has a clear role mandate and the backing of your colleagues to lead organisational experiments in becoming more ecological.
5. You're willing to start our enquiries from the perspective that 1. becoming a more ecological organisation is an ongoing process with no end goal (it cannot be, since living systems are living, and environments and relationships are therefore always changing), and 2. becoming a more ecological organisation may be the work of generations, and this doesn't reduce the need to start becoming a more ecological organisation today.
THIS LIKELY ISN'T FOR YOU IF...
1. You prefer schooling (i.e. set tasks or homework) rather than self-led learning.
2. You don't feel comfortable being uncomfortable.
3. You don't have a clear role mandate and the backing of your colleagues to lead organisational experiments in becoming more ecological.
4. You're looking for an organisational or personal certification on completion.
5. You're a coach or consultant and looking to bring this work into your work.
APPLICATION JOURNEY
This enquiry circle is now closed and starting in April. If you're curious about joining a future circle, please reach out to