Imagine Chicago Workshops

Hello Again,

I have never been able to afford them, but if you got the money I am betting any of these workshops will be more than worth your time (see below). IF you are not familiar with the incredible story of Imagine Chicago go to their web site or visit the Appreciative Inquiry Commons and read about this remarkable community development/engagement project!

Shared in the hope that someday we can all wallow in the knowledge one of us gained at one of these... Thanks for listening!

Imagine Chicago is pleased to announce some special training opportunities this spring starting in March.

I will be offering a series of 3 day masterclasses this spring entitled Transforming Community Imagination; a brochure and full description of which is attached (not avail on blog...).

March 12-14 Frameworks for Inspiring Community Engagement
Bliss Browne
March 19-21 Building on Community Strengths: AI and ABCD in Dialogue Bliss Browne & Jody Kretzmann
April 27-29 Building on Community Strengths: AI and ABCD in Dialogue
Bliss Browne & Jody Kretzmann
May 12-14 Transforming Imagination about Community
Bliss Browne & Andries Botha

These highly interactive capacity building courses are devoted to the theory, skills, mindsets and tools to activate imagination and transform communities. It is a great pleasure to be able to teach them with 2 incomparable leaders in the field. Jody Kretzmann is the pioneer of Asset Based Community Development. We have been friends for 30 years but are teaming up to teach together for the first time since our approaches are so complementary. It's an amazing opportunity for anyone interested in an immersion course in strength-based community development. In May, I am devoting attention to imagination itself, teaming up with Andries Botha, one of South Africa's leading artists and social innovators and a 30 year teacher of creativity.

As some of you know, Imagine Chicago is about to launch a comprehensive new website which will be a treasure chest of freely downloadable materials. I have spent two months working full time on producing them as a Valentine's present to the world. It;s been a much more massive undertaking than I envisaged. In the process I have rediscovered thousands of pages of curriculum materials, and AI protocols and agendas which I developed for use in community, youth and school applications .

I would love for them to be useful to others. I am therefore also launching this spring a series of one day hands-on skill building workshops in which participants will learn to understand, use and apply Imagine Chicagobs curriculum frameworks and tools, and the design principles behind them. Each workshop will focus on a particular set of applications. Cost includes training materials with permission to adapt them for use in other settings. Each relates directly to major Imagine Chicago proven program initiative.

One Day Skill Building Workshops Spring 2009
March 2 Listening to the Future: Engaging the Next Generation
in Appreciative Inquiry Bliss Browne
March 16 The Art of the Question
Bliss Browne
March 27 Creative Activities for Community Engagement
Bliss Browne
May 4 Strengthening School Community Partnerships
Bliss Browne
May 5 Empowering Citizen Leadership
Bliss Browne
May 6 Renewing the Heart of Teaching
Bliss Browne

Substantial early bird discounts for all courses apply only until February 28. Space will be limited to 15 participants. So if you know you are interested, I encourage you to register early!!
Online registration will be available on the brand new Imagine Chicago website (http://www.blogger.com/www.imaginechicago.org) when it is launched later this week, hopefully by February 18. Feel free to send me an email before that if you want to jump the gun :)