The Courage Way: How to live and lead with integrity

A 6-week online Courage & Renewal® programme

Tuesdays, 6.00-8.00pm GMT, 23 February - 30 March 2021

"By choosing integrity, I become more whole, but wholeness does not mean perfection. It means becoming more real by acknowledging the whole of who I am."

                                                                                                                                           — Parker J. Palmer                                                                                                                                              

We all know when we are in the presence of people with integrity. We know they are the same on the inside as they are on the outside. We receive their respect as well as their support. We know they will listen when we're having difficulties, and when they are in difficulty they are honest about it. We all long for that trustworthyness in ourselves, but it's not an easy thing to keep our values in clear sight in the midst of the pressures we encounter daily in our lives and work these days. It takes courage - which is where this programme comes in. Over these six sessions we introduce you to 'The Courage Way' - a path to cultivating self-leadership, fortitude and courage so that we are resourced in all that we do. Learning to trust and reflect while staying true to self and the communities we rely on allows us to be with tension and paradox in a fresh way: we can envisage new places to sit in the inner and outer landscape of our life and work. In our sessions, through conversation, reflection and journaling, creative process and deep listening, we hold space for each other to reconnect with wholeness: with the courage and sense of purpose that lies at the heart of our self-leadership and that gives us presence in the world. 

Courage and Renewal® programmes:

• Renew heart, mind and spirit through the exploration of the inner and outer landscapes of one’s life
• Reconnect to one’s identity and integrity; identifying and honouring gifts and strengths, and acknowledging our limits
• Create a context for careful listening and deep connection with others and the challenges they are meeting
• Help participants create trustworthy spaces where they can reflect on their sense of vocation and purpose
• Explore the connection between attending to the inner dimension of our lives and the impact we have on communities within which we live and the working communities of which we are part.

We typically work with residential retreat formats, but for the coming months when retreat venues are re-establishing themselves, and we are all re-appraising what feels safe for us from our different household and work circumstances, our choice is to focus on adapting programmes for online participation.

Who should participate:

This programme provides an experiential introduction to the work of Parker J. Palmer and explores reflective practices that can sustain and guide us at times when we are at risk of losing connection with our centre. We welcome individuals seeking the opportunity for reflection and renewal, whether as a means of illuminating their own life journey, or enhancing their leadership role in work, organisational or community settings.

This programme is based on the work of Parker Palmer and the U.S.-based Center for Courage & Renewal. This approach to ‘personal formation’ and professional development is founded on the belief that good leadership, in its very widest sense, - the ability to genuinely be of service to ourselves, as well as to the communities and workplaces of which we are part, - flows from our own deep sense of our identity and integrity.  The reflective process that is at the heart of the programme invites participants to reclaim wholeness of self and clarity of vocation while making connections between the renewal of one’s spirit and the revitalization of the communities and workplaces of which we are part. For more information about the approach, go to this link.

Dates and times:

Our sesssions are scheduled according to UK time as follows:

- 6.00-8.00pm GMT Tuesday 23rd February 2021

- 6.00-8.00pm GMT Tuesday 2nd March 2021

- 6.00-8.00pm GMT Tuesday 9th March 2021

- 6.00-8.00pm GMT Tuesday 16th March 2021

- 6.00-8.00pm GMT Tuesday 23rd March 2021

- 6.00-8.00pm BST Tuesday 30th March 2020  (Note: clocks change in the UK on 28th March)

If you are joining us from outside the UK, please use this time converter to check your local time.

Before registering, we ask you to please check as far as you can that you are available for all sessions. Sessions build on each other, and you will get the best from the programme if you're able to participate in them all. 

Our digital 'venue':

We will be using the communications package, Zoom, for our online sessions. You may already be familiar with this. If not, we will send you full details beforehand so that you are clear about what to expect. To be able to connect with and get the very best from our online sessions, you will need to have access to a computer or laptop with speakers, a set of headphones or earbuds, and a microphone. You will also need to have an internet connection, a source of power, and a relatively quiet/private place in your home or elsewhere where you can be comfortable and uninterrupted for our sessions.

Fees:

Programme fee: £90

Earlybird fee for registrations before 26th January 2021:  £80

(Registrations close on 17th February 2021.)

The programme fee includes provision of materials (supplied weekly by email) and facilitation by a skilled facilitator prepared by the Center for Courage & Renewal. 

Registration:

Please complete the registration form online here. You can access this again by going to: https://thecourageway2021.eventbrite.co.uk 

Payment is required on registration. You may pay by credit or debit card online.  Please contact Barbara Reid if you need to ask about other methods of payment. 

Note that registrations close on 17th February 2021.

Cancellations and refunds:

After registering you may withdraw your application up to 30 days prior to the event start date (24th January 2021), at which point you will be offered a refund, minus a 25% administration fee. If you cancel your place within 30 days of the event commencement date (i.e. after 24th January 2021), we regret that no refund can be offered. If we are able to fill your place from the waiting list, we may be able subsequently to refund, but we cannot guarantee that this will be possible. If therefore there are circumstances in your life that create a risk of cancellation, we recommend that you delay your registration.

We require a minimum of 8 participants to run this programme. In the unlikely event that at 17th February when registrations close we have received fewer than 8 registrations, we will reschedule, and you will have a chance to transfer your booking or a full refund of the programme fee will be offered. 

Facilitator:

Barbara Reid, PhD, is a UK-based facilitator and retreat leader specialising in professional and personal formation. She has been prepared by the Center for Courage & Renewal in the U.S. to lead retreats based on the work of Parker J. Palmer, which she has been doing for the past 7 years. With a long-standing commitment to reflective practice, she works cross-professionally with people involved in change and transformation in organisations and communities. Barbara is also a teacher of Mindfulness Based Approaches and taught part-time at the Centre for Mindfulness Research & Practice at Bangor University until the end of 2017. Coming from a background in university teaching and research, she led vocational degree programmes in the social and urban policy fields and managed social action research projects for a wide range of public services and third sector organisations. Barbara has a long-standing personal commitment to collaborative, contemplative and reflective practice, and is passionate about creating open and trustworthy spaces that support dialogue, learning, and community building. 

Additional information:

If you have any questions about registration or about the Circle of Trust approach / the Center for Courage & Renewal, please contact Barbara Reid on 07970 877092 or email beereid@gmail.com.

Preparing for the programme:

If you are unfamiliar – or even if you are familiar with the work of Parker Palmer and the Center for Courage & Renewal, you might like to look at some of Parker Palmer’s books – “A Hidden Wholeness”, “The Courage to Teach”, and “Let Your Life Speak”. The book, 'The Courage Way', authored by the Center for Courage & Renewal and Shelly Francis is also a great introduction and would be a great preparation for this programme.  Further information is also available on the Center for Courage & Renewal’s website - www.couragerenewal.org