Inner Wisdom series starts November 19

Kellee Franklin, OSR 14 faculty member, is offering a series of reflective practice sessions. The first session begins Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 6 - 8 pm in the Chardin Building at Seattle University. It will take place in room 143 or 144.

Inner Wisdom: Reflective Practices for Inspired Leadership -- This monthly session will provide an interactive forum for OSR students and graduates to discuss reflective readings, participate in contemplative practices, and engage in dialogue with visiting presenters designed to encourage self-exploration, self-awareness, and self-discovery.

Series is offered at no cost. For questions contact Paula Brekke or Kellee Franklin at 206-296-5898.

2009 OSR conference design team calls for volunteers

What’s the theme of the next OSR conference? Well, that could be up to you!

The team that will design the fourth annual conference is now forming. Team members will meet monthly through the winter and spring to bring OSR's popular event to life on Saturday, June 20, 2009.  As a member of the design team, you’ll work with stimulating and creative colleagues to design and host this gathering of change leaders.  

We invite you to step into the possibility of next year’s conference, to offer your experience, skills, wisdom, and humor in service to our community. Steve Byers and Carolyn Davidson of the OSR Alumni Association Board will sponsor this team of 4-6 people drawn from the OSR Community (if you’re reading the Grapevine, you’re part of the community). If you’d like to find out more about this commitment, please contact Steve or Carolyn by Friday, November 21.  We’re eager to begin building the relationships that will sustain us through the project.

Emily Koft travels to Ghana to present research

OSR-13 graduate Emily Koft (second from left) spent two months in Ghana over the summer of 2007 as part of the International Development Internship Program offered through Seattle University for students interested in doing qualitative research for NGOs in developing countries.  Summer of 2008 she traveled back to Ghana to present research findings.

Organization Design Forum calls for presenters

Do you, or someone you know, have a story to tell?  Tools to share?  Methodology to explore?  You are invited to submit your proposal for a concurrent workshop at the 2009 Organizational Design Forum Annual Conference, "Organization Design:  Transformative, Transparent, Transcendent." Deadline for proposals is Saturday, November 15.

The conference will be held Tuesday–Thursday, April 21-23, 2009 at the Murano Hotal in Tacoma, WA. Learn more

Learn about the art of mentoring

The Guiding Lights Weekend is a playful, experiential conference on the art of mentoring founded by local author and educator Eric Liu. Held each January at Seattle Center during National Mentoring Month, the conference attracts over 500 people from around the city, state and country from schools and universities, businesses, non-profits, social services and the private sector to learn concrete ways to mentor, motivate and inspire.

This year's conference, Friday and Saturday, January 30-31, consists of two days of hands-on workshops led by luminary leaders, teachers and mentors, interactive panels, talking circles, big idea presentations and a community rally on Saturday night to engage the community in the effort to transform lives through mentoring for adults and youth.   

Registration is $150 per person until December 6th after which it will go up to $200 for Partners (and $225 for the general public). Learn more

Pat Hughes co-hosts creating gracious space training

Pat Hughes (OSR 8) co-hosts with the Center for Ethical Leadership the next Creating Gracious Space training on Thursday–Saturday, November 13–15. The training is for leaders, facilitators and change agents who wish to use Gracious Space as a tool for emergent change. It will be held at the UW Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle.

This training will engage participants in an experiential and vigorous workout.  Participants will be leaders and facilitators from organizations and community groups, and will bring their change contexts to work with during the session. The training will deepen their understanding of the core elements of gracious space, and equip them to design and lead change processes using the tools and approaches of Gracious Space.

The Center for Ethical Leadership has created and used Gracious Space in many sectors including health care, business, government,community, nonprofit, and schools to create spaces where people judge less, listen more and open up to new understandings, increased creativity and productivity. It only takes a small opening to create enough space for profound transformation. Learn more