Collective Leadership Institute

OWNERSHIP is a keyword that we often hear when we ask course participants about their challenges. And as with all complex challenges, there is no one simple solution to address this challenge.

However, building a "Container for Change" has proven to be an effective instrument for increasing ownership in many collaboration projects worldwide. What is it? Learn more on day 2 of the Art of Stakeholder Collaboration workshop in Cape Town, 20 – 23 October 2026: https://collectiveleadership.de/event/art-of-stakeholder-collaboration-africa.

Or come to our next Thursday information session on 3rd September, 12 – 2 pm SAST: https://events.zoom.us/ev/Ag-W7mDdGFSdqx49qGFw6X9qa8hikQjC6Ns79pehYt6FdRARENJ1~AjRYnq9sXycgMDVdDT2DPdqg74UOophl_IY1RidFo16cIR7EsAy_UcOlVQ.

"Nothing is impossible if I know the Art of Process Facilitation." This after-course feedback from a Sri Lankan alumni working for German development cooperation still warms our hearts.

Do you want to overcome your impossibility? The 3.5-day Art of Process Facilitation course in November is the place to be. Join CLI managing partner Dominic Stucker for an online training that scales up your stakeholder conversation convening skills for consensus building.

🌐 Additional information and registration on our website: https://collectiveleadership.de/event/art-of-process-facilitation.

💡 A free info session takes place today at 12:00-2:00pm CET, or any first Thursday each month. Registrations are possible anytime at: https://forms.gle/jPQLhUpn3Ke7Ejjz7.

“How can we move from extractive, hierarchy-based leadership concepts towards a leadership culture of care and responsibility?” A question that is not necessarily linked to feminism but that came up for good reasons during the last Art of Feminist Leadership workshop.

There is no easy solution to that. However, last year’s course participants found good answers for themselves during the workshop time. Would you like to get tailored answers for your team, organisation, or multi-stakeholder project? Register now for the Art of Feminist Leadership on 7 – 9 October! The hybrid course format allows you to choose between participation in Potsdam, Germany, or online. More information: https://www.collectiveleadership.de/blog/event/the-art-of-feminist-leadership-hybrid/.

Do you need some firsthand insights beforehand? Join our free info session Thursday on 6 August, 12 – 2 pm CEST: https://events.zoom.us/ev/AuKm9pbgoKva6xt8_Tu3HN4mNQi_zXgd6tMQ0ttWLagL5yekc_wC~AiNYboncwyW1hkGo7hbY6IC9GI4j7p5cEPZKCM3ZE6BhmyjyI_gYUtGyug

“Starting a multi-stakeholder collaboration or complex initiative – well worth enrolling in this course!” said a head of a regional NGO programme in Southeast Asia after finishing the 4 days of the Art of Stakeholder Collaboration. We invite others to make the same experience.

This course is not only relevant to teams and initiatives that start multi-stakeholder collaboration but also to existing projects that face challenges or want to improve. In 4 intense days working with the Dialogic Change Model, participants will have the tools for achieving common goals and are ready to apply them. Participants have the chance to try the tools out in a safe workshop space and get a certificate in the end. A technical advisor in development cooperation from Indonesia summarized it to be a “useful and innovative approach to lead impactful stakeholder dialogue.”

More information about the course in Siem Reap can be found on our website: https://www.collectiveleadership.de/blog/event/project-teams-stakeholder-collaboration-course-asia/.

For special group offers and firsthand insights, join our free info session Thursday on 6 August, 5 – 7 pm ICT: https://events.zoom.us/ev/AuKm9pbgoKva6xt8_Tu3HN4mNQi_zXgd6tMQ0ttWLagL5yekc_wC~AiNYboncwyW1hkGo7hbY6IC9GI4j7p5cEPZKCM3ZE6BhmyjyI_gYUtGyug.

Collective Leadership Specialist Carolin Goethel offered a competency exchange on "Navigating the Seen and Unseen Power Dynamics in Groups" in our Community of Practice. Nineteen Collective Leadership Specialists from DRC, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Ghana, Greece, Jordan, Netherlands, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, South Africa, and USA reflected on our own privilege, discussed different kinds of power, and drew conclusions for navigating power dynamics as facilitators.

Satisfaction with the session was 5 out of 5, with multiple participants saying they especially appreciated the self-reflection exercise on privilege and connecting with other Specialists.

Do you want to know how you can become a certified Collective Leadership Specialist yourself? Join our free info session Thursday on 6 August, 12 – 2 pm CEST: https://events.zoom.us/ev/AuKm9pbgoKva6xt8_Tu3HN4mNQi_zXgd6tMQ0ttWLagL5yekc_wC~AiNYboncwyW1hkGo7hbY6IC9GI4j7p5cEPZKCM3ZE6BhmyjyI_gYUtGyug

Can red clay bricks be an answer in addressing climate change? Oh yes, they can! Senegalese Collectif Worofila shows that building in this traditional way rather than with concrete, CO2 emissions can be highly reduced. At the same time, modern architectural styles are not only possible with this material but can be reinvented. A nice side effect: clay brick houses are much cooler inside than their concrete brothers when it’s hot outside.

The award-winning work of Collectif Worofila shows even more: groundbreaking innovations do not necessarily come from the Global North. They happen where committed people collaborate on a common goal and shared purpose. Find out more about Collectif Worofila’s work at https://worofila.com/en/practice/.

“How can we overcome a lack of engagement, ownership, and accountability?” A question that we are often asked in the pre-workshop survey or during the Art of Stakeholder Collaboration workshop. As every case is different, and the reality is complex, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

However, in 95% of the cases, course participants found good answers for themselves during the workshop time. Working consistently with the Dialogic Change Model, especially looking at its phase 1 “Exploring and Engaging” helps to achieve engagement and ownership.

If you want these “aha” moments for your project or initiative, register now for the Art of Stakeholder Collaboration on 16 – 18 September! You can choose to participate in Potsdam, Germany, or online. More information: https://www.collectiveleadership.de/blog/event/the-art-of-stakeholder-collaboration-hybrid/.

Some firsthand insights needed beforehand? Join our free info session Thursday on 6 August, 12 – 2 pm CEST: https://events.zoom.us/ev/AuKm9pbgoKva6xt8_Tu3HN4mNQi_zXgd6tMQ0ttWLagL5yekc_wC~AiNYboncwyW1hkGo7hbY6IC9GI4j7p5cEPZKCM3ZE6BhmyjyI_gYUtGyug

What happens when people who have lived the consequences of conflict are invited to shape the solutions? This was the guiding question for the final conference of the Healing for Peace (H4P) project, taking place in Uvira from 23–29 June.

Community Support Center / CSC-Asbl in partnership with the Collective Leadership Institute and supported by ifa (zivik) and the German Federal Foreign Office, brought together internally displaced young women, civil society organizations, youth representatives, and local authorities. In Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, they set up a structured process of collective leadership and dialogue.

Together, participants refined and endorsed the Community Initiative for Healing and Social Cohesion for Peace, built around four interconnected pillars:
• Sports and Community Initiatives – Play4Peace & Mental Health Support (P4PM)
• Girls for Peace Leadership
• Healing Circles
• Social Cohesion Circles

The conference shared highlights of what has been achieved within the last ten months:
• 24 internally displaced young women actively participated.
• 5 civil society organizations engaged throughout the process.
• Youth representatives and local government participated in six multi-actor dialogue sessions.
• The Community Initiative for Healing and Social Cohesion for Peace was jointly refined and endorsed.

But the conference did not stop there. The internally displaced young women, civil society organizations, youth representatives, and government representatives jointly developed a shared roadmap to continue this collaboration beyond the project.

The Deputy Mayor of Uvira, Mr. Kifara Kapenda Kiky, recognized the significance of this work, saying: “Even a small drummer, regardless of their size, can make the elders dance.” How they dance you will see in another post that we share later in August!

Our project evaluation demonstrated strengthened trust between actors, improved communication, increased confidence among young women, active institutional engagement, and a shared commitment to continue working together for peace.

A personal insight from Olo Bernoulli Byolenganya, director of CSC-Asbl and initiator of this project: “Healing for Peace confirmed that sustainable peace grows when communities are trusted to lead the process. By combining trauma healing with collective leadership, we witnessed young internally displaced women regain confidence, civil society organizations and local authorities strengthen relationships of trust, and diverse actors jointly develop solutions they are committed to advancing together. These results reinforce our belief that locally led collaboration creates the conditions for lasting peace.”

How does people's mobility shape urban futures in uncertain times? A collaboration of social scientists, architects, and artists from Accra, Nairobi, and Johannesburg produced the Atlas of Uncertainty to explore the question. Is it a book? Yes, it will become one in 2027. And it is also an interactive website and travelling exhibition.

To learn more about this initiative, click here: https://www.atlasofuncertainty.com/.