As I was making my coffee last Thursday morning I heard the news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. My heart was heavy. And my heart continues to try to make sense of what is happening. And I find myself reminded of how important to act of humanizing is, of truly seeing the humanity in everyone.
A few weeks ago I posted on the UN’s Inner Development Goals. There is a collective realization that we need to ask questions around inner development – Who do we need to be and become? – in order to make real progress on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (which basically covers all the complex global challenges we are facing).
It’s imperative that we create safe and brave spaces to embody and practice essential skills such as self-awareness, sense-making, empathy and compassion, co-creation skills, and creativity.
Here’s the good news: yes, it’s possible to learn these skills, and one of the best ways to learn them is through cooperative, improvised play. Applied Improvisation is a philosophy, practice, (and a global community of practice) that takes all the juicy foundations of what makes improvisation work on stage, to worlds beyond the theater -into any place where people interact! (Yes, that is everywhere.)
This Friday I'll be facilitating a workshop I've designed called Transformational Learning Through Improvised Play: Cultivating Inner Development needed for a Sustainable World. I'll be a presenter among a crowd of amazing presenters from all over the world at the Gross Global Happiness Summit. This conference is put on by the UN-established
University for Peace and their Center for Executive Education.
In my highly interactive and playful workshop we will reflect on who we need to become to flourish, learn the basics of applied improvisation, play basic (yet potent) applied improvisation games and translate the learning into your lives, at work and at home.
What if building our skills via applied improvisation (muscle memory via improvised play) was not only effective in transforming us into who we need to be to meet our the most pressing and complex challenges of our times, but also cultivate joy, happiness, and well-being in the process!?
I invite you to consider attending this GGH Summit. I've been given the opportunity to offer a discount (about 20% off) to those in my network. The regular price is $245. The cost to you if interested will be $200. Follow this link for more details. (Note - it's not too late to sign up. Last year (my first) I registered the day before it started. : )
Deep Peace to our world and to you.