Constellations of Hope

The 'On-Goingness' of Constellations of Hope

2009-04-22T09:05:00.000-07:00

On the final day of Constellations of Hope 2008, our facilitators used the World Cafe model to help us self-organize around collaborative projects and actions. One of the groups that gathered for brainstorming that afternoon was called together around the question "Is there 'on-goingness' for Constellations of Hope?"

The answer to this question was a 'yes'.

Yes, we should continue to invite women with organizational affiliations into conversations... which can lead to new relationships ... which is the safe space where real collaboration is birthed. These gatherings can happen locally or regionally, nationally or internationally or they can be organized around shared passions or challenges.

There are currently several explorations which have grown out of Constellations of Hope. Among them:
Constellations of Hope 2009 - There are several discussions about hosting a 2009 organizational gathering on the East Coast in the coming year.
Women's Spiritual Coalition - A new collaborative initiative is forming to explore the enormous potential of women's spiritual leadership for creating global change.
Local and regional dialogues - How can women begin locally and regionally to build connections among women's organizations?

Are you being called to build the collaborative community of women? Contact katheschaaf@cox.net to explore the possibilities.

Thank you from Constellations of Hope

2008-11-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

Sixty women representing more than 40 diverse women's organizations gathered for a powerful dialogue November 7-10 at the IONS Retreat Center, forming a new Constellation of Hope. We will provide various reports about the outcomes in coming weeks.

Meanwhile, it is important to thank some of the people who made this event possible:

Co-Conveners
Regina Birchem – Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Dorothy Ettling – Women’s Global Connection
Kathy WanPovi Sanchez - Tewa Women United
Kathe Schaaf – Gather the Women

Facilitators
Anne Fitzgerald – Lead Facilitator
Ronita Johnson
Mary Martin

Internet Connections
Jeanie DeRousseau
Bruce Schuman
and their online collaboration tool LightPages

Funding for Scholarships
Barbara Sargent
Barbara Cushing
and the Kalliopeia Foundation

Fiscal Administration
Joy Adams
and Gather the Women Global Matrix

Entertainment
Melanie DeMore

Graphic Recording
Monica Sallouti

Administrative Tasks
Kathe Schaaf
Beth Blevins

Registration is closed!

2008-10-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

It is with mixed emotions that we announce registration is closed for Constellations of Hope. We are thrilled that so many wonderful women and organizations will be coming together in less than two weeks ... and we are sorry that we cannot accomodate more of you.

We will use this blog to post reports on the themes and outcomes of the event, as well as opportunities for on-going involvement.

Meet our Facilitators

2008-10-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

During the past few months, a team of three skilled facilitators has been working together designing the agenda and dialogue process for Constellations of Hope. Each is a respected consultant with extensive experience in organizational development and circle process -- and all have been donating their professional services to create an innovative and engaging collaborative process for our event.

Anne Fitzgerald - Boston
Mary Martin - Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Ronita Johnson - California

We are deeply grateful for their valuable contribution of time and talent.

Room for a Few More

2008-10-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

As we come to our registration deadline, we have more than 50 registrants representing at least 40 diverse organizations. We are a diverse community of women representing a broad range of ages, cultures and passions.

We have space for 10-15 additional women providing they can register within the next two weeks. We must submit our final numbers by November 1 and no registrations can be added after that date.

Ground Transportation from Airport

2008-10-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

IONS has notified us of a change in their recommended ground transportation from San Francisco or Oakland airports:

Western Eagle Shuttle (recommended)

Shuttle service from either Oakland or San Francisco airport
$60 one way per person from San Francisco
$65 one way per person from Oakland
$10 for each additional person
Plan at least one hour travel to/from IONS depending on traffic
http://westerneagleshuttle.com/index2.php
Reservations required
(415) 533 - 4466

Constellations of Hope: Agenda Overview

2008-10-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

Guiding Principles

Our conversation will be wholistic--engaging heart, mind, body, and spirit.
We will use circle dialogue, a collaborative container, as the primary process for our coming together.
Every voice will be heard and every perspective equally valued.
Facilitators will guide the process; a graphic artist will illustrate our learnings.

Friday Evening: Opening Session
6 - 9 pm

--Gathering and welcome - Convening Team
--Our purpose in coming together
--Introductions: Who am I who has come? How are we interconnected?

Saturday: Me-You-We-All of us
8 am - 9:30 pm

--Principles for collaborating
--What are we yearning for?
--What makes collaborating a challenge?
--Unexplored assumptions about collaboration
--Enhancing collaborative outcomes through through cross-cultural understanding
--Special Evening Celebration: Singer - Songwriter Melanie DeMore

Sunday: Our Organizations- Extended Realites - Creating a Third Space Together
8 am- 9pm

--Identifying synergies
--What might we accomplish together
--Grounding our learnings
--Next steps

Monday AM: Closing Session
8am-11am

--Reflections and learnings

Organizations gathering in November

2008-10-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Planning Circle for Constellations of Hope is delighted to welcome the following organizations who have already registered to participate:

African Refugee Women Rebuilders
AWE - Accelerating Women's Entrepeneurship
Berkana Institute
Birthing Support and Advocacy
BuzZen
Darfur Women's Peace and Development
Daughters of the Earth Alliance
Defense Depot -Memphis
Dreamweather Foundation
Evolutionary Women
Gather the Women
Gather the Women - Canada
Girls Speak Out
Global Women's Leadership Network
Harvest Associates
Kalliopeai Foundation
Millionth Circle
Military Toxice Project
National Center for First Nations Governanace (Canada)
National Indian Women's Health Resource Center
Pathways to Peace
Red Web
Sankofa Wholistic Health Care
Sister Space
Sisterhood Agenda
Soroptomist International
Spirit at Work Global
Suswhap Nation
Tewa Women United
Traditional Circle of Indian Elders and Youth
Two Rock Institute
UNIFEM
Vessels of Peace
Women of Color United
Women of Intention
Women's Corp
Women's Global Connection
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
23rd Century (El Salvador)

Registration deadline extended to October 11

2008-10-01T19:36:00.001-07:00

It is not too late to register for Constellations of Hope!

To accomodate many last minute inquiries, we have been able to extend our registration deadline to October 11, 2008. You can register online at http://www.constellationsofhope.com.

More than 30 diverse organizations have already registered to participate in this unique dialogue about the opportunities and challenges of collaboration. Come and join us!

P.S. There are only a few single rooms remaining at the IONS Retreat Center -- and room for more in shared rooms at our lower double occupancy rate.

Reminder: Scholarship Application Deadline Sept. 8

2008-09-05T09:13:00.001-07:00

NOTE: THE DEADLINE FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS HAS PASSED.

Just a reminder that the deadline for scholarship applications is fast approaching -

Monday, September 8.

Don't miss this opportunity.

Scholarships are available for Constellations of Hope at two levels:

$400 ~ which will cover the complete cost of event registration, meals and lodging (double occupancy) for the entire event as well as ground transportation from San Francisco or Oakland airport.

$800 ~ which will cover the complete cost of event registration, meals and lodging (double occupancy) for the entire event as well as $400 for airline travel and ground transportation from the San Francisco or Oakland airport.

Deadline for Scholarship Application: September 8, 2008

Notification of award will be sent by: September 19, 2008

Scholarship Selection Criteria:

Scholarships have been created to assure representation and participation of individuals and organizations which are often under-represented: women of color, indigenous populations, cross-cultural communities and women living in poverty. Applications will be reviewed by a committee of four to assure a balance of geographic regions, intergenerational representation, organizational focus and ethnic/cultural diversity.

To apply:

Submit the following information by e-mail to katheschaaf@cox.net:

~ Name and address

~ Age and ethnicity/cultural background

~ Name of organization and a brief description of its work in the world

~ Identify your role within the organization

~ Why do you feel called to join this collaborative conversation? (very briefly)

Transportation Options for Constellations of Hope

2008-08-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

We have begun to get questions about transportation options for Constellations of Hope.

IONS Retreat Center is located in Petaluma, California, less than hour north of San Francisco in Sonoma County (which is wonderful wine country if you have time for an extended stay!).

NEAREST AIRPORT
You can fly into either San Francisco or Oakland.

GROUND TRANSPORTATION TO/FROM AIRPORTS
There are several options for transporation from the airport to IONS Retreat Center in Petaluma:

Western Eagle Shuttle (recommended)
Shuttle service from either Oakland or San Francisco airport
$60 one way per person from San Francisco
$65 one way per person from Oakland
$10 for each additional person
http://westerneagleshuttle.com/index2.php
(415) 533 - 4466

Sonoma Airport Express
Bus service to Petaluma.
No reservations required
Departs from both San Francisco and Oakland airports about every two hours
Approximately 90 minutes to drop off at Petaluma Fairgrounds.
The bus driver will call ahead to have a cab waiting at the Fairgrounds for the final 10 mile ride to the IONS Retreat Center.
Bus: $32 per person one way
Taxi: @$10
http://www.airportexpressinc.com/

Driving Directions
Driving directions are available on the IONS Retreat Center website http://www.noetic.org/retreat/directions.cfm.

Event Schedule

We will convene the circle at 6 p.m. on Friday - November 7.

We will close the circle at 11 a.m. on Monday - November 10.

We sincerely hope that you can plan to be present with us for this entire time in order to hold the rim of the circle and to contribute your wisdom to our dialogue process.

We look forward to seeing you in November!

Background and History of Constellations of Hope

2008-08-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

We are not a formal organization per se. We are a self-organized core of women, with experience working in a variety of women’s organizations, committed to transforming relationships among the many diverse women’s organizations to one of cooperation, interdependence, respect and harmony.

Initiators:
Kathlyn Schaaf (Co-Founder and Former President, Gather the Women, California)
Kathy ‘Won Povi’ Sanchez (Director, Tewa Women United, Arizona)
Dorothy Ettling (Founder and Director, Women’s Global Connection, Texas)
Regina Birchem (Past International President, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Pennsylvania)

Mission and program
We find ourselves in an historic moment of rapid change, accompanied by a sense of confusion and fear, confronted with unprecedented challenges. There is a growing sense of urgency that now is the time we must come together collectively as women to reflect and act.

The project we have initiated is anchored by a collaborative core of women with organizational histories using a model of shared leadership. Our intention is to invite women of diverse cultures and political convictions to come together for a conversation on how we can share our wisdom, our experience, our skills, our resources, and our imagination to create structures of peace and sustainability for the present and for future generations.

To launch this initiative, we propose to invite 50 to 60 women who have, or have had, major leadership or inspirational roles in women’s organizations and networks to come together for a three day facilitated conversation on how we can use our collective power more effectively for the benefit of humankind. Our goal is to capture and conceptualize the common thread that unites the many diverse women’s organizations currently working for a peaceful and just human society in a sustainable, healthy environment.

A new form of community is described by Paul Hawkin as the greatest unnamed movement in history in which hundreds of thousands of organizations have self-organized, similar to the molecules and cells of a living organism, for a common purpose ~ life. Hawkin further writes: “Even though the origins and purposes of the various groups comprising the movement are diverse, if you survey the principles, mission statements, or values, you find they do not conflict.” Hawkin randomly chose groups, printed up their value statements and posted them on the wall. What he found was that the members “share a set of fundamental understandings about the earth, how it functions, and the necessity of fairness and equity for all people dependent on the planet’s life-giving systems.” (p. 21, Blessed Unrest – How the Largest Social Movement in History is Restoring Grace, Justice and Beauty to the World, 2007) It is vitally important for feminine principles and the wisdom of the world’s women to be integrated fully into this emerging global paradigm.

The goal is not to launch a “new” mega organization or to plan a major global conference. Rather, we propose to offer space for a representative small group to explore possibilities of more effective, fulfilling, sustainable and empowering relationships across generations and cultures. We offer the space with the intention that these organizations will discover the unity that fuels their diversity and that when they ‘remember’ their unity they will be inspired to powerful collective action.

Inspiration for the project
The emergence of a plan for this project evolved through focused and intentional conversations over the course of seven months. Through these conversations we were affirmed in the usefulness, timeliness, and urgency of an Invitation to Collaboration among women.

On December 1, 2007, a group of twelve met in Boston at the invitation of Andre Sheldon, a member of WILPF-Boston and business professional who is passionate about helping to call forth the power and wisdom of women as a source of strength in these challenging times.

Three agreements from the meeting were:
~An effective ‘call to women’ would need to come from a core of women representing women’s organizations.
~A gathering of 50-60 organizational representatives could be organized in 2008.
~A gathering should be simple and a call for a conversation on collaboration would not come from any one organization.

Kathlyn Schaaf and Regina Birchem agreed to anchor more discussion of possibilities and the planning of a potential event. An invitation to gather was drafted and initial contacts were made.
As part of the planning process, two exploratory meetings were held in April 2008: Washington, D.C. and Laguna Hills, California. The discussion was very rich and raised questions such as:

~How do we frame the discussion so that a wider circle of women will trust it?
~Do we want just the leaders of organizations or is that an old paradigm?
~Is the competition among organizations an uniquely American wound that needs to be healed?
~Are there actually several different conversations that we want to happen?
~How do we keep love and spirit at the center?

It was agreed that the gathering should reflect diversity of age, ethnicity, culture, economic resources, and geography. Though based in North America, the gathering should reflect a global knowledge, sensitivity, and awareness. It is important to transform an old paradigm of competition, scarcity and distrust in the community of women to one of open acceptance. Women must be offered a tangible reason to spend their time, energy and resources: something to give them a sense of hope and connection to a larger purpose. We need to move from fear to hope.

Over the course of these three meetings and several conference calls, the following organizations were represented: Gather the Women, Tewa Women United, Women’s Global Connection, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, The International Grail, Peace Links, World YWCA, Global Women’s Leadership Network, Women’s Corp/Kenya Collaborative,
East Timor Advocacy Network, Berkana Institute, Gush Shalom, Women in Black, Call to Women, Women for New Directions, Dreamweather Foundation, Vessels of Peace, Daughters of the Earth.

Description of the project and the need it serves
We will issue an invitation to North American-based women’s organizations to participate in a facilitated conversation about collaboration. The dates, 7 – 10 November 2008, are confirmed at the IONS Retreat Center in Petaluma, CA (outside of Oakland/San Francisco) for 65 participants. The center provides lodging, meals and meeting space in a beautiful natural environment. The event will be facilitated by women skilled in circle principles and dialogue. We are inspired by a clear sense that the time is right for such a conversation and that women leaders are hungry for connection.

Leadership and staffing
The four women who have volunteered to serve as ‘initiators’ of the Collaborative Conversation come from very different organizations, diverse cultural, political and philosophical perspectives and live in all four North American time zones. We have agreed to work collaboratively and ourselves model shared leadership. Kathlyn Schaaf has the special role of being our primary contact person. We communicate by means of a list serve hosted by Women’s Global Connection, by phone, conference calls and email.

We do not have staff and we have agreed to work without remuneration for our expenses at this time.

The event is carefully fiscally planned with no profit to any organization or individual. Registration costs will cover expenses for food, venue and lodging. Gather the Women has agreed to be the 501c3 fiscal agent for the project, receiving payment of fees and paying all expenses for the event.

Who are we? Introduction to the Constellations Planning Circle

2008-08-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

Kathlyn Schaaf ~ Laguna Hills, California
Kathe Schaaf, M.A, M.F.T., is one of the original co-founders of Gather the Women and has served in the core leadership circle of that growing global community for the past five years. She weaves together her years of experience as a teacher and writer, as a non-profit director and a psychotherapist, as a mother and a community organizer with her passion about the value of women to the world. In 2004, Kathe was inspired by the vision of 6 Gather the Women Congresses on 6 Continents as a way to connect the wisdom of the world's women into new constellations of hope. She has been both a container and a catalyst helping that vision to manifest as a powerful reality, with the first three Congresses held since 2006 in Canada, Kenya and Australia.
http://www.katheschaaf.com/
http://www.gatherthewomen.org/

Dorothy Ettling ~ San Antonio, Texas

Dorothy Ettling, Ph.D., is Professor in the Ph.D. Program at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas and director of Women’s Global Connection of San Antonio.
The mission of WGC is to promote the learning and leadership of women throughout the globe through on-line interactive dialogue and on-ground collaborative learning projects. Her research interests include the process of transformative learning and change in individuals and groups, cross-culture learning, and women’s education in university and community settings.
Recent publications include:
Ettling, D. (2006) Child Development Assessment in Zambia: A Study of developmental norms of Zambian Children aged 0-72 months. Ministry of Education, Republic of Zambia. Lusaka, Zambia.

Ettling, D. (2006). Ethical Demands of Transformative Learning. In E. Taylor (Ed.), Teaching for Change: Fostering Transformative Learning in the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Ettling, D. & Guilian, L. (2004). Midwifing Transformative Change. In E. O’Sullivan & M. Taylor (Eds.), Learning toward Ecological Consciousness: Selected Transformative Practices, Toronto: Palgrave Macmillan.

Ettling, D. (2002) The praxis of sustaining transformative change. Teacher’s College Record. http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=10881

http://www.womensglobalconnection.org/

Kathy Wan Povi Sanchez ~ Santa Fe, New Mexico
Kathy Wan Povi Sanchez is an Indigenous award-winning traditional potter from San Ildefonso Pueblo,(Powogeh Owingeh – Where the Water Cuts Through) in New Mexico. She carries on the tradition of her late Great-grandmother Maria Martinez known for the highly prized black ware pueblo pottery. http://www.mariajulianpottery.com/ancestry.cfm?personalID=157

Kathy, the Director of Tewa Women United, is a community activist caring for Mother Earth and all her relations in the enlightenment of all relations. Tewa Women United (TWU) is a civic socially responsible empowered women's 501(c)3 organization guided by Tewah Pueblo values and beliefs. TWU started as a gathering of grounded-in-spirit women who believed in the inherent power of Tewa women and who felt the need to enhance their strengths through a circle of trust, love, hope, forgiveness and sharing.

“TWU believes our true traditional past practiced no separation of intellect and intuition - the head from the heart, nor the separation of the people from their spirituality. In order to nurture the harmony of all life with oneness of spirit in the relationship of natural law, we must nurture the future generations through our traditional way of spiritual living.”

http://www.tewawomenunited.org/

Regina Birchem ~ Irwin, Pennsylvania

Regina Birchem, Ph.D. is a biologist with research and teaching experience in cell biology, plant propagation and the environment. She has numerous publications related to her research as well as non-scientific articles and papers. From 1990 to 1994 she held the Florence Marie Scott Chair in Developmental Biology at Seton Hill University, Pennsylvania. Through her background in biological sciences and environmental studies, she contributed to the discussion of environment and sustainable development at major United Nations Conferences, such as the Earth Summit in 1992 and the succeeding Commission on Sustainable Development Conferences (1993-2007), the Social Summit (1995), the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995), the Habitat II Conference in Istanbul (1996), the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg (2002), and at various commissions and conferences at the United Nations.

Regina recently served as International President of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF ), an organization founded in 1915 with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Over the last twenty-five years she met with women around the world including countries experiencing war and armed conflict such as Burundi, Sierra Leone, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, and elsewhere.

Regina currently resides in rural SW Pennsylvania, USA, where she works as a consultant in plant tissue culture and inquiry-based science curricula.

http://www.wilpf.intl.ch/

Scholarship Criteria and Application Process

2008-07-25T16:23:00.000-07:00

A limited number of Scholarships are available for Constellations of Hope at two levels:

$400 ~ which will cover the complete cost of event registration, meals and lodging (double occupancy) for the entire event as well as ground transportation from San Francisco or Oakland airport.

$800 ~ which will cover the complete cost of event registration, meals and lodging (double occupancy) for the entire event as well as $400 for airline travel and ground transportation from the San Francisco or Oakland airport.

Deadline for Scholarship Application: September 8, 2008
Notification of award will be sent by: September 19, 2008

Scholarship Selection Criteria

Scholarships have been created to assure representation and participation of individuals and organizations which are often under-represented: women of color, indigenous populations, cross-cultural communities and women living in poverty.

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of four to assure a balance of geographic regions, intergenerational representation, organizational focus and ethnic/cultural diversity.

To apply:

Submit the following information by e-mail to katheschaaf@cox.net:
~ Name and address
~ Age and ethnicity/cultural background
~ Name of organization and a brief description of its work in the world
~ Identify your role within the organization
~ Why do you feel called to join this collaborative conversation? (very briefly)

Shared Intentions and Assumptions

2008-07-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

The co-creators of this event have come together around the following shared intentions and assumptions:

~We have witnessed a spirit-filled activism that is calling women to a new way of thinking and being.

~We have witnessed a growing desire among organizations to collaborate, recognizing that they are ready to effectively create something together that they cannot do alone.

~ We have witnessed that inspiration for tangible new projects and initiatives emerges organically when women come together to dialogue around a shared intention.

Regina Birchem
Dorothy Ettling
Kathy Wanpovi Sanchez
Kathe Schaaf

Why is this collaborative conversation important to me?

2008-07-22T16:09:00.000-07:00

Why is this conversation important to me?

For these past six years, I have been working with women globally and with many different women's organizations. I have witnessed the creativity, commitment and resourcefulness being poured into these many hundreds of organizations. Each one is a reflection of a unique divine assignment; each one is an crucial piece of a larger pattern of women arising to bring balance and healing to our planet.

It is now time for these many organizations to explore together the magnificence of that larger pattern. It is now time for each of them to discover new abundance and greater effectiveness by working together with other organizations. It is now time to join our voices so that we might be heard loudly and clearly. It is now time for all of us to discover what we might be able to create together that we cannot dream of creating alone.

If you share this knowing and feel your cells vibrating in answer to this call, come join us!

Kathe Schaaf

Welcome to Constellations of Hope: An Invitation to Organizational Collaboration

2008-07-07T12:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our Constellations of Hope blog. Here you will find updated information, evolving details and personal reflections about the collaborative conversation being planned for November 7-10, 2008 at the IONS Retreat Center in Petaluma, California.

Visit this blog often to catch up on details about:

~Individual and collective intentions and goals for the gathering

~The agenda and process

~Scholarship criteria and applications will be posted after July 23

~Logistical details (local transportation, weather, what to brings, etc)