For those working within the sustainability context, change is often central to the questions we ask, the daily work we do, the global goals we set for ourselves, and our long-term hopes for our society.  What kind of changes do we want to see in the world and with whom can we build relationships to help us achieve/guide these changes?  What is our time horizon for these changes and how will we manage our own change towards congruence with that we want to see in the world today and in the future?  How do we learn about change and what works in change processes?

The goal of the Exploring Deep Change Processes: Learning from Around the World workshop was, therefore, to hold an appreciative, insightful and generative gathering of people sharing and exploring diverse methodologies, tools, approaches and experiences in deep change processes around the world. 

Whilst hosted by the IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (CEC), the workshop was not about CEC or IUCN.  We aimed to hold a different kind of event, which did not have as its primary output a report on the workshop, or an action plan and a budget. We did, however, aim for the following outcomes:

• new learning about what works in change processes;
• new relationships and partnerships;
• new thinking for new practices in the future;
• personal renewal through reflective practice.  

Why?  Because in the first quarter of 2007, the CEC Steering Committee will meet to engage in strategic planning for IUCN’s 2008-2012 programme cycle.  This workshop was designed to prepare us, our thinking and our relationships for this process (see the agenda). 

Members of the CEC Steering Committee comprised half of the participants, with the other half of the group made up of external change practitioners and experts working in a number of diverse contexts.  A full list of participants and their biographies is linked.  An open invitation was extended to all IUCN staff members to join in the workshop discussions throughout the course of the two days.

We heard personal stories from leading practitioners worldwide which looked at personal change, organizational change, community-level change, and broader social change. We discussed generative dialogue, systems thinking, global action networking, and learned about change initiatives such as Pioneers of Change, Japan for Sustainability and Planet 2025, and others.

To record our journey in different ways, a talented Indian cartoonist captured his reflections on our process and discussions in his own way and these cartoons are available from the CEC portal gallery.  We also took photographs and video footage. The photographs are available from the CEC portal gallery and the video footage will be edited and made available at a later date.

Additionally we asked participants and visiting IUCN staff to reflect on what they learned in short, personal narratives or ‘learning stories’.  Twenty-five stories were collected and you will find these in the linked pages.  We believe that together these pieces comprise a diverse and rich reflection of some of the many workshop highlights and insights. 

We hope you enjoy these and that they stimulate further reflection and renewal as we prepare to embark on strategic planning in a few months time.

With thanks and best wishes to all the participants,

Keith Wheeler and the CEC Team