April 12-13, 2011
Denver CO
International Association of Facilitators, North America
(IAF NA)
You Don't Know What You Don't Know: A Facilitator's Path to Authentic Cross-Cultural Practice For the fourth year in a row Nanci and LJS Associates Barbara MacKay and Shoshanna Cogan will offer a public two day Pre-Conference workshop for the IAF North American conference. Held in Denver, CO this year, this experiential and interactive training addresses essential skills for any leader! To learn about this exciting workshop, check out our website. We look forward to seeing you there! | |
January 2011
Portland, OR
Transformational Teams: Tools for Trust Building and Collaboration
In partnership with North Star Facilitators (NSF), Nanci and Barbara MacKay will facilitate dialogue to increase collaborative partnerships and coordination of clean energy efforts in the Pacific NW. Additionally, they will provide mentoring and guidance to increase internal facilitation competencies.
February 2011
Portland, OR
Transformational Facilitation: The Art and Skill of Working with Groups
Again in partnership with NSF, Nanci and Barbara are working with a locally based foundation committed to international grant-making that fuels innovation, invention and creativity. We will work with their team to increase core facilitator competencies and fine-tine skill sets for multi-lingual, multi-national, virtual and in-person meetings with diverse stakeholders.
February 2011
San Juan Bautista, CA
NHLI
Transformational Communication and Transformational Women
Nanci and LJS Associate Lillian Roybal Rose will once again have the opportunity to provide the first training for the 2011 NHLI Executive Leadership Program. Over the course of nine months, this select group of Latina women will delve into the areas of cross-cultural communication, strategic management, leadership development, and public policy. Trainees will leave this two-day workshop with the skills and inspiration needed to embrace their professional and personal lives without limits.
April 14-15, 2011
Denver CO
IAF NA
How Institutional Power Makes Us Clueless: Becoming an Inclusive Facilitator through a Practice of Self Transformation
During the IAF NA Conference Nanci and Shoshanna will facilitate a concurrent session to help participants consider how their views and reactions are informed by the power imbalances based on age, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, economic status, and that we are all socialized into from an early age. In this workshop, participants will begin the process of investigating these biases, along with institutionalized and internalized oppression, as a means to increase their cultural competency and abilities to build meaningful alliances with anyone they work with.
Register for the IAF Conference by 1-31-11 to receive the Early Bird rate!
You can also use the promo code "luna" and save $25 when you register for the Conference!
Register today!
Dates:
April 14-15, 2011 (Thursday & Friday)
Location:
Grand Hyatt Denver
IAF is a vast network of members committed to using group methodologies in myriad settings and in various roles from educators to coaches to consultants.
May 2011
Rockville, MD
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States Diversity Program
Staff Retreat
LJS will again return to KP for on-going staff development and team building to support implementation of new skills and emerging leadership.
May 6, 2011
Chicago, IL
National Hispana Leadership Institute
Latina Empowerment Conference
Nanci has been asked to present the plenary workshop session at the NHLI's Latina Empowerment Conference in Chicago on May 6th! Spread the word and mark your calendars now!
Announcing!
2-day Latino Community Workshop in April 2011, Denver Colorado.
3-day Black and Latino Dialogue Workshop in Fall 2011 in Chicago, Illinois!
Dates coming soon!
More information available in upcoming newsletters or on our website! | |
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Greetings!
One of the many gifts of intentional beginnings is an opportunity to reflect on the ending that marks the new phase. While January 1st or "a new year" are both arbitrary in the continuum of time and culturally-defined, I have appreciated the chance to look back at the last few months and plan for the time ahead. I returned from living in Puerto Rico in June with a flurry of workshops and travel. As you will read below, I brought a bit of the island back with me! I showcased Bomba (an Afro-Puerto Rican celebration of drum, dance and song that I studied during the 9 months I lived there) at the fundraiser for The Lambi Fund of Haiti, part of the inaugural Black and Latino Dialogue Workshop held in August in Washington, DC.
My heart-felt thanks to everyone who partnered with LJS and contributed to the growth and implementation of this transformational practice--in your organization, community or personal life--in the past year. And in the spirit of the following quote from organizer, Dan Nickerson: "The [improved] communication between the peoples of the world [means that] more and more liberation movements are growing, moving forward and connecting with each other. Each one reduces the collective fear and builds increasing unity and vision"--here's to growing our collective boldness and compassion as we co-create a just world for all!
Washington DC
NHLI
Inaugurating Latina Non-Profit Leadership Program
Nanci was honored to present Transformational Communication: A Path to Authentic Latina Leadership at the kick-off training for NHLI's newest program: Advancing Latinas Leadership in Non-Profits (ALL-IN). Twenty-two Latinas between the ages of 24 and 34 who have less than 10 years of professional experience and who work in the nonprofit sector were selected to participate in the ALL-IN fellowship. Nanci's training focused on supporting these Latinas as they identified how their personal histories impact their current lives and professional development. As one fellow commented, "the training reinforced the need to work on my own issues...it was a valuable reminder of the humanity of everyone I encounter." Participants left with a deep appreciation for the power of self-transformation and how working to better understand themselves enables them to become more effective, compassionate leaders. As another participant remarked, "I will make a conscious effort to heal and grow and become a better leader and individual."
Livermore, CA; Emeryville, CA; and Albuquerque, NM
Sandia National Laboratory
Exploring Diversity
During the late summer and fall Nanci completed the Phase I assessment work for a pilot project by visiting three sites in California and New Mexico. She worked with employees to broaden their understanding of diversity and inclusion and the skills needed to create a workplace that is welcoming and supportive of everyone.
Washington, DC
LJS Public Workshop
Yes We Can, Si Se Puede . . . and We Are: Transformational Dialogue Between Latinos and Blacks for Understanding, Healing & Social Justice
Co-sponsored by The Bennae Group, LJS & Associates was honored to offer this transformative workshop aimed at deepening trust and strengthening connections between Blacks and Latinos. Our diverse participants brought a richness of stories and experiences that provided the substance for a once-in-a-lifetime workshop! They ranged in age from teens to late 50s; hailed from Maryland to California; identified with deep Southern roots to Yankee born and raised; represented six distinct Latino, Ladino, and Indigenous heritages from the Caribbean, Central,  South, and North America; had legal status that varied from citizen to undocumented; covered the gamut of English only to Spanish-language dominant; and some were recent immigrants themselves while others had called the US home for many generations. Drawing on a shared history from these two communities Nanci and Tony Bennae Richard facilitated Black and Latino "hot button" topics while building toward a future rooted in understanding and cooperation. The response from participants was unequivocally positive and reflected the personal nature of this work. "The most valuable part of the workshop was accepting that I need to release to be able to grow so I can be a better person," said one person. Another remarked how well Nanci and Tony "facilitated through some really difficult and sensitive situations and really kept a good balance between both groups." LJS is excited to continue exploring ways in which the Latino and Black communities can work together to foster understanding and share inspiration. We will offer this dialogue this fall in Chicago (dates soon to be announced) or contact us if you would like to host a dialogue in your region!
Washington, DC
LJS Benefit for Haiti
BOMBAZO PA'HAITÍ/ BOMBAZO FOR HAITI: An Afro-Puerto Rican Experience with Proyecto Unión
LJS & Associates and The Bennae Group co-hosted and co-sponsored an evening Bombazo to benefit The Lambi Fund of Haiti, along with sponsorship from L'Enfant Plaza Hotel and SWANK AV. Board member, Jay Schoenberger, spoke to us about the grassroots, women-led projects in rural Haiti that The Lambi Fund supports. Powerful  performances and world-class instruction by Proyecto Unión got everyone on their feet to fully experience Bomba--an Afro-French influenced musical genre brought to Puerto Rico almost 400 years ago by Haitians and Africans from other French colonies. We raised thousands of dollars for The Lambi Fund and had a fabulous time doing it! Our appreciation to everyone who volunteered and contributed to make the evening a complete success! As one attendee recently wrote to me: "Bring Bomba back to DC!" While we have no immediate plans to do so, we invite you to check out the Bomba masters who make up Proyecto Unión to whet your appetite for the next time! Each link takes you to a YouTube video of their past performance. Click, watch, and enjoy!
Rafael Maya, Director, Desde Cero, San Juan, PR; Marién Torres, Director, Taller Tambuyé, Río Piedras, PR; Pablo Luis Rivera, Director, Restauración Cultural and Majestad Negra, Piñones, PR; Obanilu Allende, Director, Pure Plena, New York, NY; Denise Solis and Sarazeta Ragazzi, Co-Directors, Las Bomberas de la Bahia, San Francisco Bay Area.
San Antonio, TX
San Anto Cultural Arts
Transformational Communication: Tools for Cross-Cultural Understanding and Inclusion
In August, LJS Associate Linda Ximenes presented Transformational Communication: Tools for Cross-Cultural Understanding and Inclusion in San Antonio, Texas. Based in San Antonio's Westside neighborhood, San Anto Cultural Arts is dedicated to empowering people of all ages and improving impoverished communities through art. This workshop built itself around a listening practice and framework for understanding the dynamics of institutional power. Participants embarked on a life-changing journey to foster understanding of others by first understanding themselves. One trainee noted, "I really learned a lot from the discussion on adultism. I have never heard of it until today. It made me realize that oppression is everywhere and has happened to everyone at one point or another." Others expressed gratitude for the safe environment Linda facilitated that "created a common ground in the group."
Miami, FL
NHLI
Beyond the Search for Work/Life Balance: Having the (Guilt-free) Life You Want!
As part of NHLI's 10 year anniversary of the Executive Leadership Training Conference and Mujer Awards, Nanci presented this workshop designed to invite Latinas to look beyond the concept of searching for balance in their lives to finding the essence of how they want to live those lives. Traditionally, the quest for balance involved finding the right technique, appliance,  or attitude that would enable us to better be all things to all people. This equation is limited and often invites more scrambling to get everything done and little to no time left for us to reflect on what is truly important to us. This workshop inspired participants to distill down the essence of what creates both meaning and satisfaction in their lives. Through this process of getting clear, participants were invited to shift their perceptions of what it means to be "enough" while pursuing their passions in at work, home, and in the world. Nanci hopes to present this workshop again at the next Executive Leadership Training Conference to beheld November 3-4 in Los Angeles, CA! Mark your calendars now!
Rockville, MD
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States
Transformational Leadership: Skills-Deepening for Leaders as Change Agents
Nanci and Tony Bennae Richard had the opportunity to work with employees at the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid Atlantic States in the area of transformational  leadership. Employees came together to investigate new ways to collaborate, especially with people of different racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. In the open and accepting environment created by Nanci and Tony, participants were invited to learn about the dynamics of oppression and build confidence around sharing opinions that might differ from those of the rest of the group. Employees left with new skills to communicate and negotiate with each other from a place of compassion, understanding, and appreciation. As one employee stated, "I most valued the content, masterful facilitation, and the [facilitators'] ability to address issues with kindness and compassion."
About Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States
Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States region, headquartered in Rockville, Md., provides and coordinates complete health care services for almost 500,000 members through 30 medical office buildings in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, founded in 1980, is a total health organization composed of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Mid-Atlantic States, Inc., and the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group, P.C., an independent medical group that features approximately 1,000 physicians who provide or arrange care for patients throughout the area. The health plan is considered one of Maryland's "Top HMOs" according to the Maryland Health Care Commission. In addition, it was recently named "Highest in Member Satisfaction" among Commercial Health Plans by J.D. Power and Associates.
Visit kp.org/newscenter for more Kaiser Permanente news.
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