WORKSHOP: The Art of Possibility and Radical Appreciation, near Jerusalem, Israel, July 8-10

[Peggy Holman]

The stories that we tell ourselves shape the way we see the world.  And that shapes our behavior.  In his ground breaking work, The Image of the Future, social scientist Fred Polak tells us that cultures without a positive image of their future die within a generation.  So cultural narrative is more critical than many of us realize. And, as cultural storytellers, journalists have a unique role to play in influencing the narrative that weaves our societies together.  In fact, that's the reason that I got involved with journalists. 

It is also why I thought some of you might be interested in an upcoming workshop on The Art of Possibility and Radical Appreciation, that I am doing with two colleagues, Tova Averbuch, and Christine Whitney Sanchez.  It will be held outside Jerusalem, Israel on July 8-10: www.engagingpossibilities.com.  While it isn't specifically targeted to journalists, it will give you a chance to interact with an international group that could influence your perspective and your practice of journalism.

The workshop is grounded in the worldview of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), a philosophy, process and life practice focused on amplifying the best of what is and bringing to life the best of what can be.  I believe that by illuminating what is working, the power of journalism is amplified because it helps its constituency to envision a desirable future.  And that tends to activate people to get involved in what matters to them.

David Cooperrider, who is the visionary behind Appreciative Inquiry, did his seminal research was on the relationship between positive image and positive action.  As AI has traveled the world, it has generated thousands of examples, mostly in organizational settings, of transformation by making visible what's working and what's possible.  Imagine that on the scale of our communities and our society.  Journalists could lead the way.

As more journalists experiment with telling stories with an emphasis on finding solutions, they could find themselves influential in helping communities and our democracy navigate through changing times.  YES! Magazine -- http://www.yesmagazine.org -- has been pursuing this strategy for years and they are thriving.  The Solutions Journalism Network - http://solutionsjournalism.org and Axiom News - http://www.axiomnews.ca -- are developing the art of telling stories through a lens of possibility.  

A journalism based in possibility takes asking different questions.  At Journalism That Matters, we started talking about a sixth "W" in 2008: who, what, when, where, why, how, and what's possible now? (http://journalismthatmatters.org/blog/2008/05/22/possibility-journalism-an-emerging-trend/).  I could go on and I think I'll get back to the main point of this message: the workshop.

If you have ever considered visiting Israel, let this be the inspiration to make the trip.

For more information visit our site at www.engagingpossibilities.com or contact me at pe...@peggyholman.com.

Hope to see you in Israel. 

Peggy

P.S.  Thanks for passing this invitation along to people in your network who might be interested.

P.P.S.  Israel too far to travel but you'd be interested in a workshop of this sort?  Let me know.  I've wondered if there's sufficient interest to do a workshop for journalists.

References:

Polak, F. (1973). The Image of the Future (U.S. Edition published by Jossey-Bass Publishers ed.). (E. Boulding, Ed., & E. Boulding, Trans.) Am, CA: Elsevier Sdentific Publishing Co.

 Cooperrider, D. (1990). Positive Image, Positive Action: The Affirmative Basis of Organizing. In S. Srivastva, & D. Cooperrider (Eds.), Appreciative Management and Leadership: THe Power of Positive Thought and Action in Organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

_________________________________

Peggy Holman

pe...@peggyholman.com

Twitter: @peggyholman

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"An angel told me that the only way to step into the fire and not get burnt, is to become 
the fire".
  -- Drew Dellinger