By Jackie Thoms for Enlivening Edge Magazine
The Next Stage World Gathering is a coming together of like-minded and like-hearted peers across fields and spaces: paradigm shifters, organisational re-inventors, innovators, disruptive entrepreneurs, forward thinkers and transition practitioners.
You are warmly invited to join the 5th Next Stage World Gathering on 11-15 May, 2020 in Halki, Greece.
(15% discount on price for Enlivening Edge Magazine readers, quote EENSW2020 at registration)
The “Next Stage” is not more of the same. It is searching and finding different ways of being in the world that are more harmonious with the planet and humanity, and more inspired than the dominant ways of living that many people experience now.
A profound returning to what is sacred is needed as the dominant ways of our current civilisation move us further away from sustainable and generative ways of living. Some of the questions we hold for the Gathering include:
- How can we live and work in ways that are generative and inspiring, more connected to ourselves and to our nature?
- How can we slow down enough that we can begin to see our way through the complexity?
- What are the strong and weak signals that we need to attend to and spark into life?
- Although simplistic solutions can offer relief from the intensity of the complex problems we face, how can we together stay longer in the tragic gap between the current and where our potential lies?
Engaging with like-minded peers in the preciousness of being in the next stage of working and living, offers us insights into approaches and practices that are deeply generative, immensely nourishing, with love and laughter, whilst amplifying learning and growth of what is needed for our next stage, individually and collectively.
You can get a sense of the Gathering from this video of our 2019 time together on Halki Island
On our recent NSW community call, we looked for the next stage in our work and lives. Some people shared their confusion from top-down organisational hierarchies being in misalignment with agile working practice. A loosely connected, interactive web of practitioners was becoming visible and we observed the patterns of interdependence we learn from and with each other, and within ourselves.
The organisation of this web takes shape around our essential work. Participants bring their deepest questions, inquiries, initiatives, resources, practices and projects to the Gathering. There are many initiatives in play among us individually which need to connect to each other to better develop and shape stories and narratives for the future.
What people take away from the Gathering might be the bridging that contributes to us collectively adapting ourselves and our systems from where we are to the next stage. As well as the call for more radical change that can emerge with the courage and commitment to move forward.
“We never know how our small activities will affect others through the invisible fabric of our connectedness. In this exquisitely connected world, it’s never a question of ‘critical mass.’ It’s always about critical connections.” ~ Grace Lee Boggs
At every Gathering there have been teams participating from organisations, consultancies, professional partnerships and social networks that are leading and pioneering the next stage. Attending as a team is a highly effective way to immerse in your organisations purpose, needs and next-stage of development together, to enjoy being hosted by the place, the hosting team and other participants—all whilst benefiting from the cross-fertilization of ideas, concepts, resources and collaborations.
Time slows down on the island of Halki in Greece where we are hosted by the land and sea, to rest, nourish ourselves and exchange. This is the 5th Next Stage World Gathering hosted by this team. The call to come together for this Gathering with others, continues to grow and find its shape.
Collectively the hosting team shares a deep pull towards connection, resonance, intimacy and humour, for co-creation with people on the same wave-length. Then we can dance on our learning edges and embrace imperfection, to show up differently. That allows who we are, and our projects and initiatives, to hack the dominant systems from the edges.
Together, we will use and offer practical and effective tools for building our individual and collective capacity, facilitating community engagement processes, and hosting conversations and meetings that include all voices woven into collective intelligence and inquiry.
We will share knowledge of how to best create wellbeing in our communities and organizations inspired by the collective wisdom of the participants and our team.
We welcome you to join us so that together as peers we create time to deeply nourish ourselves, to let go of what is holding us back from taking our next steps, and to embrace the next stage in our lives and our work.
Please register here to create your place for the Gathering. 15% discount on price for Enlivening Edge readers, quote EENSW2020 at registration.
And if you have questions, please contact Maria ([email protected]) or Rainer ([email protected].)
Jackie Thoms brings powerful intuition and clarity as an organisational consultant and executive coach. She is committed to bringing attention and care to the health of client systems and is on a journey herself of conscious and awake living and working. Some of her most profound learnings and insights come from day-to-day challenges, as well as the joy of motherhood. Contact Jackie via email [email protected] or via LinkedIn.
Enlivening Edge is happy to be an affiliate partner of Next Stage World Gathering.
