Berkana Institute

The Berkana Institute utilises an interactive website to connect and support pioneering, life-affirming leaders around the world who strengthen their communities by working with the wisdom and wealth already present in its people, traditions, and environment. Organisers encourage all leaders to develop a practice that cultivates personal peace, using the internet largely (and face-to-face interactions secondarily) to develop learning communities, globally.

The Berkana Exchange connects pioneering leaders throughout the globe around their shared commitment to making a difference in and beyond their communities. These leaders are developing the capacity to solve their most pressing problems, such as community health, ecological sustainability, and economic self-reliance) by acting locally, connecting regionally, and learning globally. Organisers work with leadership learning centres, which are local places (e.g., within communities in Brazil, Canada, Greece, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Senegal, South Africa, the United States, and Zimbabwe) where people gather to develop their capacity as leaders in their organisations and communities. The idea here is that substantive change happens locally through the collective actions of ordinary people, and that transformation happens globally when local efforts are connected, and people learn together.

Berkana also hosts events and dialogues, and provides consulting services, in an attempt to share lessons learned with many partners around the globe. Organisers might, for instance, share details about "The Art of Hosting [AoH] Conversations that Matter", which is a practice for all who aspire to learn and find new ways of working with others to create innovative and comprehensive solutions. Amongst the practices outlined here: open space technology, world cafe, circle, and appreciative inquiry. Organisers claim that connecting people in this way "fosters learning in communities or organizations, ignites communities of practice, and strategically encourages social change. These processes foster synergy and provide ways for people to engage with intention, design deliberately, focus on outcomes, and support deliberate action." Concretely, leaders, managers, teachers, and pioneers from all walks of life are invited to participate in trainings that explore: hosting as an art and as a core leadership practice, the conditions needed to create space for meaningful conversation, specific interactive processes through which learning and creation can emerge, and how the practice of hosting is relevant to key areas in each of our lives and work. The AoH Listserve is a place for those who wish to be connected in this type of learning community.

The Berkana Institute website also features various resources and opportunities for people to get involved in leadership for social change.

Peace, Women.

According to organisers, "Berkana" is an ancient Norse word for birch tree, and symbolically stands as the Norse rune for growth and rebirth. In order to promote blossoming, Berkana requires the qualities of modesty, patience, fairness, and generosity.