Summer Academy 2021

At this time in our human evolution, we are in an opportunity window to choose to understand the benefits for all of us and our organizations when we value Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. This year's Genuine Contact Summer Academy is designed to prepare leaders, consultants, and coaches to take advantage of this important time in our evolution. Participants will learn to use this opportunity window skillfully and well.

To be skillful requires a deep understanding of what it takes to achieve inclusion, equity, and belonging in an organization. Be prepared to be surprised. What you think will work may have undesirable consequences. What you think may not work, may have desirable consequences.

Join us to develop your leadership with diversity in ways that go beyond valuing diversity into being equipped to guide people in the lived reality of inclusion, equity, and belonging. Benefit from the development of your own plan for going forward in this work, making a positive difference in the lives of people, organizations, and society.

At the heart of this work is the understanding that all people are precious, and we all benefit when we know how to work with diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our experience is that strategies based on these values have exciting, tangible results.

"I started my work as an intercultural and diversity specialist around 30 years ago and became increasingly frustrated with the traditional approaches that I was using and feeling generally hopeless about the possibilities of being together in a way where people feel they belong. When I began working with Genuine Contact I began to experience and learn what it means to be in a setting that invites belonging in ways that I had never experienced before."

~ Doris Gottlieb, Coach, Consultant & Facilitator

Birgitt Williams is an international management and organizational solutions consultant, author, meeting facilitator, teacher and executive coach.

Drawing upon her eclectic background in cognitive psychology, clinical behavioral sciences, organizational psychology, human services, health services, cross-cultural practices, biology, history, philosophy, and comparative religions studies, Birgitt is known and respected for her deep commitment, integrity, and her skills for facilitating positive and sustainable changes with individuals, teams, and organizations. As a professional and personal consultant, she brings a deep commitment, diverse and extensive experience, with a genuine, compassionate and direct approach to her work.

Rachel Bolton works internationally with leaders as a mentor, coach, and consultant, with focus on assisting small businesses to build a solid foundation for optimal growth from a clear and inspired purpose, strategic vision, and appropriate structure for the business’ development.

Through our holistic approach to organizational and individual transformation, Rachel has worked internationally with a variety of private and not-for-profit organizations with a considerable focus towards small business. She is the Director of the Genuine Contact Organization and Program which provides her with the unique experience of working with a diverse, multi-cultural team located all over the world.

The opportunity in participating in the Genuine Contact Summer Academy 2021 is provided to give you tools, tips, techniques, knowledge to upgrade your leadership culture and increase the well being and performance of your organization (or community). The Summer Academy is our annual leadership development immersive. A chance to take a deep dive into a practical approach of the Genuine Contact way of working, together both with those who have been working with Genuine Contact for years and those who are just starting to explore. The topic this year, the 18^th year of the Summer Academy, is a very important one for these times.

Here's what past Summer Academy participants had to say about these learning intensives:

"The Summer Academy 2020 happened in an online environment where I met with new and old friends and colleagues from around the world to learn. This year we focused on the concept of a genuine contact organization - and while this concept is simple it’s highly complex at the same time. During the summer academy, I learned through thinking, listening, learning about real experience. The combination of activities that I was invited to take part in made this event very uplifting and never boring.

I have been working with the concept of a genuine contact organization for 10 years already, but during this summer academy I benefited from a new level of awareness with now makes the work with my clients much easier, focused, and centered. I feel more grounded in this work than ever before and encouraged to take my work to a new level.

Learning with Birgitt and Rachel is profound: their facilitation skills and humour are great examples to me.

I highly recommend working with them!"

~Anna Caroline, Berlin

"I found it was an intensive course, in a good way, that gave me insights and answers to a lot of my questions and also gave me access to new things I didn’t think about before. Working with the case study was very good because it is very ‘real'.

I felt very good being taken care of, in terms of energy management, content, group dynamics, ICT, documentation. Everything was very complete.

I found the daily homework very useful to get clarity about my learning needs and questions."

~ Mariëlle Cuijpers, the Netherlands

Self-Study Segments

Orientation to the tools that will be used in the Summer Academy: video clips of how to work with the Medicine Wheel Tool, how to work with the Deep Essence Tool, how to recognize a Life Nourishing Environment vs a Life Depleting Environment; how to work with the Grief Cycle; how to work with the Cycle of Transformation.
Orientation to the concepts that will be used in the Summer Academy: leadership…what it is and what it is not; organizational transformation; the Five Beliefs of Genuine Contact.
Fundamentals about diversity, inclusion, equity, belonging as commonly understood.

Real-Time Online Learning

Workshop May 31-June 6, 9am - 12pm EST for an in-depth exploration of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Case studies assist participants in their exploration. Participants develop coaching plans for participants to equip themselves for coaching others develop leadership for working with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. Plan for approximately 2 hours of asynchronous learning as homework each day as an integral part of your learning.
Facilitated peer-to-peer mentoring circle Thurs January 20, 2022, 9am - 12:30pm EST

Real-Time Learning

The real-time online workshop is facilitated using the participative method Whole Person Process Facilitation, which provides the conditions for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. The online platform that supports this workshop is Qiqochat. You are provided with an orientation to use Qiqochat prior to the start of the Summer Academy including an opportunity to practice within this online platform for your comfort level with this technology. Qiqochat is used by the Dalar International Team because it supports participatory, inclusive processes.

The real-time online workshop is participative throughout, so be prepared to share your thoughts and ideas, your hopes and your fears, and your vision of your path forward. Be prepared to have the space to explore your thoughts and to listen to others exploring their thoughts, without judgment. You are asked to show up and be fully present, speak your truth without blame or judgment, follow what has heart and meaning for yourself, and let go of attachment to outcome.

At Dalar, we are big believers in whole teams and groups learning together. To support group learning, we are pleased to offer the following team discounts:

20% off for 3-5 participants
40% off for 6-10
groups of 11+ to be determined based on groups size

Project, intact, cross-functional, and leadership teams, small organizations, boards, and volunteer groups are some examples of the kinds of groups eligible for these discounts. Contact Rachel Bolton for registration details.

This offer is applicable to Early Bird and Regular Rates of registration. It cannot be combined with any other discounts available (i.e Genuine Contact Organization member discounts).

Birgitt Williams, Ward Williams and Rachel Bolton of the Dalar team have created these Genuine Contact Way learning modules with a focus on creating and nourishing a culture of leadership in organizations. We believe that when a culture of leadership exists in an organization, productivity increases, employees work both more effectively and with greater satisfaction on their own and in teams, and the organization thrives. Every Genuine Contact Way module provides participants with a complete skill and knowledge set that is beneficial used on its own. Every module is also designed to be part of a multi-purpose blended approach for leadership and organizational development. You may find added benefit to take this module in conjunction with other Genuine Contact Way modules as well as modules of the Genuine Contact Program. Contact us to find out what the right ‘bundle’ is to meet your unique leadership and organizational development and business goals.

Terms and Conditions of Registration

This is not your typical diversity training

30 years experience in belonging

Who are Birgitt and Rachel?

Learning in the Summer Academy 2021

Program Details

More Details...what to expect in your learning program

Supporting Learning in Teams and Groups

This is a Genuine Contact Way Workshop