Anima Leadership's Quarterly Newsletter - Spring 2008

In this issue:
    I. Director's Notes
    II. Upcoming Programs Spring 2008
      ~ ALIVE Program for Non-Profit Leaders, June 19-20th, Toronto
    III. A Preview of Fall Programs
      ~ Equity and Leadership Institute
      ~ ALIVE Program for Women
    III. Recommended Reading

Director’s Notes

Spring is in the air! We, at Anima, are feeling hopeful at other signs of change in our climate: Barack Obama made an incredibly courageous speech on race relations in America; both the Canadian government and retailers are responding to health concerns regarding Bisphenol A by removing polycarbonate bottles from store shelves; and deep in pop culture, Oprah has even launched a new show called The Big Give!, with a focus on giving money away to good causes! (Okay, so Oprah's show is a bit too charity focused and doesn't really get to the root of socio-economic problems… but hey - at least the premise isn't bad for Reality TV!).

Here are some highlights from our winter season:

Highlights of Winter 2008

L to R Conference Opinion Leaders: Allan Shaw, Cathy Fooks, Peter MacLeod, Susan Williams, Shakil Choudhury, Michael Buzzelli, Sharon Manson-Singer.

• We attended the Canadian Policy Research Network's (CPRN) Leadership Summit in Ottawa on February 14th. The Summit drew approximately one hundred leaders and opinion-makers from diverse sectors to give input into CPRN's policy research priorities for the next five years. Shakil Choudhury, Anima Program Director, was the opinion leader for the diversity issue stream. Out of this national planning session came a loud call for a 21st Century Canadian dialogue on issues of citizenship, multiculturalism and belonging. We were inspired by the leadership provided by Sharon-Manson Singer and her CPRN staff team to not only create a welcoming environment for the participants but to coordinate such a large-scale collective process of input for CPRN's strategic directions. Very thoughtful and courageous!

• Annahid Dashtgard, Anima's E.D., was on CBC's "The Current" with Anne-Maria Tremonti on Feb. 14th offering a critique of the women's diet advice book called "The Skinny Bitch: A no-nonsense tough-love guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous!". Click here to hear the show's podcast

• One really unique and inspiring session from the winter season was a leadership training offered for female engineering students at the end of February. This was through the Leaders of Tomorrow Program at the University of Toronto Engineering Faculty. One of the key purposes of this training was to assist these students in finding ways to support the faculty in moving toward a more inclusive environment on issues of gender and diversity. Some great ideas emerged from this session including plans to have a female student-faculty bonding session, a diversity awareness-raising panel and to engage the Dean in further discussion on these issues.
  

  "This was a great program to get a different perspective on leadership and to look at my experiences and myself as an engineer and a person."
  ~ Ruxandra Dranga, U of T Engineering Student

• We also held both the Equity and Leadership Institute (in partnership with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation) and our Anima Leading with Integrity, Vision and Effectiveness (ALIVE) Program for Women in Nova Scotia at the Tatamagouche Centre. Both programs pulled diverse professionals from across the Atlantic provinces for weekends full of leadership development, stepping into tough conversations and thinking about how to strengthen organizational inclusiveness and effectiveness.

  
  Participants in conversation during the Equity Institute, Tatamagouche Centre, Nova Scotia

  "I know that what I learned in terms of being present, checking in, building inclusive communities up front (as a form of "prevention") will stay with me and inform my teaching and research practices as will the emotional intelligence piece and how this is connected to equity work."
  ~Susan Walsh, Professor, Mount Saint Vincent University, Participant in Equity and Leadership Program

  "It was powerful for me to reach out and be able to relax into the guidance and presence of someone with excellent skills and integrity (I don't normally). Well done- I loved it."
  ~Participant in the ALIVE Program for Women

  Watch for these programs and more coming soon - see below.

• We had our second Anima Community Day in March called "Emotional Intelligence and Conflict: The Leadership Foundation."

  
  Annahid consults as Anima community day participants work through conflict scenarios

  The event was sold out. We had a wonderful day with some real breakthroughs as we practiced applying emotional intelligence to tough personal conflict situations. Watch for the next community day in the fall…

  "My friends and I were discussing the workshop for days afterwards…Thanks again for a totally fun, creative, inspiring and truly educational day!... it was probably one of the best workshops I have ever taken in my life!
  ~Melanie Robitaille, Family Support Worker, College Montrose Children's Place,

• Our partner, the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, just finished its National Symposium in Calgary, April 30th-May 2nd. The conference theme was "What is Canadian Racism: Engaging in a Critical Analysis of this Distinct Manifestation of Racism and How to Tackle it". We presented a filled-to-capacity workshop called "Fierce Compassion: Integrating Anti-Racism with Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Transformation." Shakil also spoke on a panel giving policy recommendations for integrating race and anti-racism into education and training. Check their website for post-conference papers and best practices for diversity and anti-racism work. More on this in our next newsletter...

• For those who work in the non-profit sector, we are offering our ALIVE Program for Non-Profit Leaders for the first time this Spring (June 19-20th)! We also offer a sneak peak at upcoming programs for Sept-Dec. 2008, including the Equity Institute in Vancouver. We are looking forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events!

  Warm Wishes,
  Annahid Dashtgard, Executive Director

UPCOMING PROGRAMS - Spring 2008

ALIVE Program for Non-Profit Leaders, June 19-20th, Toronto

• Do you find your leadership skills challenged by multiple stresses and rapid change in today's non-profit environments? Find yourself reacting as opposed to being more proactive in situations?
• Are you struggling to make the culture of your organization more inclusive, productive and aligned with your institutional philosophy?
• Are you frequently exhausted, stressed or seeking renewal in your professional or personal life?
• Are looking for a program that integrates both personal and professional development, helping you tap your inner wisdom as well as strengthen your leadership skills and develop your potential?

If so, then the ALIVE Program for Non-Profit Leaders may be of interest to you. Our flagship offering, the ALIVE (Anima Leading with Integrity, Vision and Effectiveness) program has been designed to suit the need of leaders in the not-for-profit sector. We believe the constraints leaders face in this sector are unique, where strong pressures to make publicly recognized impacts with limited resources is commonplace. Effective leadership is essential under these challenging circumstances. In the ALIVE program, not only will you learn important leadership skills and theory, but you will have an experience that captures what the essence of leadership is all about-how to be authentic in your relationships, how to navigate through conflict, how to build a more inclusive and therefore more effective organizational culture. This course is ideal for Executive Directors, Mangers, as well as those persuing leadership positions. Register before June 1st for the EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT!

PREVIEW OF FALL PROGRAMS - September to December 2008

What we are offering is an early look at our fall programs, some tentative, others confirmed. All of our experiential-based leadership programs are grounded in innovative approaches to inclusion and equity, emotional intelligence research, the relationship sciences (neuroscience, quantum physics and social psychology), and cutting edge theories of change.

We also offer customized programming, organizational consulting and facilitation. Contact us if you are interested in any of these other offerings.

1) Equity & Leadership Institute: Integrating Anti-Racism, Emotional Intelligence and Conflict Resolution, September (dates tba), Vancouver

Anima Leadership and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation have teamed up to present this unique, interactive workshop for managers, educators, and leaders of equity initiatives. Having already presented in Toronto and the Atlantic region to very strong reviews over the last year, this program is being offered on the West Coast for the first time. By integrating anti-racism with emotional intelligence and conflict resolution, a unique and very hopeful approach - called Fierce Compassion - has been developed to create inclusive organizations and environments. The Equity & Leadership Institute balances intellect with emotions, and internal factors with structural forces. Self-awareness, empathy, compassion and truth-speaking are the foundations for this embodied, relational approach to equity. Using theory, practice and experiential activities that have been developed and tested in national and international settings, this cutting-edge program will both challenge and support your current equity strategies. Limited space due to the experiential nature of the workshop. Click here for more information.

2) ALIVE Program for Women, October 23/24, Toronto

 

The Anima Leading with Integrity, Vision and Effectiveness (ALIVE) program is Anima's flagship leadership program tailored specifically to catalyze, strengthen and deepen women's leadership potential and abilities. The ALIVE program puts women's leadership into the context of an emerging paradigm: a leadership re-balancing the feminine. In essence, the approach is based in developing emotional intelligence alongside critical thinking; linking presence with action; and connecting our hearts with our minds. This form of leadership examines how to share power, how we can strengthen relationships across difference, what it takes to build truly inclusive organizations and communities. The ALIVE program has been offered across Canada over the last year, helping women become more powerful agents of change. It offers women the knowledge and skills to create breakthrough results in both their personal and professional realms. The feedback has been outstanding. Be part of this growing community of women leaders! Limited space due to intimate nature of the workshop. Click here for more information.

 

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs;
ask yourself what makes you come alive.
And then go and do that.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
~ Harold Whitman

Contact Anima Leadership for more information or to register for any of these programs:
info@animaleadership.com (416) 462-9512 x1 www.animaleadership.com.

IV. RECOMMENDED READING:

Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

by Barack Obama, 1995, Three Rivers Press

This memoir by Barack Obama, current Democratic Presidential hopeful, was written in his early 30’s before he ran for any political office. He was asked to write it after capturing the attention of some publishers due to being the first African-American to be editor of the Harvard Law Review. It was recently recommended to us by colleagues and took on serendipitous, larger-than-life dimensions as Barack’s words on the page reverberated with his recent history-making speech on race-relations in America. We recommend this book because it contains profoundly important lessons about difference, identity and belonging. Born to a Kansas-raised white mother and a Kenyan-born black father who was mostly absent from Barack’s upbringing, this profoundly moving and courageous story describes one man’s struggle to find his identity and to be whole: as a black man, as a mixed race person, and as someone who lived in different parts of the world at various points in his upbringing. For critics on both sides of the racial divide that say he is neither “black” nor “white” enough, it seems they have not read this book. Barack describes the bitterness of enduring racism, the struggle to find community as someone coming from both black and white cultures, and his journey toward finding a way to make a difference that went beyond wide-eyed idealism to include everyone. This is a story about a grass-roots organizer who has worked in marginalized communities in Chicago to a man who is now on the road to the White House. Barack’s story is one that offers hope, that indeed it is possible to find a way to connect across our differences, and to make a difference while doing so.

QUOTE from the book:

"What I heard from my mother that day, speaking about my father, was something that I suspect most Americans will never hear from the lips of those of another race, and so cannot be expected to believe might exist between black and white: the love of someone who knows your life in the round, a love that will survive disappointment. She saw my father as everyone hopes at least one other person might see him; and she tried to help the child who never knew him see him in the same way."
~ p. 127, Barack Obama, Dreams From My Father