As a young cooperative, the LifeSchoolHouse grew almost in spite of itself for the first two years. The LEADING EFFECTIVE MEETINGS course came about just as the team were contemplating how to be intentional — always purpose-led, always effective — to get the work done in the interest of emergent growth. Here’s what they learned and riffed-on…

On one day, Otto Scharmer may be just the right thing to nudge people ahead. On another, we may pull out some Art of Hosting rules to make sure everyone’s listening openly, or we may map out a series of Agile-inspired sprints to get everyone’s sleeves rolled-up. None of the theories above are big enough to hold what we do. We use pieces of them all and are attached to none. Isn’t it freeing?

“How you’re capturing these conversations here is the way that my people have been capturing their history for thousands of years,” explained the elder. “Don’t ever think of it as a gimmick. You’re doing something important and sacred.” Stand up now, fellow bards. And keep standing.

In Art of Hosting, there's no such thing as a hands-off host. If we are among any AoH cohort, we're constantly practicing how to host actively—to surface more voices that are often surprising, otherwise marginalized, and deeply valuable. In this excerpt of Tuesday Ryan-Hart's talk, we explore beyond the intention of equity to the practical implementation of it.

As a drama theorist, Augusto Boal’s work went way beyond theatre. He helped people find more new ways to switch on openness, both as individuals and as a collective. His work was surprising, shocking, and delightful for participants—and all of the above in how profoundly effective it’s proven to be as a pathway to optimism and action.

We can be territorial, especially when we’re unsure—even more so when it comes to cracking open commonly-held beliefs about equity and the status quo. At AoH, we get really, really good at saying ‘I Don’t Know.’ All the best revelations begin there.

In a webinar offered by Engage Nova Scotia and filmed at the HUB South Shore, my old friend and mentor, Toke Moeller explored the Art of Hosting: the method's radical common sense and impact, and how it's become its own movement. What can we learn from this as we work to accelerate change in Nova Scotia, and how might we use it to encourage young people to lead change within their communities?