In this blog post, Marie-Claire Graf, Catalyst from the cohort 2021-2022, gives insight into her project and the impact collaboratio helvetica and the community still has on her.

In Western society, intelligence is often equated with intellectual prowess – the ability to reason, analyse, and problem-solve. This logical, linear approach to knowing, championed by Descartes' famous dictum "cogito, ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am), has driven immense scientific advancement. However, over-reliance on this kind of knowledge may leave us disconnected from ourselves and the world around us.

Zusammen mit Impact Hub Zürich und One Planet Lab hat collaboratio helvetica den Changemaker Workshop Bundling Forces organisiert.

Von September bis Oktober 2023 fand das Protein Lab statt, ein kollaboratives Projekt der drei Organisationen Sentience, der Berner Fachhochschule BFH und collaboratio helvetica. Die Workshopreihe zielte darauf ab, sektorübergreifende Lösungen für den Wandel des Ernährungssystems zu entwickeln.

Wie soll eine Ernährungspolitik für die Schweiz aussehen, die bis 2030 allen Menschen gesunde, nachhaltige, tierfreundliche und fair produzierte Lebensmittel zur Verfügung stellt? Zu dieser Frage hat sich während fast 6 Monaten der erste nationale Bürger:innenrat getroffen.

Here, you will find templates of a dossier, timeline, budget and financing plan. Have fun experimenting with it!

Difficult conversations are an essential part of meaningful collaborations. A big part of changing the ways we work together implies changing the way how crucial conversations within an organisation take place. Many of the social tools we use at collaboratio helvetica, including dialogue, 4-levels of listening and liberating structures, among many many others offer different methods to have deep conversations that allow everyone to be heard, and any topic to be discussed. But are these conversations also successful in terms of outcome? Do we achieve what we gather for in the first place?

Should donor foundations also invest in the infrastructure of non-profit organisations? Over 30 participants from big and small foundations and associations explored this question in a recent online workshop co-hosted by collaboratio helvetica and proFonds. Looking at this topic from both the prism of two donor foundations and from the perspective of one grantee organisation helped participants to gain a deeper understanding of the benefits and possible pitfalls of such funding as well as consider next steps.

Citizen Assemblies: A way for a participative deliberative decision-making process to find a pathway for solving complex problem.

How do you arouse the enthusiasm of your audience? As a change maker, you need to onboard your stakeholders. Let’s have a look at how Erik Turner, participant of the Catalyst lab cohort 2020/2021, pitched his idea of creating a sustainability certificate at the Zurich sustainability week.

Both practice and a growing body of research show that the complex challenges we are facing, such as climate change and inequality, will not successfully be addressed with current thinking. Indeed, no single organisation nor sector can hope to reach one of the goals set in the Agenda 2030 alone.

Dedicated attention to a personal and ongoing practice is more of a necessity than a luxury in these times of navigating unprecedented changes. In this blog, we share a 5-fold approach to personal care in order to nourish our inner wellsprings and maintain a sense of groundedness and calm during these times.

The ultimate goal of the Catalyst Lab is to prepare participants to apply what they learn at the Lab in their own context, and activate systemic change processes in different segments and sectors in Switzerland

Facilitation is the art of unlocking the power of a group through dialogue and the pursuit of clarity, engaging active participation and embracing the richness of diverse perspectives. Through facilitation the multi-faceted potential of a team is released.” - Definition by the International Association of Facilitators

Creating and Facilitating a Dialogue Evening is an Art and is a learning by doing process. It cannot be planned or prepared for all the emerging questions, issues, unknowns and possible possibilites. An inner presence and openness is crucial.

Successfully catalysising systemic change requires many abilities, skills, internal and external pre-conditions. In the context of the Catalyst Lab, we have created a first iteration of the Catalyst Spiderweb. It is a tool for self-inquiry and assessment and defines 12 aspects the Catalysts can rate themselves on.

A picture is worth a thousand words, and equally - one sculpture or gesture can share a lot about how we are actually feeling. Perhaps, we even uncover something we had not verbalised.

Especially when working with big groups, hand signs can be very useful to share information without interrupting the process or take decisions swiftly.

Experiential learning is the process of learning through experience, and is more specifically defined as "learning through reflection on doing". It is a very effective strategy to create sustainable and inclusive learning experiences.

The flying agenda is basically about facilitating a team process. The following description is very detailed not to be rigid about it, but for you to understand the thinking behind it. What matters is the spirit and the general idea of it. So feel free to adapt this to your context and needs.