School of System Change

We know that growing a global community of change agents is our best chance to accelerate a transition to a sustainable future. Want to know more?

Basecamp Eastern Europe & Central Asia 2021

We live in a world of complex and interconnected challenges and seek sustainable social impact acting under circumstances of constant changes, limited resources and uncertainty. The pandemic became another powerful demonstration of global interconnectedness and revealed shortcomings of many existing systems around us — health systems, economic systems, educational systems and social systems.

Systemic change happens at multiple levels, and is driven by deep patterns, mindsets and paradigms. Systems Practice is a set of conceptual frameworks, methodologies and tools that helps to navigate in complex environments and to identify the leverage points with greatest potential for impact.

Basecamp Eastern Europe & Central Asia is a six-month-long learning journey around Systems Practice. It guides you through embracing complexity, exploring how different systems operate, recognising the seeds of the emerging future and engaging others with far-reaching change processes. The course is delivered through a combination of online and in-person sessions, with a mixture of small group activities, independent reflection and one-to-one coaching.

Basecamp gives you an opportunity not only to learn about systems practices, but also to apply this learning to your own work and to try new conceptual frameworks and models in a supportive environment.

Click here to download the course brochure.

Applications have now closed.

PAGE CONTENTS:

WHAT WILL I GET FROM THE COURSE?

Upon completing your journey with Basecamp Eastern Europe & Central Asia 2021, you will become:

Capable of understanding and diagnosing complex systems
Equipped with a toolkit of varied systemic methods and approaches for developing and working on multi-stakeholder projects
Prepared to make the right choices about where and how to act to create positive change
Experienced in applying a learning on complex, real-life sustainability challenges
Ready to lead transformational change in your own field
Linked to a powerful international network of people and support

HOW IS THE COURSE STRUCTURED?

The course runs over six months — from the end of May 2021 to the beginning of December 2021. It includes the following activities:

First intensive session (online)
When: May 25–28, 2021
Format: 4 full days of remote work
Who is there: full cohort
What’s happening: Introduction of system change practices, understanding systems

Fieldwork for organisations
When: June–July 2021
Format: 3–4 days of collaborative team work within a period of 8 weeks
Who is there: you and your fieldwork team
What’s happening: Fieldwork mapping complex real-life sustainability challenges in teams

Mid-term meetup (online)
When: July 27–29, 2021
Format: 2 full days of remote work
Who is there: full cohort
What’s happening: Closure of the fieldwork, intro to the online learning modules

Second intensive session (online)
When: September 14–17, 2021
Format: 4 full days of in-person work
Who is there: full cohort
What’s happening: Designing strategies for system change

Online get-together
When: December 7–8, 2021
Format: 2 days of remote meeting
Who is there: full cohort
What’s happening: Deep reflection and preparation for the next journey

Along the journey, all the Basecampers engage with online learning activities, which include peer coaching, individual coaching sessions, group sessions, readings, and exercises on individual work. On average, it will take 5 hours per week in addition to the sessions listed above.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Course fees are as follows, based on sector/professional context. VAT does not apply.

Corporate, philanthropy, government: 8,400 € *
NGO, social enterprise, public sector: 5,880 €
Small organisation, freelance, individual: 4,200 €

* A 30% discount from this full fee is offered to corporate and government partners of Forum for the Future.

A limited number of part-scholarships is available.

Your accommodation and meals during the second intensive session in September 2021 in Tbilisi, Georgia, are included in the course fee.

WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATING?

There are no specific minimum qualifications required to participate in Basecamp. However, we assume a base level of understanding of sustainability (defined broadly as social and environmental issues in today’s world), as we do not include any introduction or specific knowledge on this as part of the course. We expect that our participants will have varied sustainability backgrounds and contexts and this is fine (and in fact desired). We’ll be looking for a mix of issue expertise, whether that is waste management, social justice, economic inequality or climate change.

We are looking for inspired and intrepid individuals from business, non-profits, public sector organisations and philanthropy, along with any other enablers of change (like consultants, designers, or entrepreneurs) to form a strong cohort of at least twenty participants.

We expect you will have a strategic role and some decision-making capacity within your organisation, community, or professional context so that you are well-placed to directly and promptly apply your learning, and to feasibly implement strategic changes.

As a participant, you will identify a specific complex sustainability challenge (in the widest sense of the word, including social change), and commit to exploring that challenge (although it may evolve) during your applied learning journey - meaning that you’re up for scoping or planning a new piece of work, re-visiting a strategy, or otherwise shifting or building on your current work as you learn and test out your new skills.

WHO WILL THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS BE?

Each of our cohorts is different. Our aim and one of our core programme design principles is for diversity across the group in the broadest sense of the word, including diversity of professional setting (large organisations and small, different sectors along with freelancers and independents), to diversity of sustainability issue and area of expertise.

If you would like to learn more about the course and meet the facilitators before you apply, you can watch the recording of our recent information session for prospective applicants.

For any further queries, please contact [email protected].

Applications are now closed.

For any questions regarding the application process, please contact us at [email protected].

Partners

Basecamp Eastern Europe & Central Asia is a joint project of School of System Change and MitOst e.V.

The network partner is iac Berlin.

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