Dear You!

Welcome to our first ‘Beastie Eye’.

Wassat then? It’s the first bimonthly E-Newsletter of the BTCI facilitator community. And the point is?

• To help us to ALL stay connected – so we can really start to pool our resources in powerful new ways.
• To really see what we add up to – and to realise the extent of the talent, wisdom and enterprise that permeate this community. (See ‘Time to see ourselves’ below.)
• To give this community a pulse. A time when we can all get our bearings – and take stock of what’s on the horizon – and what ground we’ve been covering.
• And to give each of you a voice, a noticeboard, a platform and whatever else you want or need. (See ‘Make this YOUR Enewsletter’ below.)

In a moment – with one link – you can see the faces of ALL the UK facilitators (where they live & who’s near you) – but first… here’s what’s on the immediate horizon.

THIS WEEKEND'S GATHERING: 26th/ 27th JUNE - BLACKJACK’S MILL, HAREFIELD

HEART SPACE –

For this gathering, we’ll be focusing on what you’ve most asked for – time and space to really connect with one another. The three words that will anchor this gathering: COMMUNITY, CREATIVITY and CELEBRATION.

PACHAMAMA COMES TO THE UK!! –

This week-end we’ll be joined by Jon Symes and Tracy Apple from The Pachamama Alliance (TPA) in California. (This in itself is cause for a big celebration; these are two seriously wonderful people!) ‘Mama Symposium’ – aka Tracy Apple - is one of the originators of the Symposium, co-headed the first training here – and has a special place in the hearts of our Training team. Jon trained at Embercombe (with Jon, Jon & Hetty!) in the UK in 2006, and authored ‘Your Planet Needs You’ - before being lured across to TPA in California to help grow the Initiative internationally.

For more information about the week-end – and to register (please do so asap) – go to:
http://btci-facil-gath-201006.eventbrite.com/

TWO IMMINENT TRAININGS:

ACHTUNG DREAMERS!

A week after our gathering, it’s the first ever German facilitator training. And take a peek at just what Vivian Dittmar (a Cosmic Orange) & her team have created. Just three months after her training! A hugely inspiring month-long event called ‘Eagle Condor’ – set in a stunning community in the heart of the Bavarian Forest:
http://www.hoellbachhof.net/cms/pdf/pdf14.pdf

OOP NORTH AT LAST!

At Ampleforth College in Yorkshire – a beautiful place – from July 29th – Aug 1st. Do call friends, family, colleagues and especially past Symposium participants who might like to join our community! Details & online booking at:
http://btcitraining201007.eventbrite.com/

IT’S TIME TO SEE OURSELVES

SEE THE FACES AND PLACES OF OUR COMMUNITY

Updates of our Active Facilitator List (spreadsheet) and the associated Google Map (to see where we are) will follow shortly, so please communicate any change to your contact details to Jon Ralls (jonralls@bethechangeinitiative.org) by return. You can also check that your pointer is in roughly the right place on this sneak preview of the Google Map:
http://tinyurl.com/BTCI-Map-201006a
(the link for the corrected version will be slightly different, so please don't bookmark it yet!)

SEE WHAT WE’RE UP TO

Here is the tiniest taster of what the 200 plus facilitators in our community are up to!

FOODSHARE: http://www.foodshare.co.uk/
MOVEMENT MEDICINE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDiWvv7rwfE
VICTERI: http://www.victeri.co.uk/
BIKE THE EARTH: http://www.biketheearth.org.uk/

And… what else?... LET US KNOW… you tell us!

MAKE THIS YOUR ENEWSLETTER

Yes, we’ve got a name for it ("The Beastie Eye" came from a genuine mis-hearing of BTCI!) As for the rest? For this thing to really be of value, we need to hear from you. So…

FILL IT! What would you love to see here – what would be most valuable to you? And what do you want to share with others?

JOIN IT! Be part of the team that pulls together the August Enewsletter – it could be as simple as being a focal point (and info gatherer) for your regional group or tribe.

It's here to reflect you back at you – and to share tools and ideas that would most serve you… would most serve all of us, in fact

FIRST THINGS FIRST: GROWING THE TEAM

Right now – you may be itching to send in your thoughts and ideas.

Hold your horses for the time being – we will update you where to send those ideas. First and foremost, we want to make this enewsletter a sustainable beast. Something that doesn’t rest on the shoulders of one person. So … if you are interested in being part of the Enewsletter team, contact Jonathan Hughes at jon@wordzup.com Thank you.

OTHER STOP PRESS NEWS

FUNDRAISING

We are all aware that Be The Change cannot continue to operate on goodwill and personal energy alone – Diane Sharp, Hetty Einzig & Kirstin Irving have made fundraising a priority, and have some very promising 'leads' in development. These include potential funding associated with the Centre for Innovation & Partnership (CIPS) in Newham, with their forthcoming Green Skills Faculty, and a Joseph Rowntree project bid for offering the Symposium to disadvantaged communities, as a key tool in a process of empowerment to craft a different future for themselves. Opportunities to participate in these and other initiatives will be widely publicised as soon as funding is secured. If you have fundraising experience or leads to share, please contact:
Diane: dianesharp@bethechangeinitiative.org, or Kirstin: kirstin@irvingallan.com.

BE THE CHANGE CONSULTING (BTCC)

In terms of taking the Symposium Message into organisations, we are currently developing exciting projects with potential clients e.g. CIPS (see above) and local small businesses, The Eden Project, and The Body Shop. Our purpose has been evolving through many great discussions over the last month: our focus is on awakening corporate consciousness rather than individual, to work in partnership with organisations to become magnets, not just for their products or services, but also for what they stand for. We believe that organisations and business are powerful forces for change, and the urgency of our global situation demands that they get involved. It is good timing – many of us believe we are entering an era in which responsibility will become the primary standard by which organisations are judged – by all stakeholders. Do get in touch if you want to know more, or would like support to take the Symposium into an organisation you are involved with:
Gil Hilleard: gil@btcib.org and Hetty Einzig: hetty@btcib.org.