The betterplace co:lab is a program of the betterplace lab. Our goal is to support civil society in its important work for social change. Because successful collaboration is central to this, we want to strengthen core competencies for collaboration: within civil society, but also beyond it in the public and private sectors. Our offering consists of two pillars: the basic workshops and the thematic clusters. In the basic workshops, our trainers teach individual core competencies for better collaboration. In the clusters, experienced coaches support a group of different organizations in jointly mastering a concrete collaboration project. Both offerings are continuously evaluated and scientifically substantiated by our accompanying research.
There are no simple solutions to questions of economic and political participation, the management of natural resources or rapid technological development. Issues such as these require continuous social negotiation that recognizes systemic interdependencies and accepts that multiple development scenarios are possible.
This negotiation can succeed if organizations and stakeholders from all sectors learn to engage with their different perspectives. Good collaboration therefore takes time, give-and-take, and the courage to take risks. We call this collaboration.
Collaboration does not mean the transactional negotiation that we know from working with others. Collaboration means co-creative development: In a creative process, a solution perspective emerges that is more than the sum of its parts.
The program consists of two components:
With our workshop program we want to support committed people from civil society - from NGOs to social collectives to political initiatives -, but also interested parties from other sectors such as public administration and the private sector who are striving for social change.
The basic assumption is that collaboration works better when all participants first become aware of their own inner attitudes before working with others. Participants are therefore trained to become aware of their expectations, their wishes and also their limits, to communicate these and to reflect on their own role in collaborating with others. Methodically, the workshops contain a mixture of impulses from the trainers, reflection exercises in small groups and elements of body work.
The three basic workshops take place mainly online and last three hours each. You can either participate as an individual or take your whole team and go on the journey together. The individual workshops build on each other in terms of content, so it makes sense to attend them one after the other.
Strengthen self-awareness on a mental, physical and emotional level
Only when we are in contact with ourselves can we make contact with others. Self-contact has at least three qualities: it is physical, emotional and mental. In the first part of the workshop, participants practice perceiving themselves on all three levels. Then, participants look at their relationship to two of the most important basic human needs: On the one hand, we need a sense of belonging & security. To the same extent, we need autonomous self-expression and, related to that, the feeling of innovation and change. In our (professional) everyday life we often experience inner tensions, for example when our sense of security is shaken by a challenging project.
In this workshop you will learn to
- perceive yourself on all three levels (physical, mental and emotional)
- find out how this perception changes in contact with others
- to give a name to experienced sensations and to understand them better
- name and describe the inner tension that arises when the basic needs for security and for change come into conflict with each other
- to find a possibly new way of dealing with this tension
Deeper speaking, attentive listening and perception of the relationship space
Do you know the phenomenon of already knowing at the beginning of a conversation what you are going to say and how the conversation will end? How can our speaking change when we go from deeper self-contact (workshop 1) into dialogue and surprise ourselves? Listening attentively is a real challenge. Most of the time we are already planning what we are about to say instead of really giving our attention to our counterpart. How does it feel when we really engage with the other person's perspective? Give her/him space. Allowing pauses in conversation to occur where what is being said can have an impact?
If we pay more attention to the atmosphere that arises between us conversation partners, we find important information that can significantly influence and enrich our conversation.
In this workshop, participants will learn to sense the relational space and improve their skills in speaking and listening to each other.
Here you will learn to
- listen attentively
- speak more deeply and more connectedly
- refine your interpersonal sensitivity
Unlocking creative approaches to solutions through a systemic perspective
Being able to take a larger perspective on what is happening is a skill we want to strengthen. We call this "taking the balcony perspective", from which we can better recognize pattern formations and dynamics and make them discussable. Being able to hold different perspectives in consciousness at the same time is another skill that we consider essential for co-creative collaboration. With this so-called multi-perspectivity, creative new approaches to solutions can emerge.
Here you learn
- to get involved in the perspectives of others
- get a new perspective on your project/problem by looking at it from the "outside"
- how to leave your own point of view for a few moments and thereby gain new insights
Workshop participants have written about their experiences. You can find their reports here. We also reported the impact of the program in the first two years of the project for you.
Sign up for our info letter. Here we will inform you about the latest program developments and new workshop dates.
Are you part of a network of individuals, initiatives or organizations that want to implement a specific project together? Or are you planning to form such a group that wants to tackle a topic of social change, e.g. through a project on climate protection, equal rights or freedom of speech?
Then we can strengthen and accompany you in this process. In so-called thematic clusters, our experienced coaches accompany an association of several organizations in mastering a concrete collaboration project together. On the one hand, representatives of the participating organizations attend the basic workshops together to strengthen their collaboration skills. In addition, our coaches invite them to reflection meetings over several months, thus providing a moderated space to talk about the "how" of collaboration, which often gets short shrift in the turbulent daily work routine. You can reflect on vague dreams as well as on concrete processes, and also address challenges and conflicts.
So far, we have accompanied eight thematic clusters. More information
If you are interested in becoming or funding a theme cluster, we would be happy to advise you: lisa.bogerts@betterplace-lab.org.
The second round of the co:lab program is funded by the Schöpflin Foundation and the BMW Foundation.
How can I participate?
The basic workshops are free of charge and open to all participants who are involved in civil society on a full-time or voluntary basis. Each workshop lasts three hours and contains a mixture of impulses from the trainers, reflection exercises in small groups, and elements of bodywork. In the coming months, the workshops will be implemented as digital formats in German and partly in English. The minimum number of participants is 12. Registration takes place via Eventbrite.
Do I have to attend all the workshops?
The five workshops build on each other in terms of content. This means that Workshop 1 is a prerequisite for Workshop 2, etc. Over the course of the next two years, the workshop formats will be repeated several times so that participants have the opportunity to start the program and continue workshop content at different times.
Will I receive a certificate of participation?
We will provide you with a certificate of completion after you have participated in the full program, attesting to the skills you have learned.
As a freelance coach, trained psychological counselor and non-medical practitioner of psychology, Bettina Rollow brings a great deal of experience in translating well-being approaches for everyday professional life. Through her training in Thomas Hübl's "Timeless Wisdom Training" and in Gestalt therapy, she has also gained several years of experience in guiding self-awareness. Together with Joana Breidenbach, she shows in the handbook "New Work Needs Inner Work" that every external change of structures and processes must necessarily be accompanied by an inner transformation.
Anjet Sekkat is a certified midwife and alternative practitioner of psychology. In her work as a trainer for Transparent Communication according to Thomas Hübl, she has been leading groups in self-awareness, meditation, communication and self-care since 2014. Furthermore, she has deepened these competencies in assisting the 3-year Timeless Wisdom training. She has been working as a mentor, coach and supervisor for different online programs (Conscious-U and Academy for Inner Science) since 2015, and she has been developing and running a training series for therapists and coaches since 2015.
Jana Schmitz has been working as a psychologist, coach and trauma therapist (NARM) in her own practice since 2021, where she focuses on accompanying individuals as well as teams and groups. She is trained in Transparent Communication according to Thomas Hübl and has built up her knowledge of consciousness and personality development as well as meditation in many seminars, workshops and trainings. She has also acquired a deep therapeutic knowledge during her many years of work at the Heiligenfeld clinics. The topic "Inner Work" is very close to her heart, not only since her training in New Work, which is why she recently published an online course "Inner Work Intensive" with her colleagues Joana Breidenbach, Bettina Rollow and Anjet Sekkat. She has been living in her hometown Berlin again since 2017.
Sucha Gesina Wolters holds a degree in education and has worked for many years as a lecturer and social worker in adult education. She is a trainer for communication in community building processes and trained in transparent communication according to Thomas Hübl. She works in her own practice and in a psychosomatic clinic as a SE therapist/trauma counselor according to Peter Levine and assists in SE training. She also works as a coach and supervisor for individuals, couples and groups.
Rainer Höll is an executive coach, organizational developer and one of the pioneers of social entrepreneurship in Germany. He has worked in social change for 15 years and has personally advised and supported more than 100 social entrepreneurs all over Europe. Coaching clients typically work with him on difficult decisions, overwhelm, existential crisis, being on the brink of burnout, self-exploitation, conflict with their colleague, investor, the team, their co-leader.
Background: https://www.rainerhoell.net
Foto: Roxanne Minnish | Pexels