Creating Future Stories Together:
personal responsibility | professional viability | global sustainability
August 31, 1-2 September
Register online now!Download a Conference Brochure and Registration Form here.
ICF Australasia Conference 2009
Listen below to an introduction to the Conference by David Drake
Listen to highlights of Sir John Whitmore's keynote presentation to the UK International Coach Federation conference held at the BT centre, London on October 2008.
Throughout the world we are increasingly seeing evidence of the interconnectedness of our global future. The Global Financial Crisis and climate change are two of the most glaring examples of the challenges and opportunities before us. They can also be seen as symptoms of a deeper set of issues that will require us to make urgent and radical changes beyond what most of us can currently envision.
It is time for a new Story of our planet and a reassessment of our place in it. A time to move beyond changing light bulbs, to changing lifestyles! As written in a United Nations report (2005), “human actions are depleting Earth’s natural capital, putting such strain on the environment that the ability of the planet’s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted.” How do we adapt our thinking and behaviours in a timely and appropriate manner, and what is our role, personally and professionally, in supporting this adaptation?
Coaching continues to grow as a recognized resource for conversations and transformation at all levels — used to foster personal wellness, leadership development, civic dialogue, institutional reform, and more. Our clients need coaching now, more than ever, as they grapple with the uncertainties and unknowns that come with responding to our global concerns.
The 2009 ICF Australasia Conference (August 31st-September 2nd) has been designed to facilitate learning and dialogue across the coaching community about what is ours to do. You will engage with peers on:
- Searching for more sustainable lives, in every sense;
- Building more sustainable practices that respond to our emerging environment;
- Developing the leadership that our future sustainability demands; and
- Enabling more sustainable organizations and communities.
Speakers include; international leadership consultants, Richard Hames and Meg Wheatley (Meg via carbon-friendly video); deep ecologist, John Seed; Indigenous Australian leader Bob Randall; , and ‘narrative coach’, David Drake. In addition to many exciting workshops, there will be open spaces to network, music and movement, and opportunities to engage with sustainable business owners and senior practitioners.
The conference is as much about our own fate as coaches as it is our ability to better serve others. How do we deal with our own hopes and fears? What is our personal responsibility? What is our vision for a sustainable lifestyle and what will we need to do to create it and live it? What might we need to ‘give up’ (i.e., habits of consumption and competition) and what might we gain (i.e., experiences of community and vitality)?
We will explore the implications for our businesses of taking greater personal responsibility for our shared global future. Beyond ‘doing good’, what are the practical ways we can engage with organizations, institutions and communities to bring coaching principles and practices to bear on the issues of our day — and do so in ways that are economically viable for everyone involved? How do we do more with less? What are the emerging niches, markets and forms for coaching that support sustainability? How do we respond to the inevitable need for a new breed of leadership, and contribute to the development of the new leadership knowledge, skills and qualities that are needed?
If ever there was a profession born to thrive in these conditions, it is coaching! We have a unique and important role to play in taking the next steps personally and collectively. How can we support each other in such a bold and generative venture? How do we garner the courage to collectively step up to the challenge of the century?
Join us ‘down under’ in Adelaide, South Australia! The exchange rate is good, the airfares are at all-time lows (including carbon offsets), and a courageous and innovative global conversation is ready to begin. Come join us and create a new story for our future.
See you there,
ICF Australasia 2009 Conference Team
Josie McLean PCC, David Drake PhD, Kim Lisson PCC and Fiona Toy
 |
© ICF Australasia Inc © 1998-2008 | Privacy Notice | Terms & Conditions | Site Map
