Are you an Indigenous leader working to increase program support and dollars for your community led solutions?

Are you looking to increase your ability to convene conversations within your community, between your organization and others or with the philanthropic sector?

Are you tired of being tokenized for “Reconciliation” efforts and want to find a different way to help lead change?
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Are you a  board member, volunteer or staff member for a philanthropic organization?

Are you working with local Indigenous partners or wanting to work with local Indigenous partners?

​Are you interested in building your capacity to work alongside Indigenous grantees, community partners and individuals?
Later this year, we are excited to host an Art of Hosting workshop on Mi’kmaw Territory at Windhorse Farms, NS. This training will increase connection between our members and will be a unique learning opportunity toward activating UNDRIP, and The TRC Calls to Action. Our members have called for more opportunities to connect and what better way to build or strengthen relationships than by learning alongside one another and making plans for how to work toward supporting more Indigenous led solutions for meaningful change. We want to provide a unique opportunity for Indigenous leaders to participate in capacity building related to their community organizing and convening work so that they are able to amplify their solutions and increase confidence in leading community engagement. We want to invite philanthropic organizations to attend and build their skills, with the added request that they bring with them an Indigenous community partner. This could be a grant advisor, a board member or the staff from a grantee organization you fund or wish to work alongside. We’re calling these “Reciprocity teams” as learning, co-design and practice will be an added part of your Art of Hosting experience.

TUITION:

MEMBER RATE: $1,250 + tax

​NON-MEMBER RATE: $1,750 + TAX
Tuition cost inclusive of workbooks, materials and meals
If you are an Indigenous organization looking to participate in the AoH alongside a philanthropic partner, please get in touch with us to be connected with a Reciprocity Team.
Accommodation:

Windhorse Farm

129 SARTY RD.
NEW GERMANY
​NOVA SCOTIA
​B0R 1E0
We will send details and instructions on booking  participant accommodations after registration. Please do not book until instructions have been received. 
Travel Tips:

Fly into Halifax airporT

Go West on 103 to Exit 12
Turn right and go 11km to Wentzell Rd
Turn left and go 1km and over the iron bridge
Immediately after the bridge, turn right on Sarty Rd. 
​Windhorse if the first place on the left, #129

What is the Art of Hosting?

The Art of Hosting Active Reciprocity is an intensive 3-day learning experience where you will practice a set of simple yet powerful approaches for designing and hosting (facilitating) meaningful conversations, engagement processes and meetings. It is based in the practices of the Art of Hosting, which develops personal leadership and capacity to facilitate and lead dialogue and engagement in complex situations. It is an effective way of harnessing the collective wisdom and self-organizing capacity of groups and designing collaborative projects with impact.
We believe that people give their energy and lend their resources to what matters most to them – in work as in life. These practices invite people to step in and respond to the challenges facing them in co-creative, authentic and effective ways.  

​what has the art of hosting been used for?

Internationally, and accress Canada the Art of Hosting has been used for 15 years to build capacity in philanthropic organizations and indigenous communities to undertake deeper engagement around change. Our team has worked with this approach in:
  • Indigenous child and family services redesign
  • Indigenous youth leadership and engagement around issues including foster care and leadership development
  • First Nations governance
  • Participatory leadership in the community foundation sector
Groups, organizations and communities using the Art of Hosting practices report better decision-making, more innovation, greater ability to quickly respond to opportunity, challenge and change and improved relationship quality. People who experience the Art of Hosting typically say that they walk away feeling more inspired and empowered and more able to help guide the meetings and conversations they are part of to move towards desirable outcomes.
Photos from The Circle's Art of Hosting 2019 on Anishinabek Home of the Three Fires Confederacy – Ojibwe Potawatomi and Odawa, Manitoulin Island, Ontario.

​MEET THE CORE HOSTING TEAM

Our core hosting team has decades of experience facilitating strategic conversations, learning and innovation in indigenous communities, non-profits, community foundations, and First Nations communities across the country and around the world.  They have worked extensively in the space between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people on issues such as child and family services, community development, health, governance and education.
Chris Corrigan and Caitlin Frost of Harvest Moon Consultants have been working in the field of engagement and dialogue with indigenous and non-indigenous communities for more than 25 years. They are highly experienced process designers, collaborators, facilitators and coaches. They are both Stewards of the Art of Hosting International Community of Practice and core Faculty of the Leadership 2020 Blended and Indigenous Programs facilitating co-learning in the child and family services sector in British Columbia. Caitlin and Chris have a particular interest in Learning Labs as a way to access new learning, build relationships and capacity, and activate wise action. They have facilitated successful learning labs with community foundations and Vancouver Foundation and as well as with Step Up BC.

Kelly Foxcroft-Poirier, (Chii-ilth-uum-qua) Kelly is a principal of White Raven Consulting and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver. Kelly has an in-depth understanding of First Nations’ arts and culture, having grown up on Tseshaht territory and attended Haa-huu-payak School. She learned song, dance and language studies from elders Carrie Little and Cathy Robinson. Throughout her studies, Kelly also obtained unique job skillsets. Kelly has demonstrated leadership, organization, creative problem solving, and research skills, as well as a strong communication and teamwork background having served as a marketing and publicity coordinator for several non-profit arts and cultural organizations. Kelly continues to develop her understanding of Nuu-chah-nulth and West Coast First Nations’ culture, organization and politics, which unearths further knowledge of protocol and cultural appropriateness. Kelly also understands the application of public relations and fundraising. Kelly’s vision is to bridge the gaps between disparate interest groups, and economic and cultural sectors within communities.

Kris Archie, a Secwepemc and Seme7 woman from the Ts’qescen First Nation, is passionate about heart-based community work and facilitating positive change. Kris is the Executive Director of The Circle.  In all of her roles, Kris works to transform philanthropy and contribute to positive change by creating spaces of learning, relationship-building and activation.
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Shereen Munshi is a first-generation immigrant to Canada migrating with her family from Lusaka, Zambia. Her experiences with wealth disparity and segregation have shaped her outlook on life. She has a compulsion for equity, justice and cultural preservation. As Communications Manager at The Circle, Shereen is responsible for programming, strategic communications, storytelling, resource sharing and partnerships.