Engaging Internationally

Reflections on gender and cross-cultural sensitivity

March 7, 2012

Leading up to the annual International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration on March 8th, there has been a lot written, and blog discussions, about the role of women in the world.  Some of these discussions have also veered in the direction of not only gender issues but general diversity awareness.  Where we are in our own …

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Systems Thinking

March 1, 2012

I don’t much like labels – perhaps because the work I do has never fallen neatly into any available labels.  But one label I was recently given, I do quite like: systems thinker. “Systems thinking  is the process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole.”  Here’s another perspective on systems thinking …

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The Value of Mentoring

February 15, 2012

The good folks at whydev.org are starting a peer coaching program for the international development community.   That got me thinking recently about mentoring.  One of my earliest mentors advised me to ‘always be a mentor and have a mentor’;  and  I have always tried to follow that advice.  Sometimes the assumption is made that mentorship …

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A new home

February 3, 2012

If you frequent this blog you may notice a new look – I’ve now integrated it with my newly redesigned website.  I would like it to be easier for those involved in international engagement anywhere along the spectrum  to find resources that will help them with their work.  I’d like to invite you to take …

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Navigating Global Change

January 19, 2012

What skills, methods and tools will we need to navigate the choppy waters we are in and bring about transformative social change?

I have just spent 3 days in discussion with 22 people from 7 countries in a “we_b” laboratory held in Brussels under the umbrella of a new collaborative group we are calling Collective …

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