Becoming ProSocial
Building Trust and Collaboration in our Groups and Networks
This guided learning journey will introduce the basics of the ProSocial method as an applied change process and welcome participants into our growing global ProSocial Commons community. This course provides weekly peer-group meetings to discuss, explore and deepen the work. Participants will be supported in identifying and working on their particular collaborative needs and goals.
Course Details
When is this course offered?
October 1 to November 12, 2024
Who is this course for?
Individuals or groups who want to learn ProSocial methods and concepts within a learning community of like-minded change makers.
What is the time commitment?
At the minimum the time commitment is 2 hours per week.
- 30 minutes per week assimilating Intro to ProSocial materials.
- 90 minutes community call to practice together.
About the Course
Becoming ProSocial explores the following questions:
How can we build more trust and collaboration in the groups and networks we care about?
How can we work together to make the difference we are striving for?
We will work through the first 7 modules of the Intro to ProSocial course together. The main objective of this experience is:
- To practice psychological flexibility and listening in community
- To get a taste of the prosocial community of practice for the 7 weeks we are together
- To empower us all to improve our groups and communities
The ProSocial model is designed to enhance self-awareness, responsiveness and collaboration by making use of ideas drawn from cultural evolutionary theory, Elinor Ostrom’s Nobel prize-winning design principles for groups, and the contemplative and behavioral sciences. Central are three core processes:
Each week, you will be invited to review a half hour of content on your own as well as join an hour and a half long call with peers to engage in dialogue and practice in small groups.
Beyond the 7-week experience, there will be opportunities for you to pursue your interests within the ProSocial Commons.
At the end of the course, you will have a broad understanding of our approach for enhancing relationships with each other and you will have joined a global community of people using ProSocial to make a difference. If you want to start learning about what ProSocial is and how it can aid your work in an applied and meaningful way, this is your next step.
Learning Objectives
- Growing Personally – enhance your capacity to be present and responsive to your needs and values
- Helping Groups - learn and practice the basics of a new, evidence-based and very practical method for enhancing trust and collaboration in groups
- Creating Support Networks - Join a cohort of peers tackling similar challenges and are willing to serve as an ongoing support network
- Collaborating - Have a meaningful experience collaborating in a safe and trusting environment
Course Meeting Dates
October - November 2024 Dates
Tuesdays: 1, 8, 15 22, 29, Nov 5, 12,
Time: TBA - more options will be offered
Time Requirement and Outline
At the minimum the time commitment is 2 hours per week.
- 30 minutes per week assimilating Intro to ProSocial materials
- 90 minutes community call to practice together
Scholarships
We're committed to accessibility. If you are from a marginalized group, part of a developing region, or not in a financial position to cover the fees, please fill in this form
Participant Testimonials
"It was fantastic to learn how other people from around the world saw and adopted ProSocial - I was also introduced to group-development-concepts outside of ProSocial which I really appreciated... got a glimpse of the eco-system where ProSocial exists."
Dr Gustaf Waxegård
Clinical psychologist, Sweden
"The ProSocial course provided practical tools for supporting groups to work more effectively together while emphasizing shared values and providing a model for integration and cohesive success for stakeholders. Very inspiring!"
Karsten Peterson
MSW, LSSW
"I highly recommend this course if you are working with groups of any size to improve outcomes for your clients. It is evidence-based, highly interactive, and Paul is knowledgeable, helpful and incredibly giving."
Kyle McWilliams
Ph.D.
"Connecting with like-minded people throughout the world has been one of my most rewarding and inspiring experiences. The uninhibited sharing of experiences and knowledge, with the sole purpose of wanting others to benefit and succeed, is unforgettable. The utility of Prosocial is extremely powerful"
Duncan Brown
Management Consultant
Meet the Coaches
Dounia Saeme, MA, polyglot citizen of the world, is an economist by training and a passionate facilitator.
In 2016, while pursuing her PhD in Economics at UC Berkeley, Dounia recognized the need to break free from ubiquitous life-disconnected cultural patterns. Showing great courage, she decided to leave her PhD and embark on an experiential learning journey figuring out how to gracefully face the complex challenges of our time.
Dounia's focus shifted towards citizen-led food system research and community engagement in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. There, she formed a nutritional outreach team of six individuals facing employment barriers (including individuals with a history of addiction, mental illness and incarceration). Together, they established a procurement group that provided fresh produce to Vancouver DTES food providers and created an affordable produce market in Canada's poorest zip code.
To enhance her ability to engage and transform communities, Dounia trained in various facilitative modalities, such as Open Space Technology, Dynamic Facilitation, Systemic Constellation and ProSocial facilitation. She has organized and hosted over 20 smaller (25-60 participants) and larger scale (300+ participants) events designed to enable self-organizing action.
Currently, Dounia is dedicated to spreading social technologies that promote emotional intelligence and unlock the full potential of conscious leadership. As a Community Catalyst at ProSocial World, she bridges the gap between academic theory and practice, fostering collaboration and authentic environments for transformative action.
In her free time Dounia loves to grow food, go on nature adventures and play with natural fibers on the unceded Mi'kmaq territory of Southwest Nova Scotia where she now resides with her family.
Paul Atkins is a researcher, speaker, and facilitator trainer. He is a Visiting Associate Professor with the Crawford School of Public Policy (Australian National University). His research has focused on interventions to reduce stress while enhancing relationships, wellbeing, perspective-taking, and cooperation in groups and organizations. Paul is a registered organizational psychologist with a Ph.D. in Psychology from Cambridge University. He is the lead author of the recently published book Prosocial: Using Evolutionary Science to Build Productive, Equitable, and Collaborative Groups and co-founder and Vice President of Prosocial World, a not for profit organization focused on enhancing cooperation and trust in purpose-driven groups globally. The Prosocial process has been used to help improve group effectiveness in contexts as diverse as slowing the spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone, enhancing performance in Australian government agencies, and improving cooperation in public schools.
REGISTER HERE
Interest Form
If you are interested in this course but would like more information, share your contact details below.
You will be redirected to a calendar where you can schedule a one-on-one meeting with a member of our team to explore if this program is a good fit for you.
Becoming ProSocial
Payment Levels
For our courses, we ask that each participant pays within their capacity. As Miki Kashtan puts it, “give the most that you can without overstretching or resentment.”
Sustainability for ProSocial World: $300
This payment level will cover the full cost for ProSocial World to administer the course.
Supporting Others to Attend: $450
This payment level helps cover the costs of others who cannot afford the full tuition.
Scholarships: We’re committed to accessibility. If you are from a marginalized group, part of a developing region, or not in a financial position to cover the full tuition, please fill in this form.
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If you would prefer to pay for your course fees by electronic fund transfer or check, and require an invoice in advance, please contact ashle.gilreath@prosocial.world