Overview:
We are now in an era when it is increasingly accepted that the fate of all life and our planet is in the hands of humankind. Faced with climate change, pollution, resource degradation, species extinction, financial uncertainty, widening socioeconomic inequity, cultural and spiritual crises, Gross National Happiness seeks to explore the relationship between inner transformation and social innovation and give people practical tools to address these challenges.
This program has been designed by the Gross National Happiness Centre, Humankind Enterprises and Digital Storytellers to provide 20 innovators with an immersive experience of positive development and deep wisdom so that they can create change in ways that serve their highest values and the needs of our communities. Slow Change is the practise of deep change, driven by innate human values and wisdom. Using the platform of Bhutan, the only country to measure Gross National Happiness over Gross Domestic Product, we will explore “innervation” and social innovation through the lense of mindfulness, storytelling and wellbeing.
The changemakers of today are realising that deep rooted social change isn’t going to happen top down, or even bottom up. We need change from the inside, out. Social change driven by human change. There’s a big returning and remembering to what our goals really are and what we mean when we say “social innovation”. Innovation is not always progress and we have to remind ourselves about the deep rooted changes that we’re actually seeking.
We’re calling on the leaders, change makers, activists and visionaries that work in social, government or business sectors who believe in mindful, values based, compassionate and connected change. Bhutan is a country that embodies it’s values and it will leave you with an enriched sense of confidence in our unfolding humankindness and your role in creating sustainable change.
If you’re already pioneering social change, or are burning to get started, then this program is for you.
Details:
- Length: 12 days, November
- Apply: August
Spud’s Thoughts:
I’ve wanted to visit Bhutan for quite awhile now, and this program looks like an incredible opportunity to fully appreciate and immerse yourself in the changemaking efforts happening in the country. In the changemaking space, it can be easy to get sucked up in the ‘accelerator’ and ‘incubator’ lingo – but from my experience, transformative change is a slow process. It takes time and patience and understanding. It requires building upon those who have come before you. What better place to soak in the wisdom of those who have been engaged this work for quite some time than Bhutan.
