Do you ever feel your chest burning or a rush through your body when you meet with injustice? Some people easily take the mic and blow off steam, naming what needs to be named. Pointing out what needs to be said. But more often than not, we stumble in our silence, looking for the right words, missing the moment or lacking the courage. In this first masterclass we look at the difference between feeling safe, and feeling (un)comfortable. We reflect on situations within our organizations and work towards answering what it takes to build a brave space: environments where people dare to take the risk of sharing questions, concerns and mistakes for the sake of inclusiveness and standing up for what is right.

Why do some stories resonate more than others? Why do certain messages only get heard after certain people tell them? The first step to telling a powerful story is to understand what you stand for and how and you show up. In our second masterclass, we look at how create a compelling narrative. On that moves people to action. We look at 'innervism', the version of activism that looks inward - understanding our passion as well as our blind spots and privilege. We’ll use a selection of tools to grasp, and practise what power we have and how we can wield it to tell, hear or amplify stories that matter.

“Silence is the missing voice in a conversation. The sound of something being said but hasn’t been.” Authors Megan Reitz and John Higgins wrote a book about speaking up, which perhaps ironically dedicated half its pages to listening up. Finding the words is only half the work. Creating space to hear others is as important. In this third masterclass, we’ll work with different levels of listening, understand resistance in its many forms and recognize the positive power of conflict.

Our pathway to change is not without risk, and it can get rocky and bumpy. Until we befriend conflict as part and parcel of the journey, it will be hard to speak up. But we also need to recognize the elephant in the room, namely power and the unequal distribution of it. Our perception of who has it influences whether we feel safe to speak up. And people who feel they risk losing power, can get personal. In this masterclass, we’ll look at what it takes to ‘spread the no’ and make disagreement part of the culture in companies, so that we work toward what the world needs.

“Changemakers don’t make trouble. It’s trouble that creates changemakers.” a fellow rebel and innovator once said. In all our advocacy and activism, we might forget our purpose. We are seeking change that is good for all. And that means we can’t use the same thinking - or behaviour- that got us here. In this last masterclass, we’ll hear from experts who have consistently found new ways to interact and guide the process of getting toward change, together. Because change is not only in the ‘what’ but in the ‘how’.