Leading Through Learning: Convening for Community Engagement

Short video invitation to this workshop.

In an era defined by complex challenges like climate resilience and educational equity, effective leadership demands a fundamental shift: listening, adapting and learning across traditional boundaries. This immersive workshop empowers senior leaders to:

• Convene social learning across teams, organisations and communities
• Strengthen relationships between governance and the communities
• Actively engage citizens, community partners and other stakeholders in shaping learning and direction
• Lead through connection, not control
• Cultivate a culture of learning and accountability that supports long-term public value

Why This Matters

Too often, leadership and governance are isolated from the realities and insights of those most affected by their decisions. This workshop offers a powerful pathway to reconnect leadership with community voice, ensuring that organisational strategy is informed by lived experience, not just metrics.

What You’ll Experience

Over 3 days, you’ll engage in dynamic, hands-on and dialogue-driven activities including live design clinics, storytelling sessions and collaborative agenda-setting. We will draw on compelling real-world examples from public utilities, healthcare, non-profit and higher education to illustrate what community-informed leadership truly looks like in practice.

Who is this for:

This retreat is designed for:

• Board members and trustees
• Senior executives and department heads
• Leaders in government, higher education, public utilities, healthcare, libraries, nonprofits and community-based organisations

You’ll find this valuable if you want to:

• Engage more meaningfully with community voices
• Create a culture of reflection, transparency and learning
• Build long-term trust through transparency and collaboration

Key outcomes

You will leave with:

• A draft value creation agenda tailored to your board, organisational or leadership context
• New tools for inclusive engagement like design clinics and value creation storytelling
• Tools to convene learning across governance, operations, and community boundaries
• Real-world cases from different sectors showing community-informed innovation
• Clear next steps to embed convening in your leadership practice
• A deeper understanding of how to create value through community-connected learning

Co-hosts

Dr. Travis Tennessen brings a decade of pioneering experience as the originator and lead convener of the Community Engagement Fellows programme, currently serving as Director of the Center for Community Learning at Western Washington University.

Before coming to Western Washington University, Travis taught at Penn State-University Park and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His courses focused on sustainability, environmental conservation and environmental history. He also directed the Quest alternative break programme in Madison, and Tennessen Treks while at Penn State.

Agenda (09:00-20:00 all days)

Day 1: October 20 (late afternoon programme and dinner included)

Day 2: October 21 (late afternoon programme and dinner included)

Day 3: October 22 (late afternoon programme and dinner included)

Location

Creative Denmark

Christians Brygge 23 (waterside entrance)

1219 København K, Denmark.

Creative Denmark offers easy access to numerous hotels and accommodation options within walking distance. Copenhagen Airport is just a 20-minute car or Metro ride away.

What’s included

3 days of immersive workshop content and facilitation;

All workshop materials and resources;

Daily refreshments, breakfasts, lunches and dinners (We will explore Copenhagen's culinary scene);

Networking opportunities with peers and facilitators.

What’s not included

Travel to and from Copenhagen;

Accommodation

Discounts

Group discounts may be available upon request. Please contact [email protected] for more details.

Register Now

Ready to lead through learning and transform your community engagement?

Space is limited to 15 to ensure an intimate and impactful learning experience. Secure your spot today!

For any inquiries, please contact [email protected].

Host or Publisher Social Learning Talent