Tag Archives: cortes-island

Social Change Institute: June 8-12 at Hollyhock

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HBW - Hollyhock Garden - thanks for 4M views

Image by ecstaticist via Flickr

I won’t be able to make it this year—and actually, it’s been way too long since I’ve been able to make my way up to Hollyhock—but there’s an annual event happening there this June that anyone should consider, if social change is their bag.

It’s the Social Change Institute, and it runs this year from June 8 to 12. I attended one five years ago with Alex that not only introduced me to dozens of fascinating people doing tremendous work in many aspects of social change, but also led to one of the projects Social Signal is proudest of, Tyze.

Here’s the word on this year’s Institute:

We are pleased to welcome you for the 2011 Social Change Institute at Hollyhock on Cortes Island. Join organizations and leaders working towards practical solutions to timely local and global issues, in a collaborative and fun 5 day intensive at Canada’s renowned lifelong learning centre.

Emerging themes and outcomes include:

  • Cross sector relationship building
  • Breakout Skills and Tools sessions
  • Inspiring and informative updates from selected issue areas
  • Case Studies: Participants focus as a group on an individual organization’s challenges
  • Focus Forums: Participant led hot topics
  • Confidential Problem Solving small groups
  • One on one intensive consulting sessions with experts
  • And everything Hollyhock.ca can offer you in terms of side benefits: fabulous local food from the ocean and garden, nature hikes, bodywork, hot tubs, socials, music, rest, and face to face time with the ocean and the forest.

Contact Hollyhock at 1-800-933-6339 or Stina at 604-612-8563 for more information. Or head over to our online home base: http://www.scihollyhock.org

Strategic blogging workshop at Hollyhock: May 17-21

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We’re putting the finishing touches on Word Power, the Social Signal blogging workshop that Alex and I will be holding at the Hollyhock Centre from May 17 to 21.

I’m excited about this: there are a growing number of technical how-to resources for blogging, but there are still very few opportunities to learn about blogs from a strategic standpoint. How do you position them as part of an integrated communications strategy? How do you write in an authentic voice while still keeping your organization’s goals front and centre? And how can you tap into the power of the larger blogging world to help achieve those goals?

We get to spend four days with our participants answering those questions in the spectacular Hollyhock Centre on Cortes Island. It’s gorgeous, the meals manage the impossible task of being both sumptuous and ridiculously healthy, and Hollyhock’s workshops manage to attract some of the most interesting people I’ve had the good fortune to meet. I hope you can join us.

(And deep thanks to everyone who’s helping to spread the word: Marshall, Evan, Declan, Darren, Pogge, Derek, Idealistic Pragmatist, Wonderdog, Will and Mark. Not to mention the April 2006 issue of Vancouver magazine!)