Once in a while, an idea lands. And with a special mix of hard work and happenstance, this idea may change the future.

Ideas that make a difference surprise us, but don’t come out of the blue. They occur to those who’ve been immersed in the issues, because of their personal interest, and the story of their own family and community.  What many people know instinctively, and that we often have the pleasure to  see, is that those who have been able to transform their own personal history can in turn envision a different future for their community. It’s as though they work out the problem from the inside out, and then they can facilitate a pathway for others.  Einstein famously said ‘you can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.’

With the concept of ‘deep democracy’, you can work at different scales – that is you facilitate the dynamics inside of you (intra-psychic); in relationship; in teams and organisations; and with the collective or social and political dynamics of the wider society.  What is exciting is that working at one level impacts the other levels.

Mandela was a model of this for the world. Even within the confines of prison and a brutal and violent regime, he found freedom within himself that made it possible to not only continue the struggle, but to commit to leading his country out of the past. He determined to free the oppressor as well as the oppressed, transform the whole system, rather than repeat it.

We call this programme ‘Seeds’, because we liked the idea that a seed is so small, yet holds both history and future within it.

We work alongside selected individuals, who by way of grappling with their own personal and collective history, are in in a position to envision and facilitate a different future for their communities.

The Seeds Programme provides mentoring, facilitation training, programme development and facilitation in community.