The Confluence is an innovative program that increases community capacity to tackle complex social issues by creating a setting (Gracious Space) and a structured format for bridging boundaries.  Structured as a two or three-day retreat, The Confluence calls together 50-60 people (both individually and in teams) for an in-depth process that uses dialogue, integral and systems-level thinking, and collaborative action to help people speed the success of their work for social and cultural change.

Each Confluence asks a compelling question that organizes the learning of the gathering. Invitations are offered so that participants represent the widest diversity possible to bring many different perspectives to the compelling question.

Full group and break-out sessions are designed to help people go deep, quickly.  A range of tools such as storytelling, dialogue and experiential activities are used to help participants challenge their own thinking, suspend judgment, enter discussions more deeply, and “learn in public” through a willingness to have their minds changed by opening to the wisdom and experience of others.  Participants typically leave the Confluence feeling energized, hopeful and deeply connected, and with tools and relationships that make their change work significantly more effective.

The intended outcomes for Confluences are:

• Shifts in understanding that can open up potential new actions that advance the work of teams and individuals;
• An introduction to innovative leadership techniques that increase the capacity of teams to work together in more effective ways;
• New practices to develop each individual’s own personal capacity to tap into internal resources for innovation and creativity;
• New connections and networks;
• A plan for action based on values and the gifts of the team;
• A sense of renewal and hope for what we can do together.

Typically, the Confluences are co-created with multiple community partners who help define the compelling question and design the gathering.

You can learn more about how participation in the Confluence has affected the participants by reading the Confluence Storybook available for free download.

Confluence Topics:

Fall 2006
Inspired Action:  The Power to Make a Difference.  How do we move past our own limits, outside opposition to ideas, and the power systems in place to create positive social change?

Spring 2006
The Sustainability Confluence.  Bringing together people involved in sustainability efforts to ask: “How do we come together to accelerate the sustainability movement in the Puget Sound region?”  Participants at the Sustainability Confluence were invited to apply for seed funding to work on new and collaborative projects to advance sustainability in the region.  Click here to view one of the reports from the seed fund.

Spring 2004
Strengthening our Community: Building Authentic Relationships and Exploring Issues of Trust.  How can we strengthen our communities by moving to a new level of authentic relationship?

Spring 2002
Exploring the Common Good: Making Community that Works.  How can we deepen and build off of the feelings of compassion, community and connectedness that we felt after September 11, 2001 to create a community that works for all people?  Click to view the Spiral Dynamics Flower model of community developed through participant surveys, and read the description of how to interpret the model.

Fall 2000
Working for the Common Good: Uniting to End Poverty.  A systems approach looking at: “What are the patterns that perpetuate poverty and what are the points that if leveraged properly could break the cycle?”  Click to view the Poverty Systems Map created by the participants from this Confluence. The systems map show both positive and negative feedback loops related to poverty from a variety of different areas.

Fall 1999
Closing the Income Gap: A Focus on Equity and the Common Good.  What can we do to ensure equity for all our citizens?