Sharing

The Institute offered formal and informal opportunities for exchange among participants. The more structured occasions included displays, newsletters, courses, workshops and inquiry sessions as well as the participatory process. Casual discussions flourished over meals, during break times and at several social events. This section describes every aspect of the Institute which allowed participants to share with one another. 

Courses

Each participant chose one course to attend for the duration of the Institute. The courses were a total of twelve hours long over four mornings, from Wednesday through Saturday. The course instructors were Mary Hamilton, Jenny Horsman, Marina Niks and Joe Norris. They were available throughout the Institute to meet with participants and offer feedback and advice on individual research interests and projects. Descriptions of the courses are included in the Reports section of this document.

Workshops and Inquiry Sessions

All workshops and inquiry sessions were presentations by Institute participants. They were opportunities for participants to learn from each other. Sessions included reports of research projects as well as opportunities for people to explore various issues and questions in greater detail. Over three afternoons, a total of twenty sessions were offered. Descriptions of each workshop and inquiry session are included in the Reports section of this book. 

Participatory Planning

The Institute process also allowed participants to provide input to the planning team and to articulate themes emerging from the experience. Two structures allowed for this input: affinity groups and rapporteurs. 

Rapporteurs were participants who volunteered to chronicle sessions they attended. Their notes were vital to documenting the event, and are the heart of this report. Rapporteurs had another function, however: to serve as the eyes and ears of the Planning Team. In an orientation session before the Institute began, Elsa Auerbach invited rapporteurs to notice themes, concerns, issues and delights about both the content and process of the Institute. Rapporteurs were asked to pay attention to where energy arose and to feed that information back to the Planning Team in meetings at lunchtime each day.