From the Ground Up and Inside Out: Building a Just and Sustainable World, Starting with Ourselves.

Be Present, Inc. (BPI) and the Common Fire Foundation (CFF) believe that for large scale change to occur, we must first uncover our true self by understanding our past experiences and personal barriers. Only then can we make conscious choices and work through challenges to build stronger partnerships and healthier communities. BPI uses the Be Present Empowerment Model® (BPEM)to affect systemic change by helping people find their true voices, break personal and collective silences, and create new avenues of trust and understanding across differences. BPI and CFF recognize today's world requires nurturing new ways of thinking and living that can help us bridge to the more just and sustainable human story awaiting us on the other side. CFF creates communities that not only train people in the skills this new reality will require, but that actually embody that transformation: from our LEED Platinum housing co-op in NY to the larger scale communities forming in NY and Oakland. In this workshop, learn from the successes and failures of social change and ecovillage movements worldwide, and how we can use the BPEM as a foundation to personal well-being and the healthy relationships needed to build positive social change.