Welcome to ALIA West, a place of learning, connection, and transformation. Bring your burning leadership questions and leave with the skills, allies, and fresh new thinking you need to navigate complexity, work through obstacles, and free up the potential of your team, organization, and community.

This three-day intensive follows the same design as the acclaimed Shambhala Summer Institute in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which has been a magnet for pioneering leaders and change-makers since 2001. ALIA West will take place on the beautiful campus of Royal Roads University, which shares the Institute's commitment to innovative learning and to fostering regional cross-sector networks of inspired leadership.

How it works

At the centre of this intensive are five 12-hour parallel modules led by world-class facilitators working at the leading edge of emerging new fields. Choose the module that best addresses your current leadership challenge and focus.

• Action Inquiry: Transformational Leadership in the Midst of Action, with Bill Torbert and Mary Stacey
• Embodied Leadership – Empowered Life, with Wendy Palmer
• Hosting Artful Collaborations Across Communities and Agencies, with Jennifer Charlesworth and Chris Corrigan
• Leadership in Networked, Emergent Systems: Practical Challenges and Opportunities, with Thomas J. Hurley and Keith Webb

Each morning begins with a 45-minute session of mindfulness meditation, which clears the way for fresh insight and authentic communication. A mid-week creative process workshop engages the intelligence of the body and the senses, while freeing up creativity. Plenary sessions inject big-picture thinking and tap into the collective experience and intelligence of the program community. Meal breaks are times for networking and conversations, and for walks through the campus gardens and forest.

On Wednesday, May 20, thought leader Peter Block will speak on community-building as an increasingly critical core leadership capacity. 

Why attend

• Learn how to shift your organizational culture toward more effective and meaningful ways of convening and organizing.
• Strengthen the core of your leadership and learn how to sustain your authentic leadership presence and awareness in challenging environments.
• Tap into the experience and wisdom of an inspired community of leaders and change agents.
• Return to your home context with the clarity, openness, confidence, skills, and relationships needed to achieve your goals.

Schedule

The program begins with dinner on May 19 and concludes at 4:00 pm on May 22. For more detail, see the schedule.

Who else will be there

125-150 forward-thinking leaders and change agents from business, government, education, NGOs, and civil society.

Program fee

$2200

All fees are in Canadian dollars. Fee includes program tuition and meals. Reasonably priced dorm accommodations are available on a first-come, first-served basis. For details, and for other options, see the accommodations and travel page.

Discounts: A 10% discount is available to teams of three or more from the same organization. A 10% discount is also available to employees of nonprofit organizations or educational institutions, and to full-time students.

Coaching option

Four one-on-one sessions with an Institute-affiliated coach will help you make the most of your program experience and maintain the momentum of your learning in your home setting. Click here for more information.

How to register

• Choose your module and consider taking advantage of the coaching option.
• Register online or by fax. Early registration discounts apply. Some modules fill early, so be sure to indicate your second module choice.
• Reserve on-site accommodations at Royal Roads University by downloading and completing this form. To submit, follow directions on the form.
• Questions? Email us or call +1-902-425-0492.

ALIA West is co-sponsored by Royal Roads University.