Occupy Manifest

Learning-in-Action for Transformative Co-Leadership and Breakthrough Initiatives

The world we have made as a result of the level of thinking we have done thus far creates problems that we cannot solve at the same level at which we have created them... We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humankind is to survive. Albert Einstein

Context
The Occupy Movement has sown the seeds for what could be a planetary-wide transformation. Together, those of us in the movement are actively choosing to stand in solidarity on the edge of the unknown, and each day we collectively take new steps and actions that are reshaping our present world and providing the ground from which our new frontier is emerging. This is an unprecedented time, with unprecedented challenges and opportunities. It is essential that we approach what is before us with a deep connection to individual inner truth and source, while actively and effectively engaging the world to shift into the new paradigm that we are creating and discovering together. Shared-leadership, direct democracy and acknowledgment of all voices are some of the key underlying core values of Occupy. These values make up the heart from which this new world is being born, and they challenge us to step up and engage the deepest part of ourselves if we are going to successfully navigate this change together. We are each being called to become our most authentic selves, and to allow our actions and words to be guided by our authentic core. The success of our movement rests on the shoulders of all who are involved in the work of sustaining it and moving it forward. We are essentially the midwives of the new world. To accept this responsibility requires that we step into the substantially new manner of thinking that Einstein is referring to in the quote above. We must become the true servant leaders of the new world - holding our core selves in highest regard while genuinely and intelligently giving our full selves to the good of the whole, and actively choosing to do all we can to better the world. One of the prevailing ideas surrounding Occupy is that there are no leaders within the movement. According to the conventional view of what leadership entails, this is true. There is no one acting as the CEO of the movement, telling others what to do and holding the final word on decisions that are made. In this traditional context, we view leaders as high-profile public figures who make speeches and manage highlevel meetings. They also tend to reap the greatest financial and personal rewards when a group s endeavor succeeds.

However, leadership can also be defined as the capacity to inspire others to action. According to that definition, a leader is one who speaks and listens in a way that enables individuals participating in the conversation to act to create future life conditions that were not predictable at the start of the conversation. True leaders also take it upon themselves to be accountable to the needs of their community and the world. A leader faces challenges head on, explores what is possible, holds him or herself accountable to being an agent of transformation for the challenges at hand, and inspires others to assume similarly accountable leadership capacities to affect change. Occupy Manifest is a unique learning-in-action program designed to nurture this type of co-leadership in the world. These are the leaders necessary for the systems of the world to successfully be shifted to ones that will create a sustainable future for all life.

Details of Occupy Manifest

Over the next 3-4 years, our goal is to bring 5000 change agents through the Occupy Manifest program. The intended impact is to empower 5000 individuals to work alongside a network and community of other powerful change agents from Occupy as they each bring a project aligned with their vision of the world into actual lived reality. During the course of the program, you will commit to working on a breakthrough-initiative project designed to shift a major aspect of the world in which we live. A breakthrough happens when one achieves something that was previously seen as impossible for the community one serves. Through using your breakthrough-initiative project as a learning laboratories to apply what is taught through Occupy Manifest, you will take significant steps to manifest your vision for the world that was previously seen as impossible. Once you decide to join Occupy Manifest, you must commit to the entire course of the program. Together with the rest of your group, you will engage in three 3-day workshops. The workshops will combine seminars, concrete initiatives, group management, and personal coaching to foster a culture of trust, cooperation, communication and results. The three workshops will be spaced apart by a minimum of 2 months, during which time you will be working on your breakthrough-initiative projects. During the intersession periods, the entire group will also be brought back together for continued community-building and learning through regular conference calls. The following represents a breakdown of a program that each cohort will commit to from start to finish:

Time Table
The first group to embark on the Occupy Manifest program will begin in February and end in July. The entire time you are in the program, you will be committed to working on your breakthrough-initiative project, attending all three workshops and participating in all conference calls. The conference call schedule is still to be determined, but will likey be twice per month. Dates of the first group of Occupy Manifest are as follows: Workshop 1: February 3-6, 2012 (near San Francisco) Workshop 2: March 30-April 2, 2012 (near New York City) Workshop 3: July 20-23, 2012 (near New York City) Workshop 1: three days Broad topics covered in the first 3-day workshop will be as follows: Knowing the self My identities Architecture of breakthrough initiatives for sustainable and equitable change Initiating action Learn five leadership skills and competencies

Workshop 2: three days Broad topics covered in the second 3-day workshop will be as follows: Deepen knowing of the self Three powerful implementation strategies Understanding constellations structure and functions

Alignment between groups and the results chain Learn five additional leadership skills and competencies

Workshop 3: three days Broad topics covered in the third 3-day workshop will be as follows: Self and being a servant-leader Operational strategies for manifesting wisdom in action Transformative meetings and events The new narrative: documenting the difference Learn five additional leadership skills and competencies

Conceptual Foundation
Occupy Manifest has been designed based on The Leadership Development Programme, a well-renowned program has already been implemented successfully in 30 countries, generating thousands of breakthrough initiatives that have impacted the lives of over 130 million people worldwide. Previous versions of this program have been focused on such issues as HIV/AIDS awareness, climate change, ending trafficking of children, and ending female genital mutilation. Occupy Manifest will be led by one of the key individuals who created The Leadership Development Programme. The Leadership Development Programme is focused on incorporating cutting edge best practices of leadership development based on the top leadership training modalities in the world in order to foster change and embrech life.. What we have found particularly aligned with the values of the Occupy movement is that the Leadership Development Programme is designed to bring about personal transformation as well as social transformation within an open system. All other leadership programs are developed within closed systems, and make assumptions about the nature of success at an organizational level. Occupy Manifest will support you in allowing your own vision for the world to emerge from inner source, and it will assist you in carving out a clear direction for the implementation of your vision without prescribing specifically what should be done. This allows the full range of your natural wisdom and resourcefulness to flourish through your breakthroughinitiative project, honoring the essence of who you are and what you have to offer.

Joining Occupy Manifest

If you are interested in joining the first Occupy Manifest group, please complete the included Participant Info & Project details and submit it to info@occupymanifest.org no later than January 23, 2012. We are hoping to be able to start the first group in

February, but this is pending the results of fundraising. So far we have monay for 15 particpants and we are doing everything to make it happen. ( if you do have moneay and can help out, it will be wondrefull) We are raising the funds to support people in Occupy to go through the entire program. It costs approximately $3500 for each individual to complete the entire program. However, we do ask that you make a financial commitment to the program as well. For each of the three workshops, the cost to you will be $150. This will secure your spot in the program, and you will receive books for the entire program, transportation, housing, meals, and the program itself. If this amount presents a hardship for you, please contact us at info@occupymanifest.org.

We look forward to experiencing, working and learning with you in the coming months!

Warmly, Kobi and Michael