Relational Systems Thinking: A Conversation with Melanie Goodchild

It is one thing to learn about systems thinking. It is another thing to live in the world of natural systems thinkers. Please join us for tea and a conversation with Melanie Goodchild, an Indigenous complexity and systems thinking scholar from the University of Waterloo's Institute for Social Innovation and Resilience in Canada.

We will explore Melanie's paper, Relational Systems Thinking, co-written with Peter Senge, Otto Scharmer and four Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers, Dr. Dan Longboat, Diane Longboat, Rick Hill and Kevin Deer. We will discuss the nexus and the sacred space between Indigenous place-based wisdom and Western science-based abstract knowledge, how the two opposite knowledge systems can peacefully co-exist and dance together, and why both are needed to enable the practice of awareness-based systems change and deal with complex problems facing humanity and Mother Earth.

The conversation will start with a tea service led by Sly from the Turtle Island Institute, an Indigenous social innovation think and do tank and a teaching lodge. So please have your tea ready when you join the session.

The session will be facilitated by Joanne Dong of the Si Toronto Hub.

[LyndaBarton-ix]

Wow, so beautiful! Watching this as a leadership course at Yale. So much to take in. Really appreciate all the conversation and traditions here. I LOVE the "slowing down to introduce yourself" for everything in life. Just slowing down and being present is my biggest takeaway. Thank you!

[sophiejacobs]

Thank you for an expansive knowledge share

[patricktrudell]

It's important that everyone that is not indigenous does not translate the information for the perspectives of others to feel dominant. Ego is a problem when non indigenous learn, not a resolve.