‘We cannot solve our problems with the same mindset that created them….You gotta be the change you wish to see in the world!’
Albert Einstein
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LEAP Summit
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Upcoming
| LEAP YOUth 2023 Applications | 01.01.-31.01.2023 |
| LEAP Summit | 18.02.-25.02.2023 |
| LEAP YOUth 2023 online Kick-off | 25.02. & 26.02.2023 |
If you would like to attend any of the events, reach out via email.
LEAP YOUth Strategy 2023
Watch the Strategy Presentation recording or check out the Miro Board.
Cohort closing 2023
LEAP Participants step into their bright futures after a reflective and celebratory closing of the LEAP YOUth cohort 2023
Acting Module
Find out what our participants learned in the Acting Module, the 5th module of our journey through the Inner Development Goals.
Collaborating Module
Find out what our participants learned in the Collaborating Module, the 4th module of our journey through the Inner Development Goals.
Relating Module
Find out what our participants learned in the Relating Module, the 3rd module of our journey through the Inner Development Goals.
Midterm Meeting
Read the article about the recent LEAP YOUth Midterm Meeting where 40 engaged future leaders embarked on a journey of self-discovery and co-creation.
Being Module
Find out what our participants learned in the Being Module, the 1st module of our journey through the Inner Development Goals.
Thinking Module
Find out what our participants learned in the Thinking Module, the 2nd module of our journey through the Inner Development Goals.
onsite Kick-off
Read about the LEAP YOUth onsite Meeting in Graz in April.
Why do we need to LEAP ahead?
The question of transitioning to sustainability, creating thriving and flourishing living systems highlights the need for conscious leadership development.
There is a need to address leadership, to educate and prepare students to lead solutions for sustainability and to focus on the role of the inner dimensions (described as people‘s mindsets consisting of values, beliefs, world-views, motivations and associated cognitive, emotional and relational capacities) of human beings and the potential of inner transformation as a powerful leverage point for sustainability.
our Solution
our Theory of Change
The Journey
The LEAP YOUth program uses the Inner Development Goals (IDG) framework as main content. This framework refers to the skills and qualities needed as a leader to successfully work with complex societal issues, in particular those identified in UNs Agenda 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The framework is divided in 5 main dimensions and 23 skills.
The LEAP YOUth programme runs over 10 months (starting in March and finishing in December) and is held in English with most elements being online. There is an onsite cohort who will have two onsite meetings at the beginning and in the middle of the program.
Additionally, there is also an online cohort, who will continue to have all modules online throughout the duration of the program to take into account different needs of the community.
The journey is divided into 2-month long modules, each covering 1 Inner Development Goal. All modules follow the same structure.
LEAP adopts transformative and emancipatory perspectives to education seeking to stimulate self-awareness and critical thinking. For that we use a rich scaffold of theories, concepts, methods, tools and prac-tices to foster conscious leadership in the context of transformation for sustainability. Below are the most important ones guiding us in this process. The elements explained above are based on those theories.
Theory U
To support us in this process of working with personal transformation for systemic change in an interconnected way we use Theory U. Theory U is a process created by Otto Schamer that helps us to become aware of the blind spot of leadership: bringing attention both individually and collectively to our inner qualities, to the places where we are operating from: what we pay attention to, and how we pay attention to. By moving through the “U” process we learn to connect to our essential Self, see our own blind spots and pay attention in a way that allows us to experience the opening of our minds, our hearts, and our wills. This holistic opening constitutes a shift in awareness that allows us to learn from the future as it emerges, and to realize that future in the world.
As the diagram illustrates, we move down one side of the U (connecting to the world that is outside of us) to the bottom of the U (connecting to the world that emerges from within) and up the other side of the U ( bring-ing forth the profound systemic changes needed in society today.
The 10 month transformational LEAP journey is thought of as a big U journey for the partic-ipants to experience their learning using these leadership capacities
– holding the space
– observing
– sensing
– presencing
– crystalizing
– prototyping
– performing.
Still, for each module of the program (every bi-month) there are smaller U journeys happening.
Iceberg Model
Our societies’ trajectories remain deeply unsustainable as our dominant technical sustainability approaches have not catalyzed the necessary change. A second aspect of reality has been vastly neglected: individuals and the sphere of human inner dimensions. This means that instead of viewing and framing sustainability chal-lenges as purely technical external problems we should look at them as relationship problems. This broadens the scope and allows us to integrate a deeper analysis in order to find new ways of tapping into our human potential to create effective change towards sustainability. This change refers to the lens through which we see and relate to ourselves and the world around us.
There are several theories and frameworks that underlie the understanding and analysis of inner transformation in the context of leadership for sustainability. These theories have in common the understanding that systemic change and personal transformation are deeply interconnected, and that addressing mindsets might hold the most potential for transforming systems for sustainability. Many of these theories and frameworks are based on the Iceberg Model.
The iceberg model explains that what we can see, the 10% part of the iceberg that is visible above the surface of the sea, are the events that define our world today. However, around 90% of the iceberg is invisible to us. And what is hidden beneath the surface, are the underlying patterns, structures and mindsets that are responsible for creating the events that define our world today.
According to this model, the capacity to address and reflect on our own mindsets and potentially adopt new paradigms, is one of the most powerful ways to dramatically influence sustainability outcomes, considered a deep leverage point for change.
The iceberg model also indicates that we can work at different levels towards sustainability: at the level of behavior, at the level of structural change, at the level of cultural change, and at the psychological level. This last is the level of our mindset, or how we make meaning regarding the world around us. Society needs to address all these levels if we aim to create the kind of change we are hoping for. However, today, the goals to meet climate change and other sustainability challenges are generally located mainly at the behavioral and structural level, with technical and political responses, which relates to the systems and structures we create and use to organize society. However, to focus at the same time at the personal sphere, looking at the individuals, our shared beliefs, values and worldviews that influence how we see the system and how we see ourselves in relation to the system, is critical to lead change.
4 Fold Practice
The 4 Fold practice is a practice introduced from the Art of Hosting organization to guide the different levels of participation. This is the practice that inspires our partici-pants to create a culture of caring and collaboration. This is the way they should navigate all the LEAP process in these 10 months as a participant, but also to get inspired to live and bring it back within their communities.
By promoting a culture of hosting in 4 different levels, they learn how to take personal care and deep care for others, assessing needs and taking leadership for creating healthy communities of learning.
By promoting a culture of hosting in 4 different levels, they learn how to take personal care and deep care for others, assessing needs and taking leadership for creating healthy communities of learning.
Read more about the LEAP YOUth Program here.
Get involved
The LEAP program is co-created by it’s participants and the countless volunteers that are engaged. Find out how you can get involved as well.
ParticipantsApply Now!
Every active oikee and alumni can apply to become a LEAP participant.
You can apply from January 1st to January 31st.
Find information on the criteria based on which participants are chosen here.
Watch a video of the Info Call.
You can watch the video of the Strategy Presentation 2023.
Participants are required to commit to attend/deliver at least 70% in each element.
The commitments of the program are:
- Input & Workshop – March to December [2h]
- Readings – every 2nd month March to December [30min]
- Reflections – every 2nd month March to December [1h]
- Peer learning – March to December [1:30h]
- 1:1 coaching – April to December [1h] optional
- Onboarding – February [30min]
- Self-assessment – February & December [30min]
- online Kick-off – February 25th & 26th [9h total]
- Feedback – December [30min]
- Mini LEAP: design a LEAP experience for a group from your environment (chapter, friends, family, work, oikos partners etc.) individually or in groups [duration very flexible, min. 2 workshop of 2 hours + prep + reflection about it]
- onsite Kick-off – End of March [4-5 days]
- onsite Midterm – last week of August [7 days]
LEAP Volunteers TeamApply now!
You would like to get engaged in the LEAP as a volunteer?
We have many opportunties.
- Peer coach – coach a group of LEAP participants in the cohort 22
- 1:1 Coach – coach individual participants of the cohort 22, the oikos team, the LEAP Life or the LEAP Researchers Track
- online Kick-off – help organise the online Kick-off for the cohort 22 end of February
- onsite Meetings – help organise the onsite meetings in March and/or July either by developing the content of the meetings or helping out with logistics
- Content – help prepare the content for the cohort 22. Create reflection, workshops, readings or help find experts.
- Communication – help with internal or external communication
- etc. – if there is anything else that comes to your mind let us know
Find the detailed commitments for each volunteer role here.
This year two of our volunteer coaches offer a coaches training strongly recommended for all new coaches but open to everyone in LEAP, including LEAP Alumni.
You can find more information here.
Partner & Donate
The work of oikos International and LEAP is only possible through the support and contribution of individuals and organizations that share our vision of creating a more resilient and sustainable world by empowering students to become change agents and conscious leaders of tomorrow.
If you agree that:
- Sustainability challenges aren’t purely technical external problems, but instead re-
lationship problems; - Systemic change and personal transformation are deeply interconnected, and that addressing mindsets might hold the most potential for transforming systems
for sustainability; - Youth education should embrace the sphere of human inner dimensions and inner
transformation as an effective way of tapping into our human potential to create effective change towards sustainability; - More conscious leaders are needed to transition society to sustainability;
And if you are looking for a meaningful way to support this cause, we invite you to join us as a donor and contributor! Donate today either as a one-time donation or contact us to become a monthly/yearly donor to help us sustain ourselves in the longterm.
You want to partner up with the LEAP team to:
- support student change agents
- co-create & collaborate with young leaders & leadership trainers
- join our webinars with international experts
- access our LEAP Materials
- co-create individual workshops & jounreys for your team and employees
- promote your organization within our network
Please reach out via leap@oikos-international.org
Find out more about our partnership opportunities here.
The work of oikos International and LEAP is only possible through the support and contribution of individuals and organizations that share our vision of creating a more resilient and sustainable world by empowering students to become change agents and conscious leaders of tomorrow.
And if you are looking for a meaningful way to support this cause, we invite you to join us as a donor and contributor! Donate today either as a one-time donation or contact us to become a monthly/yearly donor to help us sustain ourselves in the longterm.