The Art of Hosting and Harvesting conversations that matter
What grows when we courageously imagine the future of education and learning together?
Photo of the Camp Kawartha Environment Centre
Friday, October 16th -
Sunday, October 18th, 2026
Camp Kawartha Environmental Education Centre - Peterborough, Ontario
Connection. Dialogue. Co-creation.
Learn about, and leverage, the Art of Hosting as a practice and a set of tools to lead, engage and convene groups.
Connect with others who work in, or who are passionate about, education and learning communities in all different forms, and who are curious how we can reimagine these spaces.
Are you interested in:
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Leading classes, meetings or gatherings that feel less one-directional and more alive?
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Creating dynamic spaces for learning in your school, organization, community, or home where people can show up as their full selves?
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Trying to put equity, decolonization, or anti-racism commitments into your actual day-to-day work, not just policy?
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Looking for practices you can use right away, and pass on to the people you work with?
Together we will learn, experience and practice:
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Participatory dialogue methods such as the World Café, Circle, Open Space, Proaction Café - for drawing out the collective wisdom of a group, whether that's a classroom, a staff team, or in a community
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Frameworks and practices for leading, and being led, with more self-awareness and alignment.
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Tools for navigating complexity and change: how to read a system, spot leverage points, and take meaningful action.
What is included in this training?
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Coffee and lunch Friday, Saturday and Sunday
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Dinner and evening campfire Saturday night
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Three days of training and conversations with fellow practitioners and innovators in the realm of learning and education
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An Art of Hosting Practice Guide
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Access to the Art of Hosting global Community of practice
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New connections
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16th
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Training: Participatory Leadership Framework
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Sharing and mapping of projects and questions
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Collective inquiry activity on shared question
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Dialogue and sensemaking
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Participant Driven community building conversations and activities
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17th
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Training: Systems Change Framework
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Storytelling and deepening projects
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Open Space Technology - Collective exploration of participants questions
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Participant Driven community building conversations and activities
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Catered dinner and evening campfire
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18th
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Training: Complexity Framework
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Dialogue on complexity, learning and education
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Co-creation and collaboration on participants' projects
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Collective insight harvest
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Closing circle
Investment
$1450 + HST - Standard Ticket
$1100 + HST - Reduced Ticket
We are offering a reduced ticket price with the intention of increasing accessibility and allowing more participants to benefit from this training who wouldn't be able to otherwise. As you consider your investment decision, we kindly encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your personal financial circumstances and select your ticket price accordingly. We find this infographic from a blog written by Alex J. Cunning's blog The Sliding Scale: A Tool of Economic Justice an excellent support for this exercise.
Payment Plans
If the cost of this training is a barrier for you we are happy to accept the payment over an extended period of time. Please reach out to reimaginingeducation@wildawakenings.ca to discuss a payment plan that will work for your situation, including the possibility of extending payments beyond the event.
Creative Tuition
Additionally, if a payment plan is still beyond your means, we will consider some tuition reduction where we are able in the balance of our overall budget. We ask you to consider what amount you are able to contribute for the tuition (the venue, meals, and materials are costs which are fixed and thus not adjustable) and we will do our best to meet as many of the applications as we can.
If you would like to explore this possibility please reach out to reimaginingeducation@wildawakenings.ca to set up a call so we can get to know each other and explore possibilities.
Cancellation Policy
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Full refunds are possible up until 6 weeks before the event, September 4th, minus a $50 administration fee.
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Between September 4th, and up to 14 days before the event, October 2nd, you will be eligible to a full refund minus a 10% event deposit.
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As of October 2nd you are welcome to offer your spot to a friend, and/or if we can fill your spot from a waiting list we will refund your full registration fee, minus a $50 administration fee.
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Should the event be cancelled due to unforeseeable circumstances you will receive a full refund.
The Venue
We acknowledge that we are gathering on the treaty and traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig Anishnaabeg (Mississauga Ojibway), recognized through the Williams Treaty. We offer our gratitude to the original caretakers of this land and waters, and to the Nations who have tended this territory since long before today. As we spend time on this land, we commit to treading gently, caring for what we find, and leaving this place as beautiful as we found it.
We will all gather at the Camp Kawartha Environment Centre , located in Peterborough, next to Trent University’s stunning Wildlife Sanctuary lands.
We will be using the full property to host this event, taking advantage of all it has to offer, including the outdoor programming spaces and adjacent trails.
What to expect
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Camp Kawartha Environment Centre is accessible by public transportation
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Parking is available on site and we will help facilitate car pooling where possible
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The Environment Centre is wheel-chair accessible - the interior of the building is one large room on one level
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The adjacent trails are forest trails and not paved concrete
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Coffee and tea will be provided
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Catered lunches will be provided on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on site - dietary restrictions will be accommodated
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There will be a catered dinner and a campfire on Saturday evening
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We intend to spend a lot of time outdoors and weather can be variable at this time of year; please bring appropriate clothing and layers
Getting To Peterborough
Peterborough is located approximately 1.5 hours from Toronto and 3 hours from Ottawa.
By Air: Fly into Toronto Pearson International Airport, then rent a car or take a bus to Peterborough.
By Bus: FlixBus and Greyhound offer direct service to Peterborough from major cities across Ontario and beyond. Check their websites for schedules and booking.
Carpooling: A carpooling sign-up list will be made available closer to the event date.
Accomodations
For a list of hotels, visit Tourism Peterborough's accommodations page.
Note that the venue is close to Trent University.
Getting to Camp Kawartha
Camp Kawartha Environmental Education Centre has on-site parking available.
It is also accessible by Peterborough Transit. Visit peterborough.ca for routes and schedules based on where you're staying.
A carpooling sign-up list will be made available closer to the event date.
Jo Reynolds, Director Partnerships and Development, Social Innovation Canada
"The Art of Hosting with the Reimagining Education team was hugely valuable to the work that I do. Their capacity to bring us into the practice as an experience allowed me to embody the learning in a way that I can bring forward. I highly recommend the experience to everyone who works in teams and through collaboration. I am now fully committed to the Art of Hosting!"
Heather McGregor, Assistant Professor of Curriculum Theory, Queen's University
"Reimagining Education gave me the space, frameworks, and community I needed to reflect on my values as an educator. Being together with people who love making change and nurturing growth, even in the midst of the polycrisis, reminded me what solidarity means. Since attending, I have brought the Art of Hosting into my Bachelor of Education teaching and educational research designs. I’ve enthusiastically recommended Reimagining Education to all my colleagues."
Laura Wesley, Systems Strategist, Fractal Facilitation
"From the outset, it was participatory. We co-created the content with our stories, our bodies, our laughter and our tears. We shared our aspirations, hopes, fears and ideas. Seeing others show up to re-imagine the world as a better place gave me a feeling of confidence that we could do it."
The Art of Hosting and Harvesting Conversations that Matter (also known as the Art of Participatory Leadership) offers simple and powerful participatory practices, patterns and processes to host generative conversations that can lead to coordinated action and positive change.
These approaches have been used effectively in diverse contexts worldwide to harness collective wisdom, encourage compassionate leadership and collaboration, and create better social and environmental outcomes.
The Art of Hosting can be a valuable approach in education as it supports the creation of dynamic, inclusive, and engaging learning environments that encourage active participation, critical thinking, collaboration, and personal growth among students.
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