7 May 2026, 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | 8 May 2026, 9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. | 9 May 2026, 9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. | 10 May 2026, 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Art of Hosting & Harvesting Training

Overview

For whom?
  • What: Art of Hosting & Harvesting Training
  • Where? Leipzig
  • When: 7-10 May 2026
  • For whom? People who accompany groups and processes
  • Contents: Circle Practice, World Café, Open Space Technology, participative decision-making processes, working with collective intelligence
  • Participation fee: 500-1200 € (according to self-assessment) plus catering
  • Early Bird until 15 March 2026

Invitation

For whom?
Shaping together - a training course for anyone who wants to support collective processes in a lively, unifying and sustainable way 

 

How do we shape our togetherness in uncertain times and live differences as a source of connection? 

Leipzig, 7-10 May 2026 

How can we design spaces in which diversity does not become a test of endurance, but rather a source of connection, insight and joint creation?
How can we succeed in not seeking the lowest common denominator in the midst of complex challenges, but rather the Simultaneity of many perspectives really give space?

This training is an invitation to, Connectedness and affiliation (Belonging) should not be understood as a consensus, but as a social practiceas an attitude of listening to one another without immediately passing judgement. As the ability to endure tensions without smoothing them over. And as the courage to not only allow diversity, but to live it.

Because democratic resilience arises where we learn to, to keep complex issues together, instead of rushing to provide simple answers. Where we try out new forms of coexistence in which diversity, intersectionality and questions of power can be visible – without losing the connection.

For whom?

For whom?

For people who work with teams or groups - whether in organisations, movements, companies, communities, schools or neighbourhoods.

For all those who are looking for new ways of Collaboration, participation and leadership especially where things get complex, contradictory or emotional.

The training is aimed at, among others

  • Community leaders and organisers
  • People with project responsibility, decision-making or coordination roles
  • Executives and managers in companies who shape change processes
  • Actors from NGOs, initiatives and civil society organisations
  • Social entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs and corporate innovators
  • Facilitators, moderators, coaches and consultants
  • Artists, activists and social designers
  • People who initiate or accompany cross-sector dialogues
  • Employees in administration, municipalities and politics
  • Teachers, trainers and lifelong learners

When?

dates

Thursday, 7 May
Arrival from 14:30 - 15:00-18:00,
Coaching 18:00-19:00 (optional)
Friday, 8 May
9:30-18:00,
Coaching 18:00-19:00 (optional)
Saturday, 9 May
9:30-18:00,
Coaching 18:00-19:00 (optional)
Sunday, 10 May
9:30-14:00

In the Freie Schule Leipzig, Alte Salzstr. 67, 04209 Leipzig

What are you taking with you?

In this Art of Hosting training, you will learn how to design collective spaces, where people can participate – fully, with their history, perspective and experience. You experience hosting as responsible, creative practice: listening, structuring, unlearning and enabling. Together we explore:
  • how to maintain a balance between structure and openness in team & group processes
  • what it means, Allowing contradictions, differences and ambivalence to coexist
  • how we work with proven Hosting formats such as Circle Practice, World Café or Open Space Facilitating encounters
  • how collective intelligence unfolds, if we do not pre-sort, but linger
  • how Connection can arise – even without agreement
  • like you yourself in complex, orientate yourself in tense situations and present

  • how selective participation processes A participatory culture can grow

  • how the experience in your own context can

Christian Baier

Hosting attitude: sharing responsibility, cultivating presence
Art of Hosting combines practice and experience in how change can be effectively shaped in organisations and society. It is a conscious way of entering into relationships - especially where there are no simple solutions.
Hosting means being present, listening and sharing responsibility. Diversity becomes a resource for joint learning. This creates spaces in which trust can grow - even in areas of tension.

Christian Baier

Orientation & liveliness: Shaping processes without controlling them 
In complex situations, people need orientation - and spaces for new things. Art of Hosting combines both: clear process architectures and lively, open spaces. Orientation is created through conscious framing and transparent processes - not through control. In this way, differences can coexist without becoming arbitrary and a common direction can grow without losing diversity.

 

Christian Baier

Dialogue methods & formats: Enabling encounters, deepening participation
Art of Hosting combines proven dialogue methods that enable and deepen participation. They create structures in which many voices can be heard and relationships can develop. Formats such as Circle Practice, World Café or Open Space Technology invite people to listen, share perspectives and develop meaning together.
In this way, dialogue becomes a space for collective intelligence. Targeted harvesting makes insights visible and usable for further action.

Christian Baier

Experience-based learning: from experience to personal practice
The Art of Hosting training is experience-based: You will host and be hosted yourself, observe and reflect on what is created in the process. Learning happens through experience and conscious evaluation - not primarily through mediation. Harvesting is a central component: insights are condensed, visualised and made usable in practice. The experiences can be transferred to different contexts - to organisations, initiatives or social spaces.

Hosting Team

Julia Hoffmann

Julia has been working for more than 15 years with teams, individuals, employees and volunteers, in organisations and in networks, to drive social change. Her focus is on participative leadership, resilience and visualisation as tools for thinking and dialogue to secure results in processes, workshops and events. A central element of Julia's work is to accompany processes and hold trainings that promote resilience and regenerative cultures, and to develop a healthier relationship between work inside, outside and in the world. She has gained professional experience as a programme manager, in multi-stakeholder management with foundations and non-profit initiatives, in political education work and in the management of a project incubator for civil society engagement in Europe. More about Julia

Mira Bangel

I support organisations, networks and institutions where collaboration is stalling or wants to develop further. In doing so, I help to build trust and develop solutions that are suitable for everyday use. As an international process facilitator and organisational developer, I have been supporting change processes, participation and knowledge exchange for over 16 years. I work with Art of Hosting (Participatory Leadership), Design Thinking, SCRUM, Theory U, Nonviolent Communication (CNVC-certified) and MBTI, among others. I have been supporting the Centre for Organisational Transformation of the European Commission in the development of training and strategies for change management, knowledge management and collaboration. I facilitate international dialogues, communities of practice and decision-making processes with the aim of strengthening a culture of cooperation and shared learning. More about Mira

Sabine Gressel-Soeder

Sabine is a strategically thinking flow architect and lifelong learner. She is curious about people, their stories and the unique strengths they bring to the table. She continuously explores how people come together, connect and develop new and innovative approaches with each other. The growing complexity of our world's challenges calls for new solutions. We find these in jointly developed approaches, in co-creations. This means finding a way to lead together, with a shared, value-orientated approach to co-creation. More about Sabine

Silas Lusias

„If you want to run fast, go alone. If you want to run far, go together.“ This African expression has shaped me and had a significant influence on my path to community-orientated living and working. My mission is to bring the „WE“ into our everyday lives and interactions. I am committed to collective leadership - to forms of collaboration in which responsibility is shared and potential is developed together.
From 2002 to 2011, I played a key role in setting up the Kufunda Learning Villages in Zimbabwe. Kufunda is a learning centre that supports village communities in developing self-reliance and dealing with challenging socio-economic conditions. It teaches practical ecological and economically sustainable lifestyles so that communities can independently secure their basic needs such as food, health and education.
I currently live in Bavaria.

Christa Cocciole

At the intersection of embodiment, activism and social innovation, I design participatory processes that involve body, mind and community in equal measure. This gives rise to lively, creative and inclusive cultures of collaboration in which people learn from each other, strengthen each other and shape effective change together.

I am a systemic therapist, trauma therapist and facilitator and accompany individuals, teams and organisations in change processes. I combine communication skills, compassion and resilience methods to create spaces in which trust can grow and people can develop their inner strength.

More about Christa

Nicola Kriesel

Nicola Kriesel

For over three decades, I have been weaving my knowledge as a lawyer, mediator and organisational developer into a tapestry that gives teams and individuals support. I see myself as a companion on the path to synergetic collaboration - a space in which the potential of each individual can blossom like a flower.

For me, trust and responsibility are not just concepts, but the foundation on which diversity and commitment grow. My heart beats especially for educational institutions: Here, I am passionate about the intertwining of inclusion, democracy and digital change. I not only look at the structure, but also listen to the rhythm of the culture in order to jointly find evolutionary forms in which strategy and humanity resonate in harmony.

More about Nicola

Frances Blüml

As a visual facilitator, Frances accompanies teams and organisations with her pen. By visualising stories, perspectives and processes, she creates a common basis for all participants that triggers in-depth exchange and creates clarity. She uses a wide range of visual tools to design creative thinking and communication spaces for participants and trigger learning. Learning to listen to each other (again) and enter into a relationship creates trust in order to explore ways of acting together. Learning and unlearning happen in stumbling, in irritation and in what is set in motion as a result. Frances asks herself „What happens when we tell stories of a good and liveable future in many voices?“.

More about Frances

Local Host

Hannah Hummel

Deep, warm, playful - that's how the feedback on my work can be summarised. Working with groups fulfils me with meaning. I discovered this passion at the age of 14 and I've been learning ever since. I love learning so much. I have been working at independent alternative schools since 2010 and was able to work as a board member of the federal association (BFAS e.V.) for 9 years. Since then, I have been interested in the question: Why are teams the way they are? The exploration of patterns and dynamics & the development of healthy, appreciative work inspire me. I go on a quest with you and shine an empathic torch to track down causes and sources of resilience. More about Hannah

Diversity, accessibility & coaching

Diversity, accessibility & well-being

All people are welcome to attend this event - regardless of gender, sexual orientation, origin, religion, age, disability or social background. It is important to us that all participants feel welcome in their diversity and find the safest possible framework for dialogue, learning and participation.

The venue is barrier-free (step-free access, barrier-free toilet). Participants can specify their pronouns in advance or on site; these will be respected.

During training, we pay attention to different needs in terms of breaks, retreat and well-being. If you have any questions about this or other aspects of accessibility or individual needs, please get in touch with us in advance - we will try to find suitable solutions together.

Coaching 

Following the training, we offer one-hour coaching sessions on the evenings of Thursday, Friday and Saturday (see times), in which participants who wish to do so are supported in implementing hosting methods themselves the following day - such as open space, circle practice or other formats from the training.

The coaching sessions take place in the group and are practice-orientated: The focus is on concrete preparation, clarification of roles, concerns and next steps. This allows you to immediately apply and consolidate what you have learnt.

Places for the methods on the following day are limited. Anyone who wants to can take part in the coaching itself - even as an observer. This enables additional learning by following, thinking and reflecting together.

expenses

expenses

 

We offer participation in the Art of Hosting & Harvesting training at a graduated participation fee: 

Standard“ category
- Early Bird (until 15 March 2026): € 680
- Regular price: 820 €
- Group price (from 3 persons): 700 € per person

Category “Supporter:in & Corporate”
- Early Bird (until 15 March 2026): € 920
- Regular price: € 1,200
- Group price (from 3 persons): 870 € per person

Reduced contribution“ category”
Price 500 €
A limited number of 10 places are available for the reduced fee. 

By choosing your category, you are helping to make the training accessible to people from different contexts. 

If you would very much like to take part and the contributions mentioned are currently not possible for you, please get in touch via this form with us. We will endeavour to find a solution within the scope of our possibilities.

Included in the participation fee 

  • Participation in all training days including evening sessions (“coaching”) 
  • Support from an experienced, multidisciplinary hosting team
  • Manual, documentation and „harvest“ of the joint work

The service is exempt from VAT in accordance with § 4 No. 22 a) UStG.

Please select the price that suits you:

The total catering costs for the event are €70 (for coffee, tea, refreshments during breaks and vegan lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday). These must be booked when registering.

After your registration, we will contact you and ask you to fill out a form about your motivation, concerns and needs (accessibility, food intolerances, etc.). 

Any questions?

Then write to us