An interactive workshop
Makes you think about your relation with wild animals.
What is really at stake in conflict situations between humans and wild animals? What are the challenges you face when you are searching for ways of coexistence that fit a specific situation? These are some of the questions that guide my workshops.
Be inspired by doing and by discussing dilemmas, challenges and solutions around human-animal conflicts and living with wild animals. Be stimulated and challenged in how you think about these difficult issues and what you do in practice. Not with resistance, but with an open mind. Broaden your mindset and reflect on your own activities on various human-animal themes. That is the approach of the interactive workshops below. Each workshop is meant to make you more aware of the various ways of thinking within the theme whether or not you (want to) live with wild animals.
Each workshop is based on the four essential pillars in creating coexistence with wild animals: Behaviour, Education, Awareness and Response-able practice (see my E-Book for more background information).
Interactive workshop
Rethink with wild animals
Explore the environment of another (human or animal) to understand why the other (human or animal!) is doing what (s)he commonly does!
In this workshop the key question is ‘How can we learn to live together with wild animals?’ An additional question is: ‘How can we do that in an animal responsible way?’
During this workshop I will let you step out of your comfort zone in order to approach this question in a completely different way. This provides a lot of humor, energy and an informal atmosphere. This reduces barriers to talk about difficult topics. This workshop is featured around particular animals. These can be chosen in consultation.
Participants of this workshop present creative ideas and explore the different perspectives that go hand in hand with dilemmas surrounding living together with wild animals, including those of the wild animals themselves.
Who wants to rethink with wild animals?
What do others say about this workshop?
“Susan’s workshop fitted perfectly within the themes of our organization of Animal Protection. Whether it is a wild animal rescued by ambulance staff or a campaign against hunting, the interaction between Animal Protection and ‘wild animals’ is always topical. Susan’s workshop gave the staff and volunteers more insights within this theme and was very positively received.”
Lisanne de Boer
Communication consultant – corporate and organizer Animal Protection-event
“Susan’s enthusiasm and dedication is contagious and inspiring!”
“I have remembered that Susan’s story confronted me on the one hand, and was certainly hopeful on the other.”
“It was very interesting to think about wild animals around us in a different way.”
Some reactions from participants of this workshop
Interactive workshop
Human-animal dialogue
It is about time to start the human-animal dialogue. Without ending the dialogue in a battle. We need to listen to each other and work together towards cohabitation strategies and forms of ‘living with’ that are promising. I facilitate this process. The challenge is that in the end all participants dare to learn and think across disciplines. This is also what you learn in this interactive workshop.
During this workshop you will experience the human-animal dialogue for yourself. I make use of existing dilemmas around human-animal interactions. I ask critical questions and remain focused on all perspectives. In between the dialogue I refer to possible solutions from the worldwide practices of human-animal interactions.
When all participants thoroughly understand each other’s background and vision, the next step towards sustainable solutions can be made.
Who wants to engage a human-animal dialogue?
What do others say about this workshop?
“Susan listens empathetically and asks good questions to clarify different visions. People feel safe and experience enough opportunities to share their vision while she guided the dialogue. In addition, she is very well able to structure, summarize and get to the core of a conversation that can go in so many directions.
Susan made a very positive contribution as moderator during the Animal Dialogue of 2019. There was dialogue, openness and people enjoyed the conversation and went home with a nice feeling. And, for CandSAS, the content of the conversations provided useful input for further research and projects.”
Maite van Gerwen
Project Coordinator – Centre for Sustainable Animal Stewardship (CandSAS)
Interactive workshop
Your wildlife story
One way to learn to live together with wild animals is to collect stories about various encounters with wild animals. Those stories tell something about our relation with these animals. Specific encounters can cause or have caused someone to radically change his or her behaviour, change the way they think about and act towards certain animals. Sharing stories has a huge impact on how we deal with wild animals or how we can deal with them.
In this workshop you will experience yourself that stories are very powerful in our perceptions and experiences with wild animals. We will have a look for both the positive encounters and the nasty encounters. We will have a close look at those moments; what actually happened there? Subsequently, we make the link how that particular experience did or did not influence your later thinking and acting around wild animals. You will gain more insight into your own standpoints around this theme. By sharing stories during the workshop, participants become inspired and more aware of the power of stories and the use of certain words. All of this is supported by examples from the worldwide practice of human-animal encounters.
Who wants to join looking for wildlife stories?
What do others say about this workshop?
“Very nice to take such a trip down memory lane.”
“Usually I don’t say anything in such a group <about 35 people present>, but the atmosphere was very nice and I wanted to share something.”
Some reactions from participants of this workshop
Follow-up offer
Human-Wildlife Masterminds
If you want to obtain even more added value from one of the workshops above, complement it with an in-depth discussion in the period afterwards. Or, if you want to discuss the broad theme ‘What to do next’ more informally in the period after a workshop or even independent from a workshop: All of this can be done through a series of Mastermind meetings. This is an online trajectory of 5 meetings in which a subject can be chosen in order to get to the core of it. For example, a subject that results from the workshop. The main goal is to exchange ideas, share problems, learn from each other and to gain new ideas in an easily accessible informal way. Inspiration and curiosity about the other person’s experiences and knowledge are therefore the main guiding principles. Within the setting of the Mastermind you are not a spokesperson for an entire organization, and you do not have the professional obligation to solve major problems. At the start of each Mastermind, the shared goal is agreed upon and made specific. Within this process I think along with all participants in the complex world of people and wildlife. I will initiate and facilitate this short process online.