1 April - 14 June 2025
Deadline for registration 24 March 2025
Nature and culture are valuable assets in the tourism industry. UNESCO designated World Heritage sites, Biosphere reserves, Global Geoparks, and Creative Cities represent the most unique sites, landscapes and practices, recognised for their exceptional cultural, natural, or geological significance. These places are testaments to the regenerative capacity of nature and human ingenuity. Unfortunately, many of theses places and associated communities are vulnerable to climate change and extractive practices, and at risk of being lost unless appropriately protected.
But beyond the need for protection, could a regenerative approach help us think differently about the transformative potential of our natural and cultural heritage? This course focuses on how monuments created in the past and landscapes cultivated over generations could inspire us to unlock the human potential for adaptation and creation of positive change.
ABOUT THE COURSE
Why do we need change, and how do we drive cultural change? How can we shift from an extractive mindset towards regenerative practices and development?
Think Like a Regenerator is an introductory course exploring how we might think differently and build readiness and resilience in a changing world. This is not just another leadership course - it is an invitation to fundamentally shift how we think about and work with change. The course explores the deeper questions concerning sustainability and development. It focuses on mindset in terms of what stops us from thinking differently and how we through systems thinking and living systems principles can move beyond conventional approaches to create genuine transformation in our communities, places and organisations.
Through small cohort-based learning spaces and a group coaching approach we provide concrete tools and practices for navigating the change ahead, and for attuning your values and purpose for leading regenerative place-based development.
WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR
Think Like a Regenerator is a course for those who are new to or want to evolve regenerative thinking. Facilitators will gently introduce participants to relevant concepts and emergent practice. We introduce you to terms that you may have heard of but are unsure about: from the metacrisis, the neuroscience of change, regenerative development, living systems principles, regenerative leadership and more.
Think Like a Regenerator welcomes curious minds ready to explore new ways of navigating and leading through change. Whether you're working with communities, organisations, or places, this course is for you if:
- You sense that old ways of thinking won't serve us in the future
- You're seeking fresh perspectives on how to navigate uncertainty
- You want to unlock the potential in your community or organisation
- You're curious about how living systems thinking can transform your practice
- You're ready to challenge assumptions and explore new possibilities
The only requirement is however that you come with an open mind and are prepared to think and question your current problem-solving approach.
Through this course you will gain an appreciation of:
- Your life story and the potential it reveals
- Your worldview, how it is formed, and how it shapes you
- Sense-making in uncertainty
- Strategies for navigating the change ahead, individually and collectively.
A CONTEXTUALISED LEARNING JOURNEY
World Heritage Catalysis and The Tourism CoLab has partnered to offer the Think Like a Regenerator to people with a specific interest in natural and cultural heritage and the transformative potential of tourism in and around protected areas and creative cities.
Think Like a Regenerator - Cultivating a Regenerative Mindset in context of UNESCO World Heritage, Biosphere Reserves, Global Geoparks and Creative cities focuses on how you, in your personal and/or professional capacity, can lead change in context of international (UN) conventions, and seek to realise the transformative potential of cultural and natural heritage.
During the 11 week learning journey facilitated through The Tourism CoLab, World Heritage Catalysis will host and facilitate six collaborative sessions where we focus on what it means to ‘think like a regenerator’ in UNESCO / World Heritage/ Biosphere/ Geopark/ Creative City context. In this effort we will also look to mandate for transformation and spheres of potential influence.
This course cohort is specifically suitable for:
- Managers/coordinators of UNESCO designates sites
- Site management authorities (States Parties and Government representatives)
- Heritage professionals and practitioners
- UNESCO staff and Advisory Body representatives (ICOMOS, IUCN, ICCROM)
- Tourism and destination managers in locations hosting a UNESCO designated site
- Community leaders and activists
- Emerging professionals
- Organisational leaders and change-makers
- Anyone ready to reimagine our shared future
BENEFITS OF A REGENERATIVE APPROACH
1. Holistic societal benefit
- recognises nature and culture as part of larger ecosystems, including ecological, social and economic systems.
2. Long-term conservation and revitalisation
- goes beyond preservation and focuses on restoring and enhancing heritage for the continued relevance and value for future generations.
3. Sustainable use of resources
- promotes the use of local and reused materials along with energy-efficient solutions, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impact in restoration, maintenance and new constructions.
4. Climate adaptation
- gives natural and cultural heritage a role in climate adaptation through insight into traditional methods of resource management and architecture adapted to local conditions.
5. Value creation
- recognises cultural heritage as assets in economic development that may contribute to reduced carbon emissions and a fair transition to circular economies.
6. Democracy building and participation
- emphasises inclusive collaboration, democratic participation and local engagement with and around natural and cultural heritage.
7. Innovation in the field of practice
- challenges conventional management methods by introducing creative solutions and new technologies for sustainable use and transformation.
INCLUDED
Course delivery includes:
- 6 live online cohort sessions every second week (6 x 1.5 hours) by The Tourism CoLab
- 6 facilitated peer-2-peer group sessions every other week (6 x 1 hr) by World Heritage Catalysis
- Estimated Number of Hours: 20 (including 15 contact hours over 11 weeks)
- Learning materials, tools and framework
- Access to the learning platform and global community of changemakers including access to CoLab & WHCatalysis communities (in Circle.so)
- Certificate of Completion at the end of the course
The Think Like A Regenerator course provides the context for The Tourism CoLabs Regenerative Business Development Journey (scheduled for end of 2025)
SCHEDULE
1 April - 14 June 2025
Six live sessions:
1: The Story of Your Life: Understand the importance of your story
2: The Story of Separation: Understand the impacts of separation and how the metacrisis came to be
3: Your body is your brain: Understand inner knowing and alternative knowledge systems
4: Think like a Regenerator: Understand living systems principles
5: Turning Off Autopilot: Understand the shift from me to we to seva
6: Resilience for a changing world: Community leaders as healers
See scheduleCourse 1 April - 14 June 2025
EUR 990
Once off with an alternative of two instalments.
Included:
- 6 live cohort sessions (by the Tourism CoLab)
- 6 small group peer-2-peer sessions (by World Heritage Catalysis)
- Tools and framework
- Access to the learning platform and our global community of changemakers
Interested but not able to attend the scheduled course?
We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to benefit from our courses.
Please consider the option of requesting Think Like a Regenerator facilitated specifically for your organisation / business / community / network. Contact us for a quote.
If you are experiencing financial difficulties, we are open to discussing possible adjustments to our rates to make our courses accessible.
Your participation is important to us, and we look forward to hearing from you.
Dianne Dredge, PhD
Founder The Tourism CoLab
Dianne is Founder of The Tourism CoLab and Place Ecologies. She is an experienced community engagement specialist, environmental planner and tourism policy researcher and is an internationally recognised thought leader in tourism. She has spent most of her 30 year career in the spaces between environmental planning, research, education, policy, community development, innovation, entrepreneurship and business activation.
She has experience in Environmental Impact Assessment and land use strategy, and is deeply committed to innovative community engagement approaches.
Dianne will lead the 6 live global cohort sessions. (Language: English)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianne-dredge/
Contact: [email protected]
Cecilie Smith-Christensen, Cand.Oecon.
Founder World Heritage Catalysis
Cecilie has over 25 years working experience merging the heritage, tourism and economic domains. From focusing on how to improve the tourism model for economic development, she is now increasingly focused on how tourism can enhance community resilience and support economic transformation and regenerative development.
Cecilie is deeply involved in the international heritage domain through ICOMOS International Cultural Tourism Committee, Board member; Europa Nostra Norway Board member Lead developer of UNESCOs Visitor Management Assessment & Strategy Tool (VMAST); Expert advisor to UNESCOs World Heritage Sustainable Tourism Programme
Cecilie will facilitate the six sessions convening between the lessons led by Dianne Dredge. (Language: English or Norwegian)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cecilie-smith-christensen/
Contact: [email protected]
