This training course is for anyone, working in any capacity, who wants to learn to design and facilitate creative events and workshops for sustainability change.

Our Changemakers: Facilitating Learning for Sustainability course is specifically designed to give you the skills, tools, and support you need to embed sustainability, and make real change happen. It brings together facilitation techniques with learning theory, social learning, and practice, with a focus on sustainability and the learning processes needed when groups come together to generate and develop ideas and actions.

Next course dates:

Please keep an eye on this page for updates regarding the next Changemakers course. If you would like to attend the next Changemakers course, please use the link or fill out the enquiry form below, and one of the team will get back to you.

Messages From Our Alumni

Unique and thought provoking experiences and activities. I loved every minute of it!

Huwaidha - 2023

The learning was incredible, the sheer wealth of experience from Ann, Doug and Morgan but also the rest of the participants is invaluable.

Alana - 2023

It was great working with a group of very different personalities and learning how to let everyone shine…

Grant - 2023

Thank you so much – the course is so powerful! Please keep doing what you do.

Abigail - 2023

We’ve just finished a workshop with our Information and Digital Services directorate who wanted us to help them develop a sustainability road map and action plan, and I can genuinely say that it is one of the best things I’ve run – entirely due to that weekend.

Zoe - 2020

… the course changed something for and in me. I feel like I now have clear value, purpose, vision and confidence in my workplace, whereas before I felt overlooked, underutilised and confused about the way I work, learn and think.

Kerstin - 2020
Changemakers - Action Learning review

Changemakers Action Learning Review Report

The course is designed around a core action learning project that the participants choose and describe in their pre-course forms. A list is described in Table 1 of the Report. We have categorised them into changing thinking, changing practice and changing places as they first describe their project and their need.

Beth on the Changemaker course

Changemakers: Facilitating Learning for Sustainability Evaluation Report

The SEEd Changemakers – Facilitating Learning for Sustainability course has been running for 12 years. In this time, it has directly reached 117 participants and, because it focuses on training leaders, it has a potential reach into the thousands. It has been run in the UK and Europe, and has attracted international participants.

About the course

The part time course runs over a period of four months and takes place both online and in person. The cost of the entire course, running over a period of around four months, both online and in person, is £1000. With over 50 hours of learning, and personal mentoring, this represents extremely good value for money.

The Changemakers: Facilitating Learning for Sustainability course is broken down into four components:

  • Foundation – The course begins with a series of online sessions, seven weeks prior to gathering for the first intensive weekend. This is designed to lay the foundations for your learning and begin the thinking necessary to make the course truly transformative. (A full timetable will be available soon)
  • Weekend 1 – We will meet for the first time at Tranquility House, our eco-venue in Stroud, for two days of intensive and participatory learning. Over the weekend we will examine how we learn and communicate, what factors affect behaviours, how to influence, as well as developing your own action learning projects. The focus is on how to embed transformative approaches for sustainability and develop the skills and tools you need to make real change happen.
  • Action Learning: This supported and mentored six to eight weeks is where you will work on your own action learning project, putting the learning from the course so far into your own work setting.
  • Weekend 2 – During the second face to face weekend of the course we will feedback and reflect on what has been learned. We will also delve deeper into learning, and complex facilitation processes, and how to make lasting change.

Below is a list of the intended learning outcomes designed into the SEEd Changemakers course. They include knowledge, skills, and applying this to a project of value to yourself. However, we know that each and everyone of you will have your own learning outcomes!

Learning Outcomes:

1. Understand how learning happens in different ways

2. Learn how to apply an action learning/learning set framework

3. Learn about change models and apply them

4. Learn and use transformative approaches that apply to sustainability

5. Practice how to facilitate groups to engage them in sustainability work

6. Learn about and design participatory approaches

7. Assess understandings of sustainability and the SDGs and wider sustainability/environmental frameworks

8. Explore different worldviews or mindsets people have and assumptions made

9. Learn and practice influencing, motivations and values communication methods and audiences

10. Learn about all the variety of ways, barriers and solutions others are trying to embed sustainability in their setting, community or place of work

Ann Finlayson, Executive Chair of SEEd, is known as one of the best facilitators and experienced educators in ESD in the UK. She is an award winning evaluation expert. As the Commissioner for Education for the Sustainable Development Commission, she facilitated workshops within government departments and with senior officials.

She has worked in as an independent facilitator both within the UK and internationally, including Australia, Papua New Guinea, Canada, Japan, Greece, USA, and Sweden. Ann is recognised for her work by being invited, through SEEd, to be a Key Global Partner with UNESCO where her work on whole institution approaches and ESD continues to influence and be embedded around the world.

Doug Hulyer is an environmentalist, educator, independent advisor, heritage advocate, writer and artist. Chair of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site,Chair of The Earth Trust, Woodchester Mansion Trust and Vice-president of Surrey Wildlife Trust (including delivery of one of the first educational nature reserves in the UK at Nower Wood, Surrey).

One of the founders of the Real World Learning Campaign; BBC Breathing Places; Chair of Defra Education and Public Understanding group, Project Director for London Wetland Centre, Barnes. Formerly Director with Wetlands and Wildfowl Trust, Board Member of English Nature and then Natural England (2002 – 2014) and Trustee of Heritage Lottery Fund (2006-2013).Depending on the interest of the group, one or more experts will be available to teach different sessions. In the past these have been on community engagement, values and frames for influence, environmental education, biodiversity etc.

The cost of the entire course, running over a period of around four months, both online and in person, is £1000. With over 50 hours of learning, and personal mentoring, this averages to £15 per hour, and prior alumni have noted this represents extremely good value for money.

If 10 or more of your staff could benefit from this course, we can offer it at a reduced rate. Please contact us to find out more.

The course runs over a period of 3-4 months and is made up of different elements. As with most things the more you put in, the more you will get out of it. The online Foundation part of the course is seven weeks long and you will need to commit around an hour per week. This is a gentle start and you will see the workload increase as the time goes on.

There are two face to face weekends that take place at our eco venue, Tranquility House. Each day begins at 8.30am and goes on until 5.00pm. Both weekends are intensive learning periods that will support you with skills and tools for your own work.

Between the two weekends is a period of Action Learning when you will work on your own projects with support and Mentoring from us. The length of time available here will be decided according to the needs of the group. There are additional online sessions, and Zoom catch-ups with your assigned Mentor.

A more detailed timetable for the whole course will be sent out once you sign up.

  • All course materials and resources
  • Over 50 hours of facilitated learning
  • Personal Mentoring and support
  • Tea coffee and refreshments

The contact time you have with us will vary slightly according to your needs, but there is a minimum of 45 hours of planned learning over the whole course.

The course is held at our eco venue Tranquility House in Stroud, Gloucestershire. Over time we are aiming to demonstrate good practice in sustainability within a building, and we have ambitions to continue improvements. During your time on the course you will have an opportunity to look around the house and gardens to see what has already been achieved.

It is important to commit to attending the whole course. We fix the date of the first face to face weekend before the start of the course. The second weekend is arranged to suit all participants once we come together. This way we aim to make it as easy as possible for you to attend the entire course. It’s important to note that the two face to face weekends cannot be attended virtually.

There are a number of excellent AirB&B’s in the area, and well as reasonably priced Travelodge and Premier Inn Hotels. For a little more, there is the Bear at Rodborough Hotel which is just 2 minutes walk from the venue. We can help you with a list of options once you sign up to the course.

Register your interest

Complete the short online form below to register your interest for the next SEEd Changemakers facilitation course.

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