Workshops and Events
Workshops
and Events
2026 Workshops
We are excited to share the lineup of free workshops for the first half of 2026! In these sessions, we will dive into key concepts that we consider fundamental, no matter what your goal is.
Movement Ecology Online Workshops
This free workshop presents a framework to understand and analyze five distinct strategies that arise when attempting to make social change. We call this framework Movement Ecology, and believe each of the five strategies have a place in our social movements.
While many of us have tried to create conditions within our social movements of collaboration across groups and organizations, we believe this collaboration can only happen when we are clear on the differences between the strategies we are using. To accomplish the victories we need in order to change society, we need to think in terms of the movement having an “ecosystem”, which is made up of different strategies that work in relation to one another.
We call these multiple strategies Foundational Theories of Change, and we believe that the collaboration between the strategies is the key to our power.
Some of the common questions we receive about this framework will be explored in this workshop, such as:
- Which Theory of Change do I spend most of my time working in?
- What is the role of each Theory of Change within the context of the larger movement?
- How can we relate to and support other Foundational Theories of Change?
- How can we build a culture of interdependence and embrace multi-strategic movements?
Navigating Transitions Online Workshop - May 19th, 2026
At the Ayni Institute, we believe that creating social change requires inner change as well. Beyond strategies and organizations, we must understand how we as people grow, navigate transitions, and face our own resistance to change. This is why we cultivate emotional resilience, the capacity to move through personal and collective challenges with awareness and strength, not alone but together. This workshop is part of that larger journey.
We will offer you a guided space to slow down, reflect, and make sense of the many changes unfolding in your lives and work. Through individual reflection, shared dialogue, and storytelling, we invite you into greater awareness of how change shows up in different areas of your life. We invite you to build your capacity to navigate these changes with intention, clarity, and care.
The session is designed to support you in understanding the deeper internal shifts that often accompany external change, helping you make meaning of transitions that may feel overwhelming or uncertain. Through stories, conversation, and practical tools, the workshop will help you recognize whether you are going through a transition, honor your inner process, and discover ways to move through uncertainty with resilience and compassion.
Seasons of Leadership Online Workshops
This workshop on Seasonality is about the cyclical patterns that exist in our leadership and social movement organizations. Seasons and cycles help us to understand, appreciate and protect the ebbs and flows that occur throughout our time in this work.
As we’ve experienced in this work, there are times when we’re externally focused and there’s energy to do things. And there are times when we’re in an internally focused state, where we seem dormant to the outside world, but our energy is just focused internally as opposed to externally.
We believe that each stage in this cycle has a purpose, gift and limits that can be applied to our lives, leadership, organizations, and movements. In this workshop we dive into our individual leadership seasons specifically, and provide answers to some of the common questions that come up when we’ve previously shared the framework:
- What do seasons look like in my leadership? What should I be doing and how can I get support?
- How can we integrate seasonality into our work and lives? What are some next steps I can take?
- What should we do if I’m in one season and my organization is in another?
Past workshops of 2026
Managing Stress Online Workshop - January 21st, 2026
At the Ayni Institute, we believe that creating social change requires inner change as well. Beyond strategies and organizations, we must understand how we as people grow, navigate transitions, and face our own resistance to change. This is why we cultivate emotional resilience, the capacity to move through personal and collective challenges with awareness and strength, not alone but together. This workshop is part of that larger journey.
This workshop provides participants with a supportive space to reflect on the many changes shaping their lives and work. Through guided reflection, pair sharing, group discussion, and creative exercises, you will explore where change is showing up personally, in leadership, and in your community, and notice how these shifts affect your sense of balance and direction.
We will offer practical strategies for navigating stress and uncertainty, as well as explore common ways people react under pressure, such as shutting down, feeling anxious, or trying to maintain control. We will experiment with simple actions that can help you regain a sense of calm and focus in those moments. By combining reflection with hands-on tools, this session will support you to have more self-awareness and practical approaches to stay grounded, strengthen resilience, and move through change with greater steadiness and confidence.
Past workshops of 2025
Seasons of Leadership Workshop - February 5th, 2025
This workshop on Seasonality is about the cyclical patterns that exist in our leadership and social movement organizations. Seasons and cycles help us to understand, appreciate and protect the ebbs and flows that occur throughout our time in this work.
As we’ve experienced in this work, there are times when we’re externally focused and there’s energy to do things. And there are times when we’re in an internally focused state, where we seem dormant to the outside world, but our energy is just focused internally as opposed to externally.
We believe that each stage in this cycle has a purpose, gift and limits that can be applied to our lives, leadership, organizations, and movements. In this workshop we dive into our individual leadership seasons specifically, and provide answers to some of the common questions that come up when we’ve previously shared the framework:
- What do seasons look like in my leadership? What should I be doing and how can I get support?
- How can we integrate seasonality into our work and lives? What are some next steps I can take?
- What should we do if I’m in one season and my organization is in another?
Emotional Resiliency Workshop - March 10, 2025
In moments of great change (transitions) we find ourselves using our personal and collective emotional capacity to adapt to the new conditions we are facing. In these days, impacted by the remnants of the pandemic, we have been challenged and had our lives shift from being outside to being at home, to being outside once more. The strategies we created to support ourselves and the aftereffects of a prolonged pandemic period of isolation, away from our normal avenues of supports, may no longer serve us or may need to be revisited and done once more with new intentions.
It is safe to say that we need to increase our emotional capacity and resiliency so that we can be better aware of what is going on with us and the people around us. We at Ayni also believe that we need to lean into the traditions we are already a part of, learn new practices, and explore what is supportive to us collectively so that we can strengthen our capacity to go withstand this transition together.
During this workshop we will review important frameworks about what goes on during transitions; what it means to develop emotional resilience; what gets in the way of building it; and some resources and practices that can support in increasing our collective emotional capacity.
Movement Ecology Workshop - April 24, 2025
This free workshop on Movement Ecology is about a framework to understand and analyze the 5 distinct strategies that arise when attempting to make social change.
While many of us have tried to create the conditions for social movements where there is collaboration across groups and organizations, we believe that collaboration can only happen when we are clear on the differences between the strategies that live in them. This means that we can only have ecological thinking/action in social change if we know what makes the parts of the movement different in relation to one another.
We call these multiple strategies Foundational Theories of Change and we believe that the key to power that many of us are working hard to harness is found in their collaboration.
Some of the common questions that come up when we’ve previously shared the framework and will be explored during this workshop are:
- Which Theory of Change do I spend most of my time working in?
- What is the role of each Theory of Change within the context of the larger movement?
- How can we relate and support other Foundational Theories of Change?
- How can we build a culture of interdependence and embrace multi-strategic movements?
Organizational Seasons Workshop - May 27, 2025
This workshop on Seasonality is about the cyclical patterns that exist in our social movement organizations. Seasons and cycles help us to understand, appreciate and protect the ebbs and flows that occur throughout our time in this work, and allow us to think strategically about our work.
As we’ve experienced, there are times when our organizations are externally focused and there’s energy to do things. And there are times when they are in an internally focused state, where we seem dormant to the outside world, but our energy is just focused internally as opposed to externally.
We believe that each stage in this cycle has a purpose, gift and limits that can be applied to our lives, leadership, organizations, and movements. In this workshop we dive into our organizational seasons specifically, and provide answers to some of the common questions that come up when we’ve previously shared the framework:
- What are the pitfalls of ignoring cyclically and the wisdom of the Seasons for my organization?
- How can we integrate seasonality into our organizations? What are some next steps I can take?
- What should we do if I’m in one season and my organization is in another?
Coordination Fundamentals Workshop - June 23, 2025
The Introduction to Coordination Fundamentals expands upon the process of bringing your vision for a local project, event, or program to fruition. Coordination is inherent in our daily lives, even if we don’t explicitly label or conceptualize it as such. This workshop aims to equip participants with an overview of the essential coordination skills necessary to effectively manage their own events or small projects. Whether you’re new to coordination or lack extensive experience in organizing organizations and campaigns, this workshop serves as a starting point for your journey on the craft of coordination.
If you would like to learn more about coordination, we recommend our full-length, self-paced course, available on our website, called The Craft of Coordination.
Movement Ecology Online Workshop - September 25th, 2025
This free workshop presents a framework to understand and analyze five distinct strategies that arise when attempting to make social change. We call this framework Movement Ecology, and believe each of the five strategies have a place in our social movements.
While many of us have tried to create conditions within our social movements of collaboration across groups and organizations, we believe this collaboration can only happen when we are clear on the differences between the strategies we are using. To accomplish the victories we need in order to change society,, we need to think in terms of the movement having an “ecosystem”, which is made up of different strategies that work in relation to one another.
We call these multiple strategies Foundational Theories of Change, and we believe that the collaboration between the strategies is the key to our power.
Some of the common questions we receive about this framework will be explored in this workshop, such as:
Which Theory of Change do I spend most of my time working in?
What is the role of each Theory of Change within the context of the larger movement?
How can we relate to and support other Foundational Theories of Change?
How can we build a culture of interdependence and embrace multi-strategic movements?
Seasons of Leadership Online Workshop - October 15th, 2025
This online workshop is about the cyclical patterns that exist in our leadership and social movement organizations. This framework of Seasonality helps us to understand, appreciate and protect the ebbs and flows that occur throughout our time in this work.
We believe that each stage in this cycle has a purpose, gift, and limits that can be applied to our lives, leadership, organizations, and movements. In this workshop we dive into our leadership and organizational seasons specifically, and provide answers to some of the common questions that come up when we’ve previously shared the framework:
What do seasons look like in my leadership? What should I be doing and how can I get support?
How can we integrate seasonality into our work and lives? What are some next steps I can take?
What should we do if I’m in one season and my organization is in another?
Organizational Seasons Online Workshop - November 12th, 2025
This workshop is about the cyclical patterns that exist in our social movement organizations. Using the framework of seasons and cycles can help us to understand and appreciate the ebbs and flows that occur throughout our time in an organization.
As we’ve experienced, there are times when our organizations are at a high capacity in terms of energy and resources to focus externally on the work they are doing out in the world. Other times our organizations, though it may appear we are dormant, are simply focusing our energies inward.
We believe that each stage in this cycle has a purpose, gift, and limits that can be applied to our lives, leadership, organizations, and movements. In this workshop we dive into our specific organizational seasons and provide answers to some of the common questions that come up about this framework, such as:
What are the pitfalls of ignoring cyclicality, and what wisdom do the different Seasons provide for my organization?
How can we integrate seasonality into our organizations? What are some next steps I can take?
What should we do if I’m in one season and my organization is in another?