Workshop: Community Building Skills Training (CBST)
Workshop: Community Building Skills Training (CBST)
23 October, 9:30 – 25 October, 16:30 GMT
Location: Biovilla, Herdade de Pinhal Basto, Vale de Barris, CCI 4238, 2950-055 Palmela
Facilitator: Edward Groody, Founder of Community Building International
Organization and Contact in Portugal: Nádia Sales Grade
“There can be no vulnerability without risk; there can be no community without vulnerability; there can be no peace, and ultimately no life, without community.” Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Travelled and The Different Drum
What is this workshop about?
The workshop The Art of Connection: Community Building Skills Training, according to M. Scott Peck explores new ways of communicating and relating to ourselves and others with the aim of building healthier relationships. Along this path, we create “community” as a way of being that allows us to live more authentically, both individually and together.
The ability to communicate with depth, honesty, and vulnerability, together with a sense of belonging, mindfulness, and emotional intelligence, leads to “an experience of authentic connection, unusual safety, and extraordinary respect,” as described by Edward Groody, the founder of Community Building International, who will facilitate this first workshop.
The programme combines communication and self-awareness exercises with practical circle time that foster presence, belonging, mindfulness, and space for silence, reflection, and genuine connection. The workshop will be held in Portuguese and English.
Who is it for?
The workshop is designed for those interested in developing deeper and more authentic relationships, fostering open communication in a safe and respectful environment, while deepening their personal development and spiritual experience. It is also aimed at those who wish to support others in this process or who seek, within their teams, organisations, and communities, ways to deepen collaboration and coexistence.
“How strange that we should ordinarily feel compelled to hide our wounds when we are all wounded! Community requires the ability to expose our wounds and weaknesses to our fellow creatures. It also requires the ability to be affected by the wounds of others… But even more important is the love that arises among us when we share, both ways, our woundedness.” Scott Peck
How does it work?
“The Art of Connection: Community Building Skills Training” develops an experience of community through four phases:
- Pseudocommunity
- Chaos
- Void
- Community
In the workshop introduction, we explain the meaning of these phases and the skills we will acquire throughout the workshop with practical exercises and shared circles. The workshop aims at:
- Creating authentic community
- Developing authentic and non-violent communication
- Practicing mindfulness and emotional intelligence
- Understanding human differences
- Opening space for silence, sharing, and genuine encounter
- Deepening our spiritual experience
The workshop facilitator provides structure and guidance, ensuring the group feels emotionally safe, but is not responsible for assessing participants’ emotional experiences, as the workshop isn’t and doesn’t replace therapy.
However, the experience can be emotionally intense, so we ask you please to assess your ability to participate and consult a healthcare professional if necessary. The workshop lasts 3 days and requires full attendance.
Schedule
October 23
9:30 AM – 1:00 PM Workshop
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Lunch
2:30 PM – 7:00 PM Workshop
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM Dinner
October 24
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Workshop
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Lunch
2:30 PM – 7:00 PM Workshop
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM Dinner
October 25
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM Workshop
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Lunch
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM Workshop
Languages: The workshop will be conducted in Portuguese and English; English speakers are welcome.
The Venue – Biovilla: The workshop will take place at Biovilla, a Portuguese cooperative dedicated to sustainable development and ecological, social, and economic regeneration, located in the Arrábida Natural Park, about 40 minutes from Lisbon. ( + Google Maps)
Accommodation: The venue offers triple and quadruple rooms.
Meals
Meals are vegetarian for all participants and are fully included in the participation fee and cover breakfast, lunch, dinner, and coffee breaks.
Price
The price listed includes all expenses related to the workshop (excluding travel, which will not be necessary during the event). The workshop includes:
- 24 hours of training over 3 days;
- 1 facilitator, Edward Groody, founder of CBI
- All materials that will be distributed during the workshop
- The constant presence of a support team
Accommodation includes:
- 2 nights’ accommodation at Biovilla, from Friday, October 23 to Sunday, October 25
- Meals:
- October 23 – lunch, dinner, coffee breaks
- October 24 – breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee breaks
- October 25 – breakfast, lunch, coffee breaks
Early Bird – Registration by June 30 — Price: 650 €
Registration starting July 1 — Price: 750 €
Partners (NGOs, Cooperatives, Religious communities, Intentional Communities, among others) — Price: 650 €
Facilitator in Training – CBI Programme — Price: 530 €
VAT is included. Payment for the workshop can be made in two installments of 50%, the first upon registration and the second by September 15, 2026. No refunds will be issued in case of withdrawal due to the costs associated with organizing the workshop.
REGISTRATION: Click the red button below to complete the initial registration form. You will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt of your registration, followed by a personalized email to complete the payment.
REGISTER HERE
