Falkland Centre for Stewardship commissioned graduate and fellow Nick Wilding to design and direct their inaugural Rural Leadership Programme (RLP) from September, 2006 until November, 2007.

Nick writes: The collaborative story of our journey through the year was published 11 December. Working closely with RLP co-ordinator [and CHE graduate], Sibongile Pradhan, and many of the programme participants, we’ve sought to colourfully communicate our story around key learnings, outcomes and insights into what it takes to run a successful programme.

There was a lot of innovation on the programme. This included using free software at googledocs to enable co-authorship from our many community basis - from Yetholm in the Scottish Borders, to rural Fife participants. Our intention is that the document invites a continuing conversation - with our wider readers.

In the New Year, our external evaluator Dr. Geoff Mead from the Centre for Action Research in Professional Practice and the Centre for Narrative Leadership, will post his findings alongside our own ‘action research evaluation’.

In a summative presentation to Falkland Centre for Stewardship trustees, I offered an overview of an approach to conceptualising an evolving practice of stewardship which I developed during the Rural Leadership Programme. You can see the flash presentation through the link below. Feedback also very welcome on these ideas. My intention is to publish this material as a short paper in 2008.

Report available on Google Docs: docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhh4d3pg_11frspq5.

Evolving an integral approach to Stewardship: see the flash presentation on www.nickwilding.com/flash/stewardship.html.

For further information, please see Nick's blog, www.community.nickwilding.com.