Retreat desing

RETREAT DESIGN & FACILITATION with •APATHY IS BORING •

Apathy is Boring is bringing a breath of fresh air to the world of youth civic & democratic engagement in Canada. Through its flagship program RISE, youth between 18 and 30 in cities across the country imagine and create meaningful community projects in a 20 week program that provides skills and a network while shifting their narratives on their own power.

In each RISE cohort there is a pan-Canadian 4 day retreat : a joyful gathering where each city hub (Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax) creates deep connections, learns from inspiring mentors and gains clarity on their community project.

I have co-designed and facilitated 5 of these retreats, in-person and online, crafting and holding a safer space for deep creativity and connection.

What the client said:

"Ez is one of the best facilitators and mc's I've come across. He's authentic, kind and has an infectious positive energy. He's always willing to adapt to our various and rapidly changing needs. He's someone you want by your side, and I can't recommend him enough."

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Photo credit : Helena Vallès Photography for Apathy is Boring

Photo credit : Artist Training Department

What the client said:

"Ez brought a unique life energy and quality expertise to our team. He was a key consultant for our team at CDS Artist Training Dept during a very challenging period of change. He developed and led workshops on Psychological Safety at work and Growth Mindset, which were key in enabling our team to open up, connect and grow together. Ez's approach is very creative and highly personalized. This combined with his natural empathy and his sense of humour makes him an excellent workshop leader.

Ez also worked on an important aspect of our work at the CDS Artist Training Dept: How to measure the impact that the artistic classes had on the acrobats performance abilities. Ez brought his ingenuity, creativity and people skills to this project and helped us to develop a new method of measuring artistic process and learning.
Coaches, artists, acrobats, and managers alike all appreciated Ez's creative contribution to this project.

Creative collaborator, reliable, fun to work with, good work ethic. This combined with Ez's charismatic personality and very human approach make him a great consultant/ enabler."

CREATIVE BOOST WITH DYNAMO COLLECTIVO

Dynamo is a team of passionate facilitators and experts in collaboration. I offered them a training in energizing activites in collaboration with Inbo, following which they invited me to collaborate on two exciting projects:

Developing a series of new online game concepts for their Leadership Rassembleur program.
Creating & facilitating a 1h30 musical co-creation workshop with 2 musicians and 20 participants. With a careful workshop structure and lots of laughter, we landed a chorus and three verses within the allotted time.

What the client said (comments from an anonymous survey):
Ez was great, an excellent facilitator that listens, keeps time and is always pertinent.

I loved Ez's warm and inclusive facilitation.

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SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

Expérience par les affaires (conference given in French)
Faites évoluer vos événements en découvrant le nouveau langage des formats collaboratifs tels que les forums ouverts, le World Café et le design sprint.

Description de la conférence :
Faites évoluer vos événements en découvrant le nouveau langage des formats collaboratifs tels que les forums ouverts, le World Café et le design srping. Grâce à des exemples concrets, cette conférence interactive vous donnera des clés pour découvrir les contextes d'utilisation de cette variété de formats innovants. Voyez-comment:

Choisir le meilleur outil qui convient à vos besoins particuliers ;
Ces méthodes sont des outils privilégiés pour tisser des connexions durables et susciter des prises de conscience puissantes ;
Mieux comprendre l'efficacité de ces formats en se penchant sur des exemples concrets.

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Photo credit : Expérience par les affaires

Expo Entrepreneur (conference given in French & co-facilitated with Frédérique Corson)
Apprendre à apprendre: pour une culture organisationnelle ancrée dans le développement continu

Description de la conférence :
Les bienfaits d'une culture d'apprentissage se font remarqués rapidement : de liens sociaux plus solides, un sentiment d'épanouissement personnel, et des gains en efficacité et productivité. Il est facile de mettre cette dimension critique de côté et, selon une étude menée par LinkedIn, la cause principale est la perception du manque de temps. Or, il existe plusieurs méthodes pour intégrer l'apprentissage dans son quotidien facilement et rapidement. Dans cet atelier hautement interactif, deux designers d'expériences d'apprentissage chevronnés partageront une multitude de micro-pratiques vous permettant de poser les bases d'une culture d'apprentissage fluide et bien ancrée.

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LEARNING EXPERIENCE DESIGN WITH • C2 MONTREAL & MOVIN'ON SUMMIT•

In 2020, for the first online version of C2, I designed masterclasses for Malcolm Gladwell & John Cohn, and hosted workshops with Atölye, SYP, David Pearl, Hatch & the Creative Leaders Circle (CLC).

Following the success of the event, I went on to host a series of workshops on Aging, Resilience and Future cities with Hakuhodo's Innovation Garden Initiative, as well as a report presentation series with GPAI, the global partnership on artificial intelligence.

Screen capture of a GPAI Working group report session.

In the 2019 edition of C2 Montreal, I trained and oversaw a group of 20 facilitators that delivered over 70 exciting and interactive workshops for a wide variety of partners, including Salesforce, Element AI, Microsoft, BMW, Blue man group, Gsoft, Onedrop, RBC Foundation, RISE Kombucha, Moment Factory, Verizon & ONF.

I participated in the creation of a highly successful speed coaching session that took place within a luxury vehicule, as well as two innovative experiential labs. In In the Dark, participants sharpened their listening and communication while participating in a team challenge in the complete darkness. In Alter Ego, participants explored dormant traits in their personality then created an exciting new alter ego using the Enneagram Framework.

Finally, I did the learning experience design for several high profile masterclasses of which the official descriptions are below.

What the client said:
Ez brings a wonderful mix of out-the-box, creative, wild ideas with a strong strategic, problem-solving, mindset. At C2, he demonstrated great skills at taking an idea sketched on a napkin to a real-life business conference. He designed beautiful masterclasses working with C2's most renowned speakers as well as coached our community of C2 facilitators. His authenticity and his intentional feedback will help you push your thinking and your team.

Workshop at C2 Montréal / Credit: Jimmy Hammelin for C2 Montréal

Speed Coaching / Credit: Agnieszka S for C2 Montréal

Workshop at C2 Montréal / Credit: Jimmy Hammelin for C2 Montréal

Alter Ego lab / Credit: Agnieszka S for C2 Montréal

In the dark lab / Credit: Étienne Beauregard for C2 Montréal

Shifting food's value proposition
Marcus Samuelsson, Chef, restaurateur and author
Food might be the most powerful catalyst for understanding each other better and being more open to a diversity of ideas. And as a leader, this is more important now than ever. Marcus Samuelsson believes that to know a place and its people, you must first know its food. Learn how Marcus, using the power of food, helps bridge gaps between communities one plate at a time.

Credit: Ariane Bergeron for C2 Montréal

Why we brand, why we buy
Debbie Millman, Writer, designer, educator, artist and brand consultant
Take a deep dive with Debbie Millman into the impact branding has on our everyday lives, from the branding of ourselves and the world around us to the role branding plays in the products we buy and the way we live. Viewed through a sociological, scientific and anthropological lens, gain a new perspective on why we like some brands and dislike others, the real reason we are so addicted to our technological devices, and what causes us to ogle a particular pair of sneakers.

Credit: Allen McEacher for C2 Montréal

Becoming harder to kill
Conn Bertish, Founder and Creative Director, Cancer Dojo
The science behind how your body reacts to what’s going on in your mind is clear. Just ask Conn, a creative director and cancer survivor who gamified his disease to beat it. Learn how his Dojo Thinking Methodology empowers shifts in behavior and mindset for the better, and is a skill and strategy that can be applied to both humans and brands.

Credit: Allen McEacher for C2 Montréal

Adopting a circular mindset
Dominique Fularski, Communications Manager, Circular IKEA
Imagine creating a zero-waste world in your own business or industry without compromising on quality, form or price. Dominique Fularski will unpack how IKEA’s circular economy philosophy is transforming the world's largest furniture retailer’s approach to product design, material sourcing and the customer experience. Learn why embracing, and adopting, circularity is critical to the future survival of the planet, and of any business.

Credit: Jimmy Hammelin for C2 Montréal

Leadership for cultures of innovation
Aithan Shapira, Founder and CEO, Making to Think
Roll up your sleeves and dive hands-first into collaborative decision-making, sense-making, and creativity through the artist’s lens. Take home frameworks you won’t find in any business book for developing a culture of innovation—your competitive advantage at the speed of change.

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Credit: Allen McEacher for C2 Montréal

CLIENT LIST

100en1jour, Apathy is Boring, Appui Montréal, C2 Montréal, CoCo, Cirque du Soleil, Culture pour Tous, Culture Québec, Diversité Artistique Montréal, Dynamo, E-180, Glee Factor, Gsoft, Groupe CFC, John Molson School of Business, Inbo, La Maison de l’Innovation Sociale, La Factry, Molior, Office Nationale du Film du Canada, Partners for Youth Empowerment (PYE Global), Percolab, Postmarginal, Ubisoft, Wx, Oxfam.

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