Basecamp for Health System Transformation

Welcome to our Basecamp for Health System Transformation course tailored for health leaders who are eager to drive transformation within the health systems in which they operate. At the School of System Change, we recognise health leaders as catalysts for change, not only at an individual level but also through the ripple effects they create within their organisations and broader ecosystems.

We firmly believe that by nurturing a community of systems change leaders within the health sector, we can significantly accelerate the shift towards a new paradigm in health. A paradigm which emphasises novel ways of action, heightened agency, and conscious leadership - all essential components for co-creating health systems capable of thriving in a complex and uncertain future.

Our goal is ambitious yet essential. We aim to equip health leaders with the skills necessary to cultivate, lead, and facilitate profound changes across diverse sectors and geographical landscapes. By doing so, we aspire to build momentum and foster a vibrant community of systemic practitioners within the health sector.

Is this for you?

Do you find yourself lying awake at night, pondering the same questions that keep us awake too?

• How can we infuse more humanity into healthcare?
• What does it take to design health systems that nurture people's well-being and resilience rather than simply treating their illnesses?
• How might we build resilience at the individual, community and system level?
• Who bears the responsibility for reimagining our health systems - is it us?
• How can we possibly rethink health systems when healthcare professionals are constantly battling daily crises?
• How do we craft health systems that prioritise both human and planetary health?
• Who is the health workforce of the future? 
• And many more…

We understand the profound tension between the commitment to caring for patients at the frontline and the urgent need to transform and rethink our health systems. This tension often leaves health leaders and practitioners feeling paralysed, even hopeless. Some of us may have spent years applying temporary fixes to complex issues, only to find ourselves stuck in a cycle of perpetual firefighting.

If these questions resonate with you, then you're exactly who we designed this programme for. Join us as we navigate this journey together, empowering health leaders like you to break free from the constraints of traditional thinking and pave the way for a future where health systems truly serve the needs of individuals and the planet alike.

What to expect from the course

On this programme, you will embark on a transformative journey where you will have the opportunity to explore your personal inquiries within your respective field, utilising systemic tools to dissect complex challenges. Funded by the Johnson & Johnson Foundation and delivered in partnership with Inner Ripple, our facilitation team will host you in facilitated workshops, peer learning, and reflections to apply systems thinking to your personal inquiry. This is not just another Zoom-delivered programme - it is designed as an inspiring, thought-provoking breathing space allowing you to approach your work in a completely new way. World-class practitioners will be your guides, bringing a plethora of disciplines from across the health and systems fields to meet the needs of your practice and learning style.

At the School of System Change we believe that the most powerful learning experience exposes you to a broad range of tools, frameworks and approaches in order to help you to find your best way in. Learn more about our multi-method approach to systems change learning. Through guided support and experiential learning, you will unravel the intricate layers of your inquiry, fostering deep understanding and innovative solutions tailored to your unique context.

Basecamp is a 4-month online learning journey into the foundations of systems  change practice and will be divided into two modules this year. A third module will be made available for a subset of the cohort later this year. Here is an overview of the structure of the programme (see course dates and times here):

Module 1 will focus on sharpening your understanding of systems change, using practical approaches to explore dynamics of change, and deepening your appreciation of how worldviews shape your thinking and the multi-faceted aspects of health system transformation. Content is brought in by several contributors and experienced practitioners from various backgrounds who introduce their frameworks, approaches and perspectives from complexity, systems thinking, futures, transitions, living systems and regenerative practices.

Module 2 will support you in strengthening your systemic practices and applying these to your field of interest. You will develop strategies for creating deep change with small interventions. You will learn about how to work differently with others, addressing equity, power and working with conflict as well as enabling collaboration. 

The whole programme is underpinned by action inquiry, giving you the opportunity to join a peer learning group to apply learning to your field of inquiry.

An additional third elective module (dates to be confirmed) will be made available to a subset of the cohort later this year. This will be provided as a continuation of Basecamp to support those interested in facilitating systems change in their ecosystem and/or organisation. Please mark your interest to join this third module in your application.

Learning outcomes

Through this course you will learn to:

• co-inquire on the multifaceted aspects of health system transformation
• see patterns and connections, applied to different health contexts
• understand systems change as a process and an outcome
• navigate a variety of systemic change framings and approaches
• apply different tools and methods to gain deeper insights into your personal inquiry
• see how change happens over time, and at different levels

As much as you will come away with systems change learning, you’ll also emerge from the experience as changed people - adopting new mindsets, worldviews and approaches to solving problems. And last but not least, you’ll have developed relationships with other like-minded changemakers and belong to a community of practice.

How we host

At the School, we believe there is no one ‘right’ way of doing systems change work, and embrace both multiple methodologies and multiple ways of learning. So we host our Basecamp course with a variety of different formats and ways of engaging with content.

Our experienced facilitators host the cohort throughout the whole process, helping you navigate the wealth of perspectives and practical knowledge and tools shared by our contributors. They also support group work and offer office hours outside of the sessions if you wish to go deeper in any of the concepts or if you need individual support.

Basecamp is designed to be as experiential and social as possible using our years of experience of facilitating online. We ensure sessions are interactive and allow for plenty of small group discussions in breakout rooms. There will be regular breaks as well as some activities to take off-screen, reflective time and invitations to join us in movement to help sustain our energy levels throughout.

We have an online learning platform where pre-reads, session recordings and content are all housed in one place, and a Slack team dedicated to each cohort for live conversation.

Facilitators

Producer

Contributors

We are always evolving our content to bring you the cutting-edge of systems change. Contributors for this year’s programmes are being finalised. Previously, content was brought by:

As well as Angela Gichaga, Health Financing Alliance; Karolien van Brekel, International Positive Health Institute; Nadia Sandi; Lauren Hermanus, How We Adapt; and Margaret Hannah, International Futures Forum.

Basecamp is the course for you if:

• You have a strategic role and/or capacity to experiment and advocate for new models of care within your ecosystem and aspire to spark transformational change in the way health is governed, financed, organised and delivered
• You are looking to really dive into systems change and develop your practice through learning multiple methods and approaches from across the field
• You are interested in working towards a more just, equitable and regenerative future
• You are ready to dive into the unknown, challenge your assumptions, and commit to the work required to get the most out of the programme
• You have a specific, complex health-related challenge, and commit to exploring that challenge (although it may evolve) during your applied learning journey - meaning that you’re up for scoping and applying systems thinking to your work, re-visiting a strategy as you learn and testing out your new skills

Participants not suitable for the programme include those who work for pharmaceutical or medical device companies, and consulting firms in the health sector.

If you are looking for a shorter introduction to systems change, our Delta course might be right for you.

Who else will be on the course?

This programme is designed for a cross-section of professionals who can influence health systems at a regional, national or local level. We are not only looking for people who work in healthcare settings, but also those whose work contributes to the wider health of society. We expect that our participants will have varied backgrounds and contexts and this is fine (and in fact desired). 

Mirroring systems change principles in our cohort, we aim for a group of diverse people, from organisations such as:

• Public-sector providers of public, community or primary care 
• Public-private partnerships in health, health system strengthening, health system transformation 
• NGOs focusing on health, capacity building, asset development (or community development where health plays a major role)
• Private healthcare providers interested in exploring resilience nurturing as a new way to deliver health interventions at individual, community or primary care level
• Government and healthcare insurance agencies representatives, assessment departments or policy units
• Professional medical or patient advocacy organisations

We seek to create safe and brave spaces for participants from different backgrounds and lived experience to engage in learning together. We acknowledge the power and responsibility we hold in our role as a convenor and learning provider, placing multiple ways of knowing and awareness of difference as fundamental design principles in our programmes.

Read more about our commitment and journey around equity and difference.

Accessibility

If you will need additional support for your wellbeing or access needs, then please let the team know as soon as possible, so we can factor this into our session design. You can let us know in the application form or email us at [email protected] - we are happy to arrange a call to discuss how we can support your learning. Our producer, Clara, will also be on hand throughout the course if you have any questions or concerns to raise.

Course dates

• Information sessions
• Application deadline: Tue 30 April 2024, 12:00 CEST

• Module 1
  • Part 1: 4, 5 & 6 June 2024
  • Part 2: 1, 2, 3 & 4 July 2024
• Module 2
  • Part 1: 16, 17 & 18 July 2024
  • Part 2: 28 & 29 August 2024
• Closing sessions: 9 & 10 September 2024
• Module 3 (elective)
  • Part 1: 12, 13 & 14 November 2024
  • Part 2: 9 & 10 December 2024

Online learning cohort time will total around 50 hours over the four months, with some intensive sessions over several consecutive days, and regular short sessions inbetween.

Timing

All online sessions will be held within 09:00-13:00 BST / 10:00-14:00 CEST / 10:00-14:00 CAT.

Participants must commit to participating in all of the online sessions and contributing constructively to peer group learning, as much as possible. You can join from anywhere in the world, so long as you can attend the times listed above and keep your camera on.

How much time will I need to commit outside of sessions?

We typically recommend around 2 hours per week between intensive sessions. Please note that this includes peer learning group time organised with your team on top of time you spend taking the content into your work or even mulling it over in the shower! We give this estimation as a rough guide so you know what to expect - this is very much a ‘the more you put in, the more you get out’ situation.

A note on intensive sessions

To get the most out of this experience, we ask you to do everything you can to arrange your schedule so you can be fully present for all sessions. Please note that this is to support the learning experience of your fellow participants, as well as your own. There is a space to let us know about clashes in your diary in the application form.

The fees for this course are subsidised thanks to the contribution of our programme partner the Johnson & Johnson Foundation. Places are limited, and successful applicants will be asked to make a contribution of £500 each to secure their place on the programme.

In an effort to ensure equity and given that this programme is subsidised, you will be requested to pay back the value of the full course fee (£7500 / £5250 / £3750 depending on your organisation type) to the School of System Change in case of unjustified absence (more than 10% of the overall programme) or drop out.

The School of System Change team will manage the selection of participants who apply to the programme. We aim for diversity across the cohort to include a variety of perspectives in health systems - from multiple types of organisation contexts, worldviews & experiences. As part of this, Government Officials and Health Care Professionals can apply to the programme and will have to meet the relevant selection criteria and comply with all applicable rules and, if selected, would comprise a small proportion of a wider mix of participants.

Please join the Basecamp for Health System Transformation team for an information session:

• Thu 28 March 2024, 9-10am GMT / 10-11am CET / 11am-12pm CAT
• Thu 18 April 2024, 9-10am BST / 10-11am CEST / 10-11am CAT

Register

Complete our application form by Tuesday 30 April 2024, 12:00 CEST. It usually takes about 30 minutes and you can save your progress as you go.

Apply

The mission of the Johnson & Johnson Foundation is to support and champion the people on the front lines who are at the heart of delivering care. Together with its partners, the Foundation is committed to health system transformation. It focuses on advocating and supporting new models of care that demonstrate a shift from traditional curative healthcare delivery models to new community health models that cultivate resilience and promote holistic health for individuals, communities, and systems.

Inner Ripple stands at the nexus of inner spaciousness and systemic change, championing the transformative power of contemplative practices. As we navigate the critical crossroads of reimagining our societal systems and our individual roles within them, we create a space of meaning where individuals can explore contemplative practices that empower them to drive meaningful change. We believe in the synergy of stillness and action, where deep introspection and dynamic systemic change intersect, putting these practices to work for our collective future.

Are you interested in speaking with one of our team to answer any specific questions you may have? Please email us at [email protected] and we'll be in touch to help. We look forward to hearing from you!

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