Spark

We know that leading change initiatives can feel messy, isolating, and relentless. For systems practitioners, this means embracing uncertainty, committing to doing your inner work, and holding healthy relationships across difference. Spark is a course for people guiding others through change processes, who want to deepen their practice alongside a community of peers.

Through shared learning, practical methods, and 1:1 coaching, you’ll explore your personal edge as a practitioner while developing your ability to design and facilitate systemic processes. We’ll dive into navigating group dynamics such as power imbalances, tensions and conflict, and decision-making – while experimenting with new ways to design meetings, workshops, and collaborative engagements that support meaningful change. Find community in Spark, strengthen your practices in facilitating, and leave re-ignited to do this essential work.

"People need guidance - from facilitators and coaches - to shift to collective and adaptive ways of working for transformative change."

Scott Hinkle, Basecamp & Spark alum

Senior Consultant, Systems Change & Project Management, Wasafiri

Spark is a 5-week journey designed around intensive bursts of framing and facilitated practice in a cohort, whilst supporting you to apply your learning to your live projects through 1:1 coaching and action inquiry – a cycle of asking questions, experimenting, reflecting and adapting.

Learning Outcomes

Through three modules and 1:1 coaching, you will learn to:

• Clarify your evolving role in systems change: Build self-awareness and act from a grounded sense of your strengths and responsibilities suited to your context.
• Navigate complexity in groups with presence: Facilitate and hold space for difference and conflict, and catalyse collaborative action.
• Design adaptable processes: Confidently apply a diverse range of methods to plan and facilitate meetings, workshops, and engagements that support transformation in complex environments.
• Work through cycles of action inquiry: Deepen your impact in your context through cycles of acting, reflecting and adapting in ways that bring about internal and external change.

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. In Spark, we host you through a combination of participatory online workshops, personal reflective exercises, and individual coaching with one of our facilitation team. You will also be asked to take your learning away and apply it to your work, with our support.

Producer

Is Spark for me?

This course is right for you if:

• You have a foundational understanding of systems change, having learned about and used at least some tools in practice
• You have some previous group facilitation experience whether through learning offerings, workshops, or collaborative projects
• You have an opportunity to apply the skills you learn from this course in a practical setting and you want to deepen your impact

This is not a course that will introduce you to systems frameworks and tools that support diagnosis and strategy development for systems change; if you are looking for this kind of training, check out our Delta course for a short introduction, or Basecamp for a longer learning journey.

Who else will be on the course?

Mirroring system change principles in our cohort, we aim for a group of around 15-20 people, representing:

• A wide diversity of worldviews, lived experience, and perspectives
• A range of professional contexts - including business, non-profit, government, philanthropy, and other enablers of change
• A variety of complex challenges in sustainability and social change

"From my experience, the unsung heroes of successful systems initiatives are capable and compassionate facilitators ... Spark allowed me to sharpen my facilitation practice and develop a facilitation guide for our systems change work with the Reach Children’s Hub in Feltham."

Scott Hinkle, Basecamp & Spark alum

Senior Consultant, Systems Change & Project Management, Wasafiri

Scott Hinkle completed our Basecamp and Spark programmes in 2021. In From War Zones to Children’s Hubs: Insights and Advice from my Systems Journey, he shares insights and advice from entering the world of complexity to his current focus, including embodying systems change as an internal practice and three practical facilitation ideas nurtured through Spark.

Read more

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 here.

Accessibility needs

If you anticipate requiring additional support for your wellbeing, learning or access needs during the course, 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. The course producer will also be on hand throughout the course if you have any questions or concerns to raise. 

• Information sessions
• Application deadline: Monday 11 May 2026 at 23:59 BST

Course dates

• Module 1: 1 & 2 June 2026 (Mon & Tue), 14:00-17:30 BST
• Module 2: 15 & 16 June 2026 (Mon & Tue), 14:00-17:30 BST
• Module 3: 29 & 30 June 2026 (Mon & Tue), 14:00-17:30 BST
• 1:1 coaching period across the 5 weeks

Timing

Each session will be 3.5 hours (with breaks) held: 09:00-12:30 ET / 14:00-17:30 BST / 15:00-18:30 CEST / 18:30-22:00 IST.

You can join Spark from anywhere in the world, so long as you can attend the dates and times listed above.

Check your time zone

If the course dates don't work for you, express your interest in Spark and we'll email you when we are accepting applications to join the next cohort.

Time commitment between sessions

We typically recommend around 3-4 hours per week between sessions. Please note that this includes your individual coaching sessions, as well as the 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. 

The School of System Change is continually working to improve the financial accessibility of our courses. For this course we offer three rates, and ask that you select the one that fits your financial situation. It is our hope that those able to afford the higher fees help us cover costs and support others to access the discounted rates.

Full Rate: £1900 GBP / €2300 EUR / $2500 USD
For people in countries with strong economies, larger organisations and well-paid professionals. Your registration will support others to participate. This rate reflects the true cost of the course.

Mid-Rate: £1350 GBP / €1600 EUR / $1750 USD
For people in countries with moderate economies, small organisations (fewer than 10 employees) and individuals.

Discounted Rate: £950 GBP / €1150 EUR / $1250 USD
For people in need of financial assistance to support their learning. Only a few discounted rate slots are allocated to each cohort.

VAT does not apply to the fees above.

Please join the Spark team for a 45-minute information session:

• Tue 7 April 2026, 09:00 ET / 14:00 BST / 15:00 CEST / 18:30 IST
• Tue 5 May 2026, 09:00 ET / 14:00 BST / 15:00 CEST / 18:30 IST

Complete our application form by Monday 11 May 2026 at 23:59 BST. It usually takes about 15-20 minutes. You can save your progress as you go and will be emailed a copy of your answers at the end.

We review completed applications on a rolling basis for enrollment.

Apply

If the course dates don't work for you, express your interest in Spark and we'll email you when we are accepting applications to join the next cohort – likely not until 2027.

Are you interested in speaking with one of our team to answer any specific questions you may have? Please shoot us an email at [email protected]. We're looking forward to hearing from you!

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