I went into Awakening the Dreamer completely blind. Which, I suppose, is a good thing, considering the point of the half-day symposium is to ‘unblind’ and create awareness. I’d received an email recommending the workshop, which is an initiative of The Pachamama Alliance (a non-profit organisation based in the States), but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a course aiming to “change the dream of the modern world”.

Upon arrival I realised that I wasn’t the only newbie attending, as the symposium was one of the first of its kind to be held in South Africa. After milling around the coffee table for a while, we were ushered into a cosy conference venue, where we were greeted by our facilitator, Tracy-Kim.

She explained that the aim of the Awakening the Dreamer initiative is to “bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet”. I found this approach to the many problems facing us today to be particularly refreshing, as it acknowledges that environmental, social and spiritual issues are all intrinsically linked and should be treated as such.

The symposium was split into four sections, namely:

• Where are we?
• How did we get here?
• What is possible for the future?
• Where do we go from here?

Each section encompassed a well-rounded mix of interaction with fellow participants, positive visualisation exercises, and multimedia presentations. Tracy-Kim emphasised that the point of the symposium is not to teach the participants anything new, but rather to leave them in a state of “blessed unrest”, where they are aware of the challenges facing us all, and have accepted the unique role, no matter how big or small, that they as individuals can play in solving these problems. One thing that really stuck with me was the realisation that humankind has faced seemingly insurmountable tasks before, and overcome them (think of the abolition of slavery, or South Africa’s first democratic elections). If each person accepts personal responsibility, it is entirely possible for us to tip the scales in favour of a peaceful and sustainable world.

It is this positive approach that I found particularly encouraging. Too often programmes that advocate awareness and change focus on the enormity of the tasks that await us, inadvertently creating a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. The Awakening the Dreamer Initiative has realised that we cannot expect to mobilise others when we ourselves set out with a defeatist attitude.

The next Awakening the Dreamer, Changing the Dream Symposium will be held from 14:00 to 18:00 on 30 August at Entrepreneur.co.za, Business Centre, 17 Autumn Road, Rivonia, Johannesburg. The symposiums are free, but donations to defray expenses are always appreciated.