BEFORE
Preparations – Part 1
Our time together in Norway is swiftly approaching: here are some of the things you need to do to get yourself ready.
01 Fill in the Additional Participant Information Questionnaire
In order to get to know you a bit better and to be able to better plan for your participation, we’d like for you to fill in this mandatory questionnaire. It for example includes questions about your dietary restrictions, some questions to get to know you better, and your travel information.
The questionnaire can be found here.
02 Join The WhatsApp Group
We have an open WhatsApp group for all The VALE 2023 participants and team members. This is mostly a space to get to know each other a bit, and for things like co-organising travels. All critical course information will be here on the Pax Portal, so if you’re not that into WhatsApp, don’t fret.
The invite link can be found here.
Preparations – Part 2
Here you find the preparatory assignments before arriving at The VALE Course in Norway. Some assignments are creative in nature, others more practical, and some involve readings or video on key themes and theory. We expect all tasks to be completed as they all serve very specific purposes during our time in Norway.
You are free to plan your work on these as you want, but we encourage you to start with some as soon as possible as it won't be feasible leaving everything for the last minute. You can do them in any order, but we recommend doing task no. 8 before task no. 9.Also, keep an eye out for the deadlines on the last two!
Happy prepping! :)
01 What Is Important to You?
Deadline: Bring envelope to Norway
Pick 1-3 people close to you and whom you consider know you well. Ask them to write a paragraph (less than half a page) on the question “What is important to [PAX name]? Their task is to write about you, not themselves. What do we mean by important? It is an open question, and reflections could relate to the things that they think you hold dear, such as items, activities, values, persons, principles, or how you spend your time. Do not read their text. Seal all letters in an envelope and bring this envelope to The VALE Course in Norway. You will be the only person eventually reading the letters.
02 Weekly Schedule Task
Deadline: Bring schedule to Norway
Create a detailed overview of what a realistic week (Monday - Sunday) looks like to you in a schedule / timetable format. Be as detailed and concrete as possible and add activities as well as times. You don’t need to write down your life in one specific week but you can rather create an idealised (but realistic!) weekly schedule. We will use the schedule in one of the sessions but you will be working with it individually (i.e. you won’t need to share the details with anyone else).
03 Feedback Is a Gift
Deadline: Before arrival in Norway
Feedback is one of the themes we will explore in depth at The VALE Course 2023. To get kick-started, watch this short video lecture by our trainer, Tulle, on feedback models, and why feedback is important!
04 Theory on Group Dynamics
Deadline: Before arrival in Norway
Throughout the course, we will be talking extensively about group dynamics and how it relates to you as a leader. In order to get you locked-and-loaded for this, we’d like you to read our blog post on group development and effective teams. Some of you might already know the model presented. For some of you, it might be completely new. Whether it’s a refresher or taking in a new concept, we encourage you to really make an effort to internalise the model as it’ll be the basis for many in-depth discussions on location in Norway.
05 The Principles of NVC
Deadline: Before arrival in Norway
Watch this video on Non-Violent Communication (NVC) made by one of The VALE trainers. When you have watched the video, we would like you to use NVC “in the wild” at least twice before we meet in Norway. That means: seek out two conversations (e.g. with a friend, family member, team mate etc.) and actively make use of the NVC model, framing your request in a non-violent way.
06 The Art of Power
Deadline: Before arrival in Norway
In the realm of leadership, the concept of power plays a pivotal role. Understanding power dynamics and why power matters is essential for effective leadership, as it shapes how leaders influence and inspire others to achieve shared goals. In this task, you will do a deep-dive into power: 1) Pick a theory on power that you find interesting 2) Write a reflection on how this theory is applicable to you as a leader or a leader in general 3) Share as post on Padlet 4) Interact with minimum one other post on Padlet For example, you could reflect on your past experience with a leader in relation to your chosen theory. Or you could be more abstract and analyse how leaders affect their team based on the power theory they act according to. Share your insights on the discussion board on Padlet (password: TheVALE2023) and ensure to interact with others. Further details on how the Padlet works can be found on the Padlet itself. Doing this is an essential preparation for our discussions during our course session on power. In case you’re unsure of where to start from, we have collected a few options in the linked folder. You only have to choose one (but are of course encouraged to check out the others, if you want!).
07 Fill in the Media Consent Form
Deadline: Friday 6 OCT, 2023
On a logistical note, we would like you to fill in this form stating whether or not you are okay with us taking photos and videos of you throughout the course, both for internal and external communication purposes. These we would like to use throughout the course as well as in promotional materials, including the publicly accessible final report.
08 Poster of Dreams
Deadline: Bring poster to Norway
Watch the video and read the blog post by Tim Urban. Tim Urban dissects what happens in the mind of procrastinator, preaches how important continual reflection and self-awareness are, and why these skills matter to achieve our goals and dreams. Please watch the video and read the blog post in one go; find a secluded time and place. After that we want you to think about the following questions. - Which were your “childhood dreams”? - What do you dream of right now? In what way have those dreams changed? - Who and what has meant a lot to you, when you’ve created and changed your dreams? Then make a poster about yourself of how you’ve reached your dream. Draw, take pictures, write or make a collage from magazine cuttings on an A3 paper, think of a big poster - large text, large pictures. The presentation should contain your name and a picture of you, 2 or 20 years into the future. If you dream of starting a company: present yourself as a entrepreneur. If you dream of being an inventor who has received the Nobel Prize, present yourself as the Nobel Prize winner. Do you dream of being a parent to a brood of children, backpacking around the world or writing a bestselling book? Whatever your dreams are, put them on the poster! And, bring your poster to Norway. P.S. We know this task might seem daunting to some of you. Our alumna Kat recently recounted us her story of struggling with her poster. “It seemed impossible in the beginning”, she explained, “to decide what to put down.” She came up with a couple of different versions with varying content - one of which is linked here, an original artwork by Kat. In the end, she did create another poster and overcame her hesitation in completing the daunting task of creating a Poster of Dreams.
09 Three Little Nuggets of Wisdom From the World of TED
Deadline: Before arrival in Norway
Pop up that popcorn, and get ready for a video-watching session! Specifically, we’d like you to watch these three videos (in no specific order): “How great leaders inspire action” (or as it’s more commonly known as: The Golden Circle) by Simon Sinek (18 minutes). “How to start a movement” (or by us in the trainers' term, lovingly known as “the first follower" video) by Derek Sivers (3 minutes). “The Power of Vulnerability” by Brené Brown (20 minutes). There is no specific reflection task for you to do here, but we of course highly encourage you to think about the content of these videos and their respective connection to leadership. These videos and the ideas in them will pop up during the course, so it’s very good to be prepared for that. E.g. the Power of Vulnerability is a good video to keep in mind when preparing your Lifeline (prep task no. 10).
10 Drawing My Lifeline
Deadline: Bring lifeline drawing to Norway
In the prep task with TED videos, we asked you to watch the TED talk by Brené Brown about the Power of Vulnerability. Having this video in the back of your mind, we will now encourage you to be vulnerable with yourself. The task is for you to draw your personal “lifeline” where you identify key experiences and reflect on how they have affected you. Start by drawing a line on a paper where the starting point is your earliest memories and the ending point is where you are today. Then add the events, critical choices, phases and relations that you think have been of importance. You will have the opportunity to speak about chosen parts of your lifeline in a small group and a safe environment, so make sure to bring it!
11 Behaviour Assessment Survey
Deadline: Friday 6 OCT, 2023
You are instructed to complete an online behaviour assessment survey. The self-assessment is aimed at providing you with some insights about your behaviour and how it relates to others. We will use your results as a basis of discussion for a particular session in Norway. The survey won't take long, but make sure you do it in one sitting. We want it to be up to you who you want to share your results with and for you to be completely honest, which is why the survey will be done anonymously. Before starting the survey you need to generate a randomised number between 1- 100 000 at https://www.random.org/ and save this number somewhere where you can access it before the course. Generating a number is done on the right hand side by entering Min: 1 and Max: 100 000 and then Generate. Lastly, make sure to enter your identification number when you're asked to in the survey. Remember to read through the instructions in the form before you get started. Stay on top of the deadline - otherwise you won't get your results before the course. Good luck!
12 Pre-Course Self-Assessment
Deadline: Friday 6 OCT, 2023
You are expected to fill in the pre-course self-assessment, which will help us form a picture of your current state as a leader. After the completion of the in-person module in Norway, we will also ask you to fill in a post-course questionnaire to more accurately follow and assess your learning journey throughout the course. Please fill it in carefully and truthfully, as we will use this to guide our session planning and later evaluate whether we managed to teach on the things we intended to.
FAQ
Do I get some kind of certification from this course?
You will of course receive a certificate of participation. Upon request we will also be more than happy to provide a letter of recommendation.
Will there be social evening program?
There will be time reserved for socializing after the official program. However, there isn’t specific program planned for social activities in the evenings.
Is there any free time to do any personal tasks or work that I need to do?
We have released an interesting overview of the schedule, and there will be some, but limited, free time, mainly in the evenings. As long as you are in time for the sessions, these free time slots you are welcome to spend as you see fit!
Should I bring my computer?
For the purposes of the course, no computer is needed. If you want to bring it for other reasons, you can.
No day is complete without my morning workout session: will this be possible?
Rumour has it some people are quite excited for morning workout sessions, so if this includes you as well, bring gym shoes and weather-appropriate sports wear!
How are the sleeping arrangements?
We will sleep in shared sleeping quarters with mixed dorms. If you have any other preferences, please get in touch with us beforehand and we’ll see what we can do.
How’s the food?
We will be fed by our House Mæster Kista and her helpers – and we are convinced they’ll do an amazing job!
We have many vegans, vegetarians, people with allergies etc. We will do our best to accommodate all of the food restrictions you submit in the logistics form, but we’re not chefs. Please communicate any food restrictions that you have to avoid food waste and trips to the hospital or pharmacy.
I have my own medication, is there anything I should keep in mind?
We will not purchase nor provide any kind of medication. Please bring relevant medication for your own needs. In case you need to store them in any specific way, let us know and we will accommodate.
What are the plugs like? Can I charge my things?
There will be a limited amount of outlets, but of course you can! Electrical outlets in Norway use a round two-prong plug typical for continental Europe. You can use adapter types “C” or “F” (often labelled as a Northern Europe adapter). Make sure to check the voltage labels on your appliances or chargers to see if you need to use just an adapter or a converter/transformer with an adapter.
Our Policies
This is our collection of policies. They are our promise to keep each other safe – body and mind of course, but also your data!
We have our Privacy Policy, specifying how we store and process personal data.
We have our Safety & Security policy, detailing how we’re looking at and handling different kinds of risks and unexpected circumstances that might arise.
Cancellation Policy
The confirmation fee will not be reimbursed. The participation fee may be reimbursed for cancellations by 13 SEP 2023.