GEO Points
Center for Human Development Vista Alegre, Brazil
The GeoPoint, now called Vista Alegre, began 25 years ago when Sandra Guimarães, a trained bio-energetics therapist, bought land in Brazil “sitio da cachoeira”, ranch of the water fall, because she sensed its healing powers. Her original idea was to build a space in nature and beauty that would open people to healing processes. For many years she has treated her clients at this place confirming the original vision.
After many years of inquiry and meaningful conversations between Sandra and Thais, GLN co-chair, it became clear that the Valley of Rebeca, where “Sitio da Cachoeira” is located, could offer a robust support to the expansion of global leadership in the world. They then built new accommodations and start programs for leaders and social entrepreneurs working on critical areas of environmental and social sustainability. Vista Alegre was inaugurated in October 2007.
Most of Vista Alegre workshops are designed and carried together with organizations that share our vision: acknowledge the integrity between heart and mind, body and soul; advocate worldviews that focus on the whole, and bridge across countries and cultures, disciplines and sectors; explore the relationships between the local and the global, the personal and the universal; seek pragmatic, yet inspired solutions, rather than following ideological or fundamentalist dogma; move beyond heroic individualism towards collective intelligence and collaborative action.
Our understanding of ‘leadership’ goes beyond the traditional view of heroic individuals who lead their followers to include the many individual and collective processes that inspire and pragmatically enable people, organizations and societies to work together towards a more wise, just and sustainable civilization. There are some fundamental questions that inspire our vision:
After many years of inquiry and meaningful conversations between Sandra and Thais, GLN co-chair, it became clear that the Valley of Rebeca, where “Sitio da Cachoeira” is located, could offer a robust support to the expansion of global leadership in the world. They then built new accommodations and start programs for leaders and social entrepreneurs working on critical areas of environmental and social sustainability. Vista Alegre was inaugurated in October 2007.
Most of Vista Alegre workshops are designed and carried together with organizations that share our vision: acknowledge the integrity between heart and mind, body and soul; advocate worldviews that focus on the whole, and bridge across countries and cultures, disciplines and sectors; explore the relationships between the local and the global, the personal and the universal; seek pragmatic, yet inspired solutions, rather than following ideological or fundamentalist dogma; move beyond heroic individualism towards collective intelligence and collaborative action.
Our understanding of ‘leadership’ goes beyond the traditional view of heroic individuals who lead their followers to include the many individual and collective processes that inspire and pragmatically enable people, organizations and societies to work together towards a more wise, just and sustainable civilization. There are some fundamental questions that inspire our vision:
- How can we develop and connect the inner and outer dimensions of our work and leadership?
- How can we find truly pragmatic ways to resolve the world’s challenges without compromising the depth of our inspiration and aspiration?
- How can we sustain our commitments in the world and avoid burn out, balancing those commitments with the responsibilities to our local and national community, as well as to our personal and family life?
- How do leaders shaped by one cultural context learn to respect and interact effectively with leaders shaped by another, very different culture?