Geschichte CB in Europa: 

Interview mit Adriaan Bertens (NL), der einige von uns dt. FacilitatorInnen ausgebildet hat.

"I heard from Scott Peck by american friends from California. That was before the internet-possibilities….. I called FCE, they were at that time moved from Connecticut to the US Westcoast, Seattle. Bill Thatcher was at that time the leader.

I did my first CB-weekend in London, an American was facilitator. I remember a beard, no name.

I wanted more. At that time, the next step was a CBSeminar: two days experience, one day reflection. I did that in Wappinger Falls, near New York.

The next step was a ‘LEP’, a leadership education program. I did the first near the Westcoast. Kazimir Gotz was one of te leaders. That week was impressive. The other facilitator was Ann Hoewing. The tension was at that time, that almost everyone wanted tools and tricks to facilitate weekend-circle workshops. Kaz and Ann wanted to teach the underlying dynamics, principles and values. Most were disappointed, I was very happy.

Meanwhile I attended several CCC’s, they were most times in Canada, hosted by Sarah Martin.

In one of these CCC’s, there was a meeting of Community Building in Business. I attended and contributed, told the attendees about ‘haptonomie’ (education of feeling) and facilitated experiences.

Then there was a big opportunity for FCE: Carlyle motors was the First firm that wanted to function on the basis of CB, Unilever Netherlands was the second, much larger and Dutch. I was invited to participate in the team of 6 faciliators : AnnHoewing, Phil Mirvis, Robert Reusing, MaryAnn Kipp, Mike Kipp and myself.

That facilitation team worked of course as a community. I learned a lot. As a folluw-up we did a facilitatortraining for Unilever-employes who wanted to become internal facilitators.

In that period I attended my second LEP in Nashville, Tennessee. A very, very impressive training, were the working in subgroups was facilitated. Wonderfull.

So I have experienced the circles and (because of the understanding of the principles and because I am an innovator) played with the ‘forms’.

That made me ‘ready’ to develop new forms, next september we celebrate the 100th HEART, a teamtraining for profit-organisations on the basis of CB.

I heard vaguely about that ‘something happened’ in Germany. Hilde Dorrestein (also from Zutphen, who ‘learned’ CB with us) travelled a weekend to Germany for CB and was disappointed. I do not remember details….

Then Gotz called from Hamburg. So we went to Hamburg.

Organized in Zutphen, after a few years, a ‘Forschungsgruppe’. There were 5 Dutch people, and Gerald Brieskom, Susanne Gierens, Gotz Brase und noch zwei Deutschen.

A dear friend of mine, Ingrid Weurman, attended an intensive workshop with Mike Roth GB). She was very enthousiastic…."