The Shambhala Institute creates powerful learning environments that support the deeper understanding, strength, and skills leaders need to catalyze and sustain positive change in today`s complex world. The Institute is committed to joining vision and practicality, and to addressing the tough challenges facing organizations, communities, and societies.



The Institute fulfills this mission through leadership programs, partnerships, and community. The annual Summer Program has become internationally known as a focus for pioneering dialogue, learning, and practice related to the theme of "authentic leadership." In Nova Scotia, the Institute is a founding partner, with the United Way, of Envision Halifax, a community-wide leadership initiative. And the Institute`s online newsletter, Fieldnotes, provides a forum for the network of people, projects, and ideas connected with the Institute and its programs.



The Shambhala Institute is a nonprofit, charitable organization based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on the east coast of Canada. While rooted in the principles and practices of the Shambhala wisdom tradition, the Institute is nonsectarian, welcoming a rich diversity of people and perspectives.



B a c k g r o u n d



The Institute began as a learning/planning group which collaborated internally and with potential presenters for three years before hosting its first summer program. This inaugural program took place at Kings College in Halifax, in June 2001, and brought together 300 community, educational, and organizational leaders from across North America, as well as from South America, Australia, Africa, and Europe. Since that time, the Institute has continued to host an annual Authentic Leadership summer program in Halifax.



Alongside its work in the international arena, the Institute is also committed to supporting existing and emergent leadership in Atlantic Canada, through networking and community-building, by hosting presenters and offering workshops that respond to regional issues and needs, and by forming partnerships with aligned organizations. In doing so, the Institute aspires to affirm and build upon existing strengths in the region and to make available current thinking and practices that have proven successful in communities and organizations worldwide. To that end, the Institute has entered a partnership with the United Way of Halifax Region to develop a local community leadership initiative.