Transformation literacy is the ability to collectively steward systemic change across institutional, national, sectoral, and cultural boundaries. It’s the essential skill for navigating and implementing the deep transformations needed to achieve sustainability—not just understanding what needs to change, but knowing how to make it happen together.
Transformation Literacy
The day-to-day management approach of governments, development agencies, corporations and civil society activists
What is Transformation Literacy?
Collaboration is the pathway to transformation literacy
It is time to bring human beings back to where they belong: into the center of attention as transformation agents towards a thriving future in a sustainable and interdependent world. Collaboration literacy is a pathway to transformation literacy – the skill to steward transformative change collectively across the boundaries of institutions, nations, sectors and cultures. A skill that – given the current distance to the far ahead goal of a world that works for 100% of humanity and the planet – is not a nice to have option, but a must.
The urgency for humankind’s ability to consciously change behavior so as to stay within the ‘safe operating space’ of the planetary boundaries suggests that designing and implementing transformative change is a skill requiring widespread distribution. It needs to become the day-to-day management approach of governments, development agencies, corporations and civil society activists.
The Art of Transformative Change
8 December — 11 December 2026
Collective Leadership Institute gGmbH, Kurfürstenstraße, Potsdam, Germany
Stewarding sustainability transformations is a collective task. It requires a mindshift towards global and local caring: a new approach that is best captured as collective stewardship. The world is sustainable when humankind as a whole is able to live well with each other and within the systemic logic of the planetary boundaries.
What is meant by sustainability transformation?
Descriptions of sustainability range from the balance of people, planet and profit to the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development goals; and from managing more than 10 billion people within planetary boundaries to planetary thrivability or to a mutually supportive harmony of people and planet. Transformation to sustainability is the pathway to co-creating a world that works for 100% of humanity and the planet. It needs to take place at all levels of the (global) society and requires a fundamental change in the way we operate with each other and the planet. Transformation has a range of meanings, but the term broadly captures the following characteristics:
- Deeply innovative approach towards thinking, acting, power structures and relationships.
- Both radical and incremental change in the global operating system.
- An evolution of structures and systems into better functionality benefiting all of humanity and the planet.
- A co-creative process of mutual learning towards increasing vitality of an integrated planetary life.
- A re-purposing of institutions and economic structures so humankind operates with each other and the planet in a responsible way.
The ultimate goal is not only to stop climate change and maintain a safe operating space for humankind and the planet, but also invigorate the human competencies to co-create multiple forms of responsible citizenship in the era of the Anthropocene – the evolutionary period, in which the behavior of human beings determines the future of the planet.
What is needed for sustainability transformations to happen?
What needs to happen together to enable transformations?
Six mutually supportive transformation enablers are the necessary components to develop transformation strategies
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What needs to happen together to enable transformations
The six mutually supportive transformation enablers are based on the Collective Leadership Compass. Each of them is a necessary component to develop transformation strategies that become successful. Their mutually supportive character means that we need to combine them to be able to strategize the path together for that leads to tangible transformative change. Together, they function as a stewardship architecture for planning and implementing transformative change.
- Enlivening narratives: What are the stories that inspire transformative change?
- Enabling structures: How do we organize collective stewardship of change?
- Life-enhancing innovation: How do we guide innovations towards regenerative futures?
- Empowering metrics: How do we measure progress?
- Multi-stakeholder governance: How do we learn collectively and navigate differences?
- Guiding regulations: How do we safeguard the commons and planetary life-support systems?
Stewarding Sustainability Transformations
An Emerging Theory and Practice of SDG Implementation.
Order here
Transformation Literacy conferences
5th Conference (2026):
“Intergenerational collaborations for cultures of peace – Enhancing patterns of aliveness in ourselves, our societies, and with the Earth”
The Transformation Literacy Conference week 2026 is taking place on 22 April 2026. It brings together generations to explore collaborative approaches to building cultures of peace. Using the Collective Leadership Compass, we’ll examine how intergenerational partnerships can create thriving futures for people and planet.
Conference main sessions will be announced soon!
4th Conference (2025):
“Empowering Metrics and Enlivening Narratives for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals”
The Transformation Literacy Conference week 2025 took place on 7 April 2025 (and a special session on Collective Feminist Practice Principles on 10 April 2025). The in-person kick-off event with the Transformative Partnership Award ceremony needed to be postponed to 2027 due to the USAID budget cuts.
The theme of the 2025 conference was “Empowering Metrics and Enlivening Narratives for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals”.
Metrics that foster resource extraction instead of regeneration and narratives that highlight dominance and glorify past achievements instead of partnerships and future possibilities are still commonplace in many areas. As a result of the obvious gap between what is needed for people and planet, and what is actually done, polarization is spreading all over the place.
Therefore and with the urgency of only five years to go to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, efforts to drive sustainability transformations need empowering metrics for goal setting and measuring progress, as well as enlivening narratives that offer future perspectives and create shared responsibility. The #TLC2025 edition identifyed ways how sustainable development can be measured through metrics that ensure transparency, offer feedback systems and responsive criteria, and how sustainable development goals can be embedded into narratives that are empowering, depolarize societies, and serve humanity and the planet.
Conference days – main sessions:
Empowering Metrics for Sustainable Development Goal Achievement
Monday, 7 April 2025 – 12:00 – 1:30pm CET
How can metrics and feedback systems support clarity and enhance progress towards sustainable development?
Speakers of this session were
Alicia Jimenez
Director of Programmes at Earth Charter Secretariat
Learn more about here here.
Elisabeth Kuehn
Executive Director Collective Leadership Institute
Learn more about here here.
Learn more about here here.
Session Documentation
Watch our full session
Session 2: Enlivening Narratives for Sustainable Development Goal Achievement
Monday, 7 April 2025 – 2:00 – 3:30pm CET (wrap-up session until 4:00pm)
How can we create stories of possibilities that create resonance for all relevant stakeholders for implementing sustainable development?
Speakers of this session were:
Huma Beg
Founder Serendip Productions and Badl De, Pakistan
Learn more about her here.
Learn more about her here.
Nicole Betancourt
Emmy award-winning producer and director
Learn more about her here.
Learn more about her here.
Session Documentation
Watch our full session
Additional Sessions:
Welcome session: Monday, 7 April 2025 – 11:30am-12:00pm CET
A backstage moment: Monday, 7 April 2025 – 4:00-4:30pm CET
A special session on Collective Feminst Practice Principles: Thursday, 10 April 2025 – 12:00-2:00pm CET
Participants were free to choose whether they would only like to participate a single session, or the whole conference week. With their ticket they had access to all online sessions and networking opportunities.
305
registrations
267
participants in total (all 2025 sessions)
58
countries where participants come from
More #TLC2025 stats:
| Professional level of participants | |
| Executives, Management, Directors | 17% |
| Middle-Management, Project Coordinators | 24% |
| Staff, Consultants | 50% |
| Students, Trainees, Interns | 2% |
| Not disclosed | 7% |
| Sectors of participants | |
| Civil Society | 41% |
| Private Sector | 26% |
| Public Sector | 19% |
| Research & Education | 14% |
| Regional distribution | |
| 42% | Europe |
| 35% | Africa |
| 12% | Asia |
| 10% | Americas |
| 1% | Oceania |
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3rd Conference (2024):
“Localizing SDG Transformations”
Watch the Kick-off of our annual Transformation Literacy Conference 2024 - 19 April
The Transformation Literacy Conference week 2024 took place on 22, 24, 26 April 2024. The in-person kick-off event with the Transformative Partnership Award ceremony was in Potsdam, Germany, on 19 April 2024.
The theme of the 2024 conference was “Localizing SDG Transformations”. You will find more information below.
The #TLC2024 edition focused on how localizing the SDGs makes the transformation accessible, tangible, and easier to empower contributions.
Human activity is exceeding planetary boundaries, the very systems that make life on Earth possible. Food, water, and energy systems are threatened, as well as healthcare, education, and social services, and democracy, justice, and peace.
Efforts to drive sustainability transformations need to connect local, national, and regional efforts. Identifying ways for the Global Goals to truly go ‘glocal’ is pivotal for their achievement. Indeed, a diverse multitude of networks, communities of practice, initiatives, partnerships, and global transformation projects aim to do just that. Their approaches to localizing SDG contributions are as varied as their diverse forms.
CLI’s Transformation Literacy Conference 2024 focused on how different forms of transformation efforts, such as networks, partnerships, and global meta-collaborations – all contribute to localizing the SDGs.
Conference days – main sessions:
Monday, 22 April 2024 – 2:00-4:00pm CET
Localizing SDGs through Collaborative Initiatives and Partnerships:
How do multi-stakeholder initiatives and partnerships at multiple levels contribute to localizing SDG impacts?
Collaborative Initiatives and Partnerships
Wednesday, 24 April 2024 – 2:00-4:00pm CET
Localizing SDGs in Networks and Communities of Practice:
How can networks of peer learning and exchange, SDG communities, and Communities of Practice contribute to localizing SDG impacts?
Networks and Communities of Practice
Friday, 26 April 2024 – 2:00-4:00pm CET
Localizing SDGs through Transformation Networks and Meta-Collaboration:
How do large, collaborative networks and projects across different countries or regions in the world contribute to localizing SDG impacts?
Transformation Networks and Meta-Collaboration
There were also a welcome session on
Monday, 22 April 2024 – 1:30-2:00pm CET
and a wrap-up session on
Friday, 26 April 2024 – 4:00-4:30pm CET
Participants were free to choose whether they would only like to participate a single session, or the whole conference week. With their ticket they had access to all online sessions and networking opportunities.
426
registrations
304
participants in total (all 2024 sessions)
80
countries where participants come from
More #TLC2024 stats:
| Professional level of participants | |
| Executives, Management, Directors | 8% |
| Middle-Management, Project Coordinators | 18% |
| Staff, Consultants | 66% |
| Students, Trainees, Interns | 3% |
| Not disclosed | 6% |
| Sectors of participants | |
| Civil Society | 52% |
| Private Sector | 20% |
| Public Sector | 14% |
| Research & Education | 15% |
| Regional distribution | |
| 37% | Europe |
| 31% | Africa |
| 16% | Asia |
| 14% | Americas |
| 2% | Oceania |
What participants said
“The speakers presentations were inspiring, as well as CLI’s theoretical and practical approaches.” NGO leader, Germany
“Curiousity and new possibilities open up through this session.” Foundation project manager, Netherlands
“It is either we collaborate or left out in the cold – the world is moving on one direction.” NGO leader, Liberia
“I have an enhanced sense of community.” private sector staff, Mexico
“The kick-off event was inspiring, especially the Award project presentations. I also discovered CLI’s new Leadership and Resilience programme there, which is a relevant topic for my own work.” Freelance, Germany
“I’m feeling gratitude for work being done all over towards collective liberation.” NGO leader, South Africa
“Thank you CLI for organising this.” speakers, Bolivia, Germany, Indonesia, Mauritius, Netherlands, Senegal, South Africa
Transformation Literacy Conference II (2023)
Transformation Literacy Conference 2023: Kick-off and Welcome
The Transformation Literacy Conference week 2023: Governance and Democracy took place on 24, 26, 28 April 2023. We also had an in-person kick-off event Potsdam (Berlin/area), Germany, on 21 April 2023 afternoon and evening, where we celebrated into Earth Day with friends and partners of CLI and launched Dr. Petra Kuenkel’s new book and the Transformative Partnership Award.
The theme of the 2023 conference was “Governance and Democracy”. You will find more information below.
Human activity is exceeding planetary boundaries, the very systems that make life on Earth possible. Food, water, and energy systems are threatened, as well as healthcare, education, and social services, and democracy, justice, and peace.
The recent Club of Rome’s report ‘Earth4All’ makes a strong and clear case: The necessary turnarounds for a sustainable and regenerative future are still possible, but require governance and governing structures based on trust that focus on societal wellbeing and equity as a basis for sustainability transformations.
Good governance occurs when representative stakeholders are engaged in an inclusive and participatory manner in decision-making processes that are devolved to the “lowest” appropriate level, where relevant expertise, experience, and stake are most present.
Our week-long 2023 conference series focuses on how our many different transformative change efforts can make a decided contribution to such inclusive and participatory governance – serving the diversity of sustainability goals we are seeking to realize for life on planet Earth.
Conference days – main sessions:
Monday, 24 April 2023 – 2:00-4:00pm CET
Narratives and Metrics:
How can we tell stories and integrate metrics in our sustainability initiatives that contribute to good governance and democracy?
Narratives and Metrics
Wednesday, 26 April 2023 – 2:00-4:00pm CET
Innovation and Regulations:
How can we ensure that our innovative initiatives integrate the social foundations ensuring trust, wellbeing and equity in decision-making processes?
Innovation and Regulations
Friday, 28 April 2023 – 2:00-4:00pm CET
Governance and Structures:
How can we steward collective processes and build representative dialogue structures in diverse and challenging governance realities?
Governance and Structures
Participants were free to choose whether they would only like to participate a single session, or the whole conference week. With their ticket they had access to all online sessions and networking opportunities.
Additional resources
305
registrations
284
participants in total (all 2023 sessions)
62
countries where participants come from
More #TLC2023 stats:
| Professional level of participants | |
| Executives, Management, Directors | 11% |
| Middle-Management, Project Coordinators | 17% |
| Staff, Consultants | 66% |
| Students, Trainees, Interns | 3% |
| Not disclosed | 3% |
| Sectors of participants | |
| Civil Society | 47% |
| Private Sector | 27% |
| Public Sector | 14% |
| Research & Education | 12% |
| Regional distribution | |
| 52% | Europe |
| 17% | Africa |
| 16% | Americas |
| 14% | Asia |
| 1% | Oceania |
What participants said
“Congratulations to all and for making this timely event publicly open and accessible to all.” Strategy Advisor, Spain
“I enjoyed the sessions which I found to be thought-provoking and informative, I learned a lot from all the presenters and was deeply challenged in my own practice.” NGO Leader, South Africa
“I really enjoyed having an active part in the conference. I was very impressed by how many people participated from so many different countries. Your institute really does an impressive job!” Speaker at TLC2023
“Congratulations on the work of the CLI!” University Professor, Spain
“My friends and I enjoyed the presentations and discussions in Potsdam. Inspiring! I’m looking forward to further CLI events.” Consultant, Germany (at kick-off event in Potsdam)
“Thanks for the conference – good content and you clearly have a useful methodology.” University Professor, South Africa / UK
“It’s great that so many people participated the conference. From our side, we would be happy to repeat this again!” Media partner, Germany
Transformation Literacy Conference
22 April — 2 April 2025
Kurfürstenstraße 1, Potsdam, Germany
Transformation Literacy Conference I (24 Feb, 03 Mar, 10 Mar, 17 Mar, 24 Mar, 31 Mar, 2022)
Each of us can become Transformation Literacy masters and in so doing create a change-maker who knows how to collaborate across institutions and societal sectors for transformative change. It is by bringing together the six enablers that we can steward change together and make transformation possible. The video gives a short introduction to what you can expect from the first conference 'Narratives'.
Conference Documentation:
From Collaboration to Transformation Literacy
The year 2022 signaled a dramatic milestone: 50 years had passed since the first publication of the Club of Rome’s “Limits to Growth”. This milestone coincided with the sense of urgency transmitted by the 2021 IPCC report contrasted by COP26 results which are a far cry from the action that is needed to transform our societies, our economies, and even our thinking to the degree needed for regenerating our planet. It is high time for us start stewarding together a future we can enjoy living in. The challenge in front of us is a monumental one, but we know that with the right approach we can act collectively to create a future where humankind is in balance with itself and the planet.
To confront such a challenge, we need tools that are not only grounded in science and practice but also available to everyone: we all need to become masters in the language of transformation. What needs to happen together to enable this transformation? This was the focus of Transformation Literacy conference which explored six mutually supportive Transformation Enablers. In each event we took a deep dive into one of the Transformation Enablers: each of them is a necessary component to become a transformation literacy master, yet their mutually supportive character means that we need to combine them to be able to clearly see the path and the actions needed to lead us collectively toward a better world.
No single actor has all the solutions, but each actor may essentially contribute a parcel of knowledge, a puzzle piece that counts. Partnering and networks of multi-stakeholder collaboration between business, NGOs, government, the UN, and communities are essential to achieve the SDGs.
Transformation literacy will be needed at a scale and quality that goes far beyond the current practices. Practitioners and committed groups across the world are already at work on different toolkits, ideas, platforms, and projects to make transformations a reality.
But what are the most effective approaches that enable transformations not only to take place but also remain sustainable in the long run?
Key question TLC 2022
Around this key question, a series of six linked thematic digital events formed the 2022 Transformation Literacy Conference. In total, 396 participants from 50 countries came to the first edition of this conference format.
Each conference session focused on one of six transformation enablers:
“Transformation literacy is the skill to steward transformative change collectively across the boundaries of institutions, nations, sectors and cultures.”
Petra Kuenkel, author of Stewarding Sustainability Transformations
What participants said
“Very inspiring and so relevant for the very necessary transformation we need on a global level.” Consultant, Germany
“Very incredible conference! Thank you so much for this inspiring talk!” Director, USA
“Thanks for organising this, providing a platform for those in the frontline to make a difference in local communities.” Activist, UK/Zimbabwe
“Today’s session is a confirmation that a different way is possible but we have to co-create it.” Facilitator, South Africa
“Thank you for all the learnings and new discoveries!! Programme Manager, Germany
“I am a strong advocate of innovation, and I applaud the thinking and work we’ve heard about today.” Consultant, USA
“Thanks for all, happy to participate in this rich gathering.” Advisor, Egypt