Transformative Facilitation Trainings with Nadia Chaney

Art Not Shame

Join us at Art Not Shame this May for two transformative facilitation trainings with internationally renowned arts-based facilitator Nadia Chaney. These immersive sessions are designed for artists, educators, community organizers, and facilitators looking to deepen their skills in leading creative, inclusive, and courageous spaces. Creative Facilitation Training (May 23 – 25) offers a foundational dive into arts-based group facilitation, while Knotty Groups: Creative Interventions in Complex Group Dynamics (May 29 – June 1) equips participants with practical, presence-based tools for navigating complexity and conflict. Whether you’re just starting out or ready to take your facilitation practice to the next level, these trainings will meet you where you are—and move you forward.

Creative Facilitation Training with Nadia Chaney
May 23 – 25, 2025 | 10am – 4pm (with breaks)
Art Not Shame, Guelph
$200 (sliding scale available and encouraged where needed!)
Register: artnotshame.org/trainings

This 3-day training offers a deep dive into the world of arts-based group facilitation. Led by internationally renowned trainer Nadia Chaney (MEd), this experience is crafted for artists, educators, and community workers seeking creative, inclusive ways to lead, teach, and hold space. Participants will explore accessible facilitation frameworks that can be applied across a range of settings—from classrooms to community centres over 3 in-depth days with the skills/experience necessary to apply arts-based, facilitation methodologies to their own teaching/facilitating contexts.

Whether you’re new to facilitation or looking to expand your toolkit, this training is an opportunity to learn from a practitioner with over 20 years of experience designing and leading transformational workshops around the world.

“Nadia is a magical creature and her CFT training transforms your way of seeing and being in the world. The three days that I spent in these sessions filled me with joy and hope and have resonated in my body and mind ever since. Everyone should be lucky enough to spend time with her.”
– Creative Facilitation Participant, 2024

Knotty Groups: Creative Interventions in Complex Group Dynamics
May 29 – June 1, 2025 | 10am – 5:30pm (with breaks)
Art Not Shame, Guelph
$500 (sliding scale available and encouraged where needed!)
Register: artnotshame.org/trainings

Knotty Groups is for people who want to learn creative yet practical methods for high-stakes facilitation with vulnerable populations and people in conflict. Nadia’s focus is on developing ease of use with simple, flexible models, so facilitators can be as present as possible with their groups while employing tools that have been extensively tested. The art of presence is at the heart of this training. Through deep, guided personal reflection using arts-based practices, participants can expect to find that the change they want to see in their groups, they will first see in themselves during Knotty Groups. Over four immersive days, Nadia Chaney will guide participants through creative, tested methods for leading groups with clarity, courage, and presence.

This series is for facilitators, artists, educators, organizers, and anyone who needs steady tools to meet moments of uncertainty or resistance in group dynamics. With Nadia’s signature blend of metaphor, play, and systems-thinking, facilitators will leave with confidence and a renewed sense of purpose in their work.

“Before Knotty Groups, I felt trapped in complex dynamics influenced by colonialism and other systemic challenges. Now I can see more clearly and move more flexibly, finding pathways to expressions of reality that were previously hidden.”
– Participant, Knotty Cohort 3

“I used to judge myself harshly when facilitation got messy, reacting defensively to challenging participants. Now I consistently use the strength-based filter to make sense of interactions and dynamics, approaching them with curiosity instead of fear.”
– Participant, Knotty Cohort 3

About Art Not Shame

Art Not Shame is a small, heart-forward arts organization rooted in Guelph. We believe creativity lives in all of us—a birthright that needs only invitation, not permission. And we believe that belonging is not earned, but a deep human need we all carry. Our work is grounded in the knowledge that art can weave threads of connection, help us feel seen, and hold space for creative expression that’s as tender, tangled, and true as we are. We centre those who face barriers to feeling safe, heard, and valued–inviting everyone to arrive as they are and to create in ways that matter to them. Through community-engaged art, we gather not only to reimagine, but to create more just and loving futures. Our community arts hub in downtown Guelph is a vibrant gathering and making space, built on accessible practices, endless art supplies, and radical, everyday care.

About the Facilitator

Nadia Chaney is a poet, artist, and internationally respected trainer who has facilitated over 2,000 workshops across five continents. She holds a Master’s in Education focused on Imaginative Education, alongside post graduate certifications in Dialogue, Negotiation, and Expressive Arts Therapy. Known for her grounded, imaginative, and justice-rooted approach to teaching, Nadia is known for her powerful diversity, inclusion and participatory practices.

Access Notes

Both workshops will take place at Art Not Shame’s fully accessible Community Arts Hub. We are equipped with height adjustable sinks and desks, an accessible entryway, barrier-free pathways, multiple seating options, an accessible washroom, fidget toys, a sensory room, and more. To view our Access Guide before coming, see here.

Art Not Shame
119 Wyndham Street North
Guelph, ON N1H 4E9
artnotshame.org

Instagram: @artnotshame
Facebook: @artnotshame

Images: Michelle Peek