Lara Schmelzeisen

About me

Hi!

My clients are bold, courageous and passionate about creating the future they want. I support them gladly and honestly.

Ease, fun and colour are important ingredients of my work.

I moved to Germany in 2015 and live close to the River Neckar with family and friends on a rather standard suburban block. Recently, we have opened up our garden to show how permaculture can transform gardens and make neighbourhoods more lively and inclusive.

Kontur is a studio specialising in the art of dialogue.

We understand the art of hosting meaningful conversations and keeping space for collective action, where democracy and transition come alive.

In our small but excellent office in Heidelberg, we find individual and personal solutions for all clients.

If you are interested in my work or in working with me, just get in touch for a (virtual) cup of tea!

My skills

Facilitation

• Visual / Graphic Facilitation


• Art of Hosting & Harvesting


• inclusive, participatory Design

• Sketchnotes, Flipcharts, Visuals of all kind (aka learn to draw)


• Hosting meaningful conversations (aka hold good meetings)


• Permaculture and Whole System Design (aka resilient & regenerative projects)

• Visual / Graphic Recording


• Illustration & Art


• Eco-feminist & colorable Art

Why you should work with me

Even though Kontur is a one-woman company, it is in no way a lone wolf. International and digital networking with the art of hosting community, the European Visual Practitioners’ Forum and the Permaculture Women’s Guild provides for active exchanges with colleagues, occasional collaborations and the continuous transfer of knowledge.

In the state of Baden-Württemberg, Gemany, Kontur regularly works with Jakob Kohlbrenner, and in Heidelberg, we actively take on young practitioners to share our experience and to offer them mentorship. Our network is diverse and growing. We do not believe in getting bigger, but in getting more connected.

If you are interested in a collaboration or if you need a bigger team of practitioners, just let us know and we would be happy to help.

My work experiences

I am Kontur’s managing director. Having grown up multilingually in Brussels, I feel at home among various different cultures. With 10 years of experience as an independent entrepreneur, I brought my artistic and entrepreneurial side under one roof at Kontur, in 2019.

Before that, I worked in the European Parliament and for a cultural NGO in Brussels. In Heidelberg, I have been/am an active board member of the cities’ transition initiatives and a local youth centre.

My education & training

My journey into non-formal education began in 2010 in Slovenia where I attended the Leadership Summer School, a global, annual, intensive training event for inspirational youth leaders organised by a cohort of international youth and student associations. Ever since, non-formal education has continued to play a major role in my work as a visual facilitator and, more recently, as a permaculture practitioner. I am an avid reader, fast learner and well-connected autodidact.

Previously, I trained as a forest ranger and hold a MSc in Environment, Health and Safety Management (Odisee, Brussels, Belgium) as well as an Appreciative Inquiry Certificate in Positive Business and Society Change from the Weatherhead School of Management (Case Western Reserve University, USA).

My references

See several references: https://www.provenexpert.com/kontur/?mode=preview on Proven Expert

“We were very happy with you and I thank you for the successful cooperation. The feedback from the funding representatives was very positive and the wish was expressed to work with you again next year if possible.”

“Lara moderated, together with a colleague, the network meeting ‘Praxis Europa’ with more than ‘40 agents of transition’ over the course of three days in English, all while visually processing and capturing interim and final results. She is equally a professional and warm-hearted and worldly person and we were very happy with her work.”

“Lara has incredible empathy for situations. Moreover, Lara motivated all participants with her lively nature and we have reached further results in our team. Lara was very well prepared and, as to content, extraordinarily well prepared with the topics of our workshop. Everyone was delighted by her colourful visual documentation during the workshop. Thank you, dear Lara, that was more than just a moderation – moreover, it was an active contribution and intensive involvement with our workshop.”