The “long tail” for conflict prevention
The “long tail” applies to more than just business. It applies to our most basic needs, such as health and safety. The sooner we invest in positive prevention-oriented programs, the better off as a society we’ll be.
The long tail…
The long tail refers to the statistical property that a larger share of population rests within the [...]
It’s time for a Centre for Social Innovation in Victoria
I’m a fan of the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto. It’s a dynamic model of collaboration for public good. We could use one like it, here in Victoria, for Southern Vancouver Island.
Last year, I wrote here about the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), and their executive director, Ashoka Fellow Tonya Surman. (Ashoka Fellows are [...]
The good farmer: An expert in relationships and sustainability
There is a view of farmers that I believe seriously undervalues their value, in the bigger scheme of things. I’ve thought this for a long time. It goes back to my early years living on my late Dad’s farm. He grew crops and raised pigs for market. Yet; he was also a German Jewish intellectual, [...]
West Coast Wave Collaboration Project: An innovative cross-sector partnership
I live on an island (Vancouver Island) surrounded by ocean. Oceans make up over 70% of the Earth’s surface. Our proximity to this abundant resource is obvious. The energy-giving capacity of that resource is less clear. To better understand what that capacity is, the West Coast Wave Collaboration Project (WCWCP) kicked-off in June [...]
Rakunks, Hybrid Jobs, Learning Agents, and other speculations on the future
Just finished reading Margaret Atwood’s new book The Year of the Flood, what Atwood describes as “speculative fiction”. She is one of my favourite writers, a Booker Prize winner, and still writing incredible stories at the age of 70!
Most of the Flood story takes place in the dystopic near future, in which there aren’t too [...]
Heritage wheat movement “godmother” advocates for communities that connect people, plant, and place
Sharon Rempel advocates for a world that honors cultural traditions, diversity, and abundance, gained through collaboration and caring for each other. She is systems thinker, and wonderful community builder, in ways that acknowledge the historic relationship between people, plant, and place.
Sharon is the “visionary godmother” of today’s Red Fife heritage wheat movement in Canada, founder [...]
Leading innovation – More insights from the 2009 IdeaConnection interviews
A couple of weeks back, I posted 39 Insights into the makeup of innovative teams: From the 2009 IdeaConnection interviews. The insights I extracted after reading approximately 50 interviews, with leading innovation authors, on IdeaConnection, a company that connects business to creative and innovative people, from around the world. The majority of the interviews were [...]
The Cridge Centre for the Family: Why is it the longest serving non-profit society in B.C.?
The Cridge Centre for the Family, in Victoria, was founded in 1873, and is the longest serving non-profit society in British Columbia. It provides social services and care to people of all ages, in the Greater Victoria community and beyond. How is it that The Cridge has continued to innovate, and remain a vital part [...]
39 Insights into the makeup of innovative teams: From the 2009 IdeaConnection interviews
“To give businesses access to the world’s most creative and innovative people, who work collaboratively to solve problems and develop innovations.” That is the mission statement of IdeaConnection, a company headquartered in Victoria, BC. In the spirit of access, IdeaConnection interviews leading innovation authors, and makes the interview notes available on their website. The majority [...]
The Futurist: Finding your way in a reshaped Social Sector
Just finished reading a new research paper, Convergence: How Five Trends Will Reshape the Social Sector. The research was commissioned by the The James Irvine Foundation of California. The researchers, La Piana Consulting identified five key trends that they believe have significant implications for the future of not-for-profit organizations. I discovered the research via Sylvia [...]
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