Designing A Curriculum for Change Makers

[Joe Brewer]

Welcome to our Google Group for building a school for change makers!

I'd like to start off our conversation by sharing what I hope we can
create together through this process. Now feels like the opportune
time for creating a powerful educational curriculum for cultivating
all the capabilities we'll need in the next generation of Change
Makers, including:
-- Resilience across their life span, with abilities to:
-- Make effective decisions in the face of uncertainty
-- Be persistent in their efforts even when no institutions
are ready to support cutting-edge work
-- Know when to take times to heal so that they can nurture
themselves for the long haul
-- Create solutions that work, with abilities to:
-- Demonstrate strong critical thinking skills
-- Engage in lateral and divergent thinking to get outside
their mental boxes
-- Envision positive futures that are beyond the accepted
possibilities of the day
-- Collaborate effectively and work well in diverse teams,
including:
-- Share leadership dynamically to empower all team members
-- Accept failure as a learning experience and iterate often
-- Apply design and system thinking, so that they can:
-- Understand key patterns that shape complex outcomes
-- Design solutions without harmful unintended consequences
-- Rapidly prototype to quickly create vastly superior
solutions

This set of skills and competencies will need to be taught to emerging
leaders all over the world, which is why I'd like to see a community
of practice arise for sharing best practices and educational
materials. My vision is to see a Curriculum for Change Makers created
and distributed by the crowd, so that we can all learn together and
cultivate leadership in our local areas in a manner that promotes
synergies the world over.

For my part, I'd like to see this school as more of a "school of
thought and practice" than a physical location. While I have several
potential partners here in Seattle to work with on creating such a
curriculum, I realize that many of you live in different geographic
locations and can partner locally with people and organizations in
your community.

To be clear, THIS IS NOT MEANT TO REPLACE EXISTING PROGRAMS. The
emphasis is on synergies that encourage us to all learn together and
make our resources sharable to accelerate the pace of change.

What are your thoughts and reactions to this? Let's get on the same
page about what we're setting out to do so we can dig into the details
and make this happen as quickly as possible.

Best,

Joe

[Chuck Watts]

Hi, Joe,

http://www1.clubrunner.ca/CRGeneric/CPrg/home/homeD.asp?cid=100768

Here's my newest organizing tool of the Empathy Surplus Project. You
will see your website under links. We will be sharing all we learn
with this growing group.

Caring citizens are the solution,
Chuck

[Jeff Aitken]

Hi Joe and all,

Thanks for starting this conversation. I can say a bit about what brings me here and what we might set out to do.

After some years of nonviolent direct action organizing in the 80s, I went to grad school partly to learn meeting facilitation skills. It turned out I was starting a career coordinating transformative graduate programs for working adults (which continues 25 years later.) The programs have focused in organization development and transformation, leadership, cultural exchange, the postmodern/indigenous conversation, and theatrical action methods in group therapy and community change, among other themes. They are transformative by design, using experiential and reflective processes and liberatory mental models, engaging the whole person in cultural contexts and spiritual aspirations.

I'm also on the board of the social movement empowerment project, whose founder Moyer died in 2002. Board members continue to share Bill's strategic models (in the book Doing Democracy) which have influenced many around the world.

Not long ago I noticed that I know the directors of about a dozen different leadership training centers in the San Francisco area. I began to sketch out a project of researching the various leadership training approaches and curricula, and inviting a community of practice into being, among the staff and/or the graduates and students of these programs. I facilitate Open Space meetings and I might envision a creative retreat of people from the dozen programs one day (or weekend...)

The conversation you invite us into coincides beautifully with the awakening and needs of the times. The coming ten years will ask a lot of every one of us.

I imagine us with two foci: developing the content of a curriculum for change makers, and developing a process of engaging existing programs in an emergent conversation about curricula. 

I like the sketch of capacities and skills that you began. I won't add or comment right now, but look forward to it.

Jeff

[Joe Brewer]

Hey Jeff,

Thanks for sharing a bit of your background with us. I just want to
resonate with the two focal points of this discussion. Together,
let's create a framework for curriculum development that helps us
clarify and articulate what an integrative training sequence might
look like for effective change agentry. And let's also create a
framework for collaboration that helps bring other thought leaders
from this space into the conversation over time.

I feel strongly that now is the time for global synergies on this
vital topic. Open collaboration is key.

Best,

Joe

[Suresh Fernando]

Hey Folks,

The following might be of interest... http://www.thechangeagency.org/01_cms/details.asp?ID=58

Suresh

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BLOG, YOUTUBE, OK WEBSITE, OK FAN PAGE, OK GROUP, OK-WE, PHILOSOPHY,  TWITTER,  FACEBOOK, WOTW FAN PAGE LINKEDIN, SLIDESHARE

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Workstreams: http://cotw.cc/wiki/CC-PMS_etherpad_index

[Jeff Aitken]

Thanks Suresh, I too appreciate the quality and quantity of links/resources that the Change Agency posts on their site.

Jeff

[Eric Storm]

Hello, Everyone.  (And thanks to Jeff for sharing this.)

 

We would be interested in participating in this endeavor.  One of the groups we work with is thought leaders/ change agents (people passionate about increasing the common good).  We are interested in what tools, skills, and awareness help people be more effective at manifesting such a passion.  And how best to empower people to embody such tools, skills, and awareness.

 

Here is an abridged list of some of the tools we use frequently: http://www.create-the-good-life.com/slow_living_tools.html.  Ours is a design approach in which we feel people can more consciously navigate the complexity of life, effect change in the world, and create living conditions that support that potential.  At its essence, our is an approach of increased awareness and design skills in order to make such abilities more conscious.

 

We agree what what we see as underlying assumptions to Joe's proposal, namely that the playing field has changed in the last decade or more such that many of the older tools are no longer sufficient for grappling with the pace of change, levels of complexity, and growing awareness.  As self-proclaimed "tool geeks", we enjoy seeing what tools people have put together (e.g. Tom Atlee at www.co-intelligence.org).

 

To get to Joe's main discussion topics (frameworks for an integrative training sequence & for collaboration with other thought leaders over time) I will jump in with a few clarifying questions with the hope that some of you have great answers that will get us off and running.  [I trust you all will set me straight if I am off based in starting this (now) : ) ]

 

1) What is the educational goal or desired outcomes of the curriculum?

 

2) Are there other subjects people want to nominate beyond the ones Joe nominated as critical for the curriculum:

The Core Competencies of Resilience

The “Designer’s Mind” for System Change
The Power of Storytelling
How Ideas Spread
Tools for Collaboration
The Psychology of Change
Knowing the Political Mind
How to Build Trust
(We can winnow and sculpt later)

 

3) Are some subjects prerequisites for other ones?  Or do some have other, unmentioned, prerequisites that would be offer or required?  While not necessarily prerequisites, would some benefit by coming later after other competencies or awarenesses are in place?

 

4) Are there other collaborative platforms that would make this process easier than email?  Would a wiki-type system or Google Docs type system allow for multiple editors more effectively? 

[Perhaps Chuck can give us more of a summary of what ClubRunner could do in this capacity.]

 

5) What kind of (design) process would work well for developing this?  Some considerations include: how will decisions be made, whose project is this (i.e. who can do what with what?), what are the "givens" and where is the "open space", how long to brainstorm and collect possible ideas and collaborators, how to winnow the list and sculpt it to meet the stated goals, how open will it be over time, what will happen with it once operational, etc.

 

Well, plenty there for a first brain dump!

 

Enjoy.

 

Eric (& Beth)

 

P.S. - I know this may seem quaint in such a virtual world, but we are in Petaluma, Sonoma County, California.  And you all?

 

 

Create The Good Life

Eric Storm & Beth Meredith

www.CreateTheGoodLife.com

707-694-1872

 

[Chris Helmuth]

Hi Eric and Beth,

 

As I've read the material today, a question keeps coming to mind about social responsibility.  I feel an empowerment in knowing what needs to be done, and am aiming in that direction with resources.  Could we touch on doing this without a sense of negativity - but simply getting a job done that needs to be done - as I see it, catching our vision and visually-blind sense of larger community up to the technological bounds we've made in the past twenty years.  Not to mention the need to supplement the redefined family (in the same time frame) with that same community, while keeping a positive outlook on that also.

 

Thanks for the opportunity,

 

Chris

---

From: Eric Storm <er...@createthegoodlife.org>
To: Change Maker School <change-ma...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Mon, April 4, 2011 4:02:29 PM

[Chuck Watts]

Chuck Watts

Wilmington, OH

Home of the banana split

[Eric Storm]

Chris,

 

I am not sure I understand your comment, but I have no problem with finding positive messages and framings when appropriate or more effective.  That said, could you say more about the distinction you are making?  Was it in response to my "no longer sufficient" comment, or something else?  If that was it, then I agree that it could be framed as "all the cool advances" or "great new ways of dealing with our world", or something like that.

 

Thanks.

Eric

[Joe Brewer]

Hello Eric and Beth,

Welcome to the discussion! I really appreciate your passion and
insight right from the start. You've hit on all the right questions,
which we'll want to clarify and address over the next few days.

Before digging into all those details, I recommend that we focus on
two initial elements of this design process:

1. What is the primary sentiment driving collaboration on this
project?

2. How will collaboration be done on this project?

I recommend we start here because I believe we'll all be highly
productive together if we feel that our efforts will lead to
significant benefits for everyone. In response to the first question,
I'd say that the primary sentiment is a combination of recognized need
for a sharable curriculum representing the best practices of change
agentry. The emphasis on "sharable" suggests that we use an
appropriate Creative Commons license for shared ownership so that
everyone feels that they will have the rights to contribute and share
the materials we create at any time in the future..

The second question will depend on how our process unfolds. My sense
is that we'll want to use the email function of this Google Group to
establish our collaboration framework, then pull in additional tools
as we discover a need for them. I anticipate that we'll either want
some kind of a wiki or that teams will arise to create quality content
for key subjects in our curriculum that requires independent work with
reports back to the entire community. This brings up a question of
compensation... because those who do additional work will need to be
sure their time is available for putting in the effort.

I propose that we use crowdfunding (or targeted fundraising) for key
elements of the curriculum that need to be developed. We may also want
to design a scaled membership fee system for people to gain access to
the curriculum, which could then generate revenue for supporting the
design and creative work around expanding and improving it. Without
getting too much into prospective business models, I merely want to
suggest that these issues will need to be clarified as we go along.
The curriculum we design together stands to be highly valuable and
useful for catalyzing change, so we should give consideration to how
participation works as our framework for interactive design emerges.

Best,

Joe

--
Joe Brewer
Designer of Social Change
Chaotic Ripple
http://www.chaoticripple.com
206.914.8927 (mobile)
--

[Pennie O'Grady]

Hi All --

Just weighing in with a few more tidbits. I like adding in the
crowdfunding / funding considerations, Joe. I see myself primarily
keeping an eye (maybe unfocused at times) on the progress of this
work, weighing in with relevant info as I can, and shepherding
through whichever pieces I think might be missing as things move
along. At this light level of involvement, I feel a volunteer status
fits for me. It would be nice to have some kind of access / scaled
memberships, etc. in exchange for such efforts as the business model
unfolds.

I've done a small bit of group work on a pattern language of group
process, led by Tree Bressen and supported by many including Tom
Atlee, John Abbe and others. Peggy Holman introduced me to it right
before the National Coalition for Dialog and Deliberation conference
in Portland last fall. This has been a huge labor of love for, I
think, a couple of years. The pattern language work would not only
fit into the curriculum, but the group is using a wiki and open
copyright plan you might want to take a look at to organize their
efforts. http://grouppatternlanguage.org/

I think change maker curriculum is a great project! Glad to see so
much positive energy.

Pennie O'Grady
Seattle, WA

[Chris Helmuth]

Hi Eric,

 

I would have responded sooner, but been under the weather a bit.  My response was not based on a critique of presentation.  It was a suggestion for the curriculum.  I thought that's what the rough draft was all about!

 

I have an overwhelming sense of responsibility to improve on what the culture has, and know at least one answer to do so.  It is the strongest 'whole kundalini' passion I've ever encountered.  My question is:  shouldn't we at least acknowledge that empowering sensation and drive, and teach how to control the roadmap of unbridled spirit?  That is the common core reason we are speaking together; the passion for improving what is.  Sometimes there becomes an issue of focusing on what is not being done, which takes away from focus on our progress as changemakers, and distracts drive.  Eye on the prize is the spirit, and purity of positive outlook allows for stronger empowerment.

 

Ask me if you need more information, please ask.  Thanks for your patience, and your question.

 

Sincerely,

 

Chris

---

From: Eric Storm <er...@createthegoodlife.org>

To: change-ma...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Mon, April 4, 2011 6:33:55 PM

[Eric Storm]

Thanks, Chris, for the clarification.

By all means, let's focus on goals, empowering, and improving.  I, too, don't see much need or advantage for spending much time on what isn't working, and certainly on what isn't being done.

Glad we are on the dame page.

 

Cheers,

[Eric Storm]

Thanks, Penny, for sharing this. 

I like both the project (a Pattern Language for Group Process) and the wiki-type collaborative tool (Wagn).

(Jeff, check it out.  I think you'll like what they are working on.)

 

Eric

 

From: Pennie O'Grady

Sent: Tuesday, April 05, 2011 10:18 AM

To: change-ma...@googlegroups.com

Subject: Re: Designing A Curriculum for Change Makers

[Jeff Aitken]

Now that we have two threads going, I might propose that this thread can be a place for introductions, process questions, and collecting links and resources, and the other thread can be more focused on the questions around curriculum design that Joe raised in the first email in that thread. Thoughts?

Jeff

[Pennie O'Grady]

Hi Jeff, Eric, Osbert, Joe and All --

Maybe the 2 threads should be renamed, then, to make this more explicit?  I've changed the subject on this thread -- don't know if that is helpful or more muddling?

Along the process line:  Not only is the Pattern Language project and wiki/wagn platform cool, a third element is the WAY the group is working to get the job done, making decisions, etc.  One of the cool things about the Pattern Language for Group Process work is that the people doing the work are very intentionally making it part of their work to apply good group process strategies as they work on the PL.  AND they understand, led persistently by Tree (a facilitator for communities by trade), that it is all very much an experiment and very emergent.  This is a takeaway learning for me, too -- a model that makes use of goals / time lines, as well as a meandering and emergent pattern.

I would encourage the Change Maker School group to consider how to build this into a core operating code -- that is, working in a way that is collaborative and even builds further capacity for that as time goes on.  The PL work has continued to make use of the expertise available at the moment, uses consensus as a basis, yet there is more weight from those who have been working on it consistently over time, or from those with definite expertise in particular areas.  There is a lot of group process skill, as well as commitment, which I think has kept this project energized and on track.  So how decisions get made is an interesting study in itself.

One thing the PL folks are doing, which answers your concern about over-committing, Osbert (and I really relate to this!), is that the core group has semi-permeable boundaries.  People who can make a contribution to the project are welcome to do so to the extent that they are able.  Some have given only a few virtual hours, most have been involved face-2-face for one or more work sessions / retreats (lasting anywhere from one day to 7 days or so), some have been giving hours each week since the project's inception, and Tree has been at it close to full time (sometimes more it seems) and is fully committed to seeing it get DONE.  And I think the various commitment / involvement levels work because there is this very dedicated core that people trust will lead to useful results and end products.  Right now they are working to put out a PL card deck this year -- summer? fall?  That would be a great tool for the curriculum.

Since I haven't been with this project from the beginning, and have had only sporadic involvement since October, I can't speak to how they built things up from the beginning.  That would be interesting and maybe useful to know as Change Maker group launches.  If folks are interested in this, I would enjoy finding out what I can and bringing that learning back here.  I do know that when I inquired about coming to the October session, Tree did some assessment as to whether I knew enough to jump in, and only then opened the door.  And there are times when having "outsiders" come in actually is useful to moving the project along at points.

Pennie 

If we think we can put ourselves first and then fit the natural world into our program, it's not going to work.  We have got to fit the human project into the Earth Project.    Thomas Berry

[Pennie O'Grady]

Hi Everyone --

Just browsing, and I came up with this Pattern Language of Group Process project progress report from their most recent session last month:

http://grouppatternlanguage.org/wagn/Eugene_March_2011_work_session_notes

For those interested in successful group process (that is, it's getting done and they're still friends) on complex projects, this is a good window into their later stage process.  I was not able to attend, but I contributed from home in this round.

Pennie 

If we think we can put ourselves first and then fit the natural world into our program, it's not going to work.  We have got to fit the human project into the Earth Project.    Thomas Berry

[Jeff Aitken]

Hi Joe,

 

It will help me to know what time frame you have in mind for this project. My own time available to think & write on this is on weekends, and not every weekend. I appreciate your invitation to join this virtual project and will contribute as much as I'm able.

 

Jeff

[Joe Brewer]

Hi Jeff,

I'm thinking of this project unfolding in bursts -- an ongoing conversation that crescendos into specific projects where teams arise to lead each effort.  Your participation can change with the ebb and flow to match your level of interest for whatever happens to be going on.

More specifically, I am developing a roll-out plan for creating the core content for the curriculum over the next six months.  We can spec out a set of 4-6 learning modules we'd like to create, then design crowdfunding campaigns to finance each of them... all the while building this community so we can use crowdsourcing to refine, improve, and expand the materials as we create them.  This way the crowd can pay for the development costs, those of us who create content can be compensated for our time (probably at a reduced rate relative to our typical fees... we are creating community resources, after all), and to release all of the content under Creative Commons licensing so it is collectively owned by everyone in the world.

I'll write more about this plan and invite discussion around shaping it collaboratively in the next day or two.

Hope this helps clarify things a bit more,

Joe 

--
Joe Brewer
Founder & Director
Cognitive Policy Works
http://www.cognitivepolicyworks.com
--
Founder & Director
Seattle Innovators
http://www.seattleinnovators.org
206.914.8927 (mobile)
--

[Richard Reid]

Hi Joe,

Based on his latest email about "Creating a New Science - Human Interface with Global Change,"  I can't tell if Joe is following through with: "Curriculum Design :: How Social Change Works" or "On Building a Design Team for a Curriculum for Change Makers" or "the three-part workshop series on Designing Campaigns for Large-Scale Behavior Change" or any of the rest of it.

When I posted this question to the CPW blog it was immediately deleted.

Have you heard anything?

Richard Reid

[Richard Reid]

Hi Pennie,

Based on his latest email about "Creating a New Science - Human
Interface with Global Change," I can't tell if Joe is following
through with: "Curriculum Design :: How Social Change Works" or "On
Building a Design Team for a Curriculum for Change Makers" or "the
three-part workshop series on Designing Campaigns for Large-Scale
Behavior Change" or any of the rest of it.

When I posted this question to the CPW blog it was immediately deleted.

Have you heard anything?
Richard Reid

[Richard Reid]

Hi Eric,

Based on his latest email about "Creating a New Science - Human Interface with Global Change,"  I can't tell if Joe is following through with: "Curriculum Design :: How Social Change Works" or "On Building a Design Team for a Curriculum for Change Makers" or "the three-part workshop series on Designing Campaigns for Large-Scale Behavior Change" or any of the rest of it.

When I posted this question to the CPW blog it was immediately deleted.

Have you heard anything?

Richard Reid

[Richard Reid]

Hi Suresh,

Based on his latest email about "Creating a New Science - Human Interface with Global Change,"  I can't tell if Joe is following through with: "Curriculum Design :: How Social Change Works" or "On Building a Design Team for a Curriculum for Change Makers" or "the three-part workshop series on Designing Campaigns for Large-Scale Behavior Change" or any of the rest of it.

When I posted this question to the CPW blog it was immediately deleted.

Have you heard anything?

Richard Reid

[Richard Reid]

Hi Chris,

Based on his latest email about "Creating a New Science - Human Interface with Global Change,"  I can't tell if Joe is following through with: "Curriculum Design :: How Social Change Works" or "On Building a Design Team for a Curriculum for Change Makers" or "the three-part workshop series on Designing Campaigns for Large-Scale Behavior Change" or any of the rest of it.

When I posted this question to the CPW blog it was immediately deleted.

Have you heard anything?

Richard Reid

[Richard Reid]

Hi Chuck,

Based on his latest email about "Creating a New Science - Human
Interface with Global Change," I can't tell if Joe is following
through with: "Curriculum Design :: How Social Change Works" or "On
Building a Design Team for a Curriculum for Change Makers" or "the
three-part workshop series on Designing Campaigns for Large-Scale
Behavior Change" or any of the rest of it.

When I posted this question to the CPW blog it was immediately deleted.

Have you heard anything?
Richard Reid