The fact that the economy isn’t working for most of us is finally getting some attention and policy proposals to close loopholes and other stopgap solutions are making the rounds. However, those that study complex systems – natural or human-made – say the same thing: once corrupted, a complex system has an almost impossible time fixing itself. The best way to transition to a truly democratic economy is to find or create safe spaces outside the dominant system where something wholly new can emerge from the ground up. This emergence is BALLE’s theory of change, which has been deeply influenced by the work of Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze.

In this webinar we’ll explore Frieze’s "Two Loops" theory of systems change – in which a new system emerges as the old one is declining – as a framework for a new economy. We’ll discuss where we are in the shift to a new economic model and take a look at the work being done on the ground to fight for rights in the current system while bolstering those who are forging a new path forward.

This webinar will kick off BALLE’s "Year of Illumination" – a monthly series of webinars, videos, articles, and other stories and conversations that will shed light on What Works and help Localist Leaders replicate and build upon proven solutions towards an economy with equity at its core. Join us for this foundational conversation to bring greater context to the role you and your organization play in this process.

Register now

SPEAKERS

Deborah Frieze, Co-Founder, Boston Impact Initiative

James Johnson-Piett, Principal and CEO, Urbane Development

MODERATOR

Christine Ageton, Chief Program Officer, BALLE

11:00am - 12:30pm Pacific Time
Cost: $45

Register to Attend Join acclaimed cultural historian and futurist Riane Eisler for a dynamic dialogue about how you can take a stand for a new story of human possibility and become a leader in the movement to a more peaceful, equitable, and sustainable world.

In this 90-minute live online session, Riane Eisler, author of The Chalice & the Blade and The Real Wealth of Nations, will illuminate the outdated dynamics of gender and power undermining our well‐being and economic prosperity. She’ll answer your questions about what role you can play in the shift to more caring and sustainable social systems that support the relationships that matter most to us all – equitable and empowering relationships with our families, our communities, and our natural environment.

Riane will answer questions including:

• How are outdated systems of gender and power still guiding our economic policies?   
• How can we recognize and change these patterns?
• What would an economy that recognizes the value of the life-sustaining work of care still mainly performed by women look like?
• How would a caring economy put an end to the systematic impoverishment of women and children and generate greater economic prosperity for everyone, not just the 1%?
• What can you do to support these essential changes?

Bring your questions and concerns to this interactive online discussion on Thursday, February 19th from 11:00am – 12:30pm PST. You are invited to submit a question for Riane in advance of the session. You may share a question when you register, or send a question to annamberg.cps at gmail.com no later than February 16th, 2014. Questions will also be taken in real time during the webinar, as time permits.

REGISTER

For more information about Riane Eisler go to www.rianeeisler.com

* Leadership & Learning Program Alumni may attend at a $15 discount. Contact Ann for information and discount code

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern Time

The Mobilizing Local Capacity to End Youth Homelessness Program (MLC) is a national five-year pilot project that supports small and medium-sized communities across Canada to develop plans to prevent, reduce and end youth homelessness. The MLC draws on local resources, energies and capacity to raise awareness of the issues surrounding youth homelessness, and facilitates linkages to foster effective networks and collective action to address the housing and social support needs of youth.  

Kingston, ON and Kamloops, BC were the first two communities selected to participate in the MLC program, led respectively by the United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington and the City of Kamloops. We will be joined by them both in discussion on the multi-year community-wide processes they underwent that involved solid research, direct involvement of youth and broad community consultations as they bring their community plans to action.

The inaugural community action plans to prevent, reduce and end youth homelessness were launched in the Fall of 2014, and are available at the following links: Youth Out Loud: Taking Action to End Youth Homelessness in KFL&A and A Way Home: A Plan to End Youth Homelessness in Kamloops. Or visit Eva's Initiatives.

The MLC is the result of an exciting partnership between The National Learning Community on Youth Homelessness, Eva’s Initiatives and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association, with generous funding from the Catherine Donnelly Foundation.

Speakers:

Bhavana Varma is the President & CEO of the United Way of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington.  She joined the United Way in St. Catharines soon after she and her husband moved to Canada. She moved to Kingston in 1999 as the CEO of the local United Way. 

Bhavana works closely with a large team of volunteers and a small staff team on fundraising and community impact.  Working with community partners, Bhavana has developed and led shared community plans for poverty reduction, homelessness and youth homelessness.

Carmin Mazzotta is the Social and Community Development Supervisor for the City of Kamloops. His portfolio involves social planning, community engagement, and capacity building across a range of priority areas; two of these – youth issues, and housing and homelessness – are particularly relevant here.

Carmin works closely with local non-profit organizations, service clubs, community associations, and key stakeholders from the private sector, including land developers, property managers and local businesses, to address social issues and needs in the community through a collaborative, action-oriented approach.

Carmin has been involved in the planning and development of a number of municipal and community-based plans, including A Way Home: A Plan to End Youth Homelessness in Kamloops.

Space is limited. REGISTER NOW!

Please note that, as always, webinars are free for CHRA members. For non-members, the cost is $40 + tax.

10am Eastern Time

Bristol boasts the strongest economy of any UK city outside London, and is one of the country’s fastest growing city. Like many dynamic, booming cities its growth includes rapid demographic change, increasing diversity and a growing gap in prosperity. How do resilient cities address the challenges of deepening social and economic inequality? Why is diversity, migration and inclusion essential to a conversation about city resilience and livability? As one of Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities, a program intended to help cities “better address the increasing shocks and stresses of the 21st century,” Bristol has a unique opportunity to put social resilience into an urban agenda for economic vitality, innovation and sustainability. Join us for a Big Idea webinar to learn how Bristol is managing these complex community challenges and building its capacity to leverage diversity and the economic and social innovations that drive urban prosperity.

Register here

Speakers:

Di Robinson
Service Director, Neighbourhoods and Communities, Bristol City Council (Bristol, United Kingdom)
Di Robinson has worked in the public sector over the past 17 years, mainly delivering in the areas of Neighbourhood Management and Governance, Service Transformation and Community Engagement. Her current role as Service Director for Neighbourhoods with Bristol City Council includes managing the city’s Neighbourhood Governance agenda, Community Development, Corporate Equalities, Voluntary Community Investment, Libraries and Regulatory Services. Prior to this Di worked in a variety of roles within in the public, private and VCS sectors.

Ian Roderick
Director, The SchuIan Roderick smmacher Institute (Bristol, United Kingdom)
Ian is the director of The Schumacher Institute, an independent research and learning organisation working with the ideas of E.F. Schumacher, author of Small is Beautiful. The Institute is in Bristol, UK.
He has a BSc in Mathematics, an MSc in Operational Research and an MSc in Responsibility & Business Practice. He started his career at the Building Research Establishment before joining Rank Xerox International, eventually to head up strategic forecasting and business modelling. He then co-founded a successful software development company which was sold in 2000 leaving him free to pursue his interests in systems thinking, environmentalism and social justice. Ian is the Chair of the Resilience Action Group, Bristol Green Capital, the agency leading Bristol: European Green Capital 2015 agenda.

He was President of the UK Systems Society (2005 – 2008). He is co-founder of a charity called The Converging World and is on the board of Low Carbon South West.

Mary W. Rowe
Director, Urban Resilience and Livability, Municipal Art Society of New York City (New York, United States)
Mary W. Rowe is currently Director, Urban Resilience and Livability at Municipal Art Society of New York City, one of the country’s oldest and most successful advocacy organizations, working to promote the livability and resilience of New York City through effective urban planning, land use, design and civic engagement. Current initiatives include Re-Imagining the Civic Commons, supported by the Knight Foundation, to explore the ever-changing uses of shared places – civic assets including libraries, community centers, settlement houses, and public spaces – in contemporary cities, and the possibilities for new models that enhance their value, ensure their sustainability, and contribute to creating successful cities.

Mary also coordinates the MAS Global Network, a peer-to-peer learning platform connecting urban practitioners contributing to the livability and resilience of cities around the country, continent, and around the world. Previously, she spent five years learning about granular approaches to urban innovation while supporting the New Orleans Institute for Resilience and Innovation, a loose alliance of initiatives that emerged in response to the systemic collapses of 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Originally from Toronto, Mary worked closely for ten years with Avana Capital Corporation and the Maytree Foundation on a variety of urban focused initiatives, and began her career working for the federal government in Canada on policy connections between immigration and employment. She has a particular interest in self-organization in cities, as the underpinning of urban social, economic, cultural and environmental resilience, and is a contributor to several volumes on urban life.