Collaborative Networking
Bringing Spirit and Methods to Transformative Ventures
HIGHLIGHTS
AI NotebookLM 12 minute audio summary of “Global Development Initiatives and Community Engagement”.
AI Notebook Summary: This summary highlights various initiatives by the ICA focused on fostering global development through collaborative efforts and information exchange. These programs, such as the International Exposition of Rural Development (IERD), aimed to ensure inclusive participation from diverse groups to shape future plans and encourage motivated implementation. The IERD itself was part of a series of international conferences building upon prior research assemblies, demonstrating the Institute’s commitment to ongoing development. A program called Accelerate 77 indicates an extension of these efforts to promote grassroots sustainability within specific communities. Ultimately, these programs emphasize the Institute’s approach of bringing together various perspectives to drive effective and sustainable change.
Sources: Text from the intros to all of the initiatives in this Collection.
The programs and projects in this section are descriptive of some of the Institutes’ collaborative, networking efforts. grounded in the assumption that information exchange and dialogue among individuals and groups is essential to establishing effective new directions forward. All Institute programs, including the International Exposition of Rural Development, the Human Development Project Projects, Community Forums/Town Meetings, and Local Church Projects were demonstrations of inclusive participation from various participant populations. Such conversations assure that future plans represent the perspectives of the various stakeholders and individuals gathered and in so doing, foster motivated implementation.
The 1984 International Exposition of Rural Development (IERD) was the first of a series of eight quadrennial conferences organized by ICA International. These assemblies drew on the Institute’s experience of annual research assemblies held during the previous decade.
Accelerating grassroots sustainability initiatives throughout Chicago’s 77 community areas.
Gatherin residents to create shared, place-based climate action.
The Compassionate Civilization Collaborative (C3) and the Movement of Movements (MoM)
Other examples:
- In 2019, Kaira Lingo Jewel wrote from Sri Lanka about her Deep Time Walk (and app) as a way to honor climate change events.
- The Universe Story Walk at Stover’s Sojourn offers an on-going way to tell the 14-Billion Year Story of the Universe, the context for all collaboration and cooperation. A Universe Story Guidebook is available for download.
“An often-repeated phrase is “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know” points to a truth: social change occurs when creative people connect and act with each other in a concerted effort. While this is not a unique insight, the power of making connections is an important guiding principle behind ICA activities. As an organization interested in catalyzing creative action beyond itself, ICA connects those who share values and interests. ICA transcends narrow perspectives of any particular group by focusing on universal concerns that are common to all. Respecting, honoring, and ensuring diversity, be it of an interfaith or cross-cultural nature, are underlying principles of ICA as it goes about connecting people. It is by identifying and connecting the creative community initiatives of ordinary people that new ideas, practices, confidence, and commitment are successfully nurtured and developed. This is the nuts and bolts of movement building.” ICA’s Organizational Wisdom – Terry Bergdall