Understanding and supporting networks – May 5 online event

A heads up for what looks to be an interesting event on May 5th sponsored by ODI (Overseas Development Institute) and some good pals of mine. I’ve enjoyed working with Ben RamalingamEnrique Mendizabal and Simon Hearn over the years. I’m pleased to be one of the “discussants” with Rick Davies, someone whose work on evaluation I value and follow.

Understanding and supporting networks: learning from theory and practice


Thursday, May 5, 2011, 15:00 – 17:00 (London time, GMTT+1) (That’s 7am Pacific Daylight)

Speakers: Ben Ramalingam, Enrique Mendizabal and Simon Hearn
Discussants: Rick Davis and Nancy White
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/323577982
NGOs join them, researchers collaborate across them, civil society rallies around them, policy makers are influenced by them and donors are funding them. Networks are a day to day reality and an important mode of working for almost all of in the aid sector. They are increasingly being used as a vehicle for delivering different kinds of development interventions, from policy influencing and knowledge generation to changing practices on the ground. But how often do we pause and reflect on what it means to engage in a network or think about how networks work  and how they could work better?

This webinar will present two papers by the Overseas Development Institute that challenge the current ubiquity of networks and offer ideas and reflections for those facilitating networks. Ben Ramalingam will present his paper: Mind the Network Gaps, in which he reviews the aid network literature and identfies theoretical lenses which could help advance thinking and practice.

Enrique Mendizabal and Simon Hearn will discuss a revised version of the Network Functions Approach and how it can be used to establish a clear mandate for a network; and hence avoid situations where networks are established without consideration of the costs involved.

Following the two presentations we will hear comments and discussion from two experts in the field; Rick Davies, an evaluation consultant and moderator of the mande.co.uk website, and Nancy White, a expert on communities of practice and online facilitation and author of the book: ‘Digital Habitats’.

Title:
Understanding and supporting networks: learning from theory and practice
Date:
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Time:
15:00 – 17:00 (London time: GMT+1)

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

Monday Video: Art, Creative Messages and Attention

Via a Tweet from John Hagel comes the Enormous forest xylophone plays Bach’s Cantata 147 (Wired UK). A phone handset advert? Yup. But in it beauty, art and music. In our communities and networks, can we use art and music as a way to focus attention, learn and share knowledge? What ideas do you have? Post a comment!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_CDLBTJD4M&feature=player_embedded

Community Indicators in Times of Stress

As readers know from my last post, our family has been celebrating the life of and grieving the loss of my dad, Bill Wright. Yesterday was his memorial mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church here in Seattle where mom and dad found their Seattle “church home.” Right now I have the house to myself and found I needed some reflective time, and some processing of what has been swirling around us: community.

The core of my professional practice is “connected and connecting” people. In any sense of those words. Experiencing the love and community around my family and me since Dad entered the hospital on March 22nd is a fertile ground for noticing and reflecting on those things that tell us community is present, “community indicators.” If I think to the earthquakes in Christchurch, NZ, and Japan, these community indicators are alive and activated. They are alive in my home town.

By chance I happened on a TedTalk by Eric Whitacre today and lo and behold, the soundtrack for my reflection showed up. I received my love of music from my dad. I remember him playing me albums of marching band music, musicals, folk and classical music into my preteen years. Mom and Dad took us to hear Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops when they played at San Francisco’s Stern Grove. Over the last week I curated some music for the funeral reception – lots of folk music, especially banjo. But all with “soul.” So for me, a soundtrack feels “right.” Even more, the soundtrack itself is a community indicator, a virtual choir of hundreds of voices, recorded around the world and brought together. Now this is not about artifice, or a diminishing of the extraordinary power of singing together, but of how we can sing together in many ways. Singing together IS a community indicator. Take a listen.

via YouTube – Eric Whitacre’s Virtual Choir – ‘Lux Aurumque’. (The final piece will be premiered on YouTube this Thursday.)

So back to this community thing. I want to thank and honor the many communities that have gathered us in their arms over the last two weeks. I was preparing for a three week set of workshops in New Zealand and Australia the week my dad fell into a coma. A few emails and all of my colleagues who have worked hard to set up the workshops, market, book venues and everything replied to my notice that I had to cancel with two things. “Yes, no problem” and “our hearts, prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.”  They lifted that off my shoulders like a warm spring breeze. The participants, some of whom booked plane tickets to come to the workshops handled it all with grace and love.

Washington DC trip (1969?)

Here in Seattle, from the moment the 911 team arrived to my Mom’s emergency call, to the last few hours in the hospital when Dad was leaving us, people reached out. Strangers. Ambulance drivers. Emergency room nurses. Doctors, techs, cleaning folks, everyone. I think they all knew what was happening before we did, so they gently made the path a little clearer, a little more peaceful as we walked along it.

My parent’s pastor, Father John, came to the emergency room and hospital. On the night of Dad’s death, also his birthday, he called his sister with whom he was to have dinner and said he had to be elsewhere and he came to the hospital. My sister was there and she and I were able to sing to Dad through the end. She sings with a Threshold Choir in Davis, California and brought that calm peace. I would not have been able to sing alone. The nursing staff brought in food for the family as we watched and waited through the last hours. One saw my son was really struggling and hugged him and offered words of comfort.

Across town at Mirabella, the next day, as my mom walked down the hall, people started the flow of hugs, tears and “we are here for you” that have continued unabated. Flowers, cards, food. Yesterday at the funeral, 78 Mirabellians had signed up to share two buses and many carpools and came to celebrate Dad’s life. And many promised to keep reaching out to Mom as she works her way through the stages and waves of mourning and loss.

Dad and Randy, Santa Clara

Father John create a beautiful service that, with family members and friends doing readings and remembrances, flowed like a practiced choir. He started his homily with a verse from a favorite song of Dad’s “All God’s Critters Have a Place in the Choir” (by Bill Staines) and connected it to the Beatitudes which he read for the gospel, and to Dad’s generous spirit. MHB Conant sang and Robert McCaffery-Lent brought solace and beauty through music. (See 2011 Bill Wright Program).

Family members did the readings and Jack Blume (a Mirabella resident), Randy Wright (my brother) and Cleve Wright (a friend of my Dad’s and a former Mirabella employee) shared amazing, warm and beautiful stories about Dad. To a one, they all talked about Dad’s openness, positivity and generosity of spirit. Tears, laughter, music. As it should be.

Afterwards at the reception in the Parish hall there were more stories, songs (the water aerobic’s “Zippidy Doo Dah”), red wine (as Dad would want it) and lots of people coming up to me to say “your Dad was remarkable,” or “I don’t usually go to funerals, but I came to your Dad’s and I’m glad I did.” I think Father John also converted a few people to his parish! 🙂

Dad and I on the Washington Coast

Back online on Twitter, Facebook and on my blog condolences flowed in. I heard from people in my Dad’s life that I hadn’t heard from in years. Family that I thought didn’t even know I blogged commented here (thank you!) Cards from clients. Tons of love. This sustains us as we ride the waves of loss and grief. They refresh precious memories, sharpen stories that may have been fading.

My Dad was a steady light in my life. Patient to a fault. Tenderhearted. Appreciative. Easy to be with. He fixed things and showed me HOW to fix things. He gave me my curly hair, my love of music and vegetable gardening, my inclination to wave at trains, and  a confidence to step out in the world even when I felt scared and shy. Up to the last he was engineering and reengineering, having recently re-jiggered a no-knead bread recipe to fit into the new cast iron pan he got at the family Christmas gift exchange. His Sudoku prowess blew my mind. Both he and my mom role modeled community service at every turn, in often different but significant ways.

I can’t imagine doing this alone. You are my community. Your “indicators” are blinking and lighting up like the milky way on a clear, mountain night. Thank you.

Goodbye Sweet Dad

William (Bill) A. Wright

Born January 26, 1929 in San Leandro, CA; died peacefully March 24, 2011 after a short illness. Survived by Dolores, his loving wife of 58 years; his children, Randy Wright (Linda), Mary Frances Wright (Lee Bartholomew), and Nancy White (Larry); his grandchildren, Christopher (JennyLee Lieseke), Alexander, John, Ayala, and Caleb; his great-granddaughter, Staley; and his brother, James Wright (Bev).

I was thrilled when Mom and Dad moved to Seattle in 2009. They were geographically close to my family for the first time since I left home to go to college. My kids and my grandbaby could have them in their lives. All of us…

Dad really became an honorary Seattleite upon moving to the Mirabella community. He learned the transit system. He visited sites all around the city and made friends with every person he met at Mirabella. His warmth and friendliness endeared him to everyone. It has been a great comfort to see the Mirabellians rallying around Mom and sharing how much they loved and appreciated Dad.

Funeral Mass will celebrated Monday, April 4th at 10 AM at St. Josephs Catholic Church, 732 18th Ave E, Seattle, 98112.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Project Linus San Jose Chapter, 11061 S. Stelling Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014. Please note on any checks that this is in honor of Bill Wright.

Thanks.

Conversations for the 21st Century – Community on April 1st, 2011

My friend, colleague, teacher and fellow GiGee (Girl Geek) Amy Lenzo has launched a new venture, weDialogue. She has asked me to be part of a launch event, a free, wide-open conversation on “Communities in the 21st Century” on April 1st. I decided it was so exciting it was worth saying yes even though I’ll be in Australia and it will be 3am for me. That’s how easy Amy makes it to say “yes” to her! Seriously, how can you resist the invitation to talk about community!!

Here is the information:

“Just as the tumultuous chaos of a thunderstorm brings a nurturing rain that allows life to flourish, so too in human affairs times of advancement are preceded by times of disorder. Success comes to those who can weather the storm.”
~ I-Ching, The book of change
In association with the World Café Community FoundationweDialogue is hosting a series of interactive online “Conversations for the 21st Century” designed to stimulate collective innovation and new patterns of thinking in response to the global challenges we face today.

Each session will focus on a different key topic–e.g. Democracy, Food, Money, Aging, Creativity, etc.– and begin with a round-table exploration from the perspective of three “conversation starters” who are making significant contributions in the field being discussed. Conversation starters are chosen for their diversity in order to give the widest possible “opening” for the dialogue that follows.

After the round table, we’ll move into a World Cafe format with three rounds of small group conversation, followed by a “harvest” when the whole group comes back together to share insights and experiences.  Conversations for the 21st Century will also feature a “Call to Action” where participants can learn about cutting edge initiatives related to the topic at hand, and how to get involved.

We encourage everyone with an interest in our subjects to participate – we all have something valuable to contribute. The World Cafe is based on the idea that we are wiser together than we are alone, that together we have the answers to any problems that beset us.  So, we believe it’s important to hear from all of us and that every voice is necessary for the re-imagining of a better future.

Conversations for the 21st Century are held over the telephone and you must register to participate. We’re pleased to announce our first session:

“Community for the 21st Century”
DATE: Friday, April 1st
TIME: 9am-12pm PST/12-3pm EST/5-8pmGMT / 7-10pm South Africa / 5-8am New Zealand

COST: Free (except for any long distance charges you may incur)
Your donations to the World Cafe Community Foundation, however, are very much appreciated:

REGISTER: Please use THIS LINK to register (you must be registered to participate).

“Community for the 21st Century” conversation starters:

Peter Block, author of Community: The Structure of Belonging, and The Abundant Community: Awakening the Power of Families and Neighborhoods

Nancy White, co-author of Digital Habitats, and an experienced guide in the realms of online community and e-learning.

Sarah Whiteley and Maria Scordialos, co-founders of the land-based community Axladitsa Avatakia in Greece.

If you know someone you think should be part of this conversation, please invite them, too. Here is a downloadable pdf to pass on: C21C