Monday, January 31, 2005
UN Resources / MicroCredit
2005, International Year of MicroCredit
WEB Reference, Jan. 2005 (UN) - " Microfinance has proved its value, in many countries, as a weapon against poverty -- especially the lives of those who need it most," says Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General. Here are some links for researching what’s happening in the UN International Year of MicroCredit, 2005. http://www.un.org/events/microcredit/ .
2005, International Year of MicroCredit
WEB Reference, Jan. 2005 (UN) - " Microfinance has proved its value, in many countries, as a weapon against poverty -- especially the lives of those who need it most," says Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General. Here are some links for researching what’s happening in the UN International Year of MicroCredit, 2005. http://www.un.org/events/microcredit/ .
Events / Our Shifting Focus – New York, NY – Feb. 11
Caring Communities for the 21st Century: Imagining the Possible
NEW YORK, NY, Jan, 2005 ( www.un.org) - Innovative rethinking of the basic elements that influence our quality of life -- family, education, health, housing, multi-levels of government, and the information highway (ICT) - creates a unique opportunity to encourage a quality blueprint for an enriched "Society for All Ages. When perceived with an open mind, these interrelationships offer endless opportunities for us all. The Conference's purpose is to build bridges and develop projects, services and products that support the needs of people of all ages. Each month the world's older population increases by 1.2 million! The quantity of life change has become a quality of life challenge. As part of a series of Interlinked Congresses addressing the "Age of Longevity" held in cities around the globe, this free one-day conference is organized in coordination with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Programme on Ageing, UN ICT Task Force, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Department of Public Information, NGOs, and the private sector. http://www.un.org/events/agingcf.htm .
Caring Communities for the 21st Century: Imagining the Possible
NEW YORK, NY, Jan, 2005 ( www.un.org) - Innovative rethinking of the basic elements that influence our quality of life -- family, education, health, housing, multi-levels of government, and the information highway (ICT) - creates a unique opportunity to encourage a quality blueprint for an enriched "Society for All Ages. When perceived with an open mind, these interrelationships offer endless opportunities for us all. The Conference's purpose is to build bridges and develop projects, services and products that support the needs of people of all ages. Each month the world's older population increases by 1.2 million! The quantity of life change has become a quality of life challenge. As part of a series of Interlinked Congresses addressing the "Age of Longevity" held in cities around the globe, this free one-day conference is organized in coordination with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Programme on Ageing, UN ICT Task Force, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Department of Public Information, NGOs, and the private sector. http://www.un.org/events/agingcf.htm .
Events / Community Leadership – Olympia, WA, Feb. 9 - 12
Weapons of Mass Construction: the Power of Natural Building
OLYMPIA, WA, Jan. 31, 2005 (Evergreen College, via EFSWN) - SYNERGY SUSTAINABLE LIVING CONFERENCE, Session - This presentation will focus on the use of natural building as a means to transcend homelessness, through the establishment of Dignity Village in Portland; overcome hopelessness, via a womens's empowerment program; and by creating community empowerment, through urban sustainability and the City Repair Project. http://www.evergreen.edu/events/synergy/ .
Weapons of Mass Construction: the Power of Natural Building
OLYMPIA, WA, Jan. 31, 2005 (Evergreen College, via EFSWN) - SYNERGY SUSTAINABLE LIVING CONFERENCE, Session - This presentation will focus on the use of natural building as a means to transcend homelessness, through the establishment of Dignity Village in Portland; overcome hopelessness, via a womens's empowerment program; and by creating community empowerment, through urban sustainability and the City Repair Project. http://www.evergreen.edu/events/synergy/ .
Models / Participatory Leadership Education
Re-imagining Utopia
WEB Reference, Jan. 2005 (ABC) - Why dream of a perfect but imaginary world? Instead you could build a living alternative that shows us how society might be... Explore ideas about community, join debates on land sharing, bad behaviour and good intentions and see the outcome of your actions (by clicking on the Dream Machine). Start your journey... (The Re-imagining Utopia project was inspired by the changing nature of life on intentional communities in the Rainbow Region of northern coastal NSW and their important impact on the social and cultural development of the area. Fiona Martin, lecturer in Journalism at Southern Cross University, and freelance radio journalist Kath Duncan, made the radio programs associated with this website: the 'Re-Imagining Utopia' series for Life Matters, the 'Sanctuary' program for Radio Eye and the 'New World Coming' segment for the Tripe J's Morning Show. Their work is part of the 'Mapping the Rainbow Region' cultural research project, conducted by Southern Cross University's School of Arts.)
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/utopias/dream_machine/default.htm .
Re-imagining Utopia
WEB Reference, Jan. 2005 (ABC) - Why dream of a perfect but imaginary world? Instead you could build a living alternative that shows us how society might be... Explore ideas about community, join debates on land sharing, bad behaviour and good intentions and see the outcome of your actions (by clicking on the Dream Machine). Start your journey... (The Re-imagining Utopia project was inspired by the changing nature of life on intentional communities in the Rainbow Region of northern coastal NSW and their important impact on the social and cultural development of the area. Fiona Martin, lecturer in Journalism at Southern Cross University, and freelance radio journalist Kath Duncan, made the radio programs associated with this website: the 'Re-Imagining Utopia' series for Life Matters, the 'Sanctuary' program for Radio Eye and the 'New World Coming' segment for the Tripe J's Morning Show. Their work is part of the 'Mapping the Rainbow Region' cultural research project, conducted by Southern Cross University's School of Arts.)
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/utopias/dream_machine/default.htm .
Leadership Education
Community Involvement at Ananda River School
WEB Reference, Jan. 2005 (ProutWorld.org) - The Ananda Marga River School is a community of learning, including students from kindy to Year 7, teachers, administrators, parents, and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland community in Maleny, Australia. It follows the aims and ideals of Neo-Humanist Education. http://www.proutworld.org/features/maleny.htm.
Community Involvement at Ananda River School
WEB Reference, Jan. 2005 (ProutWorld.org) - The Ananda Marga River School is a community of learning, including students from kindy to Year 7, teachers, administrators, parents, and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland community in Maleny, Australia. It follows the aims and ideals of Neo-Humanist Education. http://www.proutworld.org/features/maleny.htm.
Cooperative Examples
Maleny Cooperatives: Examples of Small-scale, Cooperative Enterprises
WEB News, Jan. 2002 (ProutWorld) - Maleny is situated 100 kilometrers north of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. It is surrounded by lush tropical vegitation, has stunning views of the Glass House Mountains, and overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It has a population of over 7,000 people. Maleny has a long history of cooperative enterprise. Today Maleny has 17 cooperatives which work in all areas of community life. These cooperatives include: a consumers' coop, a cooperative bank, a cooperative club, a workers' coop, a cashless trading coop, a cooperative radio station, a cooperative film society, 4 environmental coops, and several community settlement coops. All but 3 of these coops are legally incorporated. http://www.proutworld.org/features/maleny.htm.
Maleny Cooperatives: Examples of Small-scale, Cooperative Enterprises
WEB News, Jan. 2002 (ProutWorld) - Maleny is situated 100 kilometrers north of Brisbane on the Sunshine Coast Hinterland. It is surrounded by lush tropical vegitation, has stunning views of the Glass House Mountains, and overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It has a population of over 7,000 people. Maleny has a long history of cooperative enterprise. Today Maleny has 17 cooperatives which work in all areas of community life. These cooperatives include: a consumers' coop, a cooperative bank, a cooperative club, a workers' coop, a cashless trading coop, a cooperative radio station, a cooperative film society, 4 environmental coops, and several community settlement coops. All but 3 of these coops are legally incorporated. http://www.proutworld.org/features/maleny.htm.
Organizing / Co-ops / NGOs
Small Enterprises and Cooperatives: Organization and Management
WEB Reference, Jan. 2005 (Appropriate Technology Sourcebook) - Here’s a Book Review list that covers all the basics - Scroll the index list at the left until you find this topic near the bottom - http://villageearth.org/atnetwork/atsourcebook/index.htm.
Small Enterprises and Cooperatives: Organization and Management
WEB Reference, Jan. 2005 (Appropriate Technology Sourcebook) - Here’s a Book Review list that covers all the basics - Scroll the index list at the left until you find this topic near the bottom - http://villageearth.org/atnetwork/atsourcebook/index.htm.
Innovation / Social Enterprise
Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service through Architecture
BOOK Reference, Jan. 2005 (Princton Architechtural Press & Design Corps website) - Here's the book mention: http://www.papress.com/bookpage.tpl?isbn=1568983913&cart=107057676131917271. See also: Design Corps – Non-Profit Work: "Community Design Opportunities" has been created in an effort to link students, architects, and designers, or for that matter, anyone who is interested in the development and design of their community, with local community-based efforts. This site was posted by Design Corps, a non-profit group whose mission is to find ways to offer quality, affordable design service to the many who don't currently have it available. This site discusses the issues of affordable community design, who is involved in it, and what is being done today in our communities. As architectural activists we hope to encourage contact between the architectural and community design sectors. This web site is our effort to foster the dialogue. http://www.designcorps.org/index4.html .
Good Deeds, Good Design: Community Service through Architecture
BOOK Reference, Jan. 2005 (Princton Architechtural Press & Design Corps website) - Here's the book mention: http://www.papress.com/bookpage.tpl?isbn=1568983913&cart=107057676131917271. See also: Design Corps – Non-Profit Work: "Community Design Opportunities" has been created in an effort to link students, architects, and designers, or for that matter, anyone who is interested in the development and design of their community, with local community-based efforts. This site was posted by Design Corps, a non-profit group whose mission is to find ways to offer quality, affordable design service to the many who don't currently have it available. This site discusses the issues of affordable community design, who is involved in it, and what is being done today in our communities. As architectural activists we hope to encourage contact between the architectural and community design sectors. This web site is our effort to foster the dialogue. http://www.designcorps.org/index4.html .
Local Living Economies
Ecology and Economics under the same Roof
VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 2005 (BALLE BC Blog) - Stephani Zamagni is Professor of Economics at the University of Bologna in the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy. With one third of the region's GDP (in the top three highest producing areas of Europe) coming from 15,000 co-operative enterprises co-operatives, they are world leaders in how to build a successful co-operative economy. This is fascinating stuff!
http://ballebc.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_ballebc_archive.html.
Ecology and Economics under the same Roof
VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 2005 (BALLE BC Blog) - Stephani Zamagni is Professor of Economics at the University of Bologna in the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy. With one third of the region's GDP (in the top three highest producing areas of Europe) coming from 15,000 co-operative enterprises co-operatives, they are world leaders in how to build a successful co-operative economy. This is fascinating stuff!
http://ballebc.blogspot.com/2004_02_01_ballebc_archive.html.
