Stories to Raise All Global Boats

Turning_a_corner

Turning a Corner

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr   

Joshua Dysart, American Writer of Graphic Novels and Comic Books, shares an account of his life exploration seeking harmony, creative and aesthetic integration, and ultimately, a connection to one human global society.

Josh talks about how the maturation of our personal experiences in technology and creativity can power relevance and meaning by planting seeds for a better future, and set the stage for global collaboration.

Dysart spent a month in the tribal war zone of Uganda for his work - a treatment of The Unkown Soldier for Vertigo Comics and has earned a nod from the Eisner Award committee as a contender for Best New Comic. 

You can learn more about Josh's work at http://www.joshuadysart.com

 Stories to Raise All Global Boats from I-Open on Vimeo.

Learn the wisdom of civic leaders across these I-Open communities:

Copyright 2011 Betsey Merkel and I-Open. Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works. Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open) 2563 Kingston Road Cleveland OH 44118 Phone: 216-220-0172 Web: http://i-open.posterous.com/

Creating Small Actions for Profound Change

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Color Stump Pattern 

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr

Curt Lindberg, Learning and Science Officer, Plexus Institute, teaches leaders to make large change by encouraging small actions.

In this interview contributed to I-Open, Curt shares research insights about complexity science, new areas for research exploration, and new knowledge learned by nurses and doctors across the globe combating Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a bacterial infection that is highly resistant to some antibiotics.  

Curt talks about the Plexus strategy for research and reflects on the ability of social networks and stories to create a different and unique picture of each and every culture. 

Learn more about the Plexus Institute's work in health care around the world. 

Small actions for profound change from I-Open on Vimeo.

Learn the wisdom of civic leaders across these I-Open communities:

Copyright 2011 Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License Betsey Merkel and The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open), 2563 Kingston Road Cleveland OH 44118 Phone: 216-220-0172 Web: http://i-open.posterous.com/

 

Generate Better Futures: Focus On The Present

Roof_garden
Roof Garden 

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr 

Curt Lindberg, Chief Learning and Science Officer, Plexus Institute, shares insights into the role of complexity science and positive deviance in the 21st Century.  

Curt talks about the power of stories and one in particular, the story of "The Palmer Method" - a small creative action that has lead to large positive change in global health care.

By learning what is working now, communities and organizations can align knowledge and resources to become resilient and sustainable.

Learn about the Plexus Institute's work around the world.

Generate better futures: focus on the present from I-Open on Vimeo.

Learn the wisdom of civic leaders across these I-Open communities:

 Copyright 2011 Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License Betsey Merkel and The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open), 2563 Kingston Road Cleveland OH 44118 Phone: 216-220-0172 Web: http://i-open.posterous.com/

Complexity: Science of the 21st Century

Green_spiral

Green Spiral 

Image © Alice Merkel on Flickr 

Curt Lindberg, Chief Learning and Science Officer, Plexus Institute, shares insights about the role of complex systems in communities and countries today. 

Complexity science principles help us to think in terms of how our day-to-day actions - such as sharing information to strengthen transparency - have a direct impact on the quality of our lives today.

Understanding how complexity affects social and economic change enables leaders in education, economic, and workforce development to have a better grasp on connecting strategic investments to future prosperity.  

Learn about the Plexus Institute's work in health care around the world.

Complexity Science from I-Open on Vimeo.

Learn the wisdom of civic leaders across these I-Open communities:

Copyright 2011 Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License Betsey Merkel and The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open), 2563 Kingston Road Cleveland OH 44118 Phone: 216-220-0172 Web: http://i-open.posterous.com/ 

Economy of Culture

Storytelling deepens our understanding of social and economic investment in a Quality, Connected Place, one of five areas in the Innovation Framework, a heuristic model of investment in Open Source Economic Development.

In this video interview, Northeast Ohio experience artist Melissa Daubert describes a collection of art pieces she created about her time living and teaching in Zimbabwe as a Peace Corps volunteer.

From Melissa’s story we begin to understand how culture knits together local assets to generate a dynamic hyper-local economy of established mores, the wisdom of traditional thought leaders, knowledge of project design and construction to ease daily living, and simple rules to establish trust and respect in the community.

These are important elements every neighborhood needs to identify and connect local creativity and accelerate the generation of small, widespread collaborative projects for local prosperity.