PLAN Institute

Vancouver seeks TED prize

Al Etmanski — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:03:00 +0000

“The physical design of cities and their economic functions are secondary to their relationship to the natural environment and to the spiritual values of human community.” Lewis Mumford Half the world’s population of 7 billion live in cities. Another 2 billion are expected to become city dwellers by 2030. Urban…

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BC’s Advisory Council on Social Entrepreneurship

Al Etmanski — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 05:52:00 +0000

BC’s Advisory Council on Social Entrepreneurship Releases Interim Report

Together: Respecting the Future is now on-line. http://socialinnovationbc.ca/

You can access and comment on the draft report using Google Docs. To download a full copy of the Draft Recommendations click here. This draft report represents the current thinking of members of the BC Government’s Advisory Council on Social Entrepreneurship on…

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Imagine Canada – Standing Still, Leaping Boldly

Al Etmanski — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:34:56 +0000

I’ve always been partial to imagination as opposed to dreams. Imagination has an element of intentionality, of agency. Bold leaps of imagination inspire bold actions. This sense of purpose and deliberation is a good description of Imagine Canada today. After the inevitable growing pains associated with the merger of the…

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Pre-Occupy Post-Occupy

Al Etmanski — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:54:06 +0000

“Democratic governance must evolve rapidly if it is to guide us through our social and environmental challenges. We require a deeper, more integrated form of democracy.” John Richardson Founder Party ‘X’ The lingering memory of a recent Paul Hawken speech was the delivery of a comment from the audience. Stepping…

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Inspiring Approaches through Changemakers

Al Etmanski — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 17:50:34 +0000

Implementing Shannen’s Dream: Inspiring Approaches through Changemakers

15 year old Shannen Koostachin of Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario had a dream – to go to a real school. A school that was safe and comfy, offering culturally based education for herself and her classmates. She led a group of students from her remote James Bay community to…

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Social Gold:Ted Jackson’s Financing Strategies for Non-Profits in a Turbulent World

Al Etmanski — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 02:11:16 +0000

Ted Jackson, community organizer, fellow Frontier College alumni and Professor at Carleton University presented the following speech at the 52nd annual meeting of the Quinte West Association for Community Living. A comprehensive analysis and call to action relevant for all non profits. Social Gold The metaphor I want to use…

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What Canada Needs Most – Resilience – Important new McConnell Publication

Al Etmanski — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:51:47 +0000

A Resilient Society is Inclusive, Sustainable and Innovative. That pretty well sums up the fruits of the JW McConnell Family Foundation’s journey over the last fifteen years. Fifteen years of learning, risk taking and jettisoning assumptions. A period in which the foundation shifted from funding buildings to supporting the adaptive…

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Social Media Tool Helps a Mother Fight Cancer

Tyze Personal Networks — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 01:31:37 +0000

This week a young woman caring for a mother with cancer submitted an inspiring personal story to the Vancouver Observer, where it immediately hit the front page. To read Christabel’s article about using social media to help her mom fight cancer, ... Continue reading →

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Charles Leadbeater – Setting the Post Bridget Jones Agenda

Al Etmanski — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 22:10:25 +0000

“At the core of a good society, a fulfilling life and an effective state are relationships among people, between citizens, with public services that provide care, recognition, purpose and motivation.” Charles Leadbeater Charles Leadbeater has been tracking and chronicling creative responses to our social challenges for several decades. He has…

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Representation Agreements – I Am Because We Are (2)

Al Etmanski — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 01:49:55 +0000

I wrote the following story nearly 20 years ago when we were in the midst of a law reform campaign to establish Representation Agreements as a grass roots alternate to traditional adult guardianship. (see my previous post – Love in the Architecture) I had been asked to write a rather…

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