Archive for IISC:Inside

May/04/12//Curtis Ogden//IISC:Inside

Making the Invisible Visible

I am so proud of my colleague, Gibran Rivera, for the due recognition that he has received lately in various quarters for his deep thinking and transformative work.  And I am grateful for how eloquently he captures the nature and intention of our collective work the Interaction Institute for Social Change in a recent interview:

“IISC seeks to make the invisible visible. When we are successful, people find themselves working in ways that are life-giving, generative, and unlike most of their experiences of working together.  We achieve this by paying close attention to process. Process works best when everyone knows what it is and where we are [in] it. But process is not enough. We seek to create spaces and conditions that foster connectivity at the level of authentic relationship. When we are working in authentic relationship with one another, when we learn to connect to each other in the place where our shared purpose meets, then it can feel like the work is happening all by itself. But these spaces have to be designed; they have to be held and they have to be tended to. This is where we come in. And this is how interconnectedness becomes palpable.”

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Mar/15/12//Curtis Ogden//IISC:Inside

We Are What We Eat and Measure

The following excerpt is taken from the introduction to Whole Measures for Community Food Systems, a resource that “is designed to give organizations and communities a collaborative process for defining and expressing their complex stories and the multiple outcomes that emerge from their work.”  The guide is an example of what is possible coming out of the training that we jointly offer with the Center for Whole Communities called Whole Measures: Transforming Communities by Measuring What Matters Most.  This year we will offer the workshop in San Francisco (May), at Knoll Farm in Vermont (July), and in Boston (December).   In addition, the Community Food Security Coalition will offer a workshop on Whole Measures specifically focused on community food security work this April in Lexington, KY.

The spectrum of those working towards community food security is culturally and geographically diverse, spanning a broad range of people, places and activities. Organizations and individuals working in the food system and building food secure communities create complex relationships and inter-related activities. Read the rest of this entry »


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Mar/09/12//IISC//Featured, IISC:Inside

Ode to Melinda

Our hearts and spirits have been moved by Melinda Weeke’s love, passion and commitment to our work.  The following is a small tribute to a powerful and beautiful sister who has forever shaped our lives for the better.  We wish you the best and we will miss you!  We LOVE you. 

Through thick and thin. Truthful you have been.  Hanging with uncertainty

Sashaying with complexity. Witty and musical. Fearless and spiritual

You bring it home. With charm and aplomb. Lead on, my sister, lead on

Gracias – un millón. I love you

And I will miss you

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Mar/08/12//Curtis Ogden//IISC:Inside

What We Know – Curtis Ogden

IISC Senior Associate, Curtis Ogden, reflects on the question asked in a staff learning session, “What do we know from years of doing collaborative capacity building and social change work?” Recorded at Space With a Soul in Boston.

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Mar/05/12//IISC//IISC:Inside

Another Journey

Dear Clients and Colleagues,

I trust this finds you well in every way.

This March 16, 2012 will be my last day with IISC.  In April, I begin work as the Managing Director of The Applied Research Center (ARC), headquartered in New York City.  ARC is a racial justice think tank that uses popular culture, media, research and activism to promote solutions, and is the publisher of Colorlines.com.

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