News from Pioneers of Change - AUGUST 2007

in this issue
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creating the future
being there
bubblings: germany
pioneers calendar
funding opportunities
jobs
details


creating the future
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pioneers global summerschool journey

The rainforest of Rio de Janeiro, Brasil will host the Pioneers of Change
in the global gathering this year from December 1st to 8th.
Pioneers' global gatherings bring together pioneers from around the world
to learn from one another and from the place hosting us. This year,
Rio presents us with a unique possibility to share and reflect deeply on
our personal and collective journeys, and on the different tools we have
for carrying out our work for sustainable and positive change in society as a whole.

Honoring our inspiration from the Learning Journey - an empowering
experiential and educational model - we're calling this year's event the
"Pioneers of Change Global Journey." So inspired, we invite you to experience
the value of sustainable communities in Brasil, mentored by the uniqueness
of Rio de Janeiro's mountains and rainforest.

We look forward to starting this process with you now and to seeing many of you
in Brasil this December!

Please send your inputs or any further question to cristina at pioneersofchange dot net

For registration and further information visit
http://pioneersofchange.net/communities/globaljourney/

- The growing Global Journey Team,
Api, Cristina, Graziela, Luciana, Thomas, and… who else wants to join?

"The 'Help Wanted' signs are everywhere. All people and institutions,
including commerce, governments, schools, churches and cities,
need to learn from life and reimagine the world from the bottom up,
based first on principles of justice and ecology." - Paul Hawken


being there
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Five-time SummerSchool / Global Journey participant and cultivator Moraan says this about the experience:

My first time to meet the work of PoC was
at the very first summerschool in 2001 at Castle Borl in Slovenia.
To me it was like a homecoming, though
I didn't know anybody prior to the gathering.

People were open, supportive, didn't ask questions like
‘how are you going to make money from your idea’
or comment that it was way too idealistic. Instead they asked me
‘How are you going to do it?’ and offered
to think along and put me in touch with others who can help me move on.
After spending a week together, it felt as if I had gained many friends
and a community that I felt part of.

After that I had the fortune to attend the next summerschools in different ways,
in 2002 in Mexico as part of the documentation team, in 2003 in Sinai (probably my
favourite place in the world when it comes to relaxing and re-energising not to mention
its natural beauty), then 2004 in South Africa, where I had decided to move to for a while,
and finally 2006 in Nova Scotia, after having worked in the Cultivation Team....

Summerschools became the time where I reflected on
what I had been doing in the past year, and a time to stop and
think where I wanted to go in the next. A place to ponder, to be
in good, warm, supporting, fun and inspiring company of kindred
spirits who give me the energy to get back to realising the dreams I carry.

It is good to see each other face to face, we become friends, and after that it is
simple to stay in touch virtually, see how the other is doing, where
they're at, how they can help with something that I am doing and need their expertise for.
It is a place to rest and smile and laugh and realise what is really important to me.

Got a moment you can share? Send your reflection to the newsletter.


bubblings: germany
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Despite the summer months, PoC in Germany is waking up and getting active. We had
a kick-off Pioneers CONNECT meeting in Berlin with 15-20 people attending. We started off
with connecting through the question “Where are you currently pioneering change?” In
two circles we had a circle conversation around the five PoC principles, and checked-out
with one question that we took home from this conversation. We will pick up some
of the questions in future gatherings.

We then took the physical meeting to 2 CONNECT Skype calls
where Pioneers from Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, Bonn, Fulda, and Berlin participated.
Questions that participants raised here were:

-How will we take these questions further?
-What makes PoC successful?
-How can we build a local PoC network in Frankfurt ?
-What can PoC as a network learn from and with the U-Process and Spiral Dynamics?

Lars, VP AIESEC in Germany, reflected on his Skype CONNECT experience:
“For me it was most valuable to get a better understanding of how PoC works
and the topics that are currently discussed within PoC. This will hopefully
also make it easier for me to find further possible areas of cooperation for AIESEC and PoC.”

PoC summerschool-in-Egypt alumnus and tt30 member Alex writes, "PoC meetings
in Berlin and Germany wide Skype calls are the awakening of our local network. I felt
from these first activities that we have the potential to co-create a strong network and support
each other's needs. I am curious to see how we will unleash our potential."

Meeting notes, upcoming events, and resources of Pioneers of Change Germany can be found here:
http://pioneersofchange.net/localnetworks/germany/events/

-Frauke


pioneers calendar
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pioneers CONNECT!
22 August 2007, 17:00-18:00 GMT
Skypecall

With Pioneers operating in various parts of the world, often without access to a Local Network,
this offers a great opportunity to get a taste of being part of a global community by “meeting”
people from various parts of the world, get a better understanding of the network, how to get
involved, and get clarity on any questions that you may be carrying.
The hosts will help to facilitate simple introductions and basic information-sharing
to assist navigation of journeying with the network.
These calls will be limited to 8 people per call so please reserve your place soonest.
Forward your skype username to Lesley Williams: lesley at pioneersofchange dot net
[Coordinate time in advance using http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/ ]

exploring the ecology of investment using dialogue and collective intelligence
8 September 2007
London, UK

Both thinking contextually, and dialogue itself, contrast significantly
from the orientation of problem solving, analysis and debate that tends
to characterise everyday decision making.
You are invited to a dialogue at the very edge of new thinking on this subject.
Hosted by Leon Olsen, Menkha Parekh and Hendrik Tiesinga.
To attend, contact Hendrik at pioneersofchange dot net by August 15. See
http://pioneersofchange.net/library/globalevents/ecologyofinvestment.invite.pdf for details.


funding opportunities
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Funding opportunities for entrepreneurial start-ups, Felipe writes, are available with
Enviu, The Environment and You, at http://www.enviu.org/ , and with the Business
in Development Network, at http://www.bidnetwork.org/


job openings
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Current positions are listed on the Social Edge website maintained by Skoll. If you’re looking
for a new job currently in the United States social sectors in anything from Web marketing
to project management, you might find what you’re looking for.
http://www.socialedge.org/features/job-listings


newsletter submissions
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"Running away from oneself seems to me a very inadequate way of dealing with an anxiety." - Chinua Achebe
Want to volunteer to translate? Send an email describing your language proficiency and availability.
Send comments, inquiries, or contributions to the newsletter via rabea at pioneersofchange dot net


financial matters
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Pioneers of Change is an independent network that believes it is critical to retain a free and unbiased position. We also believe that financial barriers should not be a constraint to learning and engaging. As such we work hard at ensuring that our learning is available to as wide and diverse an audience as possible.

We invite you to make a donation to support us in our work. We encourage you to think of this donation as an investment into learning that has the potential of enriching all of our lives. If you have any ideas of individuals or organizations that might like to support us, let us know, mark at pioneersofchange dot net

small print
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What is Pioneers of Change?

Pioneers of Change is a global learning network supporting practitioners in their mid-20s to mid-30s. Founded in 1999, by a group of people from 16 countries and now includes participants from around the world.

Pioneers are people who questions underlying assumptions and move into new territory in order to create the change we want to see in the world. We include social entrepreneurs, member of the business, government and non-profit communities, as well as artists, teachers, and free agents from a variety of cultural and social backgrounds.

When you join Pioneers of Change you explicitly commit to the following principles:

Be yourself
Do what Matters
Start now
Engage with others
Never stop asking questions
For more information on Pioneers of Change, see http://www.pioneersofchange.net

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