News from Pioneers of Change - JUNE 2007

WELCOME TO JUNE 2007





in this issue
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bubblings: germany
jens, cultivating online tools
on the inside
pioneers calendar
announcements, ideas and invitations
conference postings


bubblings: germany
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Towards the end of April, 14 Pioneers gathered in an inspiring eco-lodge in Munich, Germany to discuss the roles of (social) entrepreneurs and inspire individual projects. Questions of the inquiry included:
- How do we define a Social Entrepreneur?
- What skills does an entrepreneur have?
- How can we use the Dialogue Game/Unfolding Cards to inspire (social) entrepreneurship in Germany?

Coming together raised new connections and ideas for individual paths. Some started or will start local meetings in Cologne and Berlin, some will populate the PoC Germany-list continuing the discussions, and others found new drive and feedback for their projects.

Knowing about others with similar interests around us helps us to continue connecting on concrete project ideas and topics, whatever form and environment calls us.

Be invited to join and be prepared for new stuff to bubble!
Contacts: Frauke: fgodat at aol dot com; Mark: mark at pioneersofchange dot net

jens, cultivating online tools
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Jens writes about the path he's taken to get here:
"I am from a Finnish-German family and I am a very logical and somewhat practical person. My interest has always been in information retrieval and general science and engineering. However, I always felt the need for something on top of all the technical things and that's why I always spend time in voluntary organizations like AIESEC, Oxfam or UNICEF. I believe in constant learning and I enjoy gaining new perspectives from talks. I love to listen to other people and telling stories is somewhat second nature to me. I've travelled the world during several internships and even though the ride was bumpy at times I enjoyed every moment. I am currently finishing off my four different university degrees and am looking out for the great challenges and opportunities to come. In Pioneers of Change I started to look out for new ideas in the field of technology and I enjoy reading about people and their ideas I didn't know existed a few years ago. So I provide support when technical questions arise and I am happy to share my thoughts on new technologies as well as their pros and cons. So feel free to contact me to talk about those things. If you like to explore new technologies with me, let me know and I am happy to start something."
Jens invites your input on the Pioneers' web presence at jens dot trotzky at gmail dot com.

LinkedIn PoC group: www.linkedin.com/e/gis/3566/32C57213DC89
On Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2295312007
On Xing: https://www.xing.com/net/poc/
And on the fledgling Wiser Earth at http://www.wiserearth.org/organization/view/682e489bf59a9ef37fcd970ec91b0957


on the inside
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The moon is new today, June 15

Polycarbonate plastics, often used to store water, commonly contain a synthetic oestrogen called bisphenol-A, known to affect DNA. Look for a different material.

pioneers calendar
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Society for Integrated Development of Himalayas - Youth Workshop
June 24-30, 2007
Kempty, Mussoorie, India
The workshop will address the following:
Leadership, Happiness, Success, Aspirations, Our Nature, Relationships, Environment, Social Issues,and Self-Confidence.
Do these sound relevant to your life? Through dialogues and activities,we shall explore these concepts and much more.
Join South Asian youth from the program InSPIRE (India Summer Program Inspiring Reflective Exploration), who will be taking part in this workshop as well. For more information about InSPIRE, visit www.SummerInIndia.org.
The cost of Rs 1200 covers boarding and lodging expenses; there is no fee for the workshop.
To sign up, contact Mridu at mridumahajan at gmail dot com

Learning Journeys with Berkana Institute
September 30 to October 10, 2007
Oaxaca and Chiapas, Mexico
October 28 to November 8, 2007
South Africa
http://berkana.org/berkana/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=12&Itemid=66


announcements, ideas and invitations
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An Invitation to Experience Sustainable Communities: A Call for PoC Global Journey in Brasil
"When we feel that any 'Other', and that goes for other than humans too, can never be an 'It', but always a 'Thou', then we will be community building from the roots." Lils Gunn on the PoC Global Journey 2007

"An Invitation to Experience Sustainable Communities" has been the motto and focus of this year's Cultivation Team and will also be the theme of our Global Journey, which will take place in Brasil from December 1st to 8th. Whether you'll be able to make it for this global event or not, we'd like to count on your collaboration and inputs for the design of this great learning adventure that is starting now... So we'd love to hear your reflections and learnings on things like:

- Occasions when you felt deeply INVITED and stepped forward to devote the best of yourself to a cause, an organization, an "impossible" job, a passion etc.
- Unique, life-long transformative EXPERIENCES you've had
- Your understanding of SUSTAINABILITY and/or examples of initiatives, organizations, people, communities trying to apply this concept wisely, and how they're doing it
- The importance of COMMUNITY at the various dimensions of your life, or examples where the sense of belonging to a community made a real difference for you

Last but not least, we'd like to hear also examples of things you yearn to experience being part of a global community like Pioneers of Change, and that could be offered in the particular context of this global event in Brasil...

Please send your inputs or any further question to cristina at pioneersofchange dot net
We look forward to starting this process with you all and to seeing many of you in Brasil soon!

- Cristina, Graziela, and Luciana, the Brasil hosting team

New issue of Kamiriithu
A 2007 issue of Kamiriithu has been published by the Multiversity and is available for download at http://www.multiworld.org/kamiriithu/4kamiriithu.pdf

March 2007 POC/AIESEC Journey Notes
A Social Entrepreneurship learning journey in South Africa.
Go to http://www.fluidminds.com/ and click ‘Learning’ for travel notes. The follow-up journey in September will take place in Sweden.

Now activism booklet
A collaboration by Shikshantar, Berkana Institute, Unitierra and the World Cafe, this book seeks to open up a larger dialogue on "What kinds of activism are needed in the world NOW?"
http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/nowact_toc.htm.
You can download the entire book in pdf format at http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/finalnowactivism.pdf

Global Connections
Elizabeth Soltis & Associates, based in Canada, supports the development of global multi-sector partnerships as a platform in building flourishing communities - within the workplace and beyond. Imagine if corporate social responsibility outreach were taken to another level of engagement for a win-win outcome.
If you know of a progressive-minded corporate leader who would be inspired by collaborating meaningfully with southern, grassroots NGO teams, please contact Elizabeth at esoltis at ebtech dot net.
By identifying and matching partners from the private and social profit sectors, these relationships can effectively address critical needs.
Both partners can serve as powerful vehicles to positive social change.

Network Dialogues Update
The Network Dialogues Community is exploring ways to make global communities more sustainable. Options currently floating around include methods and principles like a Virtual World Café, Pay it forward, and Appreciative Inquiry. The team invites you to play in the sandbox with them. Get updated at http://pioneersofchange.net/communities/networkdialogue/ .

UK: Social Entrepreneur Prize
Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year award
UK projects only. See http://www.schwabfound.org/unitedkingdom/ for details - applications due July 2, 2007.


conference postings
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Animals and Society II: Considering Animals
July 3 to 6, 2007
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
An interdisciplinary conference exploring the relationship between animals and humans.
http://www.cdesign.com.au/AS2007


Peacemaking in the World of Film: From Conflict to Reconciliation
July 19 to 22, 2007
New College, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
This working conference will draw on presentations, papers, workshops, screenings and informal discussions with filmmakers and scholars to discuss the depiction and promotion of peace in and through cinema.
http://www.div.ed.ac.uk/research/film07/


Education in 40 Years of Occupation, 1967 to 2007
August 23 - 26, 2007
Talita Kumi School, Biet Jalla, West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territories
You are invited to attend an Educators’ Forum that focuses on Palestinian and Israeli education in the last 40 years of Israeli occupation of Palestinian land (1967 - 2007). The Forum is for educators working in schools and outside the formal classroom, including community activities, theater, arts, music, and organizations working for peace and justice.
http://iceo-pal-isr.org/



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 to enriching all of our lives. If you have ideas about individuals or organizations that might like to support us, just talk to Mark, 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, it now includes participants from around the world.

Pioneers are people who question underlying assumptions and move into new territory in order to create the change we want to see in the world. We include social entrepreneurs, members 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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