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January Updates From the Alliance |
The Pachamama Alliance Reorganizes
for Evolutionary Leap
The
Pachamama Alliance is at a key time in its evolution. We have made
enormous strides in our work in the Amazon basin to empower indigenous
people to preserve the rainforest for all of life and to have Rights
for Nature be written into the Ecuadorian Constitution. The Awakening
the Dreamer Program has grown in the past year to a level that exceeded
our expectations, now with more than 2000 facilitators worldwide and
Symposiums held in more than 40 countries on 6 continents.
All
of this work continues to be of high importance. And, we see that the
time is here for the Pachamama Alliance to move to a whole new level to
meet the paramount challenges and opportunities that face humanity in
the critical window of the next few years. Over the course of the past
8 months, the Board of Directors and Executive Team of the Pachamama
Alliance held a series of ‘Evolution Design’ meetings to construct the
next phase of the organization’s work and focus. At the same time, we
began working with the world largest independent advertising agency,
Wieden + Kennedy, on a pro bono basis, creating a global communications
campaign, called Four Years. Go., to powerfully galvanize hundreds of
millions of people to leap into a whole new level of inspired,
committed action.
As part of the Evolution Design process, we
recognized the need to restructure the organization to empower the
Alliance to take the bold next steps needed to fulfill on the
strategies and vision. Our current Executive Team members who have
worked together as a three-person team to lead the organization on an
interim basis for the past two years, will now each be freed up to
devote their full-time attention to the individual programs they each
direct. David Tucker will lead the Pachamama Journey Program, expanding
and deepening an already thriving transformational travel program, and
bringing key elements of the program into the global North. Jon Love
will continue to direct the Awakening The Dreamer Program, working with
staff and volunteers to expand our current model of facilitator-led
symposiums throughout the world, while reaching into new strategic
directions and targeted audiences. Pat Usner will devote her full
attention to directing the Four Years. Go campaign and to developing a
Communications capacity within the organization.
The Pachamama
Alliance has hired Tammy White as an interim Executive Director to
forward the launching of this new chapter. Tammy is a seasoned
executive with many decades of experience running multi-million dollar
companies. Her expertise combined with her long time involvement and
commitment to the Pachamama Alliance make her the ideal person to lead
the organization through this critical next phase.
Pachamama’s Complementary Currencies Project Makes Significant Strides Lack of circulating money and the inequality in its distribution within local economies is one of the most important reasons for many of the world’s economic and social problems, such as poverty, unemployment, migration, insecurity and violence. In response to this, the Fundación Pachamama “Complementary Currencies Program”, initiated in 2008, aims to foster dynamic local economy initiatives by using a local medium of exchange to complement the scarce circulation of national currency and strengthen the commercial, financial and social relations between community members.
The project is currently in the process of developing a solid platform by liaising and working closely with the credit cooperative members of Renafipse (National Network Financial Local Structures) in order to launch, in 2010, 2-3 of the most viable Complementary Currencies projects promoting an alternative economic model based on well being. To initiate this, and after several months of on the ground investigation, Fundación Pachamama and its Dutch technical counterpart, STRO, recently selected three of the most promising complementary currency initiatives in Ecuador. At present the program is providing training and development support to these cooperatives in order to determine the feasibility of establishing full-scale complementary currency projects with these communities. This selection process has been exhaustive and very thorough, with visits to the selected cooperatives to gather information about cooperative history, their financial and non-financial services, administrative aspects, financial condition and institutional relations, amongst others. A detailed training program to the managers and staff from the cooperatives on Complementary Currencies methodologies and benefits has already begun, with promising initial results and enthusiastic participation.
 Within each cooperative a working group that will coordinate the planning and operational aspects of the project has been selected and begun work. The members of these working groups are mainly local general managers, accountants, portfolio representatives or members from the administration council.
Where to go from here? Over the next few months the feasibility studies will be completed, revised by STRO and then sent back to Renafipse and each cooperative that participated for their valuable feedback. After, the design and details of the projects are approved by all the participants, intensive socialization campaigns will be launched in every community accompanied by workshops to ensure complete understanding and democratic support of the approved Complementary Currency projects. After community approval, and aside from certain technicalities, these communities will be ready to launch their own alternative currencies. This will be an important step forward in developing alternatives in Ecuador to the national currency, and contributing to a more equitable distribution of wealth and community self-determination. Pachamama will continue to closely monitor these projects with the long-term goal of contributing to the promotion of alternative currencies at the national level as an alternative and innovative development model.
ATD Youth Initiative
Gears Up For 2010! As 2010 marks the beginning of a new decade, the ATD Youth Initiative is preparing for a dynamic year of growth and transformation. Exciting opportunities are emerging to support the Symposium widely at high schools, colleges, and universities; training programs for Youth Facilitators are being planned in the USA and Belgium; and interest is growing to host Youth Symposiums in countries all around the world. Below are a few recent stories from the field. To learn more, become involved, or share Youth news from your community, visit awakeningthedreamer.org/youth and contact us at youthinitiative@pachamama.org.
Youth Initiative to Meet UN Development Goals
Santa Barbara, CA, US: 60 young women participated in an Awakening the Dreamer Symposium, inspiring them to begin meeting the 8 United Nations Millennium Development Goals for 2015. The young women, all high school soccer players, raise money for their chosen charity, Girl’s Child Network, supporting young girls in Kenya escape female genital mutilation and childhood marriage. To learn more, contact Gabrielle Sundra.
Symposium Extends Further into Education
Moscow/Pullman, Washington, US: An intergenerational Symposium took place in Washington state including youth educators, Washington State University students and faculty, and Pullman and Moscow community members. The January 9th Symposium was Eastern Washington’s first, inspiring the participants to integrate its message into their own work. As a result, teachers plan to bring the Symposium to students; a community member intends to host the Symposium in a youth school program; and a graduate student from WSU will campaign for the Symposium’s inclusion in the Palouse Asian American Association. Furthermore, facilitator Francene submitted a proposal to deliver the Symposium at the 5th Annual Globalization Conference in Spokane, Washington. To learn more, contact Francene Watson-McBeath.
Youth Integrate Symposium into University
Olympia, Washington, US: Highly creative students of the Wonder Collective hosted an innovative Symposium on January 9th at Evergreen State College. Integration of video footage and information directly relevant to Evergreen's student body kept the Symposium’s message grounded, real, and inspiring. As a result, a network of creative individuals committed to making school-wide changes came together to implement "sustainable, earth-honoring and local-lovin ideas" on campus. In unity with the ATD Youth Initiative, the Wonder Collective is developing supportive tools and organizational strategies for those bringing this work to college and university campuses across the globe. To learn more, contact Monika Tippie.
Generation Waking Up:
Changing the Dream of the Modern World
Generation Waking Up: Changing the Dream of the Modern World is now a Youth organization. Generation Waking Up is beginning work on a youth adaptation of the Symposium that will target young people ages 15 – 35 around the world. The adaptation’s purpose is to infuse young voices, stories, and styles into the existing Symposium and to help reach a critical mass of awakened change-makers. If you would like to learn more, volunteer, or support this project, please contact symposium@generationwakingup.org.
Hong Kong Youth Hear the Message
Hong Kong, China: Educators trained as Facilitators have successfully delivered the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium in schools. In one case two students (untrained) beautifully presented the Symposium to their classmates. Facilitator Jo Fok has ambitious plans to spread the Symposium and its message throughout schools in Hong Kong and beyond. Contact Jo Fok.
New International Version
of Symposium Launched
 After approximately 1 year in the making, the dedicated efforts of the Symposium development team have culminated in the completion of the most powerful and impactful version of the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium to date, known as V-2. The production is of the highest quality and both the message and perspective are international, serving the growing global movement and 2000+ worldwide Symposium Facilitator body.
The new version includes lots of fresh video footage, including interviews with powerful global voices; Vandana Shiva, Joanna Macy and Rob Hopkins appear for the first time. There is new and up-to-the-minute information about what's not working in the world, including the current recession and peak oil, as well as coverage of exciting developments in what is effectively working. And as the Symposium spreads well beyond the U.S., the content and speakers represent the full global nature of this work. In short, the U.S-centric perspective which limited the effectiveness and appeal of the Symposium abroad, is now replaced by a global perspective.
V-2 was premiered in Northern California on January 3rd to over 200 enthusiastic participants and was tremendously received. Participants, many of whom were already Facilitators and/or involved with the Symposium for years, were fully engaged throughout the entire experience. Cheers and applause burst forth throughout the different sections – a breakthrough with powerful global implications was occurring and all seemed to be aware of this timely opportunity. A sample of participant feedback:
"Invigorating and informative. Love the new V-2."
"Huge leap forward, starting from something that was already wonderful."
"Even more captivating than the old one!"
Now, the distribution of the new material is in full swing, as a DVD and also as a Keynote file - and for the first time it can be played in PowerPoint. The production team has made enormous strides to make it easier for non-English speakers to add subtitles or to dub native language narration, advances that are already being tested as our South Korean facilitators prepare to hold further Symposiums and trainings.
The focus in 2010 and beyond is to accelerate the rate of community expansion and the new V-2 is a potent tool for this effort. Our deepest appreciation goes to the wonderful donors who have the ongoing commitment and inspiration and courage to fund this critical work and to the heroic V-2 Development team, who through a truly heroic effort, created nothing short a miracle within significant time and resource constraints.
Our deepest appreciation goes to the wonderful donors who have the ongoing commitment, inspiration and courage to fund this critical work. And finally, a deep bow to the incredible V-2 Development team, who through a truly heroic effort, created nothing short of a miracle operating within significant time and resource constraints.
To find a Symposium near you click here...
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