Participants: DougMarteinson, SherryHelmke, AdinRogovin?, KayaJacolev, JohnAbbe, NinaEscudero, JimRough

Something we're engaged in or would like to be engaged in that brings you hope:

Doug:

Homelessness - ending it. learned about homeless children. 25 different agencies in the same room to look at the issue.

Definition of systemic? John: addresses root causes and ultimately underlying structures and belief systems.

John:

Practicing and spreading practices which shift that thinking that really include everyone and work. Example: Healthy Democracy Oregon working on ballot initiative process. State gathers together a random and representative group of voters with expert input, to get a view from the people. From the debrief, "If we can work together this way, then anyone can - people, politicians, etc." Encouraging people of different beliefs to talk about things.

Adin:

Encourage communities to identify, address, implement and make decisions in an inclusive way. Transforming the capacity of the community to co-create it's own future. Example: Office of Neighborhood Involvement in Portland engaging citizens from their neighborhoods around the question of how are we experiencing change? How do we cope with that change? What can we do collectively to mitigate the unwanted changes and create the changes that we do want.

Kaya:

If the model is simple and elegant enough and based in fact, people can come together to practice and develop co-creative skills. More hope when I imagine it's something that can spread quickly. It's based within 2 to 2 1/2 hours going through four movements. 1) Movement in the body 2) Creative expression 3) Personal inquiry 4) group dialogue

Sherry:

In Tacoma, We Can Women Circles, empowering women to give the gift of their leadership. Using circle process, defining leadership as anyone willing to do something. Meg Wheatley's 4-step process. 70 women in pilot project. Dream is to offer it out to more places - Omaha, Cincinnati, Canada. Circle in a Box kit. Next step will be networking with women around the world.

Nina:

A 28-year old system (two-sided) involved for 5 years and still learning alot about myself as a leader in it. I'm self-employed and still part of this huge global group. Begins with two different questions: People have a need either health or financial. I may have a solution for you. Nina shares it. Sunrider Foods (sunriderfoods.com). Everything is based on regeneration. More energy and could be present. Aci berry - exciting and new. Acupuncture included. Passion is around key health. This is a global effort and people can make money from it. Amass income. Natural growth. Systemic capacity to transform how food is grown and consumed around the planet.

Jim:

Wisdom Council Process started about 15 years ago. Piloted in Pleasantville, NY and Eugene, OR. (Video on web: called Democracy in America.) A series of randomly selected people from the population, who select the issue they want to address, and are facilitated to give an opportunity to get out all of their usual issues, then the space is open for a collective inquiry, and they come to a consensus statement. This is likely to be widely accepted as a legitimate symbol of the people. It's reflected out to the whole population, affecting action and conversation. It's important that it then iterates, repeatedly.