DISRUPTIVE CHANGE

Between 10-12 April 2013, Oxford UK is venue to the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship, "the premiere international platform for accelerating entrepreneurial approaches and innovative solutions to the world's social issues".

This forum deals with disruptive changes in the way we work, live and play.



Over 30 sessions deal with "disruptive innovations [that] can reshape industries, supplant old technologies, and topple political regimes." What ideas here relate to changes in rural culture, technology and well-being?

When I think about the disruptive social change this Forum presents I think about Sébastien Paquet's "How to be a Culture Hacker" video. Paquet outlines nine tools to hack culture and cause cultural/social change. The Skoll World Forum hacks culture. This is not meant to be derogatory but describes someone who will change the way we view things and the way we relate to one another. The Skoll Forum brings people together who have discovered "cracks", people who can make you feel uncomfortable, who challenge you, "who see bullshit for what it is", who make changes and create something new.

The sessions of particular interest to creativeRural are:
Story Matters: creating your own impact videos.
Tools and Strategies for Making a Difference: Sundance storytellers.
Oscars and Indices: case studies on storytelling for impact.
Driving Change from Within: the social intrapreneur.
The Evolving Role of Media in Social Progress.

You will notice that I highlight storytelling, because I believe that matters; a lot. I have previously posted to this blog about the impact and role of storytelling on rural communities (here and here) and plan to post about ten storytellers' experiences and ideas on "redefining rural" from the Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia, Road to Georgetown Conference; a prelude to the Georgetown Conference in Prince Edward Island, 3-5 October 2013.

Stories define us. They describe our cultural DNA. They can help change us. Destination tourism consultant, Roger A. Brooks, writes in his book "The 25 Immutable Rules of Successful Tourism" that "great stories make the campfire memorable" (Rule 16). Communities succeed when they can tell great stories because they let visitors see into their soul, history, environment, arts and culture and can tell people what sets them apart from others. Today we have the technology and tools to open our communities, inform, motivate and inspire others, continents away.

TECHNICITY: networks, sensors and mobile technologies

Although this free, online course is about networks, sensors and mobile technologies that allow for new approaches to address the challenges our CITIES face, I think those of us in RURAL communities can have something to learn here. 

This four week course starts Saturday 4th May 2013.

The course Technicity by Jennifer Evans-Cowley and Tom Sanchez from Ohio State University will be offered free of charge to everyone on the Coursera platform.

AN OPEN NOTE TO ONE NOVA SCOTIA: The Nova Scotia Commission on Building Our New Economy

About three summers ago I invited about a dozen people to an informal meeting at the Rebekah Music Hall in Bear River. 

This was a motley, yet savvy group of Nova Scotians from various backgrounds -- about as grassroots as you can get. I chose the Rebekah because it sat on the border of Annapolis and Digby counties. I saw the place as neutral territory; not government, not academia, not private sector business, not quite Annapolis, not quite Digby. No hidden agenda. And they served coffee.

I asked the group ...

What if there was a small town that could attract 40,000 visitors a year because they built upon one person’s vision?  There is one. It’s in the rural badlands of Alberta. Population 200.

What if there was a dying, one industry town that could grow from one business to over 300 successful, small businesses, because of a desperate mayor and one man’s idea? There is one. It’s on Vancouver Island. Population 4,000.

And then I asked them. What if we could do the same thing here, in Nova Scotia?


I had an idea.

Why don’t we hold a series of Pecha Kucha events, to discover our rural DNA? Let’s find out what makes us tick. People from a variety of backgrounds would come together and each have six minutes to propose an idea, tell a story, offer a challenge, present an opportunity, entertain, inform, motivate and inspire.

The idea was well received, BUT it was suggested that I expand the concept from three to over 12 events and cover the whole of southwest Nova Scotia. For one person with drive and energy but no money that was a lot to ask.

Instead, I chose to initiate TEDxAnnapolisValley in Wolfville. One event was easier to manage and easier on the pocketbook than twelve. Nine speakers from various backgrounds shared ideas in front of 30 organizers and almost 200 attendees at Wolfville’s Al Whittle Theatre.

What that Bear River meeting and Wolfville event taught me was there is a real interest and need to discover what makes us tick and to find ways to improve our well-being.

World-renowned, economic development guru Richard Florida reports that 80% of solutions come from within the community - from the people who live there. His colleague Greg Baeker tells us ... if you chase smokestack industries you gain ZERO economic advantage in today’s economy. A study reported in the Harvard Business Review a couple of years ago showed that long-term job growth was related to the NUMBER of businesses per population. Size did not matter. Quantity did.

We need to promote small-scale “economic gardening”, and it starts in our own backyard. We need a culture to find, incubate and reward innovation in a new economy.

It starts from within; one person at a time.

From CreativeRural to One Nova Scotia
edwardwedler@gmail.com
creativerural.blogspot.ca
Twitter @CREandET

BRITISH COLUMBIA's 2013 DREAMCATCHER REPORT

British Columbia Creativity/Innovation Plan

In May 2012, BCreative convened a conference to consider the development of the creative economy of British Columbia, to build bridges to link the business and  cultural communities, to promote information sharing between the cultural sub-sectors, and to bring forward useful information, analysis, training, and research resources that can assist in building BC’s creative economy.

While the conference revealed a vast array of creative activity in the province, there remains little support from government outside the BC Arts Council, augmented by Community Gaming Grants. Support is relatively low compared to other Canadian provinces.

The creative sector employs an estimated 85,000 people (not including volunteers) making this the second largest of BC’s six major industrial sectors). It generates of $4 billion in economic activity (the fifth largest sector in the BC economy).

The Dreamcatcher Report summarizes the BCreative conference and presents two actions that could help the BC creative economy:  recognition and brand. As part of recognition, cultural subsidies to artistic activity can serve cultural policy and can act as an investment in cultural infrastructure. Branding the BC creative sector would place creativity and innovation in the mainstream mindset and act as long-term, primary, identifying element in BC and its society.

THE ROLE OF FOOD IN THE CREATIVE ECONOMY

Culinary team-building in London, UK, is offered by L'Atletier des Chefs 

I have noted over the past year the increasing role food and "foodies" play in the Creative Economy.

Dan Taylor, "The Creative Rural Economy Guy", seems to include food in about 10% of his prolific twitter posts (@Cre8tiveDanT) coming out of Peterborough, Ontario. Culinary team-building is an emerging trend to develop competitive creative thinking skills in groups and businesses, so writes Laura Cole with Business2Community. Creative Chef Kitchens in Derry, NH has built a business incubator for foodies, linking food artists, entrepreneurs and start-ups with economic development. In 2012, the USDA allocated $10 million towards the local food movement, through their Farmers Market Promotion Program. Over $11 million was pledged last year to over 1,800 food start-up projects via Kickstarter in the USA.

Richard Florida, in his book "Rise of the Creative Class: Revisited", tells us in essence that if you can put something on a blank sheet of paper, or blank computer screen, or mold something new out of material or from your body, and exchange that intellectual property for economic gain, you are a creative and you help build the economic well-being of your community. Think about that for awhile. That would include, for example, architects, engineers, mathematicians, doctors, musicians, computer programmers, artists, comedians, playwrights, filmmakers, boat and fashion designers, advertisers, dance choreographers, vintners, and, yes, culinary chefs.

Many community projects use food as a starting point or keystone in economic development in towns such as in Balston, Virginia, and Holyoke, Massachussets, the food trails of Kilkenny, Ireland, and the food clusters of Ontario as described by the Martin Prosperity Institute. Interestingly, Florida found relationships between community economic development and the number of coffee shops. These are meeting places for creatives. The Kitchen Sisters talk about how communities come together through food in the Edible Education Series of lectures from the University of California, Berkeley.

The creative economy is more than visual and performing artists, and technical people. It includes food and the culinary arts. Networking food producers and food consumers via culinary creators forms part of the creative economy. Food creates communities.

What is your creative food story?

Norwalk CT: A STORY ON HOW TO BUILD A CREATIVE COMMUNITY

YouTube video of "friendly" presentation of Norwalk 2.0 project and survey results, to the beat of the song "Hey Hey Hey" by Sounds of Sunshine Michael Franti & Spearhead Capitol.

This is an inspiring story about a community looking for answers on how to transform their place into a "cool downtown". The story can apply to other communities -- urban and rural.

Norwalk 2.0 is an independent, non-profit start-up operating on a shoestring budget. They asked questions of those who work, play and live in their community -- lots of questions. How do we fill up vacant storefronts? How do we let people know about the creatives who live there? What do we know about ourselves? What do we care about? How do we get the community engaged, including artists and businesses? A 12-question survey was broadcast to members of the community, free, over the internet and on foot, for five months, gathering information.

Cloud image of concerns from "Native Norwalkers"

758 people took the survey. They learned, for example, that 82% of respondents like to dine out. 64% like attending community events such as the Oyster Festival. Interestingly 48% of Norwalk news is spread by word-of-mouth. Wordle was used to visually display issues that most concerned the community. They also used similar "cloud pictures" on population sub-sets such as "native Norwalkers".

Norwalk 2.0's events and projects were often small, innovative, grass-roots, sustainable and community-based. But there were obstacles. First, the group did not neatly fit into any box. They had to build credibility and trust. Norwalk 2.0 learned three lessons for success: leverage technology, engage politicians, and be transparent.

Vacant storefronts are becoming leased. Stakeholders now seek the group out for input to community planning, zoning and creative community development ideas. Developers continue to support the group's events and community building.


I came across this item through the creative place-making initiatives listed with NEFA, the New England Foundation of the Arts website. It is worth a listen and read, and even be part of a presentation on what enthusiasm and community spirit means to the well-being of a community, no matter how big or small.

IMMERSE YOURSELF IN COMMUNITY DATA

Imagine walking or driving about a neighborhood and automatically capturing data and information on your mobile device about your surroundings, such as: age distribution, political contributions, average rent, popular local spots, recommended restaurants, how people commute, record temperature and housing units over time.

Sitegeist is a mobile App that "presents localized information visually so you can get back to enjoying the neighborhood." It extracts data from available sources. This tech tool was developed by the non-partisan, non-profit Sunlight Foundation, as part of their mission to develop cutting edge technology and make government more transparent and accountable.

I think this idea can be made scalable to include so much more to enrich our experience moving through new communities. Imagine, for example, being presented, in real-time, cultural events and groups, community notice boards of items for sale, rest and recreation, video/audio vignettes of local talent, professional network contacts, local tide and ferry information.


Sitegeist points us towards an immersible experience where the community can offer us its culture, opportunities and vision. What a great tool, for example, for tourism operators and regional economic developers.


If you had a mobile App such as Sitegeist what would want to learn as you walk or drive about a new community?