For our appalachian accellerator of farms, forests and indigenous culture, a hybrid of seth godin’s manifesto, http://www.squidoo.com/stop-stealing-dreams, www.unreasonableinstitute.org, www.echoinggreen.org, and others…..
Our social change collective, www.prosperitycollective.net was just accepted into the GroAction network. Here’s the fun acceptance letter from Luke at www.groaction.com
Congratulations! You’ve been accepted to the GroAction Network of Changemakers February Class.
Why did we choose you exactly? A lot had to do with your killer smile of course… but even more than that we look at how well you filled out your shareable assets.
The reason we care so much about what you have to offer is that this network thrives with people like you who want to share resources and help other members make an impact in the world.
Now that you’re in the network… get excited! You’re part of an elite group of social entrepreneurs and change agents that are taking action.
What’s next?
You’ll receive an email from me every week or so with a list of needs that you can help fill.
You’ll also receive emails from me when we have found matches to fill your needs and help you make an impact!
How do I get the GroAction Member Badge that I keep seeing on members’ websites?
Write your name on a $100 dollar bill and send it to 2343 NW Glis…. Just kidding!
Email our account specialist Anna Flores (anna@groaction.com) and she can get you flying the GroAction colors in no time.
If you have any questions, comments, funny stories, or bad jokes… you know where to find me
The Long-Term Capitalism Challenge seeks to accelerate the shift toward a more principled, patient, and socially accountable capitalism—one that’s truly fit for the long term.
the last several days have been inspired. presenting to two sustainability classes have reminded me how deeply important mentoring is to me. accelerator/institute seems good fit. without my even asking, three young folks/students have asked to intern with us. thinking how best to utilize their talent and ensure that they recieve benefit in exchange.
canvassing and sharing our concepts with existing programs/accelerators getting input from established area economic development folks and change-makers. also asking for their thoughts on businesses that meet our vertical sectors and with capacity to receive support from the symbiotic fund, perhaps seed fund, perhaps candidate or mentor for institute.
Met with Wendy Cagle, the director of the Small Business Development Center for Western Carolina, based at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC (west of Asheville 45 minutes) www.sbtdc.org She’s deeply inspired by our three-pillared symbiotic fund/seed fund/ and social enterprise accelerator and especially concurs that our vertical focus is right on par with the place-based skills, ecology and ethics of the mountain region. She wants to connect and collaborate. In her 20+ years working with entrepreneurs and job seekers in WNC, she feels the focus of farm/ag/forestry/indigenous culture are a better fit for the rural people of this place that want to stay in this place. Further, she was truly excited to connect us to a very unique branding that WCU is considering as a one-of it’s kind world-class patented medicinal herb program for local growers. The NIH and FDA have asked them to develop patents for a long list of local herbs, so that those herbs can actually be prescribed as medicine. Wendy identified that their would be a gap and need for businesses that will manufacture the herbs to make available for consumption. I think a good area for our fund and institute to consider supporting and developing those medicinal herb distillers and medicine makers.
Meeting with Pam Lewis, Asheville-Buncombe Economic Development Director for Entrepreneurship today to get her take on our concept. I know she’s already into it, but going to flesh out more thoroughly how we can support one another.
another beautiful indicator as i talk with established, institutional folks, they want to be on board, to help, to join us in some form or fashion. signs that our path is lighted:)
there are no shortage of “target sectors” being singled out by economic development organizations (in asheville, the 5×5 campaign used to market and support the following five local job sectors: advanced manufacturing, healthcare, arts and culture, science and technology, and knowledge-based entrepreneurs), accelerators, funders, incubators, networking events, co-working. not dissing any of that activity, it is good work. there is a world of gifting and bartering and sharing that is not painted into those sectors. a picture, a map, a painting – the art of economy, for lack of better expression for now. in getting there, the artist has an instinct to which it must be true, but wanting it’s selfish vision to be collaborative. staying true to instinct, collaboratively, collectively, and wary of sectoring too soon, siloing shutting off the hive mind. <as soon as you choose a language, and jargon in particular, you leave someone behind>. but staying with insticts – it’s a dance with vision by the artist in a collective realm, which artists are not wont to do. in this dance, it wants to paint a picture, with completion by the collective. the artist realizes she must be clear, because vague-booking the vision has stirred up scorn, directives, arrogance, guidelines, turfism, excitement, honor, and intrigue. so artist, do not feel guilty of your selfish vision, the collective has their own selfish visions as well (as evidenced by their reactions), even as they arc toward collective, it is a bumpy re-programming for this hard-scrabble appalachian-american culture. the instinct wants to see a picture, a complex web and hive of the humanity of gifting, bartering, mentoring, mining, fees, wages, connecting, bridging, pollinating. how huge and beautiful and complex and human is our economy.
made this short film, wnc outdoors, with kurt mann, presented to outdoor industry association, filmed in it’s entirety onsite in graham and clay counties (no stock footage). with former textile and machinists out of work in these areas, they would love to see an outdoor manufacturer set up shop. graham has highest child poverty rate in North Carolina, Clay County has one of highest poverty rates, but their high schools are ranked number one in the state. The film gets better as it moves along, the last two minutes are my favorite. http://vimeo.com/15675233
www.wncoutdoors.org
clay county, nc, in southwest NC and bordering georgia hosts a wonderful cherokee heritage festival, and is home to the top high school in the state of NC – we interviewed and worked with the students, some would like to stick around but jobs are tough. supposedly a concentration of entrprenuers in the area, broadband connectivity is challenge. i recommended a co-working space in downtown Hayesville. Sparklehorse (Mark Linkhous)http://www.sparklehorse.com/ lived and committed suicide there. how can we support poor, smart, caucasian students and indigenous cultures who live in same county and want to stay there? can they support one another in ways they just don’t yet realize? we provide incentive for their entrepreneurial ideas and link them to examples of world-class social enterprises, and they translate concepts so they can tie their mountain enterprise to their place in a world-class way? and the john c. campbell folk school is there:
http://cccranews.blogspot.com/2011/10/cherokee-heritage-festival-success.html