Hamilton Musings
A Learning Community needs Learners
Summary:This blog entry reflects on my experience as a proactive member of the Communities Collaborating - Learning Community. It explores my learning journey, blogging and certification. This journey began in earnest 15 months ago and has lead me down many reflective paths.
In October 2006, I joined with 75 colleagues from across Canada and internationally on a learning journey focused on collaboration, community, change and renewal. When we gathered in Guelph on a sunny afternoon, I expect that many of us did not know where the experience would lead, and how we there could be so many others who wanted to explore this together.
It was a challenging week to say the least. Complex concepts were explored. We were encouraged to learn, listen, challenge and engage. [...]Some unanswered questions to end the Year
Summary:Musings to end 2007. Please share your comments and answers.
Multi-sector collaborations have been driving my world for the last 18 months (but if I were to look at my whole career - I think this has been a dominant theme). As we come to the end of 2007, I am thinking about some questions that still go unanswered?
1. If this type of work is emergent and there is no clear path forward - why do we use the traditional processes to organize, plan, design and evaluate?
2. Can we design in complexity? Or does the design change the order of the results?
3. What [...]Learning as Engagement
Learning is a very powerful tool - it can provide you with a new perspective, with new ideas, with new or renewed resources. But learning can also be a powerful engagement tool. Whether you agree or disagree with the notions or perspectives being presented - you engage with the discourse and dialogue. You become a part of the conversation.
This notion of learning as an engagement tool has been on my mind lately. There are two recent experiences which have made me reflect on the powerful potential [...]Quantum Leaps
Do we have the courage to make quantum leaps of change in our communities? Often, we have focused on change through short term interventions. There is a focus on reporting outputs rather than outcomes and in the short term, even outcome reporting is not at the level of deep and durable change?
How do we really attack complex issues such as poverty reduction. At the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction we are often asked what our 'target' is - how many children and youth do we want to move [...]Community Leadership - a competency lens
Summary:This musing explores various leadership compentencies and the impact of these on building communities.
The Blandin Foundation in their 'Community Leadership Handbook' identifies three leadership competencies which they believe community leaders should have.
Framing Issues - the capacity to define opportunities and issues in ways that lead to effective [...]
