New Stories

EDUCATIONAL - SUPPORTING PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS AND FUNDERS IN REGENERATING COMMUNITIES AND DEVELOPING GREATER HEALTH AND WELLBEING BY "CHANGING THE STORY TO CHANGE WHAT'S POSSIBLE".

NEWSTORIES PROVIDES BOTH CONSULTING SERVICES AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP PARTICIPANTS GAIN CLARITY ABOUT THE NATURE OF THESE TIMES, AND HOW THEY AND THEIR SYSTEMS CAN REORGANIZE TO ADDRESS THE UNPRECEDENTED TURBULENCE IN WHICH WE ARE LIVING. WITH THAT CLARITY IN MIND, WE SUPPORT THEM TO GROW AND IMPROVE THE LEADERSHIP OF THEIR ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITIES. ADDITIONALLY, WE WRITE AND PUBLISH ON THESE TOPICS. LIMITATIONS AND CONSTRAINTS OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC BEGAN TO RECEDE IN 2022 AND OUR WORK, WHICH HAD BEEN EXCLUSIVELY VIRTUAL FOR TWO YEARS, EXPANDED TO INCLUDE FACE-TO-FACE GATHERINGS. WE PARTICIPATED AS SPEAKERS, GUESTS, AND FACILITATORS IN CONFERENCES, SYMPOSIA AND WORKSHOPS ORGANIZED BY OTHERS. WE PROVIDED CONSULTING AND COACHING ASSISTANCE TO COMMUNITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS. WE CONVENED AND FACILITATED NETWORKS SEEKING NEW WAYS TO SUPPORT EACH OTHER IN REGENERATING COMMUNITY. WE DEVELOPED NEW TOOLS FOR SHARING THE POWER OF STORIES. WE DID OUR OWN INTERNAL WORK TO REIMAGINE HOW NEWSTORIES CAN BEST SERVE IN THE TIMES. SPECIFIC PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THIS AREA: WE DID EXTENSIVE CONSULTING AND COACHING WORK WITH IMAGINABLE FUTURES IN BRAZIL TO HELP THEM BEGIN TO CO-CREATE A NEW COLLABORATORY FOR PEOPLE, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITIES LEARNING HOW TO LIVE WELL NOW WHILE TRANSFORMING THE CONDITIONS WHICH CREATE DEEP INEQUITIES. AT THE HEART OF THIS WORK IS RECOGNIZING AND STEPPING PAST THE CONSTRAINTS OF PATRIARCHY, COLONIALISM AND RACISM. WE BEGAN TO IMAGINE A COMMUNITY REGENERATION COLLABORATORY AS A NEW MAJOR INITIATIVE TO CONNECT AND SUPPORT THE MANY PEOPLE AND PLACES ENGAGING IN COMMUNITY REGENERATION AROUND THE WORLD. THIS WILL BEGIN TO EMERGE IN 2023 AND IS A CO-LEARNING AND COMMUNITY ACTION SPACE FOR THOSE WHO SEE THE CORE OF THEIR WORK AS REGENERATING COMMUNITY. WE CONTINUED OUR EFFORTS TO UNDERSTAND THE NEXT ORGANIZATIONAL FORM FOR NEWSTORIES WHICH EMBRACES SELF-ORGANIZATION AND DEFINES AND GETS WORK DONE IN AGILE AND NIMBLE WAYS. THIS INCLUDES CLARIFYING WHAT NEWSTORIES ACTUALLY DOES IN WAYS WHICH WILL ENABLE US TO BE MORE SUCCESSFUL IN SOLICITING FUNDS FOR OUR ACTIVITIES.

BEGINNING IN 2021, WE DEEPENED OUR COMMITMENT TO WORKING WITH COMMUNITIES FACING CLIMATE, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DISASTERS- BRINGING A FOCUS ON REGENERATIVE COMMUNITY-BUILDING, WHILE RECOGNIZING THE ADVERSE IMPACTS OF PATRIARCHY, COLONIALISM, AND RACISM. THIS INCLUDED WORK IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, BRAZIL, AND EASTERN WASHINGTON. WE BEGAN WORK TO CREATE A COMMUNITY REGENERATION COLLABORATORY. WE ALSO BEGAN TO IMPROVE OUR VIRTUAL INFRASTRUCTURE, INCLUDING INITIAL STEPS TO CREATE AN ENTIRELY NEW GREAT TRANSITIONS STORIES WEBSITE AND TO ADOPT SUTRA, A VIRTUAL COMMUNITY-BUILDING PLATFORM. SPECIFIC PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THIS AREA: BY THE END OF 2022 WE HAD COMPLETED MOST WORK FOR A 2023 LAUNCH OF OUR NEW GREAT TRANSITION STORIES WEBSITE. THIS WEBSITE WILL BECOME OUR BASE FOR INTRODUCING PEOPLE ACROSS THE WORLD TO STORIES FROM THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE WHICH CAN PROVIDE PERSPECTIVE AND GUIDANCE IN NAVIGATING THESE TIMES. WE DID EXTENSIVE WORK WITH THE TOWN OF MALDEN, WASHINGTON TO HELP MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY RECONNECT AND BEGIN TO DEVELOP NEW PLANS AND STRATEGIES TO REGENERATE THE COMMUNITY AFTER THE DEVASTATING WILDFIRE ON LABOR DAY, 2020 -- IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIRST YEAR OF MASSIVE UPHEAVALS FROM THE PANDEMIC. WE BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE THE WAYS IN WHICH COMMUNITY-TO-COMMUNITY SUPPORT IS ESSENTIAL AFTER MAJOR DISASTERS, BY CONNECTING LEADERSHIP FROM PARADISE, CALIFORNIA WHICH BURNED TO THE GROUND ON NOVEMBER 8, 2018. ADDITIONALLY, WE CONTINUED OUR WORK WITH LEADERS FROM COMMUNITIES DEVASTATED BY WILDFIRE TO DEVELOP A NEW LEARNING COMMUNITY. THIS WORK WAS PRIMARILY CENTERED IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, BUT ALSO EXTENDED TO CONNECTIONS IN AUSTRALIA AND CANADA AS WELL AS OTHER PARTS OF THE US. THIS WORK WITH FIRE-AFFECTED COMMUNITIES IS A FIRST PROTOTYPE OF OUR VISION TO BEGIN CREATION OF A COMMUNITY REGENERATION COLLABORATORY IN 2023.

FISCAL SPONSORSHIPS AND FOREIGN PROJECTS - WE SUPPORT AN ARRAY OF FISCALLY-SPONSORED PROJECTS WHICH ARE DOING THEIR OWN CREATION OF NEW STORIES IN MANY PLACES. SPECIFIC PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN THIS AREA: WE PROVIDED SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE TO A WIDE RANGE OF NETWORKS AND SYSTEMS IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD. THESE ACTIVITIES RANGED FROM DEVELOPING A YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM IN LEBANON TO BEING LEARNING PARTNERS WITH EFFORTS LIKE SALMON NATION, WARRIORS WITHOUT WEAPONS AND THE BERKANA EXCHANGE. WE SUPPORT AN ARRAY OF FISCALLY-SPONSORED PROJECTS WHICH ARE DOING THEIR OWN CREATION OF NEW STORIES IN MANY PLACES. IN 2022, WE HIGHLIGHT OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH COMPASSION GAMES INTERNATIONAL WHICH USES KINDNESS, GENEROSITY AND COMPASSION TO HELP COMMUNITIES ORGANIZE THEMSELVES AND KUFUNDA LEARNING VILLAGE IN ZIMBABWE, NOW IN ITS 20TH YEAR OF NEWSTORIES SPONSORSHIP, TO DEVELOP COMMUNITY REGENERATION PRACTICES IN ZIMBABWE.