Reflections on Making Complexity Simple
Inquiring Minds
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Building an evaluation agenda for the Nonprofit Sector
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Recently I have been ruminating on the difference between community engagement and community mobilization. "Ruminate" is a great word for a Leap Day because the extra day gives us more time to really think on something, right? In the United States, where I do much of my work, we seem to prefer the term mobilization more than engagement, though we sometimes refer to mobilization as engagement and vice versa.
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"All failure is failure to adapt. All success is successful adaptation" - Max Mckeown
In today's world everything appears to change at hyper-speed: schools are moving online, cheques can be deposited via mobile apps, text messages are the new phone calls, and Instagram has replaced photo albums. So much of our world is online -- the way that people connect and communicate has changed drastically and if we want to successfully engage the next generation, we must be willing to adapt to the lifestyle of the Millennials.
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"Working in complexity can surface some tough challenges, but they are not insurmountable. Transformational change is possible." - Liz Weaver
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I was in a board meeting in the Operation Friendship drop in centre. I was positioned so I could see out of the windows into the courtyard. During the meeting I noticed Louie walking slowly toward the rooming house door. Louie was a short, slender man, about 65 years of age. I turned my attention back to the meeting but it was soon again diverted when I heard a hoarse voice shouting profanity.
Louie had stopped and turned and he was angry, yelling at someone that was out of my line of sight. I stood up as Louie reached into his pocket and pulled out a blade. I said nothing to my colleagues as I headed toward the door. I wasn’t really thinking to be honest.
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