To “plant a forest” is a task so large as to sound like ridicule.
Certainly, we often plant gardens, glens, and parks, but “planting forests” is more akin to “moving mountains”- that is, a synonym for the impossible.
Yet, while walking through the site of the “New Forest in the City,” a recently planted stretch of land on the east side of Brantford, the truth in the name becomes apparent.
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I am writing this from “down under” where Anglicare Tasmania and Communities for Children recently hosted over 500 leaders in Launceston, Tasmania to develop strategies which are designed to put children and their families at the centre of community well-being.
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"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." - T. S. Eliot
Human beings love patterns, certainty, something simple to help manage the messiness and complexities of life. Our hopes for Collective Impact are no different: if we simply apply Collective Impact’s 5 conditions to the social issues we strive to change won’t that be enough?!
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Collective impact: Voltron Vs. The Borg? Yes, you read the question right. I take no credit at all for this title or the truly stellar piece of writing and metaphor that it introduces.
These words and opinions, from blogger Vu Le (@nonprofitwballs) are probably the best explanation of the key concepts of collective impact I have come across. I may be biased given the significant role Voltron: Defender of the Universe played in my early childhood development.
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Center for Transforming Communities (CTC) is dedicated to the holistic transformation of communities in and around Memphis, Tennessee. Using the principles of Communities of Shalom, we strive to engage, equip, and mobilize others to seek shalom in their neighborhoods and communities.
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We live in a world where addressing complex social issues most often involves working tirelessly to bring groups and communities together to work against existing social norms and “beat the odds,” which are stacked against us. We see small numbers of individuals work their way out of the systems that are built to work against them, yet we often don’t ever realize the results we are hoping for. What if we shifted the way we approach social change from beating the odds and overcoming adversity to changing the system itself, shifting the norms of our society to level the playing field?
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