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How to combine governance with sustainocratic processes?
The inspiration came from a Dutch region referred to as “Rijk Dommel en Aa”. The region is not formally registered as such. It comprises two mid sizes cities and 5 smaller communities. It is surrounded by canals and rivers which make it a rectangular territory.
The region is drawn with light blue
This confinement had been for some years a place to develop regional cocreation at government level. At one stage someone asked me to look at the region from a practical sustainocratic point of view. Two converging lines came together, governance and peer 4 regional sustainocratic development. How do we unite those lines into a functional format that enhances the combination rather than drive them apart?
Differences
Governance tends to deploy itself around “files”. These files normally live a life of their own within the context of current political-economic steering mechanisms. Rijk Dommel and Aa had its own traditional files for the region:
- Mobility
- Energy and Water
- Nature and Recreation
- Housing and living
- Farming and Food
The focus that government had agreed among themselves was to facilitate the population’s spare time (recreation, sport) development.
When Sustainocracy started to look at the region, that hosts 400.000 residents with an multiple equivalent of regular visitors to festivals, activities, recreation, tourism and special events, it introduced the 5 core values for regional development (health, safety, basic needs, self resilience and self awareness). At provincial level we are developing the Health Deal, inspired on the Healthy City commitment in Eindhoven through AiREAS. During a first multidisciplinary encounter the people present were asked to come up with ideas to simply enhance this particular member of the leading core values: Health.
In the cocreation exercize 6 areas of attention were defined:
- How can we involve all people and institution into this health driven process? (involve)
- What are the impediments and problem spots in the region? (impediments)
- What are the admirable initiatives that can be highlighted and supported? (initiatives)
- What experimental initiatives can we define? (experiments)
- Can we organize events for people to experience what we want to achieve with their help? (events)
- Let’s investigate in the region what residents feel about the subject? (research)
Health, files and areas of attention
With “health” as leading topic the files and areas of attention could easily be combined into a matrix.
Just one meeting was needed to populate the matrix with multidisciplinary teams that develop the ideas into projects with the corresponding commitments.
The multidisciplinary tables in action
When a project is defined it is seconded by all and deliveres a measurable result that can be related to the higher sustainocratic purpose, Health in this case. Since all key partners are available to commit resources the project can get rapidly equiped with the finances, technology, human creativity and hands on power to get into an execution phase. The process can be repeated as often as needed in the region with increasing involvement of all stakeholders together.
The process is fast, dynamic and very effective. One of the polical executives mentioned with a degree of surprise: “In one afternoon extremely difficult and complex projects are defined here and committed, what normally takes us 30 years!”
Many regions around the world are now coming to see how we do this. India, China, central Europe, Turkey, etc are candidates for developing sustainocratic platforms soon.
We tend to work in three steps with them in Eindhoven:
- Come over to learn and get inspired
- Come over to discuss how to implement it within their own regional complexity?
- Implement locally and establish a cooperation to work together
That is how Sustainocracy expands by combining governance with new guidance based on core human values and integral societal involvement.
YES / Youth Europe Self employment
Through our partner http://globalvisionsharing.net/ we were connected to this YES initiative. We are glad to share it through our network.
The YES Initiative
YES = YOUTH EUROPE SELF EMPLOYMENT
Building a network of cooperative enterprises for empowered employment and sustainable
More than 10 million young people in Europe are unemployed.
With 50%-60%, the rates are the highest in Spain, shortly followed by Greece, Portugal, Italy, France, UK. Traditional concepts fail to bring them into work and so a lot of our generations’ potential remains unused.
On the other hand, the way we work and live changes quickly and profoundly. More and more people are looking for jobs where they can involve all their creative potential and have a sense of purpose in their work. But still, a lot of young people are bound in jobs that restrict their potential through strict hierarchies and old-fashioned working styles, while others are pushed to work towards an early burnout in corporations serving profit as their only goal.
Creating entrepreneurial cooperatives can serve to combine the power of entrepreneurial drive to shape and change the world, and create employment, with the wisdom of co-creation and collective. The YES Initiative aims to inspire and support young people across Europe to join forces, and support each other to start founding cooperative enterprises to reshape the way we do business and work together, creating an economy actually serving society’s needs in a sustainable way. We aim to contribute to an ultimate vision of youth self-empowerment across Europe, e.g. through forming a network of self-governed initiatives or an umbrella cooperative to join the forces of ‘our’ generation.
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Apply now for the YES Initiative Gathering in April 2016!
On 7-10. April 2016, the first YES Initiative Gathering will take place at Schloss Tempelhof Community, South-West Germany.
Be invited to embark on a learning journey together with us and set up a four-day laboratory for collaboration, developing concrete projects and a network of mutual support. We are looking for participants (age 18 to 30) from across Europe who are interested to start or support a cooperative and entrepreneurial project in their country, or internationally together with other participants.
Room and full (organic) board costs: 125 EUR for 4 days.
The YES Initiative Gathering is supported by the inspiring Swiss foundation Stiftung Wegweiser, which enables us to offer travel and accommodation stipends to our international participants, where needed.
Please visit www.stiftungwegweiser.ch to learn more about their work.
What to expect from this gathering:
• First of all, an open process with space for everything you bring – your questions, experiences, and ideas – and for deeply connecting with each other to seize the highest potential of the present moment together in a co-creative way;
• Applicable knowledge and experience shared by the YES Initiative Team, other expert contributors and all participants about cooperative entrepreneurship, social business and collaborative decision-
• Insights into the organizational structure, growth experience and daily life of the Schloss Tempelhof community, which has grown into a cooperative of almost 100 members over the past 5 years and employs about 40% of these in a number of small businesses and organizations within the
• Meet inspired people from all over Europe and more and form lasting personal connections to build a network of ongoing mutual support and inspiration.
You should apply to be part of this, if:
• You are actively interested or already engaged in founding an enterprise or cooperative to empower and employ yourself and other young people in your home country or country of residence, or would like to support such a project;
• You want to contribute your talent and energy into such a project going beyond old school hierarchical structures of organization and releasing the power of co-creation and collective
• You have experience with, or want to learn more about, how to co-create such a self governed, values-based cooperative enterprise with a social purpose;
• You are inspired by the vision of an international network or umbrella cooperative to bring together the energy and voices of ‘our’ generation while supporting local projects;
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• You are between 18 and ~30 years old, from any European Union country, fluent in English language and can cover or fund-raise your travel and accommodation independently. (We have some funding support available for those who need it, please contact us as soon as possible.)
We strongly encourage teams to apply, who aim to create a project together in their home country.
Stay Connected: follow our regular news and updates:
https://www.facebook.com/YES-Initiative-595220683952570 , and get in touch via email: yes.europelnitiative@gmail.com
Our twopence:
Thankyou India
Thankyou India and ASSOCHAM for such warm welcome and providing me with the opportunity to introduce Sustainocracy and peer 4 regional development.
Sustainocracy, the new democracy 