The Evolving + Emerging Economies Jam
Join us in transforming our economy to enable a just and regenerative world!
From social entrepreneurship to impact investing, from time banking to new metrics, from community currency to gift economy, visionaries and innovators are rethinking ‘business’, ‘transaction’, and ‘trade’ in powerful ways. They are practically generating new systems of exchange, rooting themselves to place, and expanding their impact — together co-creating an economy where the most valuable commodity is the well-being of the community landscape.
We are calling together a group of 30 diverse visionaries, entrepreneurs, movement builders, organizers, exchange professionals, impact investors, time bankers, community leaders, and other builders of the new economy. Rarely has there been an opportunity to bring such diversity together to co-learn and unlearn, and potentially synergize new and dynamic solutions to the crises of our times. And, yet, in light of the recent elections, the Occupy movement, the global financial meltdown, and more, it is clear that the time is right to bring these threads together and co-create a collective vision.
Different capital, behavioral change, cultural readiness, social justice, individual bandwidth, scale, balance, sufficiency, self-reliance, community resiliency, inequities, timeliness, transition, exclusion, localization, are among the many themes and conversations we will explore together.
If you’re committed to right livelihood, just exchange, community regeneration, meaningful investing, or doing good through business, and are interested in connecting these diverse dots and furthering the movement, we’d love for you to JAM with us!
MORE DETAILS…
Evolving & Emerging Economies Jam
April 3-7, 2013
Philo, CA, USA
Greetings friend!
It is our honor to invite you to apply to participate in the first annual Evolving + Emerging Economies Jam! This Jam will connect 30 diverse, engaged and committed new economy movers and shakers for a week of deep listening, self-discovery, systemic inquiry and community building. It will take place from Wednesday, April 3 to Sunday, April 7, 2013, at the River's Bend Retreat Center in Philo, California.
What is the intention of the Jam?
The Jam is not a conference, seminar or a typical meeting. Instead, it is a gathering for three different levels of change: the internal (self), the interpersonal (relationships) and the systemic (the whole). On the internal level, it is a place for participants to share and reflect on our life journeys and what makes us who we are today. It is an opportunity to grow in self-knowledge, to ask meaningful questions, to unlearn our fears and blocks, access our hearts, and open our minds to move more boldly in the world. It is a time to recharge and renew and to experience self- and community-care and personal sustainability.
On the interpersonal level, we come together to share our cultures, our stories and our struggles, to deepen in our understanding of each other and of ourselves. The Jam values diversity and seeks to bring together as diverse a group of people as possible. During the week, we hope to discover our commonalities and celebrate our differences. We take an honest, courageous and loving look at the identities that define and often separate us – race, class, gender, sexuality, age, religion, etc., – and seek to have authentic conversations to heal these divides. We know such conversations are rare in our societies, but we believe that the way to move forward with them is to shine a light, slow down, and take time for vulnerability, truth-telling, risk-taking, and deep listening. The Jam provides a unique container, where continuous inquiry and intimacy create the alchemy to have these conversations in a focused, safe and loving way — on levels we don't 'normally' engage in.
On the systemic level, through the Jam, we become clearer about our vision and work in the world. We get a chance to link issues that aren’t commonly linked, to notice crucial intersection points, and get a clearer picture of the whole. We come together to learn from each other: about what is working, about what mistakes we have made, about where we need help. We have a chance to share tools and ideas to support one another. In turn, we hope this helps us to generate a body of collective wisdom for activism in the region and a collective vision for the world we want. We also hope it will enable each participant to feel deepened in their capacity to affect meaningful positive change and carry their dreams forward.
Who is being invited to the Evolving and Emerging New Economies Jam?
As mentioned above, we seek to bring together as diverse a group of people as possible. This means we are looking for a range in:
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leadership (from ‘person on the ground’ to ‘director and founder’);
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years of experience (from ‘just starting out’ to ‘been at it for a while’);
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scope and scale (from ‘local’/micro to ‘global’/macro)
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economy work-focus (for example, time banking, impact investing, community currency, worker-ownership, social entrepreneurship, B corps, triple bottom line, gross national happiness, gift economy, sacred economics, etc.);
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identity and world-view (class, ethnicity, race, religion, sexuality, age, etc.)
Who is putting on the Evolving and Emerging New Economies Jam?
The Jam is being organized and facilitated by a dynamic team:
Holly Roberson has spent the last decade starting, managing, and supporting social enterprises. In her home state of Missouri, Holly established and grew three social enterprises: Terra Bella Farm, a 160-acre organic demonstration farm; Ragtag Cinema, an independent film house and bar/café; and Uprise Bakery, an organic bakery/gallery. In 2004, Holly left Missouri and moved to New York City to co-convene two multi-year projects involving young leaders and social change. Since joining Ashoka in 2007, Holly has focused on bringing the work of Ashoka, its fellows and the field of social entrepreneurship, to the Bay Area business, tech, philanthropic and venture capital communities.
Dan MacCombie is the co-CEO and co-Founder of Runa, an organic, fair trade tea company that supports 2,000 farming families, employs more than 40 people, and is proving that sustainable, high-impact businesses in the Amazon can support producers and connect consumers to ancient traditions. He has diverse experiences in conservation, public policy, and organizational development/management. He graduated from Brown University in 2008 where he participated actively in local community movements, including leading a state-level legislative initiative and being on the board of two national non-profits. Through his research, studies, and work, Dan has developed a deep and abiding passion for integrative market-based solutions to challenges that cross cultural, ecological, and political boundaries. When he’s not guzzling guayusa and jiving on sustainable livelihoods, Dan enjoys photography, traveling, scuba diving, hiking, and playing guitar.
Shilpa Jain is currently rooting herself in Berkeley, CA, where she serves as the Executive Director of YES!. Prior to taking on this role, Shilpa spent two years working as the Education and Outreach Coordinator of Other Worlds and ten years as a learning activist with Shikshantar: The Peoples’ Institute for Rethinking Education and Development, based in Udaipur, India. Shilpa has researched, written numerous books and articles, facilitated workshops and hosted gatherings on topics ranging from globalization, creative expressions, ecology, democratic living, innovative learning and unlearning. She has grown and supported many experiments with the gift economy and co-edited a book entitled, “Reclaiming the Gift Culture”. Shilpa also works extensively on building up the currency of relationships and community. She is passionate about dance and music, organic and natural farming, upcycling and zero waste living, asking appreciative questions and being in community. All of her work seeks to uncover ways for people to free themselves from dominating, soul-crushing institutions and to live in greater alignment with their hearts and deepest values, their local communities, and with nature.
Maya Corinne is a homebirthing mom of three, urban homesteading, unschooled Legacy Architect and stylist. She's raised tens of millions and designed values-inspired giving plans for those with a combined net worth over $14 Billion, with an eye towards evolution + resources for social justice, cultural preservation and environmental initiatives. Her passion is breaking, claiming and feminizing strategies used by those with multi-generational financial stability for multi-generational personal and communal sustainability, where the geography is our communities, the currency is our individual self-expression, & and the most important commodity is always the wellbeing of our community landscape. Maya guides A-list celebrities, CEO's (including Fortune 500), grassroots community leaders, and pro athletes in bringing values-based creativity and purpose- driven clarity to their expressions for conscious, creative legacies. She speaks, trains and facilitates events for global conferences, wisdom centers, and donor-training organizations. Maya is the founder of the Moon Storm Sessions, the Guidess Economy community, and Granite Pass Calibration, a collective of world-class healers, doctors and coaches which clear pro-athletes and $100million + execs of patterns that stand in the way of results, velocity and profit. She spoke at TEDx FiDi Women and her eco-fashions have been featured on the Oprah Network. A former LPSC Jam co-facilitator, Maya’s currently organizing the Evolving & Emerging New Economies Jam for Spring of 2013.
Aumatma Binal Shah is a Naturopathic Doctor since 2006 and co-founded Karma Clinic Network in 2008- where healing is based on generosity, trust, and contribution in aiming to create community and health-promoting relationships. Dr.Shah also teaches and facilitates health and healing workshops, detoxification programs, and group health sessions in a variety of settings from professional to corporate to small group settings. Overall, Dr. Aumatma is very interested in the 'emergent' — the place where innovation and evolution of our current systems is happening. She is excited to participate in the bringing together a group of people from diverse arenas to have a deeply engaged conversation about what is possible, what are we creating, and what do we want to see emerge.
Julia Kious Zabell is a public speaker, workshop leader, group facilitator, and private coach at her company re:Invigorate. Julia champions the future of business being a force for good in the world. She teaches her 4xP Approach (People+Planet+Purpose=Prosperity) to thought leaders, change makers and entrepreneurs looking to change the way business is done, regardless of size or industry. Julia's experience as an adventure leader, architectural designer, massage therapist, and business coach for Do-Gooders combine her passions for sustainability, personal development, structure, and strategy and allow her to translate complex ideas into simple actions any business person can take to have a greater impact. Since she takes work and play equally seriously she integrates both through travel, meditation, playing outdoors, reading, and cooking. Though she lives in the re-emerging Cleveland, she can be found and easily reached online and on the road at www.beinvigorated.com or www.doawesomebydoinggod.com
Mitchell Magdovitz has been working for the past ten years in what is now referred to as collaborative consumption. He started a web-based ridesharing company in 2002 and continued working in transportation innovation through 2009, with a company that developed municipal-scale, public rental systems for light electric vehicles. More recently, he spent two years focused on developing a non-monetized barter system called letSwap. Mitch is currently a business consultant helping startups across a range of industries, from healthcare to real estate and food and beverage.
You are invited!
Our team would like to welcome you to apply for the Jam. Feel free to share this info with other young leaders you know in the region. And do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
With best wishes and love,
Maya, Aumatma, Julia, Mitch, Shilpa, Dan and Holly