On the surface it wasn’t a match made in heaven, a Quebec ethicist and a former Olympic athlete. One committed to participation in sport for the sheer joy of it. The other focused on athletic competition with a laser focus … Read More
Yearly Archives: 2016
Enterprising Slums and Favelas
One of my more embarrassing gaffes occurred while walking through the Nairobi neighbourhood of Kibera. Kibera is home to two and a half million people and is often described as the biggest slum in Africa. My escort was a woman … Read More
Breathing Love into Zika
As the world’s gaze is fixated on Brazil’s Olympic and Paralympic games I’m struck by another gaze. The look of love by parents as they fuss over their babies infected by the Zika virus. This is in contrast to the … Read More
Reading Brazil
The glass is also half full in Brazil. Ingenuity and insight in the face of adversity abound. So don’t be dismayed or overwhelmed by the proliferation of tales from the half empty glass. Of course, serious, longstanding challenges exist. But … Read More
Beyond the Olympics/Paralympics – 5 World Class Brazilian Social Movements
There is a lot to learn from Brazil’s social movements. Its citizens have been largely left to their own devices to deal with 500 years of pillaging and the resultant inequity and disparity. Brazil is so much more than the … Read More
The Long Now of Impact
Impact can be assessed programmatically or culturally. It can be measured with statistics and numbers or by chronicling shifts in habits, beliefs and values. It can also be gauged using the clock of the long now. That’s what the former … Read More
Many are cold… but few are frozen
Those words by the exquisite writer Anne Michaels provide a glimpse into the source of Canada’s ingenuity. You can’t understand Canada without understanding that you are never very far from winter here. Our ingenuity comes from snow, ice and a harsh … Read More
It’s Not Easy Being Seen
As a cyclist I have come to realize that community organizers, social entrepreneurs and innovators share a common fear with bike riders – NOT BEING SEEN. The result of not being seen are derailments, detours and other disasters. They undermine … Read More
I Shall Not Hate
This is a good time to remember how much we can learn from the peacemakers among us. Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish In 2008 during an Israeli air strike, two rockets smashed into the bedroom of Dr. Abuelaish’s daughters at their Gaza … Read More
ABCD is the new E=mc2
I’ve been a community organizer for most of my life. I only began to understand what I could be doing after hearing John McKnight speak about Asset Based Community Development. (ABCD) This led to a lifelong friendship with John and … Read More