The stories we tell ourselves as communities can determine whether we flourish or fail. In my talk at the UCM Research Festival I unpacked why that’s the case, how we can start to craft better stories, and what infrastructure we need to put in place to sustain them.
Read MoreRituals can become addictive. Sometimes they’re positive. When I started going for longer walks, I didn’t know I would do it every day. It has now turned into 5k runs and along the way I take photos of what grabs me. 135 days and counting.
Read MoreThere is a huge opportunity to reverse the depopulation and decline of rural towns and villages but companies embracing remote work and governments investing truck loads of money in rural infrastructure are not the panacea they are billed as.
Read MoreHumans have succeeded, not because of competition and conflict, but because of collaboration and kindness. Rutger Bregman book "Human kind" is a great reminder of this, as are his ten rules to live by.
Read MoreIt takes people to make change happen. People aligned with a shared sense of purpose. Since caveman times, that’s been about storytelling. What can economic development agencies and governments do to become better storytellers?
Read MoreHow can organisations and communities take control of their own destiny? SOAR is a simple strategic planning framework for leaders to bootstrap a better story and chart a pathway to success.
Read MoreSocial infrastructure has an extraordinary and unique effect on our personal and collective wellbeing but often requires government funding to build and maintain. How can we create an open source way for towns and cities to fund their own?
Read MoreConferences and festivals are great social capital catalysts. They bring people together to share stories, create connections and, when done well, build relationships of trust. And then it’s all over and they send you home. 🤷🏻♀️
Read MoreThere are many ways to think about co-spaces. One framework is what I’ve loosely called the “Clubhouse Canvas”. This helps you break an offering down into the four C’s of concrete, commerce, community and culture.
Read MoreHere are six co-spaces doing interesting work building social capital. Each invests in some form of “culture as an amenity”, growing reciprocity and trust amongst members.
Read MoreFor a society to run effectively, networks of trust, shared values and reciprocity are key. How can these help build successful cities, corporations, co-spaces and conferences?
Read MoreReeks District has the potential to be up there with the likes of the Peak District and Lake District in the UK but to get there we need a new playbook. This is an exploration of what that might look like.
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