MADISON mini MAKER FAIRE: May 14th

We are so happy to announce that we are partnering with Madison Traffic Garden to sponsor a booth at the Madison Mini Makers Faire on May 15th at the Monona Terrace Convention Center. Our booth will be a makers corner for adults and children who want to make their own mini vertical garden out of recycled materials.

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About a Maker Faire

Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth—a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the Maker Movement. Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these “makers” come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned.  Come and be inspired to make!

For all the information, check the Eventbrite page.

About Vertical Gardens

Own Grown

Living Walls

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Orgs We Love: Assist WI

Screen Shot 2016-05-03 at 11.46.17 AMIf you don’t know who Assist WI is, then we are excited to share them with you!  Assist WI is a nonprofit based out of Wisconsin Dells, WI and is the brain child of William Meissner. The organization was formed in Spring 2014 and operates as a project of the Families in Transition Support Network in the Wisconsin Dells area.

Assist WI’s main goal is to pair volunteers with families traveling to the area who have unique needs. Assist volunteers are available to accompany families on their adventures and act as an extra set of hands where needed while visiting this tourist destination. It is tScreen Shot 2016-05-03 at 11.45.09 AMheir mission to turn obstacles into opportunities and facilitate family bonding through inclusion of every family member. 


This summer, Assist WI has a lot of activities for people can get involved with!

May 17th, 2016: Assist WI is  facilitating an Adaptive Golf Clinic at Trappers Turn from 1-3pm!  The golf program portion will be taken care of by Jason Manke of Kalahari Resorts and our role is what we do best, making sure each participant can enjoy this learning experience!  Please contact Assist WI as soon as possible if you are interested in participating. 

May 25th, 2016: Kalahari Waterpark day for the Community Coalition on Transition of Adams/ Marquette Counties.  These students have joined Assist WI for many adventurous field trip days and they look forward to facilitating the day at this world class waterpark…AGAIN! If you’d like to help out with this awesome end of the school year trip, please contact Assist WI as soon as possible. 

July 7th, 2016: Annual Golf Outing at Trappers Turn   Please let Assist know if you have anything that you would like to see or contribute pertaining to the organization.  This event has a lot of volunteer opportunities prior and the day of the event including getting donations, signing up teams, logistics, and basic labor. Please contact Assist WI as soon as possible if you are interested in participating. 

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Events We Love: International Forum on Consciousness

15th International Forum on Consciousness Topic Announced:

Awakened Consciousness and the Evolution of Business

Join leadership theory thought leaders, writers, educators and other global business experts in examining the way organizations are successfully combining the drive for economic gain with an equally passionate drive to actualize humanistic, culturally and environmentally sustainable values for the enrichment of employees, communities and the health of our planet. The 15th International Forum on Consciousness, Awakened Consciousness and the Evolution of Business: How the Self-Actualized Business Lays New Grooves for the Development of Self and Society, will be held May 5–6, 2016, in Madison, Wisconsin.

WHAT:    The International Forum on Consciousness is a yearly event dedicated to information-sharing and discussion regarding important—and often challenging—topics related to the exploration of consciousness. This year, the forum will address how business is changing the way we think about the world around us.

THEME:  Awakened Consciousness and the Evolution of Business

WHEN:    May 5–6, 2016

WHERE:  BioPharmaceutical Technology Center, Promega Corporation, 5445 East Cheryl Parkway, Fitchburg, WI 53711

WHO:        Co-hosted by the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTC Institute) and Promega Corporation.

The 15th Annual International Forum on Consciousness is open to the general public but limited to 350 participants. Forum registrants have the opportunity to join a presenter for a small group discussion over dinner on Thursday evening, May 5. Registration is now open. For more information or to register, visit: http://www.btci.org/consciousness/.
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Causes We Love: #HeForShe

A little over a year ago, UN Women launched #HeForShe, an incredible and dynamic gender equality campaign to address the horrific gender inequalities we are still dealing with today.  To add a voice to the campaign, UN Women was blessed with the phenomenal Emma Watson to speak.  Check out the #HeForShe website, take two minutes to sign in, and play with the interactive features.

Below is an incredible speech from Emma Watson from the 2015 World Economic Forum.  She gives great advice how boys and men can be better advocates and allies to girls and women.  We have also included some other information about #HeForShe. 

And of course, please share this campaign to bring gender equality into all communities. 

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Event: Just Eat It Screening

We’re joining the  Madison Traffic Garden and The Hops Museum to host a free public screening of Just Eat It. A Food Waste Movie at the High Noon Saloon on Thursday, February 11th from 5pm-8pm.

This event is a great opportunity to start to bring together the food communities in the Madison area. Whether you are interested in locally grown, food access champions, organic, treatment of animals, food waste management, or just love to eat, we guarantee you will gain something from this evening.

We will have tables set up with local food growers, purveyors, and experts. Everyone will have a chance to check them out prior and after the screening of the film.

Following the film, we will have a panel of local food stakeholders to discuss the movie and detail what our area is doing to highlight, manage, and solve food waste and access issues. The panel will be moderated by Project Kinect founder, Gregg Potter. The panel and additional sponsors will be announced on the timeline of this event.

If you are interested in sponsoring, hosting a table, or have any questions, please email Lisa Nunez at lisanunezpr@yahoo.com or Erin McWalter at erin@thehopsmuseum.org.

 
Screen Shot 2016-01-21 at 10.56.28 AMThis event is also brought to you from:

Healthy Food for All Dane County

PinkSpace Coworking

Let’s Eat Out

Project Kinect

WORT FM

Collab4Good (Madison Nonprofit Day)

Monika Ramsey

Posturally

Square Harvest

REAP Food Group

FEED Kitchen

2016 Social Change Forum

Project Kinect’s Social Change Forum was created for three specific reasons. The first was to utilize everyone’s definition of Social Change, put them together, and reveal how everyone of us is an agent of change. The second reason was to dedicate time with an eclectic group of change agents and focus on one building block of social change.  We choose a building block that is abstract and subjective, yet when we focus on it together, we find tangible ways to be better agents of change. 

The final reason for creating the Social Change Forum was to utilize one focus to bridge communities.  Something magical happens when we use our skills, talents, and experience to work together on common themes; we become connected and our network expands making real change possible.  The Social Change Forum isn’t promising world peace; it’s just encouraging greater community by strengthening ourselves while we create a better understanding of who we can lean on.

We welcome and invite anyone to the Social Change Forum. Whether you are a government official, work at a nonprofit, lead a corporation, are a teacher, or a freshman in college, we encourage you to join us for this annual impactful and soul filling event. If the pricing is not in your budget, please contact us and WE WILL WORK SOMETHING OUT! Email info@projectkinect.com and ask about scholarship options.


Here is information about the second annual Social Change Forum: Finding Courage

When:           March 3rd, 2016.  

Where:         Threshold in Madison, Wisconsin

Time:            8:30am – 5:00pm

Reception:   5:30- 8:00pm at Next Door Brewing Company

Courage is needed to be an effective and impactful change agent. This year Project Kinect’s Social Change Forum will allow us to explore the relationship between courage and social change, how we access courage, and how we find it when we need it.  Our intention is that we all walk away from this year’s forum more comfortable in uncomfortable space and able to access the courage necessary when we need it to have those scary conversations, problem solve those uneasy circumstances, and lead those who are still seeking courage. Our forum will not find all the answers, but together we can utilize the skills and talents from our brilliant communities to gain tools and best practices that access that courage we often need.

Meet Our Hostess: Jenna Rhodes

12494126_10207473129638938_1113303543_oJenna Rhodes, MA, MPS, MPH, is a high energy, bundle of love, courageous agent of change. Currently Rhodes is the Program Coordinator in the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Research Institute Childhood Obesity Prevention Research Program where she supports outreach, programming, and research focused on increasing access and availability of healthy food utilizing farm to school strategies. She is also a Program Coordinator for the City of North Little Rock where she works on economic development projects related to walkability and strengthening local community organizational capacity, including the creation and continued coordination of a diverse community coalition.

Meet Our Keynote Speaker: Neena Viel

Neena-VielNeena hails from Newburgh, New York. As a teenager experiencing homelessness and food insecurity, she developed a social change lens early in life.  She was the first student at her high school to earn the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship. She received a BA in Communication Studies at Arkansas State University, and earned the Martin Mahlon Fellowship and the Student Undergraduate Research Award for her work on supportive communication with at-risk youth.  The Clinton School of Public Service was a natural fit for her and she was able to develop her expertise in youth development through work with the Arkansas Out of School Network, The Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project and the Department of Human Services. Viel has explored research projects in social-emotional health, supportive communication and education. She now works as part of the development team at College AccesDSC00315s Now in Seattle, where she works to empower low-income and first-generation students to access and graduate college. Viel has also spoken at the Arkansas State Teen Leadership Conference, the Arkansas Healthy Child Summit and the Bright Futures Begin Early Conference. She’s thrilled to come hang out with the cool people in Madison, WI!


Special Guests 

Sina Davis

Screen Shot 2016-01-25 at 10.34.34 AMSina Davis is the organizer and director of Mother’s in the Neighborhood; a program formed through the Allied Community Co-op that focuses on parent engagement.  Mother’s in the Neighborhood is a fierce organization that is working hard to shed light on the circumstances of the underserved communities in Madison, WI. In addition to Mother’s, Sina Davis is a community organizer, assists with the community engagement work through Let’s Eat Out, is a mother, friend, and ally.

 

Brandi Grayson

Screen Shot 2016-02-23 at 12.17.12 PMMadison 365 called her 2015 Disrupter of the Year. Brandi Grayson has a unique and forward way of delivering conversations about race and inequality to everyone, including those who try to avoid the discussion.  She works with the Madison YWCA and is one of the creators of Young, Gifted, and Black. At the 2016 Social Change Forum, Brandi will facilitate a conversation that will challenge us to bring the workshops into our every day lives.

Step Up: Equity Matters

We will also have a special activity facilitated by a founder or two from Step Up: Equity Matters

 


Workshops

The Inner Work of a Change Agent

Facilitator: Sara Alvar12524301_10207013655354850_8321277687501556547_nado from Step Up: Equity Matters and Co-Owner of Alvarado Real Estate Group 

Sara will share parts her journey and get specific about ways we can become more affective and impactful change agents. If it were only about the passion we have, it would be a piece of cake. In this session we will learn the value in self-care, how to tap into our courage, and create a sustainable path as a change agent through the power of our tribe, how to say No and Hell Yes, and other intentional self-love practices.

Facing Fears to Fuel and Cultivate Courage

10931702_10103935804158797_8488044511124061259_oFacilitator: Garrett Lee, founder of WHOA (We Help One Another) and Good Point Game and also involved with Homeless Services Consortium of Dane County and Occupy Madison

Garrett Lee will facilitate an experience that explores our underlying fears and how they impact our ability to co-create social change. Once we identify and face our fears, we can then transcend them and cultivate courage. In doing so, we will build a network of people who relate to our fears and overcome them to co-create the change we wish to see in the world. There will also be opportunities to earn Good Points throughout the day.

Reestablishing Integrity


noble updatedFacilitator: Trish Flanagan, co-founder of Picasolar, Noble Impact, and Future School in Fort Smith

As agents of change, we often find ourselves in circumstances that outside forces challenge our authenticity and we lose our integrity.  This workshop will discuss those moments and identify best practices to be better the next time we encounter those difficult moments. 

Check out the schedule for the day!


Thank you to our Sponsors! 

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Click here if you’re interested in becoming a sponsor.

Sites We Love: We Are Salt

Salt is an online magazine that focuses on convening positive social change agents and mobilizing them.  Salt focuses on these categories: New Economy, Positive Impact, Sustainable Solutions, Inspiring Leaders, and Future Inc.  The magazine is based in London but thankfully can be utilized by the world. Check out their ‘What We Stand For‘ page and see Salt’s focus. We love them because their values align with ours. The number one rule of being a change agent is know who your tribe is. Salt is our tribe.

There is so much information that they have one the site.  Also, check out their Facebook Page. Here is a little more to give you a teaser…

 

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Workshops: Practicing Facilitation Techniques

We created a new workshop to practice facilitation techniques that easily apply to many different situations while looking at how proper facilitating parallels with guidelines in transformational leadership.

The objectives of the workshop were:

  1. Focus on and practice three facilitation techniques. All these facilitation techniques can access the knowledge and skills from the participants.
    • Using a talking stick
    • Crowd Sourcing
    • Creating smaller groups
  2. Know where to find the tools for new facilitation techniques. (That is the purpose of this post)
  3. Identify how transformational leadership aligns with facilitating groups. 

Transformational Leadership Guidelines used:

We are referencing specifically the book, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership by Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Martin Linsky. This is a terrific book with tools for bringing transformational leadership to change yourself, your organizations, and your surroundings.

  1. Get to the Balcony
  2. Determine the Ripeness of the Issue in the System
  3. Ask, Who am I in This Picture?
  4. Think Hard About Your Framing
  5. Hold Steady
  6. Analyze the Factions That Begin to Emerge
  7. Keep the Work at the Center of People’s Attention

 

Facilitation Technique One: Using a talking stick

Talking sticks or center points for someone to use in replace of a talking stick are useful for many reasons.  Here are 5 great reasons. Really, they are great for providing space for someone to talk and others space to listen.  Talking sticks can easily be brought into other conversation formats such as a fish bowl, conversation cafe, or board meetings.  We practiced using them in everyday conversations and how that changes the space.

Here are a couple other wonderful links about talking sticks:

Facilitation Technique Two: Crowdsourcing

We looked at how crowdsourcing can be used formally and informally.  Often, we need it informally to bring a group to one focal point or use it to find common ground as in basic conflict management.  The idea is to find out what each individual’s opinion is about a topic or argument and begin working from there.

When we need to document what a group’s ideas or action steps are, we tend to use more formal crowdsourcing.  We often see this happen on social media or on the street polling. For our workshop, we used the very useful 25/10 Crowdsourcing structure.  It is a lot of fun and gets a group uniquely working in a similar direction.

Facilitation Technique Three: Separation Techniques

Often the most skilled and knowledge filled people in a group is not the facilitator, but are the participants.  Many different fantastic facilitation structures are ones where participants are split into smaller groups, triads, or even pairs to work with each other.  To practice this, we used Troika Consulting.  It is an excellent way to get groups of three together and allow each participant equal time to focus on one single question or obstacle.

Other Separation Techniques include:

Many of the structures we use are Liberating Structures.  Check out how much we love Liberating Structures!

***If you would like more information on how Project Kinect can facilitate this or another one of our workshops for your team, email us: workshops@projectkinect.com.

Voices We Love: The Grassroots Traveler

by Callie Strouf

Blue Moon Community Farm

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Today, I would like to introduce you to a local Community Supported Agriculture farm just South of Madison, WI, Blue Moon Community Farm.  Owner and Farmer, Kristen Kordet has somehow managed to create not only a beautiful farm where over 150 families obtain nutritious and organic produce, but she has also developed a true sense of community and connection to our food and environment.  When speaking with Kristen it is easy to feel her curiosity and excitement for the experience that each new growing season brings. 

“At Blue Moon we raise about 40 different vegetables and over 200 varieties. Our vegetable fields are in rotation with our pastured livestock as a natural system of replenishing fertility. We believe that crop diversity is essential to our stewardship of the land.”

20140806-CallieJane-BlueMoon-#2Kristen goes above and beyond to develop a real sense of community with her weekly on-farm member produce pick-ups. She is always available to answer questions and point you in the right direction if you are inclined to visit the flower and herb gardens, or the many self-pick opportunities available.

She graciously hosts Fall and Spring on-farm potluck festivals for member families.  As the children play amongst the straw bales and feed a snack to the feisty pigs, the grown-ups set out a feast with Blue Moon produce featured in almost all of the homemade goodies.

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It is almost magical to walk the fields on a crisp day; feel the lumpy crunch of dried dirt under your feet and truly experience where your food comes from.  The sense of connectedness extends beyond the farm and its members, recognizing one small role in a much bigger system of change.

**As a Grassroots Traveler, I am committed to finding and supporting those businesses that promote local and sustainable values, both while traveling and when exploring closer to home.

Projects We Love: Beware of the Dandelions

Beware of the Dandelions is a mobile art installation that functions as a performance, workshop space, and visual arts exhibition created by Complex Movements. Complex Movements is a Detroit-based artist collective supporting the transformation of communities by exploring the connections of complex science and social justice movements through multimedia interactive performance work. Basically they rock and we LOVE them! We are working on getting to know them better but there are many ways you can currently get to know them.      Facebook   Twitter    Instagram

Complex Movement is open to coming to your city with this installation.  The possibilities are endless!

If you’re in Dallas this weekend, get your ticket on Eventbrite.

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