Sarah Wong

The term ‘the commons’ has been increasingly used to refer not just to “things” or “assets” (as Silke Helfrich puts its) but more broadly to the “social practices of commoning, acting together, based on principles of sharing, stewarding and producing in common” .

One of the most important habits of highly effective PMs is creating an aura of “I got this,” and the best way to build that aura is to never drop the ball.

Environmentalist Michael Lockhart identifies four damaging forms of economic growth: “ jobless growth, where the economy grows, but employment doesn’t; ruthless growth, where economic growth benefits the rich; rootless growth, where economic growth starves people’s cultural roots; and futureless growth, where the present generation squanders... See more

lot of people here, especially, you know, widows, they don’t necessarily want to ask for help, so sometimes I offer to go, to take them to the supermarket, stuff like that, or to the doctor. Because they won’t ask, even though they need it. There’s one lady across the street, she’s got rheumatory [ sic ] arthritis; she can’t even turn the doorknob... See more

Backcasting from long-term desired visions (that are based upon new paradigms) transcends current paradigms and imagines new ones. Backcasting brings the new paradigms into the present and asks what are steps toward these new ways of living, working, playing etc. Backcasting is concerned not with what futures are likely to manifest (forecasting)... See more

On the local news side, there are exciting experiments around community media and re-envisioning local news not just to be something that we bring back in its old form, but something that is co-created in a participatory manner by communities.

seven evidence-based strategies that can guide community leaders, stakeholders, and individuals to foster greater connection across lines of difference in their communities. Strategies include: • Provide more opportunities for connection • Increase the perception that connecting across difference is the “community norm” • Foster feelings of local... See more

At that scale, running a platform is more like hosting a dinner party than building a rocket. The distinct and valuable thing you’re building isn’t a new technology, it’s a community. The central tasks are recruiting people to join the community and keeping them involved once they’ve joined. The former requires outreach and the latter requires... See more