25 February 2008

Cultivating Rural Resilience with Carnegie UK Trust

This blog post is an attempt to update old friends as well as new colleagues a bit about the opportunity to join Carnegie UK Trust as a Facilitator of a Community of Practice to support catalysers of innovative rural development for resilient communities across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

I begin to explore what will be involved, and share a bit about how I'm managing the transition.

In recent blog entries at http://www.community.nickwilding.com/, I've talked of launching two new blogs - one for local friends pioneering a 'Transition Fife' initiative, and this one focussing on how to cultivate resilience more generally. I've published reports from the Rural Leadership Programme and Get Your Voice Heard projects; explored Otto Scharma's 'Theory U' of transformational learning processes; and thought about how consultancy might be conducted with authenticity and integrity, drawing on some thinking from Buddhist Pema Chodron.

As I read back, I notice a pattern running through these posts - which connects to a lot of my work for over ten years. It is an underlying conviction that I'd like to contribute to a massive acceleration of action and learning by couragous souls who, instead of running from the implications of climate change/peak oil/eco-social collapse... are stepping up to the challenge in positive and creative and practical ways. Most recently, I have begun focusing more intently on what it takes to cultivate resilience, in practical ways, through leadership and community development programmes.

Working like crazy across several sectors in the last few years, I have become aware of many allies who are developing a similar analysis and passion - within NGOs, businesses, philanthropic organisations, even Quangos....

Time after time I find myself having conversations peppered with statements like

"we know we need a radical shift; we know nobody else is going to do this for us; we might as well step up the the plate, get courageous, and go for it.... because the time is now, not in ten years ..."

In September 2007, on the back of the emerging success and learning from the Rural Leadership Programme (RLP), I was invited by a key funder of the programme - the Carnegie UK Trust - to facilitate their annual convention of their 'rural action research programme'. We gathered in Aviemore for two days with over a hundred folk, and I wrote a blog entry reflecting on this here.

At that convention, it became clear that a good many of these 'fiery spirits' wanted the Trust to commit to catalyse a 'Community of Practice' (CoP) to support cross-fertilisation, as well as stepping up the policy impact, of our collective inspiration and practical success. The message is that transformation is possible, and in many cases already happening. And that this transformation is about a 'paradigm shift' into an asset-based, ecological and participatory way of getting innovative stuff done. The proof is not in theories but in living examples of inspiring projects that can then tell great stories to decision makers who can upscale the lessons and therefore impact of this new way of working.

The flip side of this message was that too much of this work still remains under the radar (and therefore not well supported) of the 'old paradigm', structures of funding, policy etc. which feel 'stuck' and lagging way behind the excitement of a leading edge of innovation which has some real answers.

The point of a Community of Practice in innovative rural development would therefore be to both support those innovators to connect and learn even faster, as well as catalysing the creation, through rigorous action research, of convincing stories with which to help shift the 'mainstream'.

The Carnegie Trustees responded to this call by making a five-year commitment to resource this Community of Practice, including creating the post of CoP Facilitator. As well as the 'bottom up' action research, the idea is to continue to hone and develop an holistic model of what sustainable, asset-based rural development could look like (being the key output from an extensive Rural Commission of the great and good sponsored by Carnegie over the past five years).

Although I couldn't be sure I'd get the job, I did have a real sense that I could bring a lot to the position and wrote an application (along with my CV) that tried to reflect this. I have pulled out my three summary paragraphs from the application to share here:

I have been focussed for many years on supporting the emergence of resilient, healthy communities in the context of global justice and ecological sustainability. I’m aware that rural communities are diverse and face significant challenges, even before we factor in likely major future shocks from climate change and energy price escalation (due to peak oil etc.). Working across the UK and Ireland will challenge me to learn rapidly about the contextual differences across jurisdictions (most of my work to date has been in Scotland).

I’m convinced that the vision outlined in the accompanying documents around supporting innovation, transformative learning and a genuinely effective community of practice based around ‘third places’ and virtual learning … can succeed by trusting in the positive energy of those ‘fiery spirits’ whose grounded, community-based visions will prove themselves again and again over the coming years. As I have the opportunity to connect with, listen to and have ‘conversations that matter’ with more of these key allies in coming months, the shape, content and culture of what’s needed to support the emerging of a really inspirational CoP (or CoPs) will become clearer.

The prospect of joining Carnegie UK Trust to work at a greater scale that has been possible for me before, within the context of the Trust’s emerging vision for change and the people who are making it happen, bringing my practical experience and skills to the service of rural sustainability innovators across the UK and Ireland… is really exciting and energising.

I went on to describe the substance of some of the ingredients of what I thought could comprise the face to face meetings of an effective community of practice. This is really a summary of ten years' experiements working with grassroots community organisations, as well as creating leadership development programmes for professionals and activists from all sectors. So, my starting advice to myself includes (in no particular order):

  • be crystal clear about the purpose of the Community of Practice, and each event/area of work happening under its umbrella. This includes figuring out what the 'practice' is that folk share, and clarity about the domain (the area) within which we are working;
  • invest in developing culture of mutuality, trust, authenticity and collaboration by evolving guidelines of participation through the evolving process which CoP participants are invited to sign up to;
  • host events where we will actively support the local economy (eg by seeking out locally-owned/run accommodation etc.);
  • find wild places to experience which can help ground everyone in the bigger ecological picture, to help us 'come to our senses';
  • arrange for delicious, local organic food wherever possible, sometimes involving the group cooking for itself (great way to get to know each other);
  • embed action research input and practice opportunities within the programme;
  • use self-organising learning practices where appropriate (for example, 'world cafe' and 'open space')
  • work with conflict both within and outwith the group process, as appropriate;
  • insist on enough time and space (helped by walks in nature etc.) to help participants to slow down and connect meaningfully with each other;
  • collaboratively invite inspiring content/speakers, as well as drawing from the experience of participants themselves;
  • get out and do stuff (eg visit places, offer something back to local hosts);
  • and if at all possible arrange a rockin' ceilidh of music and poems and stories and dancing (any excuse to get the fiddle/guitar out, really).
  • and that's just a start ... the other critical component being to develop simple, attractive on-line ways for folk to stay connected and 'buzzing' between the face-to-face meetings; and my sense is that a raft of new 'web 2' technologies can be called on to support this, from blogging to webcam teleconferencing to 'googledocs' type applications, all of which I've been experimenting with, and which many other organisations and networks are actively developing too.
  • and that's just a starter brainstorm ....

I got an interview for the post in late January. On my way home, I found myself thinking that this would be both inspiring and daunting in equal measure... not something any one person could ever hope to pull off alone... so I'd have to trust in finding allies to work with this project from the very beginning.

Since being offered (and accepting) the job, there's been a huge amount more to think through.

First has been to double check that I understand the scale of the challenge this job entails. Equally importantly has been to double check that I'm confident there is sufficient commitment from Carnegie trustees to genuinely support a much longer-term process of social change work than is usually possible in short-term funding cycles.

Although I arrived with a healthy sceptism that a longer-term perspective would really be possible, borne from years of attempting to prise open such spaces within local government, agencies etc... I'm now convinced that Carnegie trustees genuinely want to make longer-term commitments to chart new waters to catalyse social change, way beyond the old paternalistic funder/funded relationships which have tended to generate unhelpful dependencies, perhaps demoralising more communities than this traditional model of philanthropy ever helped.

Shifting the internal culture is one thing, however; the legacy of being understood as a traditional grant-giver, and stakeholders' associated expectations, will be another significant challenge I imagine. There is plenty to inquire about in to what extent it will be possible to 'facilitate' from a position based within a powerful organisation with a lot of history, even as it is consciously searching to find new ways of investing in it's core purpose of 'changing minds, changing lives'. It will take me some time before I begin to grasp the opportunities and pitfalls of a post that whilst being a step closer to influencing policy, may also take me a step farther away from grounded connection to rural community activism and the levels of direct accountability I'm used to in this work.

I can also see several other challenges ahead as well. This post involves a huge professional learning curve to attempt to work effectively and with integrity across England, Wales, Cornwall, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

It seems helpful to write this publicly here. This blog and others that may evolve as part of the CoP can help to cultivate a degree of transparency about this role and the challenges it throws up. This might help me to genuinely engage with and build trusting relationships with the people and projects who are rightly wary of the traditional dynamics of colonisating 'top down' approaches that all too often, however well-intentioned, can end up appropriating or neutering the democratising energy that is so often the driver of positive change toward community sustainability.

The way through must be to start by connecting consciously with the many folk who are already connected with Carnegie Rural Programme, as well as others who may be tempted to join the CoP. My question will be 'how, exactly, can I be of service'?

As well as beginning to think all this through, I have also been thinking hard about the impacts of this decision on my consultancy business, and with my work with the Centre for Human Ecology.

Turning down the heat on Nick Wilding Consulting

Is a move away from my action research/facilitation consultancy business that has really been taking off was really such a good idea?

Although, in the last year, the business has been growing fast with lots of invitations to work with folk, it's hard to crack the reactive nature of consultancy, which militates against keeping coherent focus in one area to really make an impact. I can bring the aspects of action research consulting I find most rewarding - the face-to-face 'critical friend' mentoring and co-inquiring - into my new role.

I have decided to keep the business on the backburner; there's no need to shut up shop, just turn down the heat for a while. I can honour the commitments I've made to existing clients; and there may be times when I am able to respond to ad hoc invitations. Overall, making a contribution with significantly more coherence than job-by-job work, and the opportunity to work on large scale social and policy change as well is too good to turn down.

An opportunity to re-envision the MSc Human Ecology as I step away

The harder decision, in applying for the post, was about whether I could see myself - if I was successful - stepping away from my work co-running the Masters' degree in Human Ecology for the CHE. This has been and continues to be a place where I've been able to stay connected with many exciting 'leading edges' of sustainability thinking for over a decade; the opportunity to work every year with 15 livewires - including many mature professionals stepping out from work for a year to radically reconsider how to deepen their vocation and become 'servant leaders' for social justice and ecological sustainability - has been a challenging and humbling experience over and over again.... like being in a perpetual learning accelerator machine. In short, CHE still meets my needs for a long-term community of good friends, tough questions, and depth inquiry which I value and want to keep contributing to. It's where I've learned about what a Community of Practice can be, and been my incubator as a facilitator and action researcher.

So, I've re-joined the CHE Board of Directors, and will actively look for opportunities to continue contributing to the MSc as well as thesis supervision where this can add value to my work with Carnegie. As I step away from the central holding role I've played for five years, Im also working with my fellow Directors to facilitate a healthy transition as the course evolves again, opening up space for CHE graduates to step forward in the way I was able to. There is some powerful personal work on letting go connected with this process...

... The long and short of this story is that I will start 'officially' in mid-April 2008. If you are or know a 'fiery spirit' who is grounded and visionary all at once, working away for resilience in rural development, let them know to look out for a new Community of Practice that Carnegie UK Trust is developing... it could be just what they are looking for!