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Thursday, October 18, 2007

On which issues will Social Pioneers be working in Germany?

The Federal Network for Civic Participation has published a discussion paper with "The Future Trends of Civil Society" in Germany.

Areas for Social Pioneers to start social businesses include:
  • The Aging Society
  • New Social Networks
  • Local Community Development
  • Social Divide
  • Health Services
  • Environment and Consumer Protection
  • Education and Life-long Learning
  • Potential of Diverse Social Groups
  • Relationship between Work and Volunteering
  • Change of Values

Sunday, October 14, 2007

self Stakeholder Dialogues - Nina

1. What is your most important objective, and how can self help you realize it?
I have a great interest in new concepts. Concepts for innovation in society. How can we design our future and what is the role of social entrepreneurship in Germany? self is a network in Germany that I would like to be engaged with. The self network can help me to introduce me to new concepts to make them more tangible. Concepts that inspire me to work with them on social entrepreneurship in Munich.

2. What in the past has been your most useful contribution to your work?
Communication. I have appreciated in the past to get things done through personal talks or dialogue. AIESEC has been a very valuable platform to exchange ideas with like-minded people: working together, being at conferences, meetings, etc. Furthermore, the work in different networks: to discover similarities and to keep developing them together has been very useful.

3. What criteria will you use to assess whether self’s contribution to your objective has been successful?
Planting new ideas, new networks, knowledge sharing in regards to social pioneering. To discover my own contact nodes to products and services of self.. To establish a win-win relationship. To make my personal contribution and experiences in this area. If this is happening then self’s contribution is successful. I want to learn about concepts that are possible to implement in Munich, as well. I am hoping for inspiration to start this in Munich.

4. What would constitute success for self; what would success look like?
The people who work for self need to achieve personal financial sustainability. To be profitable. To create the opportunity for all self stakeholder to satisfy their needs, i.e. to learn and to reflect together. self is well-known as a brand in Germany. The selfHUB attracts interesting organizations/projects and those organizations work from the selfHUB because they value the network of social pioneers. self offers a room for creativity, dialogue, ideas. What is the new that emerges due to the fact that social pioneers are working together? How can competences through mentoring be passed on?

5. How could such a future success be prototyped and tested on a small scale, in order to “learn by doing”?
Asking selfHUB users: how effective is the network factor? What can we learn from other incubators at universities in Berlin? Exchange experiences with other consultants in this area. Ask social pioneers when they join the network: what do you expect from the selfHUB? What are your challenges? What are your needs?

6. What would be practical next steps?
Find exchange partners for a community of practice use the experience and learn with the international HUB network. Promote the concept through personal networks in Berlin and Germany. Build a pilot group of 2-3 social pioneers.

7. After this conversation: what is your burning question now?
What is self thinking about these questions? How can all self stakeholders connect?

8. Mark’s question: what will self do with the profits it makes?
Reinvest it in the own organization to develop new business areas. Fund new ideas by Social Pioneers. Develop new concepts. Start a Fellowship Programme? Start a self Foundation. Reduce prices for selfHUB users in need.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Pioneers of Change meets Unfolding Cards

Last month Wiebke and Frauke took part in the Unfolding Cards workshop in Berlin. Here are some questions from the game and some impressions:

What are the principles upon which you live and work?
(Unfolding Cards principles)














How could a logo for you look like?
(Felix plays, doodles, draws...)






When are you yourself?

(Felix and Gabi)
How do you stay present in the process of emergence?
(Frauke and Leon)











What do you do to nurture yourself? (Wiebke reflecting and presencing with others)

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Social Pioneer Conrad fragt...

Wo ist das Land des Gelingens in Deutschland?

Wir sind auf der Suche nach Beispielen für „Gelingen“ in Deutschland. Wovon habt ihr gelesen oder gehört, wo ihr denkt, dass das ein Beispiel für das Land des Gelingens ist?

Bitte bis zum 22.10. per Email, Fax oder Post an Conrad Thimm: ConraThimm@aol.com , Fax 030 2363 4596, Crellestr. 19/20, 10827 Berlin


Looking for volunteers - Freiwillige gesucht

Im November brauchen wir ganz viele Heinzelmännchen. Dringend gesucht werden:
- Möbelbauer
- Maler

...und ab sofort einen pfiffigen Trockerbauer, der aus "eckig rund machen" kann und einen Experten für Netzwerkverkabelung!

Anmeldungen nimmt ab sofort Lucas entgegen: l.winterfeld@self-germany.de

Sunday, October 7, 2007

The self Academy - A vision

Once the selfHUB is up and running, we plan to work on the self Academy - a school for social pioneers.

A great inspiration for the planning are the Kaospilots from Denmark



Saturday, October 6, 2007

self Stakeholder Dialogues - Mark

I am currently taking part in Otto Scharmer's Global Classroom on Presencing. One exercise is a stakeholder interview that I have applied to the self context. My first interview has been with Mark who is a member of the self co-operative.






Purpose:

  • Assess the value that self can create for its stakeholders
  • Create a personal relationship to self stakeholders
  • Apply my personal learnings from the MIT Presencing online course

1. What is your most important objective, and how can self help you realize it?

I am exploring different forms of social investment and I would like to find out where is the new border of a business framework working in the context of social ideas. self being a co-operative what is the difference/social benefit compared to a corporation or a limited company? self should make interesting social ventures visible, i.e. offering new relevant opportunities for investment. self is build on social investment: how can the venture self fulfil the interest of its investors?


2. What in the past has been your most useful contribution to your work?

Being invited to participate. Asking myself: what am I looking for? To have tools and a framework to go on that quest (e.g. conferences, methods, etc.). To find ideas and to continue working on them and having the possibility to mirror it with a group of people. To have an environment to meet people with useful but unexpected connecting ideas/thoughts. To enjoy working through my daily task list.

3. What criteria will you use to assess whether self’s contribution to your objective has been successful?

If I feel comfortable in the end: what creates that feeling? If I can draw personal conclusions and define key learnings that I can integrate into my day-to-day life.

4. What would constitute success for self; what would success look like?

Being interested in social investment: to have a manual/book “Principles of co-operatives in social entrepreneurship” (legal structure, org. structure, etc.). How does the decision-making process work in a co-operative? How can learnings be formalized?

What makes self successful? To be able to separate learning and doing into two processes. Both need to be professional but should not be mixed. To have cool projects in the portfolio: self is successful, if the self projects are successful. People are an important factor: the sustainable growth and maturity of the network is key. What makes the self community sustainable? How to create and implement a culture of a sustainable community?

Success is: finding a social innovative answer to “What is self doing with the profit of the co-operative?”

5. How could such a future success be prototyped and tested on a small scale, in order to “learn by doing”?

Engage with Pioneers of Change: there is no better sandbox to play in. Start a project and prototype it in Pioneers of Change. Create a project around best practices of business models from the self social ventures and create new business models. The project could be called “Business Models for Social Innovations”.

6. What would be practical next steps?

Free time: donate 4 hours a week to develop the prototype project further. Look for partners to start the project. For example: Jonathan from The Hub London.

7. After this conversation: what is your burning question now?

Does self want to make money?

A purpose is to create a network of social pioneers: building a community of social pioneers does not make money traditionally. How does community-building fit into the business context?

How does your motivation change, if you make money with your idealism?

Key question of this conversation: What will self do with the profits it makes ?