Evolution by design

In my own humble understanding, all our lives are preparations for this exact moment, “now”. Every decision, every interaction, every learning, every feeling, every thought, every experience… Nothing random, all pieces of a big puzzle we are unconsciously assembling little by little. Sometimes we might be fortunate enough to take a glimpse at the whole picture and understand our mission. Sometimes we might take our lives in our hands and go into action. But most of the times, we just sit comfortably in the couch of ignorance, fear, greed, and let others design and run our lives. The problem is, or say the biggest problem is, the design has been poorly made. Layers and layers of bad design.

Most of you have probably noticed. Old beliefs and ways are reaching their limits. Old structures are collapsing and new ones are emerging. A strong wind of change is blowing. People are too sick and too tired. People urgently need a change. The good news is; a lot of us are already doing some amazing things out there. More and more people are getting together to create, propose, help, change. The bad news is; there is one detail that most people tend to forget about; design! Change can and should be designed better.

Why don’t we make better designed venues to connect all the actors of change? Why don’t we create spaces in our cities, towns and villages where people get together and expose their ideas, encourage each other, work with each other? Why don’t we create libraries, new kinds of libraries where knowledge and research are promoted in more welcoming spaces? Why not create websites, locally focused, to list and connect all community, education, sustainability and other kinds of projects that are focused on change? The websites would be run and fed by the communities themselves with news, stories, practical information, researches, proposals… A big community database of action, ideas, and knowledge. People are willing to share all kinds of amazing things. They just need a structured and well designed space to do so.

By creating these venues, we will invite the holders of ideas, dreams, projects resources, and visions to connect and we will make information easier to access. People will learn from each other, encourage one another, let the others know they are not alone. Bolder things will happen, more ideas will sprout and grow into actions, and what were supposed to be different projects, may be worked on as one.

A very good friend just told me: “a carpet is made out of threads and knots. The actions are these threads and knots. What makes the difference between a beautiful and an ugly carpet is the intention behind our actions, or say, the threads and knots”. This piece is yet another carpet, please help me add more threads and knots and make it as beautiful as humanly possible.

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Welcome to @edgeryders, Otman! (Ha, I know who you are) - I’m a community manager, one of many, and I’m probably not the only person reading this and thinking that you somehow describe the community you just have entered. Far from perfect and constantly changing forms, but striving to achieve the goal you dream for yourself.

I’d be very happy to read more about your work in Indonesia, or elsewhere, and the amazing community you mentioned to me some time ago. The more concrete ideas we have, the easier would be to me and others to introduce you to people who work on similar issues, use similar tools, have similar goals.

Feel free to roam around and see the wealth of knowledge and ideas we’ve collected here over past… 7 years? There’s a lot you’d like, I believe :wink:

Thank you Natalia for the warm welcome. I made a quick tour of the website and you guys seem kicking ass. It warms up my heart even more each time I see active people like you guys. I hope I can contribute somehow along the way.

So my experience here, right?

I’m not sure if you are aware but there was a rainbow gathering here around 6 months ago, in a very special beach south of Tulunggagun. A few people stayed and connected with some locals, even the mayor of the villages where the rainbow gathering was help was personally involved. Eventually most of the projects started dying slowly, some are still alive. I’m no rainbow and wasn’t part of that. I just came to volunteer in one of those projects, a big permaculture project that eventually failed. Anyway, this is all not as important as all the people I have met since then, here, in jogja, in madiun, in surabaya… People are waking up and taking control of their lives, many projects, many amazing people, communities (I even met a guy who’s runing an x-men community with disabled people). The shit I’ve seen here Natalia! These people are quite something. Anyway, there is this will of changing things, of starting from the people for the people, of community that I haven’t seen as strong as this in any of the other places I’ve been to. I don’t know if you have come to realize or experience, but this land is very special. The history, the spirituality, the community spirit, the generosity… And there’s the term Wanatani that I came across a couple of months ago. It’s an old sanskrit word that means plant-forest, or say farming by imitating the forest. I researched the term a bit more and I realized that it was not only about farming but all aspects of organized societies. This is their old way, which is probably the old way in most places, but here it is backed up by a strong history and spirituality. And there are other levels being at play here, geo-political, spiritual, prophecies… But let’s not go too deep in generalities and go more practical.

My idea is very simple, connect every one in a smart localized way? Why create huge international structure when people can do it together on a local scale? I’ve seen the will, I’ve experienced it. Let’s give them better tools and a little bit of structure. We have tried to start a coffee shop, a library, a farm (with a university and a meditation space) and it all hit a road block, or many, at some point. It’s like something stronger than us was telling us: “wait! this is too soon, let it ripen…”. I am also a foreigner and I didn’t want to be “the leader” or “the savior”. I believe change should come from the people themselves. Myself and others are just here to accompany, to encourage, to get our hands dirty when the time is right.

But before all of that, I believe one of the first steps that should be done is to create a website, or a website template. I have the template in mind. I have already started working even before coming here. I’m just busy now with some moving around and some other personal issues I have to deal with but I will sit down eventually and sketch or wireframe what I have in mind. Here is wh

The website will be by city/area with a well designed listing of profiles of people, communities and projects, calls to action, volunteering opportunities, propositions…

I see that you’re talking about a similar platform or website as Edgeryders with more focus on a particular community… is that what you mean ?

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Hey @wanatani welcome on board.

that’s kinda the idea of openvillage as a network of houses where every “house” has its own space where they collaborate locally, I am not sure if discourse can offer a lot for managing events, news, and tasks but for discussions and collaborating on projects it works well. ( Currently under openvillage there is"houses" space this could be divided in the future to different categories such as Brussels, Kathmandu, Essaouira,…etc )

this helps the collaboration and skill sharing or even moneyless exchange economy such as paycoupons to be used globally acrosss local communities, while still having a solid local sub-community connected together via community connectors / managers/ coordinators.

but for having

The website will be by city/area with a well designed listing of profiles of people, communities and projects, calls to action, volunteering opportunities, propositions…

for this I guess a well designed website is obviously needed, and this platform could be used as the workspace. ( same as openvillage.edgeryders.eu and this platform)

may be @owen have more ideas about this from his learning process of having the online communication done via a website and a community platform

I definetly need to to go more through the projects you guys have running already. Please excuse my lack of understanding of what’s going on here but as I have mentioned before, browsing through the content is a not so intuitive for a new comer like myself. Yes, good design is much needed in any project, but especially in content based systems. Now imagine having dozens of projects, maybe hundreds, on edgeryders? It might not be the goal but what i am proposing is a content/social online system that offers the possibility to host such numbers in an organized easy to access way.

The idea of openvillage is greatly needed. Also, a network of open villages in every single city. This idea should encouraged, documented, and marketed (with results) for the world to implement. Again, allow me some time to go through the material here and fully understand what’s happening so that i can contribute better and more efficiently.

As of the website, give me also some time to work on a design proposal. Now that I know there are people out there who are so reactive, I will put more of my mind into it and give you something more practical we can openly discuss.

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am waiting to know more about your proposal.

don’t want to overwhelm you with links but check the graphryder tool, in my opinion it could lead to some kind of tool to browse hundreds of projects to be. anyway the open-ethnography research could lead to better understanding of the community or at least can provide a view point on ( depending on the researchers’ code and the topics taged ) whats happening inside the different subcommunities.

have a nice Saturday :smiley:

Thank you Hazem! I will definetly take a look at the link you sent.

Thank you Hazem! My name is otman by the way. I will check the link for sure. Just be patient with me please ad i’m going to morocco soon and coming back here, trying to find a place… But this project idea is very dear to my heart and i will definetly sketch it out.

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Because it’s damn hard. :slight_smile:

But people are trying. Myself included.

Not sure where you are (Indonesia? the toponyms sound East Asian – Tulunggagun, surabaya), but some of us will be social innovation camping in Medenine, Tunisia, where a group has formed around a young woman called @Yosser. They want to create just that kind of space. Not in New York, Berlin or Beijing, mind you: in Medenine, Tunisia, because that’s their community and they decided it needs one. Maybe you want to join them?

Welcome, anyway :slight_smile:

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It is hard indeed to create such spaces even if it seems so easy. That’s the reason why i’m kinda pushing for the website cause then it would up to the people whether they want to use it or not.

In any case, A lot of people all around the world are thinking of the same thing. Eventually we will come up with models that work.

I would love to go Medenine but I’m stuck here for a while. I don’t want to quit when things are getting hard. I’m Tulungagung, East Java. Just a funny fact; the meaning of Tulungagung is big help, or divine help, or help all, something like that.