The unMonastery is one of the 40 shortlisted projects selected (out of 600) for the last phase of the Che Fare contest: a competitive Italian competition which explores new ways of doing culture.
What is at stake? 100.000€ - but not only.
The evaluation process takes into account the project’s capacity to engage communities through creative communication. Only 8 out of 40 projects will make it to the final selection: the 8 most voted ones. We have 2 months to gather as many votes as possible. If we enter the final selection, the jury will evaluate the project mainly on its business plan.
So if it’s about votes and business plan, who cares. Communities are not about raising votes: no solid communities ever came out of online voting processes. A project’s sustainability is not only about economic indicators: many projects imploded regardless the fact they were backed up by professional business plans.
So let’s forget about this competition, unless…
Unless we take this as:
- a way to hack evaluation based on business plans: is sustainability only about economic indicators? Is there no other way to measure and assess a project's capacity other than quantifying foreseen unit costs and revenues in monetary transactions?
- a way to build a solid, convincing and purposeful communication strategy to spread the unWord, enlarge the community and channel interest (through votes) on the project. It can become an excellent way to diversify the unStorytellers, to produce more re-usable media and to back-up the prototype's launch with common knowledge (both from the locals and from the Net).
How can one committ to taking the lead for yet another energy-consuming adventure if there is no meaningful way to go for this? How can we turn this into a bonding experience for the Edgeryders community?
In my eyes, there is only one way to go for this, and it has to make sense. Turn thecompetition’s objectives (getting as many votes as we can and building a business plan), to:
- produce purposeful knowledge
- expand social capital
- create further communication material
- back-up unMonasterians missions (and more generally the launch of the prototype)
- enhance visibility of local heroes
From now, until the 13th of March.
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1. PRODUCE PURPOSEFUL KNOWLEDGE
WHY? We are all stretched thin. If further effort has to be put in the unMonastery, it’s in order to produce useful material for the community as a whole: tools which can be used by other to replicate the unMonastery in other places, processes which strengthen the prototype’s credibility in order to ensure replicability (and not scalability). If work has to be put in on a speculative basis, at least valuable knowledge has to be ensured in order to secure a meaningful engagement for the entire duration of the challenge.
WHAT? A business plan that fits the unMonastery looks more like a Sustainability Plan, made of sub-themes which are useful to strengthening and replicating it, based on other measures from € to evaluate the resources needed to lead an unMonastic way of life (such as calories, kilowatts, litres of water, m2 of land, ecc.)
HOW? A series of 30-minute-talks with mentors known for their knowledge and radical approach to specific themes (such as urban agriculture, waste management, water re-use): they will be live-streamed, channel interest because they produce knowledge. Each talk aims at collaboratively elaborating a chunk of the Sustainability Plan.
WHO? 4/6 mentors
WHEN? Each Sunday, for 4/6 times in a row (choice is on: 02/02 - 09/02 - 16/02 - 23/02 - 02/03 - 09/03)
This seems like something people might want to exchange votes for 
2. EXPAND SOCIAL CAPITAL
WHY? Communities are not a pool for scouting votes, exploiting skills or getting quality work for free. That’s a one way journey to burning social capital and burnout, tout court. However, if we stick to producing purposeful knowledge, then this can actually turn out to be a way of actually expanding social capital, growing the buzz around Edgeryders, enhancing its visibility, building new, tailored relationships. Because this is what it’s all about: valuable relationships and knowledge. Building the unMonastery’s Sustainability Plan becomes useful to an enlarged, global community because it aims at producing useful tools to tackle shared issues.
WHAT? A pool of senior/junior mentors picked both from abroad, Italy and Matera which will lead the thematic mentoring sessions. They will be picked on the basis of their knowledge, but also because they are influencers in their respective communities and are credible relationship multipliers.
HOW? Through Edgeryders.
WHO? To be decided (together with the themes)
WHEN? Each Sunday, for 4/6 times in a row (choice is on: 02/02 - 09/02 - 16/02 - 23/02 - 02/03 - 09/03)
3. CREATE FURTHER COMMUNICATION MATERIAL
WHY? The unMonastery has a strong yet complex narrative. It has to be pitched in different ways, to different audiences, in different languages as it progressively moves from online building to the offline dimension. ReWording the unMonastery is a process which can be part of the community engagement itself: school children or artists could be called upon to work on the narrative by using local dialect or simple images. The selected challenges have to be communicated and understood both by locals and the world: having faces, above icons, makes it more realistic.
WHAT? A series of short videos of: the unMonastarians which explain their missions? Local children which explain why they want unMonastarians? Local actors which use dialect to re-word the unMonastery’s narrative?
HOW? Through Matera 2019
WHO? To be decided
WHEN? Now. Or better: yesterday
4. BACK-UP UNMONASTERIANS MISSIONS
WHY? Although there is a clear expectation management primer, the most precious local connecting link and many other resources, backing-up our first unMonasterians with whatever they might need cannot hurt: and, once the basics are covered, what can be more useful than further knowledge and an enlarged community?
WHAT? Sub-themes of the Sustainability Plan linked to unMonasterians’ specific missions (solar panels, wi-fi, local crops)
HOW? Brainstorm on mentor, organize the thematic tall (Q&A), co-designing the related block in the sustainability plan
WHO? unMonasterians + involved Edgeryders
WHEN? Now.
5. ENHANCE VISIBILITY OF LOCAL HEROES
This can be an excellent occasion to convey local knowledge on specific themes. For example, in urban agriculture Mimi Coviello is certainly someone to involve. Also, by engaging local actors in the communication process I am positive this will fuel more energies from the community.
To be managed by Matera 2019 (it also gives visibility to local creative scene, which is definetely something that adds valued to the bidding process).
This said, there is no work for free. At least, not on this part. The only thing I can ensure is a clear, open and secured speculative budget we all agree on.
Next steps, if you are interested:
- Step up and find your place in the process: let's build a team on this and push it forward :-)
- Evaluate the time you are willing to put in, and set a price
- Open up the open budget, add a row, put in your name, role and compensation (in €)
- Let's start!
There is a lot more to say, but first of all let’s see if this general vision is something that attracts you!
