The Next Year: Concept, Pitch and Plans
Concept: The Reef
Using Coral Reefs as a model, Edgeryders proposes a new kind of connective layer as an enabler of social and political renewal. One that is distributed, hyper-local and transnational at the same time. We are building a network of appropriate physical infrastructure in different locations, embedded in an online conversation equipped with collective sensemaking tools.
Our first Reef prototype is focused on supporting people and initiatives contributing towards making health- and social care accessible for all, open source, privacy-friendly and participatory.
Over the next year we want to:
- Inventory Europe, Africa, Latin America, Asia and North America for promising bottom-up solutions running below the radar. Status: In progress.
- Prototype a “reef", a collaborative distributed thriving landscape of interoperable projects and processes. We start with a Pop-up Village as proof of concept. Status:Call for cities to host first OpenCare Pop-Up village is open.
- Equip local communities to build sustainable practices to satisfy material, social and directional needs of their members. Status: Plans for scoping tour underway.
- Support participants to translate the experience-based insights about what works into constructive political demands backed by new constituencies. Status: We have already developed, deployed and validated the methodology and tools.
- Develop an appropriate governance model and fair social contract. Status: Participatory design process involving first contributors and supporters is being drafted.
- Raise funds to support/invest in the development of the Reef. Status: 100&Change grant application submitted, currently reaching out to foundations and investors.
More information: Slide Deck, Blogpost 1, Blogpost 2 , 2 page summary,
Step 1: Find a physical space and narrativize it around OpenCare (Oct - Dec 2016)
Where are communities running spaces for providing care and contribute to wellbeing?
Where is there new space available now for an Edgeryders base?
What are people there interested in making happen, or work on locally together with Edgeryders?
Who is willing to barnraise around LOTE?
A scouting process involves a tour in the following countries (tentative, open to new suggestions): round 1 Spain, Portugal, Italy, Morrocco. round 2 Bucharest, Greece.
Attributes of the future ER space: We’re looking to set up in an international space where people can live a good life on little money. A space for up to 20 people, where community members would be living and working there. Some people will be based permanently, others will be doing temporary residencies to work on projects. The focus is on experience based learning and key tracks will evolve from it as ongoing contribution to the local community. LOTE happens in the city where we find the space, deeply plugged into the local OpenCare community.
OFFER: “You get us a space, we do the rest” we can set up LOTE around a topic the community is interested in and draw international networks and support for direct local benefit
TANGIBLE PERK: “Host us at home, Join us in Hamburg!” The tour ends with a LOTE6 / OpenCare assembly at CCC with spots given away to (ideally) LOTE6 organising team
Actionables:
- By 1st November - we need a QUESTION to our local networks, a MAP and a TOUR CALENDAR
- Mid November - we need to buy minimum 10 tickets for CCC in Hamburg this December and 2 rooms x 6 bunk beds at the Generator Hostel
- 30 December - terms of reference for a full LOTE team
- SAVE THE DATE: Lote6 Location and exact date announced Dec 30 - Jan 10.
Other activities: send out calls to community members we know in those areas; host weekly community calls for planning a local meetup; interview local initiatives online and assist them to join OpenCare; Tour in December - meetups, conversations, visiting initiatives; First LOTE6 Team building and planning meeting at CCC; Plan fundraising strategy; Recruit a fundraiser
Step 2: Finalize list of Tracks and Curators for the agenda (Jan 2017)
A full list of themes and curators/ speakers will make for a high level program we can then fundraise around and add detail to.
Attributes of LOTE6: In OpenCare we discover hundreds of projects changing the landscape of care giving in communities. We would like LOTE5 to barnraise around people’s initiatives. In order to be serve participants and be consistent with the Care theme, the event has to approach several areas: physical (body exercising, manual work, therapy etc), personal (development and growth), and professional/ intellectual.
Actionable:
- Jan 20 Launch an open ended "Suggested theme & speaker" call - pick an opencare theme and suggest a speaker for it, or add a new theme with proposals.
Step 3: Participants onboarding through an OpenCare LOTE tour (Feb - ...)
Local workshops in different places to socialize people into Lote6. People who volunteer to coordinate (eg LOTE team) will have a Plug&Play package to roll out. The events will move one step further than Open&Change workshops we did in Berlin, Thessaloniki etc - they will map in detail what is needed to barnraise around projects.
- Show a map of OpenCare: what are people working on for wellbeing; pick a dimension and understand together what’s needed to build systems around it
- Help with the online registration and meeting the rest of the community.
Step 4: Run the event (Sep 2017)
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ONGOING: Fundraise and Crowdfund (Jan - Sep 2017)
Two funding goals: offline (early fundraising and during the February and spring events) and online (crowdfunding in the runup and until the end of LOTE). Our fundraising goal is 20K
[insert here details about fundraising and role, timeline etc]