This wiki is where we coordinate the work of building “Networked collaboration on the Edge: The Alternative to Problem-Solving Leadership in Times of Crisis” - a digital handbook and collection of thought pieces that brings together cutting-edge solution-oriented leadership in areas of open source software, eco-friendly communities, non-transactional economies, urban agriculture/sustainability, collective intelligence experiments and more.
WHERE WE ARE GOING
How could we realistically support one another’s work to scale up the impact of our individuals efforts at affecting change? When we started exploring this question last year, we soon realised that we were not really sure whether networked communities like ours really can take on complex tasks over longer periods of time.
So we decided to explore this question in detail, and to be scientifically rigorous about how we went about answering it. Our conclusion was that yes, it is possible for networked communities to take on complex tasks such as stewardship of public assets.
We also learned that in order for us to succeed there are obstacles to overcome that require us to become much better at peer to peer collaboration both on a local level, and as a larger collective.
But how and when there is actually a direct benefit to collaboration for people who are already very busy driving their own projects? This is what we aim to answer together over the next three months in this collaboratively produced book on networked collaboration.
We start from our existing projects, and go one level deeper. It means sharing honest accounts about what we are doing and the challenges we face, and using those stories to draw support to another’s work. It also means stepping up and setting an agenda to honor what we are already doing, as well as a credible plan for realising it.
HOW WE ARE GETTING THERE
We are using this wiki to facilitate a decentralised workflow in building different components of the collaborative book production so that anyone can participate regardless of where they happen to be on the planet.
If you want to get involved just sign up on the platform, pick any of the tasks below and leave a comment to let us know you are interested. We’ll pick it up and help you get on board quickly from there.
Contributing case studies [page under construction- to be added: examples of case studies, selection criteria, process and licensing info]
Designing Rewards
Building and executing a Communication plan
Creating a Campaign Video
Creating a campaign Flyers and posters
Building & updating the campaign Timeline and activity plan
Building a network of People and Organisations supporting the project
Contributing research and analysis
Editing the contributed material into a useful and beautiful digital publication
Community development and nurturing
PROJECT TIMELINE
June 30: Build 10 case studies each from Armenia, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Morocco and Ukraine.
July 1: Crowdfunding/sourcing campaign starts
July 30: Closing date for public case study contributions
August 1: Analysis starts
August 15: Analysis submitted
August 30: 1st draft of book completed
September 20: Final draft of book sent to layout & online publishing
September 30: Rewards sent to campaign contributors
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The challenge that we as a community have been given is to design a new United Nations program for the future of volunteering in employment, social protection and data - in Armenia, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Morocco, Ukraine, and maybe beyond. This shift in strategy at the UN is the result of the hard work and passion many people put into the #futurerspotters project last year (read about it here).
The premise behind Future Makers is that we are already putting time and passion into projects for social good. And that the broad range of activities involved often fall outside what is normally thought of as volunteering. We feel those initiatives should be counted as forms of civic engagement and better supported.
The formal, paid, deliverable to the UNDP and UNV is a report produced by Edgeryders co-founder Alberto Cottica (@Alberto) in his capacity as a private consultant. The collaboratively produced book on networked collaboration is outside the scope of the contract with the client. We do it because we feel it is important to produce something that is going to be directly useful to participants professional and personal development.
Our reasoning: If we are to tackle inertia blocking changes we want to see happen, then we need to be humble about our own current limitations and help one another to level up our game on multiple levels in parallel. This requires honest, solutions oriented conversations between progressive decision makers at the centre and protagonists of promising initiatives at the edges. Peer to peer. This is why we are building this book with you.
It is difficult, messy and a lot of work. And totally worth it.
Welcome on board.