The building which houses that chapel is the first house of worship to be LEED Platinum certified by the United States Green Building Council. I was impressed to learn this and shocked to realize I had such easy access to it. It was just a short trip-a train and bus ride away.

Over the course of the AVODAH year I went to a few services at JRC and came away with great admiration for how much the congregation was doing.  There was, of course, the building, but the congregation was also involved in work and study trips to Uganda and congregants participated in many task forces, the Environmental and Fair Trade & Sustainable Development to just name two.

This was the first time I had been introduced to a congregation with such an intense commitment to social justice and I wanted to know more. Which leads me to this post. Rabbi Rosen had led a couple of programs for the AVODAH cohort and I had listened to a few of his sermons but I wanted to know more about him and his story. So I asked him if he’d be willing to be featured on the site and he graciously accepted.

I began the conversation with Rabbi Rosen on the topic of the ‘Green Synagogue’.

I then asked if there were any moments or signposts that he felt reinforced his decision to become a Rabbi. Rabbi Rosen told of three specific examples in this next segment. A funeral he officiated, a trip to Nigeria and a trip to Iran.

For more info please check out Rabbi Rosen's Blog Shalom Rav and JRC's website.

For my own reflections please check out the new When Did You Know? Blog page.

First, however, a little background on how the meeting came to be.  Alan Harrell, a graduate of i.c.stars and former resident at Breakthrough’s Ministry Center for men told me Arloa is a person I need to feature on the site.  I asked Alan why and he said, “Arloa was willing to give up her lifestyle to help. She changes society one person at a time.”

You’ll hear in the clip more about Breakthrough’s services in addition to housing shelters, but so there is some context heading in I’ll briefly explain what Breakthrough Urban Ministries does.  One of the values Breakthrough is built upon is the understanding of relationships and the power of being in relation to one another. Understanding that our networks are so critical to the lives we live Breakthrough provides services like housing shelters, providing groceries through the Fresh Market program, youth and family programs as well as community programs.

Now, without any further ado here is Arloa Sutter.

The clip ends where we begin, perhaps signaling that there is no end. My liberation is tied to yours. This is deep work that takes introspection and action. Breakthrough’s critical belief in the importance of relationship and network exemplifies the idea of mutually dependent liberation and creates more opportunities for us to meet together as we work to bring more and more freedom into the world.

“You don't do this work with the idea that if you do it right you're gonna end poverty. It's one of those things where its just a constant struggle and the point of it is the struggle and the gains that you make within it, you do actually improve lives, you can look back over a career and see a footprint. So its not futile by any means. But it isn't ever over. The work itself is the point of it.”

Thank you John Bouman for reminding me of what I've written here at least a couple of times. It is easy to get caught up in the ends, the fruits of the labor. Yet the end isn't the purpose. His words recognize an ancient wisdom with roots many thousands of years old. Learning about Mr. Bouman's roots, however, it is easy to see how this perspective came to be.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So what does the job look like in action?

Click here to view the embedded video.

Though the struggle may be constant there are victories to savor. Mr. Bouman explains that those victories are what keep you going, keep you from getting burnt out.

For further information on the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law please see: www.povertylaw.org

]]> http://www.whendiduknow.org/archives/156/feed 0 http://www.whendiduknow.org/archives/143 http://www.whendiduknow.org/archives/143#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:26:45 +0000 Seth http://www.whendiduknow.org/?p=143

I was sitting with a good friend the other day who asked me whether or not, and if so how, I was reflecting during this journey. In all honesty I told him that, “Unfortunately I haven't been.” In the conversation that followed and the questions he asked, he got out of me how I have reflected in the past and why reflection is useful.

The form it has taken for me has been twofold- writing and sitting quietly. During both of which I would think about events and experiences. More than that however, my friend pushed me to voice and put words to why reflection is valuable. To reflect is to take a moment and recognize what has happened, to create the silence and stillness necessary to become aware of what is happening.

Reflection is the necessary slowing down of thought and action to help us realize where we are in order to learn from where we were to figure out where we want to go and how we want to get there. Perhaps, in essence, reflection is the recognition of our story.

Earnest Gates knows this. For Mr. Gates, the Executive Director of the Near West Side Community Development Corporation, reflection is no trivial matter. Reflection- the recognition of what has happened and what is happening- becomes the history, the memory, of the West Haven neighborhood of Chicago. Memory and history become the shared story that defines West Haven.

A strong sense of history is very clear from the get-go with Mr. Gates. I found out about Mr. Gates and the West Haven community when a friend (not the same as mentioned above, but just as …) sent me an article describing West Haven's success in bringing a grocery store to the community thus eliminating the community's status as a food desert. I asked Mr. Gates when he knew a grocery store was needed in the community.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dates connect us to memory, to experience. They help us to (sometimes) remember our stories. The story of West Haven's status of 'food desert' has been well documented, for example [1], [2], [3]. So the focus of the rest of this piece will be on Mr. Gates' story. Let's listen to Mr. Gates as he explains when he knew his story had to include building community in West Haven.

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Everyone has some place they can come back to...” Place unites. Place provides a frame for shared story- community. Here's Mr. Gates again on why this is valuable for him. I asked, 'Is community building your passion?”

Click here to view the embedded video.

There are many transformations happening in West Haven. Some great things- Walgreens, a new grocery store- and some new challenges. Those challenges, says Mr. Gates, stem from an influx of new residents attracted to West Haven by the new housing in the neighborhood. However, those challenges can be helped “by a sense of history.” Again, Mr. Gates:

Click here to view the embedded video.

West Haven has seen dry times as a food desert and is now undergoing growth and rebirth as a community. Earnest Gates has lived it and has shared that history. The story of his community became important enough for him to take part in its “growth, deterioration and rebirth.” Mr. Gates mentioned earlier that his vision of transforming the community became larger than just working on his own house.

As more people take part in those phases of growth, deterioration and rebirth, they become more conscious of their role in West Haven's story as well as their own. An awareness that can lead to more good things to come in West Haven.

]]> http://www.whendiduknow.org/archives/143/feed 0 http://www.whendiduknow.org/archives/127 http://www.whendiduknow.org/archives/127#comments Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:22:22 +0000 Seth http://www.whendiduknow.org/?p=127

When discussing the blog and the journey recently I find myself saying that I don’t know when it will end. There aren’t any criteria, there are no metrics, there’s no quantifiable data. What happens if after meeting 60 people I still have no idea what I want to do? 60 sounds nice but there is no way to make sure I find my passion or the issue I’m ‘most’ passionate about.

This is the conclusion I’ve come to. When something doesn’t let me sleep like the earthquake in Sichuan didn’t let Aron Solomon sleep, when I feel something that presents an asymmetry in heart or head- something that “doesn't fit” like we'll hear from Chad Bliss, I’ll know I’m on to something. Finding passion isn’t a matter of numbers or thoughts. Finding passion is less measurable than data yet just as tangible, just as necessary.

So goes the story of Chad Bliss, Founder and Executive Director of Cob Connection.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Something didn't fit...until something happened. Something similar, as Mr. Bliss describes, to love at first sight.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The relationship continues now through the 'plan' Mr. Bliss alludes to called Communitree.

“And this [vision of Communitree] was like 5 years ago and it had food system, farmer's markets, it had a dormitory- it was going to be a shelter-, it had trees, greenhouses, a woodlot, all of that. And as much as I felt connected doing that Cob workshop I had this vision and I put it all down on paper and I knew that's what had to happen...Communitree had natural building structures, food systems, greenhouses and trees. It's a sustainable community right there-all the natural resources. So, then I started with cob.”

Since starting with Cob the organization has grown to more fully encompass the vision of Communitree.

“We have one of [Cob Connection's] lots where all the food gets donated to the food pantry. So now we're talking about food security so people know they're going to have food tomorrow by growing it here...We have workforce development so we teach people how to grow. And then we have the micro-enterprise of farmer's markets, restaurants and market baskets all right here as a system. So now we're developing systems. The very original blueprint of Communitree was that- was a system. Was a community system. In essence [Cob Connection] is a sustainable community.”

This vision required transformation. Everything about the founding and development of Cob Connection is based on transformation. To see what is and imagine what could be. From the cob itself, as Mr. Bliss mentioned, (combining clay, straw and sand to create and transform what was there into something else) to communities of which Mr. Bliss says this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Cob Connection does transform. And how can it not when Mr. Bliss' own story is based on transformation, change and growth?

Click here to view the embedded video.

“Once we take responsibility for our lives then we can start transforming out there.” Cob Connection was founded in this decision. By taking responsibility for his life, Mr. Bliss has created an organization that literally transforms the world. Through cob, through working with people and communities, new ways of being with each other are created. Imagine the day when we all make the decision as Mr. Bliss did so that we too can start transforming out there. The story that starts with a love affair ends (in this post) with a challenge. (And really, love without challenge may just be, as Ed Chambers writes in Roots for Radicals, sentimentality.)

What was the last decision you made that changed the world?

There is an adrenaline rush when developing new projects (like this blog). At least for me. The flurry of excitement has come with lessons learned. As one example, I've learned time management is key. Setting the time aside to do something makes it real and putting the time on my schedule makes me accountable to do it. Managing my time also allows me the needed structure to remember my mission.

Peter Ireland is also developing a new project. As Associate Director of Social Enterprise at Inspiration Corporation Mr. Ireland is in the midst of fulfilling Inspiration Corporation's mission by opening their second social enterprise, a restaurant in East Garfield Park, which will be akin to Cafe Too in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago.

“We’re starting a new project in East Garfield Park that will be a replication of [the Cafe Too] model with some differences. To capitalize on some of the lessons we’ve learned we’ve done research into other programs that have done job training for the population we’re working with- people who are under-employed, unemployed, struggling with effects of homelessness or joblessness. This program [at Cafe Too] is a job training program in food service as will be the program in East Garfield Park. There’ll be some other differences in how we approach revenue streams, but aside from that there are some minor changes that we’re going to try because we see there are benefits to changing pieces. However, we’ve done research across the country one of the things we see is that we’re doing a pretty good job, an excellent job really, of working with people and helping people gain self sufficiency.”

Some background on Inspiration Corporation. Here's Mr. Ireland on Inspiration Corporation and why they've done so well helping people gain self sufficiency:

“[At Inspiration Corporation] there’s a reasonable premise as to how each person is dealt with and how each transaction is approached and that’s just honesty, dignity and respect. Treat people with dignity and respect and it’s not a tag line it’s actually how people interact and that’s the reason for the success. There are all sorts of other things [as to why we've done well], there are smart people in the organization, there are intelligent plans moving forward... and in terms of securing diverse revenue from government, from private sources, earned revenue and all those sorts of things, very important, but at root it’s that people are feeling that they’re recognized, their ideas are understood and if not perceived then taken into account.”

And how do those values perform in action? Mr. Ireland:

Click here to view the embedded video.

A conversation. A reciprocal interaction between two people. For Mr. Ireland those values stem from growing up in Vermont. I asked Mr. Ireland if there were any lessons growing up in Vermont that he couldn't have learned growing up anywhere else.

Click here to view the embedded video.

While we were on the topic of values I asked Mr. Ireland why his values were important enough for him to take on his role at Inspiration Corporation. This is what he had to say:

Click here to view the embedded video.

For Mr. Ireland, success “is when you [as a manager] are inessential. If you've set up efficient systems and you've trained people to do what needs to be done then you have succeeded. What is important is to facilitate success for your staff for your students, for your clients and allow them the agency to succeed.” When discussing values what came up again and again was importance of making sure others have the opportunity and resources to succeed. It is both opportunity and resources the new East Garfield Park restaurant seeks to bring to the community.

When success is less viewed in the conext of community and in the context of taking care of more than just yourself we see projects like Cafe Too flourish. The reciprocity created and acknowledged reminds me that developing new projects are just as much about me as they are about the person I'm meeting or working with. The give and take, the back and forth, the talking and listening between two people create a dynamic relationship where people can grow and communites are strengthened. When has that dynamic been present on your journey and what fruit did it bear?

Click here to view the embedded video.

What Mr. Solomon leapt into, officially, is

“The world’s first globally mobile high school - a school that truly embraces the concept of ‘Education Without Walls.’ On a trimester basis, [TGS students] will study in three international each academic year, using the world as their classroom. The mission of THINK Global School is to empower students to become responsible world citizens and innovative leaders. [TGS] integrates the best parts of classroom and experiential learning - we interact, explore listen, learn, and grow. Ultimately, TGS seeks to make a tangible difference in our world.”

That’s right. Imagine not only going to high school in a different country, but imagine going to high school in a different country each trimester.

Mr. Solomon is not a stranger to many countries. Having been around the world an impressive number of times (53 trips to China, in fact) the self-described ‘global nomad’s’ journey is emblematic of the path TGS hopes to help pave. A path of understanding.

“What we’re doing at TGS is to increase and enhance people’s understanding of each other. If we understand each other, if we understand each other’s culture’s better, we’ll do better,” says Mr. Solomon.

To understand, however, requires taking a risk. When engaging with different cultures and places one challenges herself and her own boundaries. When Mr. Solomon chooses to eat at the taco cart he challenges boundaries and when TGS students land in a completely new environment they challenge boundaries. Why is that challenge important? To step outside of one's self, what does that teach us? My guess is that it teaches us humility and respect- values necessary to build community and understanding. Yet, how do community and understanding become realized as tangible ‘difference’ in the world? Let’s turn again to Mr. Solomon to see those values in action through his story about developing a project to help provide aid in the aftermath of the earthquake in Sichuan, China in 2008.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The youth going through TGS will be equipped to change the world because they have had the access; they have gained the knowledge necessary to operate among many different people and cultures. That knowledge, however, doesn't always come from a traditional classroom.

Again, Mr. Solomon

Click here to view the embedded video.

TGS provides the opportunity for immediate experience. Immediate experience focuses on the doing of something, action. The learning that takes place from action is harder to capture than a score on a test, but necessary when engaging with the world and figuring out how one fits in the scheme of things.

Think about a journey you've had to go on. No number or test can capture the significance of learning to depend on one's self, to find the agency necessary to act and create the world you imagine it can become. Confidence in one's ability to act within this world is the engine of change. If that confidence is coupled with compassion I think we can learn to be, as Mr. Solomon says, 'good guests'.

My interpretation of TGS is that it is setting up a framework where students can discover and act to find out “What would happen if we...” It is developing for itself a framework to develop 'good guests' (a term I find synonymous with leader) and one based on constant change. A new city every trimester. The identity of TGS constantly shifting, constantly in the midst of a new environment with new students from different backgrounds engaging with unfamiliar places. When you’re constantly in the midst of change how do you evaluate the world around you? I’d probably go back to the taco cart, do it with a little brains and a little gut.

The ultimate mission of the health care marketing firm closerlook, says Mr.Ormesher, is “to change the way health care is bought and sold and delivered.”

“The theory of change I've had at closerlook for a long time is you have to touch the heart to move the mind. When change happens is when you connect your audience with life. When you can touch the heart, when you can tell a story. What we're really about is storytelling.”

The story of closerlook begins in Brehon Pub in the River North neighborhood of Chicago. I'll let Mr. Ormesher tell the story. (Please excuse the ambiance. Serendipitously enough, we were in Brehon Pub.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Though closerlook may have roots in the weathered asphalt of downtown Chicago streets, Dave Ormesher's roots trace back to New Jersey soil, soil that nourished enough tomatoes to sell by the bushel as well as sprout Mr. Ormesher's entrepreneurial drive as a youth selling those tomatoes on the side of the road.

When Mr. Ormesher was making a sign emblazoned with 'Organic Food' in shop class while other students were making chairs. Organic farming was not as prevalent as today. However, organic farming is based on a seemingly basic approach to the earth, one based on respect. Understanding respect became the seed of closerlook.

Mr. Ormesher imagined a company that treats employees, clients and customers with dignity. The approach is simple, revolutionary and necessary.

“My hypothesis is if you treat employees with respect not only will it be a better work environment, they will actually produce more which led to this whole philosophy of don't be a screamer, if you're a boss don't be a screamer. For years I directed commercials, directed films and inevitably by the end of the day I'd come up and the the crew, the director of photography, the actors, the talent would come up to me and say 'this has been the most fun I've had in months because you're not a screamer'... It's the 'yes-and' not the 'no' or the 'cut-you-off' and you wind up encouraging and pulling from the best performance. And we feel good, we get the best performance, we all win instead of this top-down command and control ego-driven screaming at the employee and that translates into business and when you treat your team with respect they honor you by giving their best.”

His hypothesis holds true even when extended beyond employees. Take a listen to Mr. Ormesher as he explains how closerlook came to focus on health care, especially the part about domain expertise.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Domain expertise I take to mean deep listening- stepping outside of one's own experiences into the story of another. With care, with deep listening, with the dignity of the individual being expressed and/or the authentic mission of the organization being understood there is huge potential for creativity.

Marketing then becomes only as good as the listening. As a marketing firm you have to listen to your client and understand and discover their wants, their needs. Then you have to communicate their message to a broad audience.

Mr. Ormesher again.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What a marketing firm does is communicate and closerlook communicates very well. In the words of Mr. Ormesher closerlook has “become laser focused on those aspects of healthcare and even healthcare reform where we feel like we can make a real difference. A lot of its around communication, its enabling health insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms to be able to tell an authentic message. Its around wellness and how do we help consumers really get control of their health. People with diabetes, for example, how do we help them move from just being a slave to their disease to actually making the behavioral changes in their life they need to. There's huge potential there.”

Whatever a project may be, whatever relationships we find ourselves in how we communicate our experiences and understand the experience of those around us is essential. Essential to business success yes, but more than that respect, listening, communication is fundamental to our further understanding of ourselves and what we do.

When Thich Nhat Hanh was asked by Krista Tippet on a broadcast of Speaking of Faith ''Is your teaching any different if speaking to members of congress or speaking to Hollywood filmmakers or you're speaking to law enforcement officers?' he replied, 'The Practice would be the same, but you need friends to show us how a certain group of people live their life, what kind of suffering and difficulties they incur in their life so that we can understand and after that, only after that, we could offer the appropriate teaching and practice. That is why we continue to learn everyday with our practice and sharing.'

I can't help but see the same respect for the unique challenges experienced by unique groups of people related by Thich Nhat Hanh and how closerlook learns and seeks to understand the unique challenges of different organizations.

My question to you:

When was a moment when deep listening and understanding were vital to making a change in the world or solving a problem you were working to solve?

When Did You Know? will tell the stories of those leaders who are changing the world in spheres like urban agriculture, food justice and  micro-finance, community development, community organizing, entrepreneurship, local and independent business ownership, international development and sustainability and everywhere in between.

For the sake of transparency, this is my first blog.  I don't know what the hell will happen, but this is my best guess. Each day I'll feature a leader who is pouring their heart and soul into making the world a better place and highlighting how and what they've done to change it. I can foresee a question, or perhaps two or three, coming at the end of each post.

If I'm lucky this is where you'll come along with me for all or parts of the journey. We'll have the joy of sharing our stories and successes and become more aware of the work we're doing to make the world a better place.

As with any journey there will be growth. We'll see the evolution in the storytelling, in the website itself, and in how we can use our stories to further learn how to change the world. Please enjoy. Please feel free to participate and share as our journeys unfold.

Here we go…!