A Convening
Just wrapped a 3-day convening in Philadelphia with an amazing cohort of dreamers and doers from around the world led by world-class facilitators and instructors through the executive program in Social Impact Strategy at UPenn’s School of Social Policy & Practice. It has taken me some time to really absorb not just what I am learning through this program, but the power of gathering with others and continuing to develop my values around intention, empathy, community, and generosity.
Highlights:
-Taking time before every session for some grounding work, reflecting on how my mind, body, and spirit were feeling in that moment
-Examining “innovation pathologies” to avoid while building and learning about rapid prototyping to test to learn (not prove you’re right)
-Deep dive into Design Thinking with Sarah Rottenberg to talk about the desirability, viability, and feasibility of a product design and moving between divergence and convergence
-Thinking through the process of idea generation to encourage more wild ideas and bringing other people into the process
-Discussed “sustainability through proximity” and inclusive innovation with Ken Miles to decentralize spaces and co-design for shared benefit
-Using the generative phrase “How might we…” to get specific on the needs we are designing for
-Listening to Dr. Kelly Heuer talking about AI in Social Impact work with guidance on how to experiment
-Working through the constructs of power, play, safety, spaciousness, clarity, and collaboration with Kaveh Sadeghian to allow for more flexible thinking and inclusive design to “move at the pace of trust” and share outcomes out front
-Developing the “Most Important Sentence the the World” to communicate a clear purpose
-Learning and listening from others on what they are working on and how they are envisioning a better tomorrow
-Visited Philly for the first time! Ate really good food, did a self-guided walking tour, reconciled some feelings about the State of the Union, and was able to rest
I have been thinking a lot about networking and how this fundamental aspect of human interaction is HARD; I am working on a more regenerative approach to networking by offering value first with a mindset of generosity and reciprocity. We live in a time of unprecedented access to a diverse array of potential connections via social media, conferences, professional organizations, etc and we are all re-learning how to weave community back into our lives to strengthen those relational webs. This trip was the first non-work related convening I have attended since pre-COVID, and it allowed me to shake off some rust. My favorite part of this trip was the exposure to diverse perspectives…it really stimulated fresh ideas and gave me a burst of confidence in what I am building.
This program has catapulted me into the depths of practice, policy and program design that has informed not only my current work but will be a strong base for all future endeavors (not to mention all of the amazing people I have met through the program). All of these amazing practitioners are working on stakeholder-driven interventions and driving impact systematically and WOW was it the perfect lesson of inclusion- when more voices in the room are incorporated in the larger conversation, the better the outcome. Thank you to these amazing people for the trust and safe space to explore our work, and for the fun and play in between.
* HOT TAKE *
Why is it not encouraged for more mid-lifers to pursue different avenues of education? This is the BEST time to learn and experiment, with some experience and wisdom under your belt. I have taken the space this year to stack my skills, learn new ones, and sit with big problems (but had to walk away from a full time job to do so!) Its been a joy to cross pollinate ideas and learned experiences with others outside of my “industry” and I can only think how much better of an employee/contributor/thinker/human I am now.
