On The Commons

Programs: Organization's highlights 1) building and bringing visibility to the commons movement. Our times call for a renewal of values such as sharing, cooperation and reciprocity that had served as the foundation of human life and a regeneration of our relationships to each other and the earth. Our communications strategies aim to tell stories of how this is happening and a different take on current events that illustrate that different choices and different ways of thinking about what we share and how we relate are possible. A) onthecommons. Org: our website features the largest amount and variety of commons content on the internet it features thousands of original articles, profiles and stories about local commons leaders, commons analysis on timely topics and commons solutions to society's challenges. Our first published e-book, celebrating the commons, was a very popular outreach and education tool. The book featured over 40 articles, stories and profiles. Our second e-book how to design our world for happiness: the commons guide to placemaking and a convivial life was published in july 2013. This e-book focuses on the relationship between the commons and placemaking and how communities are successfully creating inclusive, thriving, place-based neighborhoods. B. ) commons ambassadors and commons events relationships and direct connection are central to a commons-based approach, thus convenings and speaking engagements continue to be central to our strategy. Over the past year, we have organized two larger gatherings: the great lakes commons summit at notre dame university and the commons solutions lab at blue mountain center. In addition to these larger gatherings, otc leadership also spoke at over 20 campus and community events across the country. * acting as both catalyst and incubator for commons solution making, creating space and opportunity for work that illuminate new pathways and patterns for social change. 2) expanding the practice of the commons: a) developing and linking commons leaders and leadershipcreating peer connection, a pause for shared reflection and ways to explore working in a co-creative, shared ownership environment are central to growing the commons movement. Our gatherings at notre dame, blue mountain center and other events created venues for commons leaders to connect, exchange and learn. The end result was deeper connection to the potential of the commons as a transformational path personally and culturally and documentation of our commons practices and tools. All of our work involves intentionally instilling practices of co-creation and co-leadership. For example, in the great lakes commons initiative the nucleus of this initiative's leadership has grown to over one hundred active individuals and groups, encompassing scholars and students, artists and cultural workers, activists, scientists, business executives, attorneys, first nations and tribal community members and officials, recreationalists and more. Central to this is the first meaningful and equitable alliance of indigenous and non-indigenous communities in the great lakes bioregion. B) building shared knowledge, tools and materials for the commons movementcreating and lifting up how commons work. The new online resource center (part of the expanded onthecommons. Org website) highlights practices resources including the commons framework and many articles focusing on how to animate co-creation, shared power and a commons orientation in one's own community based on fieldwork from the growing commons network. The commons work newletter featuring stories from the field, case studies and highlighting key themes from the commons framework is created monthly newsletter and delivered to over 10,000 subscribers. 3) incubating commons initiativesotc designs our work and organizational capacity in a way that shares leadership, distributes power and helps animate promising commons solutions. Part of our strategy involves initiating and incubating projects in different spheres. These efforts help build the partnerships, strategies and the base of support necessary to begin to shift our relationship to our commons. We strongly believe in this approach incubating initiatives that return to and are continually co-created and connected to their community as opposed to creating and staffing ongoing programs that belong to one organization or institution. A) great lakes commons initiativethe great lakes commons initiative is a cross-border, grassroots effort to establish the great lakes as a commons and protected bioregion. A central galvanizing event in this effort was the great lakes commons gathering we hosted at the university of notre dame in september 2012, which brought together 70 visionary leaders from around the bioregion to explore how to establish the great lakes as a living and flourishing commons. The leadership of tribes and first nations was central to shaping and authentically co-creat