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From Vision to Action
Engaging the whole system to create and carry out new strategies for reducing
poverty
Presented by Nancy Polend
Sojourners / Call to RenewalPentacost 2007: Taking the Vision to the Streets
Washington, DCJune 3-6, 2007
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Welcome!
• This workshop will:– Demonstrate the value of a whole-
system approach to poverty.– Offer a proven, concrete way you can
initiate systemic change in your community.
– Share news about & extend invitation into a national grassroots-to-policy strategy.
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Key Questions
• What kind of problem is poverty?• What does it mean to put poverty
on the national agenda?• How can we create shared vision &
commitment to eliminate poverty?• How can we translate vision &
commitment into collaborative action?
• How can our local work influence national policy?
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Poverty and the National Agenda
Continuum of responsibility: Who’s got a stake?
Fed
eral G
ov’t
Perso
ns in
p
overty
Faith
Bu
siness
Med
ia
Fin
ancial S
ervices
Health
care
Ed
ucatio
n
Ho
usin
g
Co
mm
un
ity A
ction
State / lo
cal G
ov’t
Hu
man
Services
Ad
vocates
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• The responsibility of and solution to poverty is not IN any one place…
Where’s the Answer?
EducationFederal Gov’tHuman Services
FaithState/Local Gov’tResidents
Public HealthBusinessMedia
Advocates
High Tech.Creating ourProsperousCommunityHousingCommunity ActionFinancial Services
…IT IS AMONG US.
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Enabling Vision AND Action:Future Search
EducationFederal Gov’tHuman Services
FaithState/Local Gov’tResidents
Public HealthBusinessMedia
Advocates
High Tech.Creating ourProsperousCommunityHousingCommunity ActionFinancial Services
• Principles derived from 60 years of research & experimentation.– “Whole system” in the room.– Explore the whole before acting on a part.– Future focus & common ground.– Self management & responsibility.
• Unique 2.5 day action planning experience; brings together those with:– Authority– Resources– Expertise– Information– Need
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What Future Search Enables
• Shared values & changed assumptions.
• Plan for the future.• Concrete goals.• Implementation
strategy.• Commitment to
implement.
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The Future Search Agenda
• Past– What brought us here?– Global/national, local,
personal timelines.
•Present– Build a map of trends affecting
their issue.– Stakeholder groups tell what
they’re:• Doing now & what they’d like to do in
the future re: the trends.• Proud of and sorry about re: their work
on the trends.
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The Future Search Agenda (cont.)
• Future– Small mixed groups develop
preferred future scenarios.
• Common Ground– Groups identify & confirm key themes
that appear in every scenario.
• Action Planning– Groups develop goals & plans for
implementation & accountability.
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Video:The Future Search Experience (almost)
• Actual community, real Future Search.– Visualize your community, convened by you.
• Insight into planning process & related issues.– Consider who in your community could be
planning members.– Visualize yourself establishing a planning team.
• Shares concrete projects & outcomes.– Envision concrete projects in your community
being carried out.
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Introducing
Continuous community-to-policy cycles
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Resources and Activities of PCPN
• Capacity-Building: Leaders Workshop– Cohort group:
• Learns Future Search and experiences it first-hand.• Begins identifying local planning team members &
stakeholder groups.• Is matched up with experienced facilitators who
support them from planning to follow up.
• Local Future Search Sessions– Planning support.– Facilitation and documentation.– Follow up and evaluation.
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Resources and Activities of PCPN
• Learning Community– Web portal for participating communities– E-mail listserve (peer and FSN support)
• Access to information, action plans, learning, progress, resources of other participating communities
• On line email forum for sharing learning and information among participating communities
• National Future Search– Roll up of local work; selected participants from each
local session participate
• FSN Staff Support & Coordination: “Glue”
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The PCPN “At Leasts”
• We would at least have the whole system working on the systemic issue.
• Plans that affect the whole system would at least be created by the whole system using information & experiences from the whole system.
• The high level of commitment to implementation will at least increase the likelihood that the plans lead to real change.
• The community-to-policy cycles will at least ensure that people making policies directly experience community realities before developing policies.
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Ready to Roll…
• We have the:– Methodology.– Network of trained professional facilitators across the
country.– Track record.– Organization to glue it together without loyalties or
agenda.
• What we need now is:– You to become involved.– Your communities to participate.– Sponsors to fund participating communities.
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How to Get Involved
• Become a community leader-champion.• Become an “ambassador” to help engage
national sponsors.• Become a corporate, public, or NGO
sponsor.– Specific community or general support/sponsorship.
• Become a personal supporter.– Tax deductible.
• Become a program advisory team member.• Join the team of trained facilitators by
becoming a member of the Future Search Network.
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Contact Information
Nancy PolendPCPN Program Director
(540) [email protected]
Web Site:www.futuresearch.net
