Burning Man Project’s Post

The #ShiftThePower Summit, organised by The Global Fund for Community Foundations, illuminated the vital conversation around shifting power – moving from outdated, top-down approaches to embracing the wisdom and leadership of local communities. As Marie-Rose Romain Murphy from the Haiti Community Foundation aptly highlighted, "Shifting power means recognising that local communities hold the solutions." It's clear that to enact real change, organisations must undergo a profound cultural and mindset shift, acknowledging and dismantling the power imbalances that have long dictated the sector. This transformation involves every individual questioning their use of power and committing to more equitable, empathetic partnerships. Check out Myriam, our project manager for Accelerating Inclusive Power Shift, most recent post here: https://lnkd.in/epF4xs8F As we look forward, the International Civil Society Centre's Power Shift Lab continues to question and source tangible strategies for fostering inclusive governance and community empowerment. This June, the Lab will further explore these themes in Senegal, focusing on governance transformations and the challenges of shrinking civic spaces. If you are interested in participating in the event, want to find out more or keep up to date with our Accelerating Inclusive Power Shift initiative, sign up for our newsletter or reach out to Myriam 😊

Exciting News! Join us for a 4-part Webinar Series in July 2024 as we delve into the crucial topics of community ownership and the Township Development Bill in South Africa. Through this series, we'll be exploring various perspectives and approaches to address the challenges and opportunities surrounding community ownership and township development. Don't miss out on this informative and engaging series! Register now and be part of the conversation. #BFA #BlackFranchiseAssociation #TownshipDevelopmentBill #CommunityOwnership #WebinarSeries #SouthAfrica #UrbanDevelopment #CommunityEmpowerment #SustainableDevelopment #SocialImpact #EconomicGrowth #TownshipRevitalization #CommunityEngagement #ParticipatoryGovernance

Germany can improve public transportation in rural areas by offering locals "community transport." The concept uses local planning and volunteer drivers to provide more efficient services for dispersed populations, via TRB's TRR, Sage, and Zukunftsnetzwerk ÖPNV. https://ow.ly/Fyhf50QO1M8

🌐 Miovision's CEO, Kurtis, underscores the importance of sustainable community infrastructure. He explains that government-funded programs can only run for so long, and in a dynamic world where economic and political landscapes shift, essential community resources may be at risk. Kurtis shares insights into projects that focus on creating lasting layers of community infrastructure. These initiatives empower communities to thrive, whether it's nurturing businesses, fostering creativity, or enhancing safety. The key is to ensure that these efforts are financially sustainable, securing their future. Join us this week for Media Monday as we delve into the crucial topics of community, sustainability, and long-term viability. #MediaMonday #CommunitySustainability #InfrastructureForAll

Each Monday of the month, from 16H15 to 20H30, I gather with fellow mates and discuss the injustices that we are surrounded by. We look at these issues from a biblical point perspective, but more importantly, how do these issues fit in our context, and how do we immerse ourselves in these situations? We look at systems that hinder the growth and transformation of those who are marginalized, but more importantly, how do we position ourselves in ways that would facilitate structural change, and be able to deconstruct the multifaceted and compounding issues in our communities. In reflecting and pondering upon these issues, I found a snippet of an interview I conducted with the mayor of the City of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis. I asked him about how as a city, we could spend several millions on the traditional Cape Town Festival, which is attended by predominantly those who are marginalised. The attendees have to then return to the realities of injustice that they find themselves in. I asked him the following: 'With the context that I had just described, what are the young people growing up in such injustices, what are they supposed to be looking forward to, what should they dream toward, and how are you facilitating that process?'. In a few words, this is what he had to say... #cityofcapetown #justice

Exciting news!! In 2024 we are making history! We are putting in place more internal structures @africapolicyconversations, we are reconstituting our board and learning from the mistakes of the past. Most importantly we have an upcoming project which we are so passionate about. The vision was inspired by our travel across Africa, seeing the challenges faced by citizens and by individuals and organizations trying to change the status quo ( through Nonprofits, Civil society organizations, think tanks etc). The civic space is shrinking and governments are increasingly more autocratic. We need safe spaces to build communities of change agents and to support the ecosystem of people doing impactful work. In addition, a space where these individuals can access trainings, tools, funding etc for their work. Change is hard and no one can do it alone, we need to keep collaborating until we have that critical mass! We keep learning from systems and nations that work, It is a labor of love but we do it because we are called to make a difference! #knowledge #impact #buildingpeople #buildingnations #africapolicyconversations #changeagents #purpose #impact #heretomakeadifference

REPORT 📃 | Discover the local impact of the 6 #EmpoweringPlaces catalysts in their new place profiles. Our place-based programme anchored organisations to catalse community businesses, creating resilient and prosperous communities 🤝 Discover the positive impact of @WiganandLeighCC #EmpoweringPlaces investment in Wigan, empowering community businesses and promoting local prosperity. Read how their approach helped grow businesses & responds to community needs through capacity support. https://bit.ly/45Rgyjn

One of the most delightful aspects of my current job is the ability to interview my amazing colleagues at Global Communities and chat about timely topics spanning the development, humanitarian and peace nexus. In October, in celebration of the #coopmonth, I sat down with Ashley Holst, our CLEAR Chief of Party, to talk about the history and future of our cooperative development programming. Read on to learn how Global Communities is supporting cooperative movements in Kenya and Guatemala >> https://bit.ly/3sfvOrW

Mission for #walkability 🙏🏽 But it’s not just my mission. From the beginning, when Pedestrian Space was even just simply an instagram account, the agenda was to have global connectivity & reach. What started as ‘just an Instagram account’ later became a website, led to the formulation of my PhD work & now an NGO. It was from the foundation of Pedestrian Space that the GWCN: Global Walkability Correspondents Network was born in 2022- a network of individuals around the world who are passionate about issues of walkable communities (many of them also professionals working with these themes). Today the network is facilitated by myself, Alan Lacey Raposo & Raluca Hurmuz who we welcomed as social media coordinator this summer - all of us working on volunteer strength amidst all our other duties to manage & cultivate an international network of now over 220 people (and growing) across the Americas, Africa, Middle East, Europe, Asia & Oceania. Urban Transit Lab, co-founded this year by myself & Alan Lacey Raposo, also began as a vision at Pedestrian Space. Urban Transit Lab is a participatory media, research & communication initiative focusing largely on storytelling & media created by community inhabitants themselves, to contribute to the acceleration of the sustainable mobility shift & spotlight the stories of people on the ground using these modes. This Autumn we launch our first two partnerships- 1 project in Warsaw in collaboration with the Warsaw Public Transit Authority and 1 project in Brussels in collaboration with Mobilise VUB. I’ve also been busy, as some of you know, working on other projects & network building for applications with Pedestrian Space as the main applicant, so becoming an NGO & formalizing that potential to join in projects as well as lead applications is momentous & supremely practical. Walkability is an issue of so many dimensions. I wake up every day truly charged to work with & represent these issues. Please feel free to DM me or email [email protected] if you are interested in discussing partnership or collaboration. #allhandsondeck

Our Empower Upgrade Model offers a viable solution to South Africa’s chronic housing crisis. It just needs the right political backing. Visit our free exhibition at 76 Church St, Cape Town, on 5 and 6 October to find out how we're starting a housing revolution. #FirstThursdayExhibit #EmpowerFestCPT #Empower #CommunityTransformation #HousingSolutions #EmpowerKhayelitsha #UTTEmpower #PublicHousing #SouthAfricaHousingCrisis