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After our regular member announcements, we had a discussion about citizenship. Citizenship? Sounds a little square, but we had a good response to this topic, with one exception. One attendee asked if this was going to be like a boring civics class. Well, this person did fall asleep during our discussion, but not because it was boring, they were genuinely exhausted from work.

For most others, the idea of citizenship was top of mind after an election with record turnout, donations, and volunteering. The discussion also attracted a new citizen, Angie, who had just voted for the first time. And she brought her immigration lawyer, David, to the meeting too! This added a unique perspective. The idea of citizenship was a very exciting one for these two. Here are a few points from the discussion, which was rich in important ideas thanks to thoughtful contributions:

-Ray opened up the discussion by pointing out that the Greek root of the word “idiot” means one who did not participate in public life, who is selfish, who only attends to their own private affairs, or who has bad judgment in public and political matters. Later the meaning of the word shifted to denoting general stupidity. This reminded me of something Harald, one of our Austrian members and a sociologist, once said to me. He said that all values are shared, and anyone with a value system they do not share is just crazy. They live in their own world separate from everyone else with little prospect for growth or change.

-We spent a lot of time talking about diversity. At first I wasn’t sure how this was connected to citizenship, but it became clear that it’s actually central. If we’re to engage in public life - and encounter a large number people in the process - then we’re going to encounter difference, and to be effective citizens one needs to be able to manage difference including skills such as acceptance, listening, and finding common ground. This idea goes hand in hand with the first point. To be a non-idiot, to be a citizen, you have to deal with difference. I’ve realized that it is exactly our differences that make us valuable to each other. If we know the same things, have the same things, think the same way, have the same skills - then we have nothing to exchange. And no prospect for growth or change.

-Along the same theme, Sharon mentioned that her idea of citizenship was about making a contribution to the world derived from the unique abilities, passions, and experience each of us have. That it’s our duty to develop these and give back in our own special way, that each of us has a piece of the solution that we must develop and put in place. This reminds me of Warren Bennis’ definition of leader, which is someone who fully expresses themselves.

-Don mentioned Pericle’s Funeral Oration which gives an inspiring description of citizenship and democracy at the peak of ancient Greek civilization. Don quoted this passage, “Our city is thrown open to the world, though and we never expel a foreigner and prevent him from seeing or learning anything of which the secret if revealed to an enemy might profit him.” There are many inspiring passages, check it out here.

-Angie talked about being a new citizen, and that she’s proud to be a U.S. citizen, and even more so after an election where the U.S. elected an African-American, something few thought possible until recently. She talked about the difference between the U.S. and Scotland, and that she felt that more was possible here, that in Europe your destiny was charted out for you and that it was hard to break out of that. Here you can quit what you’re doing and start in a totally new direction if you want.

-We talked about the relationship between citizenship, freedom, and uncertainty. In order to be free, one must take upon themselves the burden of uncertainty, they must chart their own course, and part of this is that one must work out their destiny, individually and collectively, with their fellow citizens. In some parts of the world, citizens look to their governments for solutions. In others, citizens look to each other. In the latter citizens may be more free, but may also face more uncertainty.

-David, the immigration lawyer, talked about the motivations his clients have for becoming citizens. Some are like Angie, who value citizenship, freedom, and participating in national elections. Some seek economic opportunity and stay within the bounds of family and work. Others become citizens and express that through engagement in their local community joining community organizing efforts or ethnic mutual benefit societies.

OK, that’s all for now. As is our custom, we take December off, so there will be no meeting next month. I’ll be in touch about our January meeting soon. Please send me any suggestions you have for topics or speakers. Happy Holidays!

This month we’re holding a low key meeting with our regular member announcements and a casual discussion about citizenship. Come with some thoughts to share about what citizenship means to you and how you plan to exercise it in the coming year.

We hope to see you then for a great discussion. And as always, come ready to talk about your passions, needs, and gifts (in about a minute) during announcements so that we can help each other create the lives, projects, and communities of our dreams – right here in reality.

This our last meeting for this year, so come on out!

NOTE: We’re trying out a new location and day of the week. See details below.

MEETING
When: Tuesday, Nov. 25th, 6:30-9:30pm (you can come and go anytime during the meeting)
Where: The Center for Sex & Culture, 1519 Mission Street @ 11th
Our fab room is upstairs to the left. If you the door is locked when you arrive, dial 415.867.0429 to be let in.

AGENDA
6:30 - 7:00 Arrive, mingle, nosh
7:00 - 7:45 Member announcements (your passions, needs and gifts)
7:45 - 8:15 Break - exchange support, mingle, nosh
8:15 - 9:00 Discussion
9:00 - 9:30 Wind discussion down, mingle, clean up
9:30 - Optional - continue socializing at a nearby wine bar

Learn more about our meetings here:
http://abundanceleague.org/monthly-format

And join our new Ning social networking site (in beta) which links members from all three Abundance League chapters:
http://social.abundanceleague.org

BRING
-Yourself, friends
-Healthy finger food for the potluck
-Shares: books, CDs, DVDs or anything that you’d like to loan or gift at the meeting

Yet again we had a wonderful gathering of the Abundance League at Museo de las Americas. Museo’s development manager Elizabeth Dicapo told us that walking into the museum for the first time she thought “this is not what I expected.” I certainly had the same experience when I saw the expansive space full of contemporary art. Museo generously allow tAL to use space in the gallery to meet and share potluck appetizers while mingling and exploring.

Elizabeth’s talk covered the surprising array of activities available through youth education programs and member benefits. We were surprised to learn that the price of just one $30 membership covers the cost of 20 kids to attend one of the many Museo workshops. A handful of Leaguers signed up as new members that very night, and as a gift to the Abundance League, Elizabeth offered us to name our member fee for that night.

Hearing Elizabeth speak about how the museum has changed her perceptions—its impact on the community she has adopted—was simply moving. To learn about Museo through the perspective of someone so close to the project gave us a true sense of the passion involved in this project, and we thank Elizabeth for this glimpse into her world. 

Passions, Needs + Gifts

Taj Moore
Passions—1. social networking  2. bridging from online to real world activities
Needs—1. Your friends at the next meeting of tAL!  2. Ideas for tAL activities in 2009
Gifts—1. marketing ideas & advice  2. social networking ideas  3. setting up a blog or online social network

Celene Bridgford
Passions—visualising information,storytelling,images,words
Needs—building a vocabulary around visualising information,ispiration, dog trainer
Gifts—imaging, design, listening and organizing ideas

Ilona Fried
Passions—mosaic art, writing, adventure, hiking
Needs—people to hang out with, hiking partners, clients for my art
Gifts—brainstorming possibilities, pr/marketing, writing/editing

Chelsea Trinka
Passions—renewable energy, dance, skiing
Needs—resume feedback
Gifts—volunteer on non-prof arts board that funds artists with grants

Jennifer Hampton
Passions—1. dance (especially at community level) 2. singing 3. involvement in arts and social networking communities
Needs—1. ideas for fully shedding the past to embrace new opportunities 2. more professional collaborations 3. money
Gifts—1. good listener 2. teach dance and bring out creative expression 3. writing buddy (BA in English-writing 4. contacts in the music/jazz community

Jaymee
Passions—Education, Entrepreneurialism, Business Ownership, Nature, Art, Dance
Needs—Sales Force for my marketing company
Gifts—Connecting People with their Needs and WantsCDD

David
Passions—meditation, yoga, community synergy, dispelling the illustion of debt, cooperative business structuresm, community owned cooperatives.
Needs—cooperative business participants.
Gifts—education of meditation, yoga, debt dissipation.

Chris
Passions—Art (painting)

Michael Mowry
Passions—art, art-based non-profits, social networking, cross-pollination of ideas, travel

Phil Nugent
Passions—people, ideas, words
Needs—communication, ideas
Gifts—contacts, ideas

Susan Coates
Passions—personal and group dynamics
Needs—partners and board members, relax time
Gifts—personal retreat facilitation, life/work coaching

The Abundance League meets this coming Tuesday, November 18th at Museo de Las Americas, in the heart of the Santa Fe Drive Arts District. We’re stoked like a late-Fall fireplace to have Elizabeth Dicapo, the Museo’s Development Manager, speak with us about her experiences with the Museo de Las Americas.

The Museo website describes its mission:

“The Museo de las Américas educates our community about the diversity of Latino Americano art and culture from ancient to contemporary through innovative exhibitions and programs.”

“With the Latino population growing exponentially in the Denver and wider communities, the Museo plays an important role in building pride in the Latino community’s heritage and promoting understanding among
cultures. Other history and art museums in Denver cannot focus on one segment of the community in a sustained or comprehensive manner. The Museo was organized to fill this important niche in the cultural milieu.”

You can find more information about the Museo de las Americas at www.museo.org. And as always, please come prepared to spend a few minutes briefly telling everyone about a couple of your passions/projects, what you need to pursue them, and any gifts you offer to support each other in leading inspired lives. We start at 6:30 pm, and end around 9:30 pm, but you are always welcome to come and go at any time.

WHERE
Museo de las Americas
861 Santa Fe Drive
Denver, CO 80204
www.museo.org

AGENDA
6:30–7:00 pm — Mingle
7:00–7:45 pm — Member Announcements: Your Passions, Needs & Gifts
7:45–8:00 pm — Break, Eat, Mingle, Exchange Support
8:00–8:45 pm — Presentation and Discussion
8:45–9:30 pm — Eat, Mingle, Exchange Support, Clean Up, Clear Out

BRING

• Yourself, friends, and food! This is a potluck, so please bring something to share (food and/or drink) if you can. If you don’t have much time you can always stop at the King Sooper’s on 13th and Speer for something at the deli, or the Whole Foods/Wild Oats on 11th and Ogden. We’ll supply plates, cups, and utensils.
• Business cards, handouts, flyers
• Share: books, CDs, DVDs or anything that you’d like to loan or gift at the meeting.

QUESTIONS? Call Susan at 303-455-0852.

The clothing swap we held in October was amazing from several perspectives. First, I was blown away by how much clothes showed up. Several people brought big rollie suitcases filled with clothes. And not the carry-on type! And one woman brought a two large backpacks of clothes…by bike. Talk about a low carbon approach to fashion!

Secondly, the turnout and amount of interaction was impressive. At least 30 people showed. And people exchanged a ton of friendly “fashion support” - folks suggesting pieces to each other, feedback on how pieces looked on, sharing of mirrors, etc. The vibe was 100% positive.
Kim Connector of Fashion Slave helped keep the whole thing moving. She brought a huge amount of clothes and was expertly hooking people up with the goods - one of her trademark superpowers for sure.

Lastly, everyone seemed to get something they were pleased with. One women brought some pieces back to her housemates, so the benefit extended beyond those who attended. I got two fun bold-patterned shirts.

In the end, we had several large bags of clothes leftover to donate. On our way out, we met an employee of Brainwash Cafe who has a big family. We gave her two bags of clothes including one with filled shoes. She was stoked! The rest went to Community Thrift on Valencia.

Notes from the October confluence of the Abundance League in Denver, Colorado

We had our largest meeting this month with 16 people attending; we completely took over the back section of Leela Café!

For the second half of our gathering, Dan Brazelton (aka Ranger Bunny) spoke about his personal experience with the Black Rock City Rangers, a non-confrontational mediation group that forms the backbone of the Burning Man arts festival.

Here’s what we wrote about Dan and the Rangers earlier »

And here’s another short piece we wrote about Dan Brazelton »

One thing that really struck me about the Rangers is that while community policing principles among regular law enforcement have been on the rise, many officers from various jurisdictions covering the Burning Man event specifically cite the Rangers as a direct influence on positive changes in their approach to police work. This perfectly exemplifies Gandhi’s principle “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”  Talk about changing the establishment!

Something Susan pointed out in the first part of our meeting was that we had three men present and eleven women. Interesting!

Member Passions, Needs & Gifts (PiNGs) 

Taj Moore
Passions—social networking in general, the Abundance League specifically
Needs—members to bring new friends to the next tAL meeting
Gifts—experience + advice on social media principles, i.e. social networking & creative marketing for even the smallest of projects 

Jaymee Castillo
Passions—education, financial literacy, entrepreneurial, real estate investing
Needs—to get in front of motivated and open-minded individuals
Gifts—mentoring—personal development + education, business, running numbers, FUN

Chelsea Trinka
Passions—career change into renewable energy (love to translate “techi-speak” to sales); dance … “love to dance & move my body in all forms;” investing in my first house (a duplex or triplex so I can get experience in property management too)
Needs—resources/schools/network/info on renewable engery. I’m new to the field, but love/get the science side + want to learn by “doing;” looking for a class to learn aerial fabric dance; supportive people to “cheer lead” my house purchase, specifically someone who can advise/bounce ideas about property management … someone who’s done it before
Gifts—I work with the arts non-profit Apogaea; we provide funding for artists & create events for artists. Anyone who wants to get involved in working with an arts org, we are always looking to fund, feature, and involve new people.  

Suzy Rosen
Passions—helping facilitate renewable energy projects with a particular interest in creating sustainable economies w/ tribal communities; writing a novel
Needs—to meet people with experience/ties to renewable energy projects/American Indian communities
Gifts—can help with legal issues/writing

Jennifer Hampton
Passions—singing, dance, live events planning, healing
Needs—finding work
Gifts—(see passions) 

Susan Coates
Passions—personal dynamics, group dynamics, dance; Living Laundromat Project, a public space for laundry, arts, and living
Needs—business start-up consultation, financial management, website development
Gifts—retreat facilitation, cooking/baking, life|work coaching 

Cassandra Cole
Passions—politics & painting (Obama right now, global warming series in the future)
Needs—help with living + working as an artist, supporting myself w/ my passion + gifts
Gifts—good writer, MS in environmental sustainability; can present/speak on small scale systems

John Shapiro
Passions—doing work of the non-us-vs-them social justice variety, working to truly solve problems via systemic change and/or creating alternatives, all done in a respectful way.
Currently working on: CooperativeAction.org is a nonprofit organization that uses an interactive website to allow people to participate in petitions, boycotts, and actions regarding a broad range of commonly agreed upon issues, such as health care costs, global warming, etc. When enough people participate, a “critical mass” or “tipping point” will be reached that will create enough pressure on politicians and corporations to act to address and solve these issues. This process does not advocate for exactly how these issues should or should not be solved, but rather it compels politicians and corporations to work together to find complete solutions to these commonly agreed upon issues. This process happens in a cooperative, respectful, objective, secular, non-partisan way that is geared towards raising the quality of communication, facilitating inclusion of participants that hold diverse views, and educating in an unbiased, straight forward way.
Needs—Looking for people interested in contributing to CooperativeAction.org with any relevant gifts/passions they might have.
Gifts—problem solving; technology consulting including web design/development for “greater good” projects

 
» Mark your calendars: Tuesday, November 18 is the next meeting! «

This SXSW keynote by Jane McGonigal shows the potential of alternate reality games (ARGs) for changing the real world.  What I like about her perspective is that you can use the discipline of ARGs to shape our social interactions in a way that the bring out the best in us - and of course have more fun in the process.  This opens up the possibility of contributing consistently, feeling useful, engaged, and valued in the real world just like you can in well-designed multi-player online game.  Wouldn’t that be nice?

Check out an ARG Jane designed for the Institute of the Future called Superstruct. It’s running for another four weeks, so jump in now if you’re interested.  I’m not a gamer because I focus on improving my First Life, but I’m giving this a shot because the purpose is to try to improve the real world.   The game is part of the institute’s 10 year forecast.   And I sense I’ll learn something valuable.

Filling  out the profile page and talking about social solutions in the Superstruct community will remind you of Abundance League meetings!

This is your reminder that the Abundance League meets tomorrow evening (Tuesday, October 14) at Leela European Café. 

Dan Brazelton will present the Black Rock City Rangers and their unique brand of non-confrontational mediation in the Burning Man community. 

How does this fit your life? Well, the Abundance League is part social-laboratory, and what better place than a temporary city of 50,000 people to experiment with new ways of relating? Dan will tell us about the Rangers, and how their community extends the ethos of extraordinary generosity & community that Burning Man creates. 

I strongly suggest bringing a friend to this next Abundance League meeting: you can learn a lot about somebody you thought you already knew by hearing them tell stories to new people. When we talk about our passionate interests, we tell stories.

You can find the Rangers on the Web at http://rangers.burningman.com/who.shtml

And as always, please come prepared to spend a couple minutes briefly telling everyone about a couple of your passions/projects, what you need to pursue them, and  any gifts you offer to support each other in leading inspired lives.

We start at 6:30 pm, and end around 9:30 pm, but you are always welcome to come and go at any time.

BTW, we’re restructuring our Web presence. You can now find the Abundance League social network at
http://social.abundanceleague.org

WHERE 
Leela European Café
820 15th St
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 534-2255
www.myspace.com/leelaeuropeancafe

AGENDA
6:30–7:00 pm — Mingle
7:00–7:45 pm — Member Announcements: Your Passions, Needs & Gifts
7:45–8:00 pm — Break, Eat, Mingle, Exchange Support
8:00–8:45 pm — Presentation & Discussion
8:45–9:30 pm — Eat, Mingle, Exchange Support, Clean Up, Clear Out

BRING 
– Yourself, friends! 
– Business cards, handouts, flyers 
– Share: books, CDs, DVDs or anything that you’d like to loan or gift at the meeting.

DENVER—The Abundance League meets this coming Tuesday, October 14 at Leela European Café again (this time no hammer drilling!). I’m very excited to bring everyone together again, especially because this month…

…we have a special guest speaker joining us the wilds of Seattle, the Bering Sea, and San Francisco: Dan Brazelton has been a volunteer community mediator for over ten years with the Burning Man organization as a Black Rock City Ranger. If you have ever been inspired by examples of people and communities living out their vision and principles, the Rangers are a sterling example.

Dan will tell us about the Rangers, and how their community extends the ethos of extraordinary generosity and community that Burning Man creates into our everyday life. Hearing Dan’s stories about the Rangers has been an inspiration for me over the years and one of the things that led me to bringing the Abundance League here in Colorado. Below is a little background on the Rangers; you won’t want to miss this event!

BTW, I strongly suggest bringing a friend to your next Abundance League meeting, and here’s why: how many times have you found out something new about a close friend by hearing them tell a story to someone else? What do you suppose your friends could learn about you? Bring them this Tuesday and find out!

Each year Burning Man attracts nearly 50,000 in the temporary community of Black Rock City, Nevada. During it’s one week peak, it’s the fifth most populous city in the state. “Black Rock City stands at the intersection of several legal jurisdictions represented on the playa by the Pershing County Sheriffs Department, the Washoe County Sheriffs Department, Bureau of Land Management Law enforcement, Nevada State Highway Patrol, and other Nevada state agencies.”

“As a non-confrontational mediating agency, the Rangers help to resolve disputes within [the] community, but they also bridge the gap between the ethos and the culture of our citizens and the needs and responsibilities of law enforcement. As first responders, [they] are often able to effectively mediate disputes and interpret [the] city’s rules in ways that avoid larger and sometimes negative results which might ordinarily result in more negative consequences for the individuals or groups involved.”  —Rangers website

You can find the Rangers on the Web at http://rangers.burningman.com/who.shtml

Dan is also a mariner and filmmaker. You can learn more about Dan Brazelton here.

And as always, please come prepared to spend a couple minutes briefly telling everyone about a couple of your passions/projects, what you need to pursue them, and  any gifts you offer to support each other in leading inspired lives.

We start at 6:30 pm, and end around 9:30 pm, but you are always welcome to come and go at any time.

WHERE 
Leela European Café
820 15th St
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 534-2255
www.myspace.com/leelaeuropeancafe

AGENDA
6:30–7:00 pm — Mingle
7:00–7:45 pm — Member Announcements: Your Passions, Needs & Gifts
7:45–8:00 pm — Break, Eat, Mingle, Exchange Support
8:00–8:45 pm — Presentation & Discussion
8:45–9:30 pm — Eat, Mingle, Exchange Support, Clean Up, Clear Out

BRING 
– Yourself, friends! 
– Business cards, handouts, flyers 
– Share: books, CDs, DVDs or anything that you’d like to loan or gift at the meeting.