Tag Archive for 'abundance league'

Denver April Confluence: Todd Siler PhD & Metaphorming, a Process of Creativity & Innovation—Tue 4/14 @ Hooked on Colfax

Published on April 10, 2009 in Abundance, Denver Events and Meetings+Events Calendar by Taj Moore. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .
Todd Siler, PhD

Todd Siler, PhD

For the April confluence I am excited to introduce Todd Siler, PhD who will be leading us in a process he calls Metaphorming. Todd has developed this over many years, working with people of all types & ages, from school children to top executives at Fortune 500 companies.

He tells us, “this interactive presentation will provide you with some key tools, methods, knowledge, and experiences for discovering and applying your creative potential in new ways … the Metaphorming process provides a global common language that enables people to conceptualize, visualize, express and present their ideas, viewpoints, knowledge, and experiences in ways that effectively communicate the essence and details of their thinking.”

—-IMPORTANT UPDATE AFTER THE BREAK—-

I was particularly pleased to read Todd’s goal for this exercise… Continue reading ‘Denver April Confluence: Todd Siler PhD & Metaphorming, a Process of Creativity & Innovation—Tue 4/14 @ Hooked on Colfax’

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Denver: February Meeting Notes

Published on February 12, 2009 in Denver Events by Taj Moore. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

20090210-talent-in-the-room

Denver, as always it was a wonderful confluence of the Abundance League. For this gathering we chose the more intimate environs of Susan’s home, and to focus our time just on member announcements and mingling. Because this meeting focused on passions, needs and gifts of all of us present, we devoted more time to the check-in portion and exchanged some quick feedback, saving the deeper conversations for mingling afterwards.

As a new approach to note-taking, we followed Susan’s idea of passing the laptop around so that each person who spoke took notes for the person speaking after them. This enabled each to transition from speaking to listening; it also ensured that nobody spent all their time typing and all could give their attention. I think it worked pretty darn well: we got good notes that required no very little  editing, which allows us to be faster at posting to the blog!

While I have your attention, our next confluence will be Tuesday March 10, 2009 (location TBA) at Hooked on Colfax. Continue reading ‘Denver: February Meeting Notes’

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Denver, You’re Invited: Tu 1/13 6:30 pm – Affirmations for the New Year (at the Market)

Published on January 6, 2009 in Denver Events by Taj Moore. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

janus_coinThe Abundance League meets this coming Tuesday, January 13 at a location to be determined the Market in Larimer Square. This month we take our inspiration from Janus:

“In Roman mythology, Janus (or Ianus) was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings. His most prominent remnants in modern culture are his namesakes: the month of January, which begins the new year, and the janitor, who is a caretaker of doors and halls.”

—Wikipedia

Like Janus, we will take time to look back  over 2008, then look ahead to our aspirations for 2009. It will be a slightly different format than you may be used to, but deeply in the spirit of abundance. Come prepared to do some fun exercises with your fellow tALers and be surprised by what you find.

In the other spirit of Janus, we have a little housekeeping to cover. This year 2009 will bring some changes in our structure. Continue reading ‘Denver, You’re Invited: Tu 1/13 6:30 pm – Affirmations for the New Year (at the Market)’

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The Abundance League is now on Twitter!

Published on November 28, 2008 in Abundance by Taj Moore. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

If you use Twitter, you can follow us here at the Abundance League by following username abundanceleague.

You can also just go to http://twitter.com/abundanceleague »

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San Francisco, You’re Invited: Tue 11/25 6:30pm – “Citizenship”

Published on November 21, 2008 in San Francisco Events by Neal Gorenflo. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

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

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Denver Meeting Notes: November 2008

Published on November 18, 2008 in Denver Events by Taj Moore. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Notes + Announcements from the November Confluence of the Abundance League in Denver, Colorado

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. Continue reading ‘Denver Meeting Notes: November 2008′

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Denver, You’re Invited: 11/18 6:30pm at Museo de las Americas – Elizabeth Dicapo

Published on November 17, 2008 in Denver Events by Susan C. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

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.

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Denver Meeting Notes: October 2008

Published on October 17, 2008 in Denver Events by Taj Moore. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , .

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! «

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How Alternate Reality Games Can Change the World (and remind you of Abundance League meetings)

Published on October 15, 2008 in Abundance by Neal Gorenflo. 0 Comments Tags: , , .
Alternate Realities – Jane McGonigal Keynote SXSW 2008  

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: reality jane)

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!

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Denver Reminder: We meet Tuesday (10/14 6:30pm at Leela European Café)

Published on October 13, 2008 in Denver Events by Taj Moore. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

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.

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