There’s so much I wish would change. I am sure you feel the same way, too. Problem is sometimes what I want to change are those that would, if they could, transform me into a variation of them. And, yeh, that’s about the same thing I want to do to them. What is it about … Continue reading To not be a racist you have to know you are a racist.
Author: Mark Holmgren
Mark Holmgren is the Executive Director of the Edmonton Community Development Company.
Development as Community Strategy
Posted first on the blog of the Edmonton Community Development Company, where I am the Executive Director In my first three months as the executive director of the Edmonton Community Development Company, I estimate I have had over 100 meetings, most of them being one to one conversations or small group discussions about the communities … Continue reading Development as Community Strategy
Some Days Are Rich!
Some days are rich. I meet and talk with incredible people, people working hard to make positive change in their (in our) community. Yesterday I met with a delightful woman who is working with others to craft innovative approaches to ending racism. Ending racism is one of the game-change strategies of End Poverty Edmonton. Can … Continue reading Some Days Are Rich!
Automobile-Centric Development and Parking Requirements
Cross posted - also available at http://www.edmontoncdc.org Please consider following that blog if you want to keep up to date on my work at the Edmonton Community Development Company. -------- Strong Towns is an American movement that a colleague turned me on to the other day, and it is not only a provocative movement, it … Continue reading Automobile-Centric Development and Parking Requirements
O Canada and the Mathematics of Change
I just read in the paper Canada is changing its national anthem to make it gender neutral though I prefer "gender inclusive." Real change means changing our symbols and our icons when necessary to reflect society's ever changing sensibilities. I imagine there will be some kafuffle about this. Traditionalists will articulate traditionalist stuff, rationalizing where … Continue reading O Canada and the Mathematics of Change
Upside Down Thinking: Funders should be Rebels
Funders should apply to community agencies to fund them. Can you get your head around that? What would that look like? Why would that approach be more impactful and cost-effective than current practice? Would this upside down version of funders foster more partnerships? Would there be a transformative power-shift? One of my favorite upside down … Continue reading Upside Down Thinking: Funders should be Rebels
Data and Wisdom
When we look to another for wisdom, it is not data that we seek. We want more than information; we need more. We deserve more. Data sends signals, whether standing on its own before us or alongside of its counterparts on a trend line or a scatter diagram. Data may be objective, though I tend … Continue reading Data and Wisdom
