I dreamed the world had all agreed… to put an end to war

I dreamed the world had all agreed to put an end to war.  The lines are from Ed McCurdy’s song Last night I had the strangest dream.  Written in 1950, this classic anti-war song continues to inspire and give hope to those in the peace movement.  McCurdy was an American folk singer, songwriter, and television […]

It's time for a Centre for Social Innovation in Victoria

I’m a fan of the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto.  It’s a dynamic model of collaboration for public good.  We could use one like it, here in Victoria, for Southern Vancouver Island. Last year, I wrote here about the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), and their executive director, Ashoka Fellow Tonya Surman.  (Ashoka Fellows […]

A few random questions about mediation: Any answers?

Here`s a few random questions related to mediation that have recently come to my mind. Hey, it’s summertime… the mind wanders. Did the modern mediation movement come out of the Quaker tradition? This was a question posed by J Nyden in response to this post on Peter Phillip’s Business Conflict blog. Is web TV the […]

Wonder Cafe: Online conversations are changing The United Church of Canada

It’s challenging being a mainstream Christian church these days, in Canada.  Declining membership, aging congregations, questions about relevancy, not to mention dealing with the Indian residential school legacy, witness Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Yet, paradoxically, there is opportunity.  Opportunity to reach out, engage, dialogue, explore new possibilities.  This is the approach The United Church […]

Constructive Conflict: Revisiting the genius of Mary Parker Follett

  Last month, my collaborative-minded web friend, John Folk-Williams, introduced us to Mary Parker Follett, in this article on his excellent blog Cross Collaborate.  Among the living humans from 1868-1933, her insights reflected a brilliant mind, systems thinking, and in retrospect, are visionary.  I was totally intrigued, and so I followed up… First, I procured […]