Why Poverty

This is from Eve Purdew, in France:

Take a look at the BBC program called World Debate on WHY POVERTY -from last Sunday -http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-20401822

Best wishes

Eve

Interesting talk on "Plenitude: The Emerging New Economy"

Greetings all!

Molly Freeman (Cohort D) wrote in to share this monograph of a radio presentation called "Plenitude:  The Emerging New Economy" by Juliet Schor, a very interesting sociologist with a background in economics and women's studies, now on the faculty at Boston College.

As Molly says, it has very interesting resonances with the Caring Economy framework, and is quite thought provoking in its own right.

Enjoy - and thanks for the resource Molly!

Not too late to join the Alumni Gathering!

If you haven't yet signed up to attend the 2012 CELP Alumni Gathering on November 30th... It is not too late!

Just sign up today and you'll get all the links and numbers you need to join.

Riane will join us to share updates on the Campaign, Kimberly Otis will tell us about developments in the policy development side of things, and we'll hear stories from our CLs around the world about what they've been up to.  We'll also ask for your feedback on some exciting ideas for the future of this program.

Clock here to see the complete roster of Conversation Leaders worldwide.

I look forward to seeing you there!

- Sara

Great piece on Women and Healthcare by our own Ginger Garner

The lovely Ginger Garner (Cohort L) has written in to share a wonderful article she wrote on women and the health care system, in which she mentions the Caring Economy Campaign.  What a great example of conversation leading through social media!  Thanks for all you do, Ginger.

(I'm thinking that our cadre of nurses now in Cohort O and P may find some helpful data here for your practicum work!)

Ginger writes:

"Just wanted to share my post today, featured on Modern Mom: http://www.modernmom.com/blogs/ginger-garner/how-america-s-broken-health-care-system-affects-women
It very makes the case for Caring Health Care = Caring Economics.
Grace and Peace,
Ginger"

Ann Amberg
I found this one in the New Yorker--

Call for Cartoons

Hi Everyone,

So, in Cohort O the other day we were talking about ice breakers and the use of humor as a powerful part of the Conversation Leader's toolkit.

Which prompted Joyce Johnson to ask the excellent question "do you have any cartoons that we could share?"

We don't, but would love to!

So, please keep your eyes out for jokes, cartoons, and other humor-full ways to introduce the caring economy or partnership frameworks - and send them in!!!

You can pass them along to either Ann or Sara - or leave a comment on this post.

We can't wait to see what you come up with!  We'll share them here on the CLIC and in the toolkit.

Thought Provoking Resources from our CL in Wales

Hi Everyone, 

The always-active Paul Swann wrote in some time ago to share what he's up to in Wales (sorry to be slow to share, Paul!)

Paul writes:  "I was preparing for a presentation, having been invited to speak about caring economics at a meeting on "co-production" next month. But as I dug deeper I ended up disappearing down the rabbit hole!

Having shared the outline for part 1 of the presentation with the organiser, we agreed that I should delay presenting until the following meeting when I'll have more time to open up a conversation afterwards (there was only 15 minutes available next month). Working title is "Capitalism, Class and the Crisis of Civilisation".

When I've compiled a list of resources I'll forward it to you...but in the meantime I do suggest you check out Susan Rosenthal's book "Power & Powerlessness" which is available for free download here:

http://susanrosenthal.com/power-and-powerlessness

There's also an audio recording of the book here:

http://susanrosenthal.com/audio-books-power-and-powerlessness

Another fantastic free resource is the documentary movie "The Crisis of Civilisation", based on a book of the same name by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed:

http://crisisofcivilization.com/

As you'll see, the first chapter of the book (on climate change) can be downloaded, as can the documentary itself, either as a torrent or from youtube: http://youtu.be/pMgOTQ7D_lk

More in due course..."

Thanks so much for the resources Paul - and do let us know how the conversation went when it finally occurred!

- Sara

New Slide Presentation Available in the CL Toolkit!

Dear Conversation Leaders, 

I’m so happy to tell you that the new version of the presentation is now available in the CL Toolkit!  It is called “The Path to Real Prosperity:  Creating a Caring Economy.”  (Many thanks to Janet Sager [Cohort P] for the title suggestion!)

Here’s a direct link to the toolkit:  https://sites.google.com/site/celpmaterials/

You’ll see that I’ve provided the slides in .ppt format, and the script in a range of formats, including .doc, .docx, and .pdf – so you should be able to find a format that works on your computer!

About the presentation:

This "Path to Real Prosperity" presentation is designed in a "modular" fashion to allow you to more easily adjust the presentation for different audiences and different time frames. You will see the presentation is organized in 4 different parts:

1. Making Sense of Caring + Economy.   A brief, broad overview of the big picture caring economy framework.

2. Going Deep: Exploring the Cultural Roots of Our Economy.   A dive into the underlying domination/partnership continuum with an emphasis on the implications for economics.

3. What a Caring Economy Looks Like: Three Areas for Action.  Looks at the three key focus points for change.

4. How You Can Join the Movement. This short section offers 4 ways people can interact with the Caring Economy Campaign.

The first three parts are designed so that each can stand alone, or be combined in different ways. In a limited timeframe, for example, you might share just part 1 and part 4. With a different group, you might focus in on Part 2 only. Or, you might skip the deep history and go from part 1 to part 3... Hopefully you will find this more flexible than the earlier version of the presentation.

I hope you will find this useful in your upcoming presentations and look forward to hearing your feedback on how you use it and how it works for you!

Best wishes to each of you and thank you for your continuing leadership!

-          Sara

FREE Starter Course webinar tomorrow - send your friends and colleagues!

Tomorrow, November 15th, Riane Eisler, Kimberly Otis (Caring Economy Campaign Director) and I will be hosting another of our free webinars to introduce the Caring Economy Framework.

The webinar is just 50 minutes long and happens around lunchtime so it is accessible for most people.  (11:00 PST; 2:00 EST)

If you have friends or colleagues who might be interested in the Caring Economy framework, or in joining the Caring Economy movement, please send them our way!

Sign up here it is a quick and easy form and then you'll get the link to join the webinar.

Thanks!

The Australian Care Economy

Greetings All - 

Many of you are seeking examples of countries outside of the Nordic nations where serious efforts are being made to acknowledge and value the care economy.  This report, called "Counting on the Care Economy" from an Australian group called "Economic Security 4 Women" offers a great picture of the Australian care economy.

Here are just a few of their findings:

• In 2009-2010 the Australian care economy[1] was worth an estimated $762.5 billion.
• Paid care was worth $112.4 billion – 8.8 per cent of GDP – providing nearly 20 per cent of all paid employment
• Unpaid care was imputed at $650.1 billion – equivalent to 50.6 per cent of GDP –and 11.1 million FTE workers; 1.2 times the total Australian full time employed work force
• Women contributed 60 per cent of these 21.4 billion hours of unpaid care work undertaken across Australia in this period.

"The research highlights the primacy of women in the care economy and its significance to Australia. Women are bearing the bulk of the care load and it is having a significant negative impact on their incomes and retirement savings."

If you aren't up for studying the whole report - there's also a much shorter, high-level policy report to look at.

Enjoy!

Ginger Garner now CEC Blogger!

Hi everyone,

There are many great reasons for all Conversation Leaders to tune into the CEC blog, which is really starting to take off - but here's a new one:  Ginger Garner (Cohort L) is now blogging regularly for the CEC site!

Check out her recent post on why we need a Mother's Bill of Rights.

If you are interested in Healing through music, movement, and meditation, you will also love Ginger's home website at www.gingergarner.com.

Ginger also visited Whidbey Island in August, where she met up with Dorothy Baumgartner (Facilitator, Cohort L), Rumi Keast (Cohort L) and Ann Amberg (Program Administrator and member of Cohort N) for a sushi feast and a caring economy conversation.

Here's Rumi's description of that fun gathering:

Rumi presents her beautiful
sushi  to Dorothy's daughter
Annika and a friend

Guess what happened. Ginger visited Whidbey Island yesterday and Dorothy and I met her!

We had a sushi class at Dorothy's husband church, watched a Riane's Tedx talk and had a conversation for caring economics and health care issues - poor communication between health care providers and recipients, and among health care providers in different fields. At the conversation,  Dorothy, her husband, a yoga instructor, Ann (new program coordinator) were present.  We were glad Ginger was there.  She is respectable, friendly, helpful, intellectual, and beautiful!

Rumi and Ginger

It was interesting for me to hear Ginger say sand on a Whidbey's beach is different from her area and the vegetation is similar to the one in North Carolina's mountain areas. She is my very first person from North Carolina whom I got to know.  

Thanks to Ginger for representing Caring Economics so beautifully, and to Rumi, Dorothy, and Ann for pulling off such a lovely gathering.  (Seeing these sushi pictures makes me doubly sorry to have missed it!)

-SS

A collection of resources on economy and environment

Greetings all, 

The dashing Paul Swann (Cohort L) sent the following note to his cohort - it was so full of great resources I just had to share with you all!

Paul writes from Wales:

I thought you might be interested in a chapter by David Korten in "Gaian Economics", the "Economic Key" of this freely downloadable series:

http://www.gaiaeducation.org/index.php/en/publications/4-keys.html

Titled "The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community", it references Dr Eisler's work and draws upon her domination-partnership continuum. 

In the past few weeks I've been looking into climate change, prompted by the weird weather we've been having. Naomi Klein's next book on this subject may re-vitalise the issue. Meanwhile, she wrote this article last November: 

http://www.thenation.com/article/164497/capitalism-vs-climate

And Bill McKibben has written this disturbing article: 

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/global-warmings-terrifying-new-math-20120719

It's not looking good. But as we know, every crisis is an opportunity...

Best wishes,

Paul

Data Galore

Hi everyone,

Get it?  Data?

So often as Caring Economy Conversation Leaders we wish we had just the right example or data point at our fingertips to help make tangible the "big picture" ideas of a caring economy.  But who among us really wants to wade through statistics and policy reports?  (Maybe I should speak for myself on that, but I suspect I'm not alone...)

Those of you in the US will be happy to have these wonderful new fact sheets put together by the Center for American Progress.  I've already used some of the facts that popped off the page to me in the slides for the new Caring Economy Starter Course that we launched last week.  I think you'll find them useful in a similar way.


For example, did you know that only 55.9 percent of workers have the flexibility to adjust their work schedules to care for a child or elderly parent? Because of the danger of losing a job or missing a promotion because of illness, pregnancy, or taking care of a sick loved one, many parents are left to choose between their jobs and their families.  That's just crazy!  We can do better.

Check out these fact sheets here:

• Paid Sick Days by Jane Farrell and Joanna Venator
• Paid Family and Medical Leave by Sarah Jane Glynn
• Workplace Flexibility by Sarah Jane Gynn and Joanna Venator
• The Wage Gap for Women by Sarah Jane Glynn
• Child Care by Sarah Jane Glynn

Also, learn more about the need for paid sick leave from policy analyst Sarah Jane Glynn in this video. 

Let us know which facts you find most incredible, and which you'll be most likely to share with others!

- SS

New Caring Economy Starter Course - FREE!

Hello Conversation Leaders:

Do you have friends and colleagues who are interested when they hear you speak about a Caring Economy, but need to learn more before they feel ready to commit to the leadership program?

Now you can steer them to this FREE lunchtime webinar!  It will be just 50 minutes long, and will include:

• a dynamic introductory presentation about the principles of a Caring Economy and ways to participate in the Caring Economy campaign, then 
• an opportunity for Q&A and discussion with Riane Eisler, Kim Otis (Director of the Caring Economy Campaign) and myself (Director of the Caring Economy Leadership Program.)

We're offering the Starter Course twice this Fall:

September 5th 
at 11:00 - 11:50 am Pacific; 2:00 - 2:50 Eastern.

and October 3rd
at 11:00 - 11:50 am Pacific; 2:00 - 2:50 Eastern.

Did I mention it is FREE?!

All you need to do is register to attend - and you'll get instructions for how to join the event.

There's also a bit more information on this webpage.

Of course, you are welcome to attend as well if you'd like a refresher!

$100 Scholarship Just for Knowing You!

Hello Dear Conversation Leaders,

Who in your network would make a great Caring Economy Conversation Leader?

Did you know that anyone you refer to the CELP program this fall will automatically receive a $100 scholarship?  (They can request additional financial support if needed.)  This way, you can not only pass on the information about a great learning/action opportunity, but your friends and colleagues will enjoy a significant scholarship just for knowing you!

Please share as expansively as possible this snazzy new Information Packet and encourage your contacts to put your name on the registration form where it says "Were you referred to this program by a program graduate?"  (You'll get a thank you from us as well - we couldn't do it without you!)

Just a reminder:  Fall Cohorts start:

Cohort N:  August 30th
Cohort O:  September 18th
Cohort P:  October 17th

Thanks so much for helping us connect to great new members of the CELP community!

Invitation to Join in Santa Monica

Hi Everyone!

Riane would like to invite any Conversation Leaders in the area to join her for an upcoming talk in Santa Monica, CA.  Here are some details for you:

FOUNDATIONS FOR A MORE PEACEFUL AND CARING WORLD
HOST:Carol Simpson PLEASE RSVP
WHEN:  Saturday, August 18 at 4:00 PM
WHERE:  SGI-USA Buddhist Center 310-260-89001212 7th StreetSanta Monica, CA 90401

Here's a link to the invitation - please use this to RSVP if you wish to attend:
Event Invitation

The League of Extraordinary Women

From Kim Tso comes this link to an article profiling some high-powered women who are working to improve the lives of women and girls...

(You might also check out the comment string at the bottom of the article for some interesting critique of the way in which the corporate cultures in which many of these leaders work is simultaneously part of the problem...see what you think!)

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/167/the-league-of-extraordinary-women

Fixing the Future - Screening in a City Near You

Thanks to Maura Conlon-McIvor for sending in this link to what looks like a fascinating documentary which may interest many of you, called Fixing the Future.  It will be screening on July 18th and 19th in cities across the country (an interesting model for the release of a documentary!)

Here's a little blurb for you:


"In Fixing the Future, host David Brancaccio, of public radio’s Marketplace and NOW on PBS, visits people and organizations across America that are attempting a revolution: the reinvention of the American economy. By featuring communities using sustainable and innovative approaches to create jobs and build prosperity, Fixing the Future inspires hope and renewal in a people overwhelmed by economic collapse.

The film highlights effective, local practices such as: local business alliances, community banking, time banking/hour exchange, worker cooperatives and local currencies."

I hope you'll check out Fixing the Future if you can, and then leave a comment here on the CLIC, and let us know whether you see the Caring Economics perspective present in the film, or whether the CE mind-shift would add something important to the focus of the film?

- Sara

Inviting Young People Into the Caring Economy Movement

Hi everyone,

Here at the CELP global headquarters ;), we've been talking about what it could look like to get more young people involved in the Caring Economy Movement - a topic I know is close to the hearts of some of you Conversation Leaders as well.  (Miranda Keenan of Cohort M, for example, did her practicum work this Spring with a group of teens...)

Here are a couple links that fit into this conversation:

The first was sent in by Ann Manning:
http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/1019014/eighth_grader_stops_seventeen_from_photoshopping_girls_in_its_magazine/#paragraph3

And the second was brought to my attention by our new Program Administrator, the marvelous Ann Amberg (from whom you'll be hearing more in the near future...)
http://generationwakingup.org/

There are exciting and wonderful things afoot in this next generation!  Leave a comment if you'd like to share an idea or two about how to engage young people in the CE conversation...

Cheers,
Sara

Riane and Susan Carter on the Radio

Hi Dear CELP-Folk,

Dr. Susan Carter

Friend of CELP Dr. Susan Carter (who collaborated with me on the design of the CELP program, co-facilitated cohorts A, B, and C, and continues to consult with the Center for Partnership studies on curriculum development) - sent this link to a BlogTalkRadio show which she and Riane did together called "What Has a Hold On You? Domination or Partnership?"

The show is facilitated by Cathy Bennett, who is a student at Marylhurst University in Portland OR, where Susan is the Interim Chair of the MA in Interdisciplinary Studies program.  (Check out their beautiful new website if you are thinking of pursuing an MA degree!)

If you have some time to listen to the show, it is a great opportunity to hear Riane speak about the domination/partnership continuum in a slightly different context.

Thanks Susan!

More from the Rio+20 Conference

Hi Everyone,

You might remember that a couple weeks ago, Ann Manning shared with us an article about the Rio+20 conference (see that post)

This week, Molly Freeman follows up on that post with another article "Whither Macroeconomics? Sustainable Development From A Feminist Human Rights Perspective" written by Savi Bisnath, the Associate Director of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutgers University.

Bisnath presents a very cogent perspective on the high level learnings and questions that emerged from this important international sustainability conference.

Here's a taste of  for you:

"Given economic policy and economic growth’s starring roles in the sustainable development narrative, we benefit from seeing macroeconomic policy as a means of either facilitating unsustainable development and inequality, or facilitating sustainable development and human rights. For the latter we will also need institutions and processes at the national and international levels directed at the realization of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights, and democratic governance. In other words we need to replace the notion of the “invisible hand” with “standing shoulder to shoulder,” for the achievement of sustainable development for all and the realization of gender equity."

You can also download a pdf of this article here.

Thanks Ann and Molly!

Riane's Reply to the "Having it All" Debate

If you've been following the "Having it All" debate, sparked by this article - which Conversation Leader Kimberly Berg shared with us last week, you'll be fascinated to see how Riane and Valerie Young used it as an opportunity to refocus attention on the deeper issues beneath the "mommy wars" - namely the absence of a caring economy.  

Here's their Huffington Post Piece that came out on June 28th:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/riane-eisler/mommy-wars_b_1630872.html

Caring for the Environment is Good Business!

Conversation Leader Molly Freeman wrote in to share this article "Captain Planet" which is an interview with Paul Polman, the CEO of the Unilever Corporation - a multinational corporation with brands including Dove, Ponds, Lipton, Knorr, and many others you would recognize.


The company is at the forefront of efforts to minimize environmental and social impact in the places where it operates and is, as Molly says,  "A great example of corporate adoption of a full spectrum economy, particularly with respect to the sustainability of the natural environment."


Here's another article with additional details on the company's sustainable agriculture plan.


Thanks for the great example, Molly - I know it will be useful to everyone wanting to have real-world examples of companies who are proving that caring for the environment is good business.

Will the World Listen to Women?

Ann Manning wrote in to share this article on the efforts of international women leaders to make the case for the relationship between gender equality and sustainability at the Rio + 20 conference.

“The only way to respond to increasing human numbers and dwindling resources is through the empowerment of women,” said Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway and former director-general of the World Health Organization"

Thanks for sharing, Ann!

Women and the "Having it All" Fiction

Kimberly Berg wrote in to share this provocative article  Why Women Still Can’t Have It All by Anne-Marie Slaughter - a high-level policy maker in Washington DC who stepped down to care for her family.

Here's a blurb from the article to give you the sense:

IT’S TIME TO STOP FOOLING OURSELVES, SAYS A WOMAN WHO LEFT A POSITION OF POWER: THE WOMEN WHO HAVE MANAGED TO BE BOTH MOTHERS AND TOP PROFESSIONALS ARE SUPERHUMAN, RICH, OR SELF-EMPLOYED. IF WE TRULY BELIEVE IN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL WOMEN, HERE’S WHAT HAS TO CHANGE.

Thanks for the share, Kimberly!

Caring Economics Comes to Armenia

I've just heard from Molly Freeman, who is currently in Yerevan, Armenia.

Molly Freeman, Conversation Leader
(Cohort D)

Mollly wanted to share that she's presenting a workshop on Caring Economics at the Caucasus Resource and Research Center in Yerevan TODAY!  She promises a full report on how it goes - which we'll eagerly await!

Molly also wanted to share with us an article about Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's remarks on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of Title IX.

"Sebelius spoke about the huge progress achieved in 40 years toward a more balanced education system, particularly in the world of sports. But she also noted that women still face some discrimination, both in how they are currently treated at schools, and how they may be de-prioritized because of underlying sexism..."

Read the whole article

Thanks for staying in touch Molly, we send good wishes for your workshop today, and look forward to hearing all about it!

- Sara

Glitch Fixed: Comments Now Open on CLIC Posts!

Have you ever tried to leave a comment on a CLIC post, only to be blocked by annoying fields that ask you to share your profile?

Well, that's all in the past - THE GLITCH IS FIXED!!!!

So, if you are moved to comment on a CLIC post, please DO - we love to hear your voices (don't let that Go To Training "mute" button fool you :)

Let the commenting begin!

(And thanks to Ann for bringing to my attention that the comment feature was not set up correctly!  It takes a village to climb the learning curve that I know we all face when it comes to technologies - I always appreciate help.)

- Sara

Details on "99 to 1" Event in Minneapolis

Earlier, I shared that Conversation Leader Ann Manning would soon be hosting an event in Minneapolis, and now we have details!

The event is a benefit for Ann's organization "Wealth for the Common Good"  which is a network of business leaders, high income individuals, and partners working together to promote shared prosperity and fair taxation.  "We are 'the 1 percent' that wants an economy that works for everyone."

Chuck Collins, Author of 99 to 1:  How Wealth Inequality is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do About It will be the special guest.

If you are in Minneapolis or can get there on Wednesday, June 27th - Ann warmly invites you to check it out!

Again, here's the link to the Event description and details.

Book Recommendation and Beautiful Quote from Sacred Economics

From the fabulous Kristen McKee of Cohort J comes the following recommendation...Thanks Kristen!:

********

Kristen McKee,
Conversation Leader

Here is the link to Sacred Economics by Charles Eisenstein. The book itself offers some genuine and practical ways in which we might transfer to a more caring economy while embodying partnership. The following excerpt made me think of all of us somehow, and about leading and teaching about caring economy, while remaining in partnership with ourselves and others:

"To enter more deeply into right livelihood, bow into service each day. Trust your desire to give, remember how good it feels, and be open to opportunities to do so, especially when they are just at the edge of your courage. And if they are beyond the edge of your courage, don’t torment yourself. The fears that block your givingness are not an enemy. They form a cocoon of safety. When we grow, the fears that were once protective become limiting; we become impatient with them and seek to break free. That impatience bears new courage. Today, this growth process is happening to humanity generally. The program of Ascent** that once seemed good and right to us — pushing the frontiers of science, conquering the universe, triumphing over nature — seems right no longer, as the consequences of that ambition become painfully hard to ignore. Collectively we have entered a crisis moment, in which the old is intolerable and the new has not yet manifested (not as a common vision, though it has for many individuals).

So, when it comes to right livelihood or right investment, let us be gentle. For ourselves and others, let us trust the natural desire to give, and let us trust the natural growth process that propels us toward it. Instead of attempting to guilt ourselves and others into it (and generating resistance to our sanctimony), we can offer opportunities and encouragement to give, and we can be generous with our appreciation and celebration of the gifts of others. We can see others not as selfish, greedy, ignorant, or lazy people who just “don’t get it,” but rather as divine beings who desire to give to the world; we can see that and speak to that and know it so strongly that our knowing serves as an invitation to ourselves and others to step into that truth."

** This, from his previous book, is essentially his way of referring to the dominator paradigm.

Kimberly Berg Encounters a Mini Teachable Moment

Hey all,
Kimberly Berg (now graduate of Cohort J) sent in this lovely thought piece about a fascinating encounter she had in an unlikely place..

Kimberly Berg,
Conversation Leader

Cheering vs. motivating

by Kimberly Berg

I was climbing the stairs in Culver City. As one ascends what becomes clear is that their daunting not simply because there are over 400 steps at a steep angle but that they’re also very uneven in height. Some are quite reasonable, akin to an apartment building stairwell. While many demand double the effort and lung capacity to mount them (causing short ones like me to have to really reach!). 

As I dragged my heaving torso and leaden legs towards the top, I was met by a slender, tall, very fit, African American man-friendly, chipper…. annoying? How can he be so happy when at this moment, tempered with exhaustion, I’m barely audible! Mumbling, waving hands, I send the “thumbs up” in his direction, hoping he won’t expect conversation at this point.

Okay. 2^nd round. There he is again. This time with a bit more breath available I say to him, “how sweet of you to cheer us on”.  He responded positively but then quickly enough decided that my word to describe his support was incorrect. He preferred, “motivator”. “Cheering”, was decidedly too feminine.

I said what’s wrong with being “feminine”? He immediately understood what I meant. You mean, caring, he asked? YES! I said enthusiastically, with an undercurrent of shock humming within too.  He associated feminine to caring. How beautiful to know that a random man on the Culver City steps, is carrying around the consciousness that femininity equates to care! 

Yet, it’s that very fact he didn’t want to be associated with the word care that caused a brief bubble of disappointment or sadness to pop up.  We continued talking a bit longer. I expressed that caring is precisely what he’s doing at the top of those stairs, helping others feel good about their accomplishments.  After pause, he did agree. How sweet (another feminine feature I suppose?).  He put his masculine idea’s aside for a moment and decide that care was a quality he valued and was happy to be seen as a man who was able to care and feel safe with that truth being exposed.

You’ll know there’s a huge shift in consciousness the day boys are referred to as “girly” and it’s taken as a compliment! And when later in life they hear: Why mister so and so….you have so many feminine qualities, we’ve been searching for a girly man like you, welcome to our firm! HA….not likely but one can play, dance and skirt around the notion.

*********

Thanks so much Kimberly for sharing this lovely essay - you are a whiz at describing this kind of "micro moment" in which you created a shift in thinking, just by standing up for "the feminine" and giving permission for him to "own" his own caring.

- Sara

Book Recommendation: 99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality Is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do about It

Hey there,

Here's a book and TED talk recommendation from our own Ann Manning (recent graduate of the small and mighty Cohort J - yea!)

The book is by Ann's colleage, Chuck Collins and is called "99 to 1:  How Wealth Inequality is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do About It"

Chuck Collins also has a TEDx talk on YouTube that might interest you: called "Taxing the Wealthy."

Sometime soon, Ann will be moderating a panel at an open-to-the-public economic justice event in Minneapolis with Chuck, and she will be weaving Caring Economy ideas into that panel!  (Ann - please share a comment and give us the details so anyone in the area might be able to join you!)

Thanks for the recommendation, Ann - I look forward to reading it.

- Sara

Maura and Sara Take to the Airwaves on Coffee Party Radio

Hi everyone,

Maura Conlon-McIvor,
Facilitator

Earlier today, Maura Conlon McIvor and I were guests on the "Lunch with Louden" radio show which is a regular part of the Coffee Party's offerings.   (You may know that the Coffee Party is an organization formed to counter the work and tone of the Tea Party)

Here's a link to the show if you'd like to give a listen.  (I have a bad cold and surely sound pretty funky, but I think we did good overall.  I'm scared to listen, but leave a comment if you do and let us know what you think!)


http://www.blogtalkradio.com/coffeepartyusa/2012/06/14/lunch-with-louden-thursdays-at-1200-pt

Sara Saltee, Program Director

It was a great opportunity for Maura and me to stretch our "conversation leader" legs and articulate the principles and ideas of caring economics!  (Never let it be said that your facilitators are teaching instead of doing!)  Maura has had lots of experience on radio - which shows...she was great, but it was a first for me!

When I felt nervous, I just kept thinking about all you amazing conversation leaders who have stepped up in your practicum experiences and beyond and have put your voices to work in service of a saner economy - how could I chicken out with all of you modeling such courage?

Thanks for helping me "push the edge" Maura!

Cheers,
Sara

Money & Life Conference...and Movie

Greetings all!

Allen Ament (Cohort K, and fellow Whidbey Islander) brought this upcoming Money & Life conference to my attention - and I know it will interest many of you:

About the Conference:

Money & Life
A convening of change agents
working toward a new economic and social paradigm.
June 28 - July 1st, 2012
Whidbey Institute, Whidbey Island, WA


For more information, and to register, click here.

About the Movie
And, click the image below to go to the trailer of the movie that will be screened at the conference  (http://vimeo.com/33231142):

Thanks Allen!  It looks like a marvelous opportunity to continue and expand the Caring Economy conversation.

The Work of Care and the Limits of Productivity

Maura Conlon-McIvor

Our wonderful Maura Conlon-McIvor - Certified Conversation Leader and now program facilitator - ran across this very interesting New York Times opinion piece "Let's Be Less Productive" which challenges the conventional wisdom that increasing productivity is the best driver of economic progress.

The author, Tim Jackson, does a very nice job of calling out how the work of care and craft is different from other kinds of work:

"The care and concern of one human being for another is a peculiar “commodity.” It can’t be stockpiled. It becomes degraded through trade. It isn’t delivered by machines. Its quality rests entirely on the attention paid by one person to another. Even to speak of reducing the time involved is to misunderstand its value."


Read the complete article here:  Let's Be Less Productive 


Thanks Maura!

Great visual on how USA compares on Paid Maternity Leave

Hi everyone,

Kim Otis (the Director of the Caring Economy Campaign) has passed along this terrific visual showing how the USA stacks up to other countries when it comes to paid maternity leave.

And here's the article that accompanies the graphic.  http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/05/24/489973/paid-maternity-leave-us/

Nothing like a good visual to bring home the message of how badly we in the US need to shift in the direction of a Caring Economy!

- Sara

Article on the Sharing Economy of Portland by Kristen McKee of Cohort J

Our own dear Kristen McKee of Cohort J recently published this article on the economy of sharing in Portland, OR - a great reminder of how much richness there is outside of the market economy!

http://www.shareable.net/blog/in-portland-you-can-have-all-you-need-by-sharing

Thanks for sharing the link, Kristen!

Consider Participating in the "Feminomics" Intensive this October

Dear Conversation Leaders,

This October, the Bioneers organization is hosting a day-long intensive program on "Feminomics" and our own Riane Eisler will be one of the speakers!

The Feminomics Intensive will happen in San Rafael, California on October 22nd.

This one-day intensive will explore how women, a gender lens, and valuing the well-being of people and planet can converge to inform new visions for finance, business, economics and culture. Gather with leading-edge thinkers and doers, innovators and practitioners across investment, business, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, finance, justice, policy and politics. We’ll learn, connect and share promising practices toward an inclusive vision that taps diverse voices, models and innovations to turn the tide toward a life-affirming and just economy and world.


Here are more details, and the link to register:
http://www.bioneers.org/conference/2012-schedule/intensives/feminomics-intensive

If you are in California, or can get there on October 22nd, I urge you to consider participating in this intensive.  It will be an exciting, powerful, and deeply productive day!

 - Sara

What do "Feminine Values" look like in Finance? Wonderful TED Talk

Thanks to Ellen Snortland for sharing this TED Talk by Halla Tomasdottir, who co-founded an investment banking company in Iceland based on feminine values.


http://www.ted.com/talks/halla_tomasdottir.html


Tomasdottir does a beautiful job of articulating why we must have both women and men represented in financial decision-making, and defining what feminine values look like in the context of the financial world.


And, you will love her story about the first female President of Iceland!


Enjoy!

ANNOUNCEMENT: ADDITIONS TO THE CL TOOLKIT

Sara Saltee, Program Director

Hey everyone,

Check out three new pages added to the CL Toolkit:

1.  Chapter Summaries Real Wealth of Nations - these one-pager pdfs are great resources for you and for participants in the conversations you host.

2.  PR Examples - You'll find a smattering of different PR examples shared by past Conversation Leaders.  We'd love to add some additional strong examples, so share them when you've got them!

3.  Spanish Language Materials - Marisa Iturbide (of Cohort B) translated the Women's Empowerment Slides and Script as well as some of the other class materials into spanish for us - and now they are posted in the Toolkit for your use.

This Toolkit is truly a co-created resource - please don't forget to share any additional tools you create!

Thanks,
Sara

More men entering jobs previously dominated by women

Cheers Conversation Leaders!

Here's a link to very interesting New York Times article shared by Allen Ament of Cohort K about the influx of men into previously woman-dominated fields.

As Allan says:  "If this is the start of an on-going trend, it may have major impact on both the pay scales of these professions as well as the perceived social and economic value they have."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/business/increasingly-men-seek-success-in-jobs-dominated-by-women.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

I was struck by two lines in the article:

"More than a few men said their new jobs had turned out to be far harder than they imagined."


And, in a passage about a man who chose to leave a lucrative data consulting job to become a nurse..  "...his starting salary will be about a third what he once earned, but database consulting does not typically earn hugs like the one Mr. Cook recently received from a girl after he took care of her premature baby sister. “It’s like, people get paid for doing this kind of stuff?” Mr. Cook said, choking up as he recounted the episode."


Isn't it fascinating that Mr. Cook's expression of emotional and spiritual satisfaction with his caring work is intertwined with his expression of amazement (and doubt?) about the fact that this work is also paid in material terms?


Will the growing ranks of men in caring professions be natural allies for women seeking to make the economic importance of this work more visible and valuable?   Will more equal representation of men and women in caring professions accelerate the cultural shift toward partnership values and raise the status and pay associated with care - as we come to view the work of care without our gender-role blinders on?


What do you think?

Interesting Strategy for Equalizing Gender Disparities in Norway

Ellen Snortland (K) shared this interesting article from Forbes.com which demonstrates the kind of policy questions which emerge from the core insight that gender equality is tied to both economic health and quality of life or "happiness."

Sex Points Equalize Gender Disparities in Norway - Forbes

Thanks Ellen!

Female Economist on Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential List

Ann Manning of Cohort J wrote recently to share the following:



"Thought you'd all enjoy reading Lynn Parramore's take on Time Magazine including a woman economist for the first time in their "100 Most Influential." It's something to celebrate to see her work finally acknowledged on a larger scale." 

Time Magazine Names First Female Nobel Prize-Winner in Economics to 100 Most Influential List  By Lynn Parramore | Sourced from AlterNet 

Parramore: As I have often remarked in the face of all-male economic panels and male-dominated conferences: "A conversation about economics solely between men is not a conversation: it's a frat party."

If you're not familiar with Elinor's work, check out the article on 'On the Commons" website--a site you should be aware of as well. 

http://onthecommons.org/elinor-ostroms-8-principles-managing-commmons

Deciding the Universe is Friendly

Ann Manning, Cohort J

Ann Manning of Cohort J shared this lovely reflection from Albert Einstein on the value of choosing to believe in a friendly universe.

The quote came to her via iJourney.org,  a project of ServiceSpace.org, an organization which may interest many of you if you are not already subscribers.

Is the Universe Friendly?

by Albert Einstein

 "I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves. 

"For if we decide that the universe is an unfriendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to achieve safety and power by creating bigger walls to keep out the unfriendliness and bigger weapons to destroy all that which is unfriendly and I believe that we are getting to a place where technology is powerful enough that we may either completely isolate or destroy ourselves as well in this process.

"If we decide that the universe is neither friendly nor unfriendly and that God is essentially ‘playing dice with the universe’, then we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice and our lives have no real purpose or meaning.

"But if we decide that the universe is a friendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to create tools and models for understanding that universe. Because power and safety will come through understanding its workings and its motives."

"God does not play dice with the universe,"

--Albert Einstein

Kristen McKee of Cohort J writes:


"Here is an article on the UN Happiness summit that I came across today. 


I especially like this quote:

'So here is a dilemma: The way the realm of goods and services expands is by transforming nature and social relationships – the very things that the World Happiness Report cites as essential to happiness – into products and services. In order to keep the financial system functioning, we are destroying the basis of human well-being.'"