Context

Context is our best attempt to sketch the state of affairs in which we find ourselves and how we got here. This is our worldview and laying it out reveals our perspective. As such it sounds descriptive; of course, in truth it’s normative.  

Social systems are important. How our region’s social systems (e.g. education, economic development, corporate production) function immediately and directly affect the current well-being and future prosperity of the people who live here.

Many of our social systems are maladapted. Many of our community’s social systems were designed for (adapted to) a world with different values, tools and ways of life than we have today. As a result, these systems are falling out of date and are hampering our community’s current well-being and future prosperity. We need to update (and in some cases, completely transform) our social systems to align with our current and future way of life.

We have a wealth of knowledge about context and ways forward. There are already people and organizations in our community and around the world trying to get a better picture of our current situation and also developing innovative ways to improve and transform the systems in need of change. Knowledge and ideas are there.

We have a wealth of capital to transform our social systems. Our region already has an abundance of the capital assets needed to transform our dated social systems. Many of the tools are there and others are on their way.

Social systems, knowledge, and capital are poorly connected. The capital stores in most social systems are hidden from one another, untapped due to decaying politics and the innovators and caring community members are poorly connected with each other and the available resources. Moreover, powerful institutions are often myopic, thus unable to innovate and transform the systems they currently rely on for self-preservation.