NEWSLETTER - December 2009

www.thevalueweb.org

Issue 01/09

Dear Friends of The Value Web,Greetings! I hope this finds you well and enjoying the latter days of 2009. Indeed, it is hard to believe 2009 is almost behind us, and that in a just a few weeks we enter into the second decade of the 21st century!

I came upon this wonderful quote by Ingles a few days ago. It strikes me that this is exactly the kind of design thinking the world needs now. As the call to action rises in pitch and urgency, this is the kind of design thinking that will lead to new approaches and better actions. Since our March gathering, This Moment in Time, which focused on the role of design in a period of paradigm change, indications of an emerging paradigm have been appearing everywhere. Across the spectrum of work we’re doing and conversations we’re having, fundamental assumptions are being challenged from within and without our world’s places of power. It is an exciting and challenging time. For designers, it is quite an opportunity: a chance to shape the new paradigm is the highest reward.

Recently, The Value Web has been able to contribute to these power-full conversations by having a presence at several summits and conferences concerning the state of the environment, climate change and sustainability. These include the INDEX: | AIGA Aspen Design Challenge, the World Forum on Enterprise and the

Environment, the Berlin Civil Society Center’s Global Perspectives and, this week in Copenhagen at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

Additionally, The World Economic Forum has conti-nued to be a strong supporter and event partner for us, most recently at their Annual Meeting of New Champions in Dalian, China, where our presence included two WorkSpace environments, an IdeasLab and supporting the Young Global Leaders Summit. Now, we are preparing for Davos, where all but a few of us will be on hand, again dispersed among the WorkSpace, IdeasLab and YGLs.

In October, the Value Web led the design and faci-litation of a DesignShop with the United Nations World Food Programme concerning how to increase investments in “Safety Nets.” This was the third DesignShop for the WFP.

In looking back on this, it can certainly be said The Value Web is fulfilling its intent to create a “more equitable and sustainable world.” Yet, alongside this body of work we’ve been having many conversa-tions calling into question the environmental sustainability of conve-ning large groups and the equity of voice when the groups are so top

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What if design could be the opposite of conflict? Not by ignoring it but by feeding off it? A way to incorporate and integrate differences -- not through compromise -- or by choosing sides but by tying conflicting interests into a Gordian knot of new ideas.

Bjarke Ingles

NEWSLETTER - December 2009

www.thevalueweb.org

Issue 01/09

Pag. 02

Without question, these questions will be at the heart of our 2010 Spring Gathering. We’re tentatively planning an ecosystem-wide event March 10 - 12. London and Berlin are the two cities where we’re most likely to hold the event, with details on theme, intent and participation to be announced soon.

Finally, I’d like to call out a couple of my colleagues who have recently taken on notable positions within the design world. Patrick Frick, was a juror and presenter at the 2009 INDEX: Design to Improve Life Awards, and Gregoire Serikoff has been elected Secretary General of the Executive Board of International Council on Graphic Design (Icograda). You can also now find all the various organizational affiliations of Value Web members on our website by following the “who we are” link.

On behalf of all my VW colleagues, I wish you a happy, peaceful and celebratory close to the year. May your holidays be bright and cheerful. We look forward to doing amazing things together in 2010.

Warmest regards,

Todd Johnston,Value Web President, 2009-2010

The Value WebAbout who we are

heavy with those holding power. What does the future hold for collaborative gatherings? Innovation in “virtual” collaboration appears to be approaching a Moore’s Law rate of progression. This will be of immense value to the environment, and enable much more equitable participation. But this is not yet anywhere near a replacement for large

scale, face-to-face learning, designing and problem sol-ving. Simply put, the experience is incompressible.

How can we continue – and, in fact, increase – the fre-quency with which we bring people together to design while diminishing our environmental degradation? When you can’t have everyone in the room, how can we assure every voice is heard?

As we enter into a new year, these are a few of the challen-ging questions The Value Web is holding. One of the MG Taylor axioms is “There is no Out There.” Indeed, as we work with others to help solve some of the most complex challenges of our day, we see them reflected within our own organization, as well.

The Value Web is an international non-profit association, based in Switzerland, focusing on engaging NGO’s, social enterprises, foundations, non-profits, governments and multi-sector collaborations in transformational projects for a more sustainable, equitable world. We design and deliver collaborative engagements to support like-minded leaders and their organizations around the world.The Value Web’s collective experience allows our design processes to cut through the complexity found in the worlds of business, government, non-profit and civil society – and build connections at the intersections where these communities come together.The Value Web stands for integrity and sustainable solutions that best benefit the organization and the larger world in which it is a part.