 Greetings
What's the Best the Strengths Summit could Spark?
A recent design team gathering was an important step forward in Cincinnati's strengths summit effort.
In this e-news, read more about what the gathering accomplished, including the task statement proposed for the whole-city event. Also hear about participants' "aha" moments, and why they and others are compelled to join this effort.
We want to hear from you, too. What is the best you think could happen through the strengths summit? Call the newsroom at 705-741-4421, or e-mail michelle@axiomnews.ca.
To a new future!
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What We're Thinking
Igniting Our Strengths to Invent the New American Metropolis
On June 24 and 25, citizens of the Cincinnati region worked closely together to design a summit capable of propelling the area toward new possibilities. With their sights set on hosting a summit of several hundred to possibly several thousand to ignite those possibilities, these 40 wrangled together.
From the outset defining the summit task has been challenging, but by the magic that seems to deliver every time, a statement was finally landed upon.
As those in the room unpacked the task statement it became clear there was something in it to inspire at every level. Igniting our individual strengths, those of our personal networks, our neighborhoods, organizations, and system-wide players and resources, towards the invention and co-creation of the New American City (or metropolis) has play space for everyone.
The task statement, to Ignite Our Strengths to Invent the New American Metropolis is still subject to fine tuning and sober second thought. If it holds in spirit, and odds are it will, those who work to make it real will do something beyond themselves. They may well cast light on a pathway other urban centres might enjoy walking along too. Click here to read the full editorial.
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From the Champions
City Leaders,Grassroots Joining Summit Efforts
Cincinnatians Unifying Around Strengths
Tina Whalen, department head of rehabilitation sciences at the University of Cincinnati and CoreChange team member, says it's the right time to think about positive change in the city and people are receptive to being involved.
"They seem to not only acknowledge that we need to take a different way of looking at things but it's the time to do it now," she says, adding it gives her great hope to see the accelerating interest.
Clarence Williams, one of the 40 people who gathered June 24-25 for the meeting to plan the strengths-based summit, says he has seen the power of the strengths approach in his own life, adding to his belief in this city-wide strengths effort.
"This is a new thing. Out of all the things I've seen and been a part of, it was very collective, everyone came with positive energy, everyone was open to suggestions," he says of the planning event.
The gift of the strengths-based approach to kindle transformation has come to life in a deeply personal way for Rosie Merkt, who also attended the June 24-25 design gathering.
"I believe when we individually live from our strengths, there is so much greatness that comes out of that, for the whole," she says, noting she has seen this first-hand in her work with the incarcerated.
Rosie says it was both moving and energizing to be part of a group who had given up their weekend for the design team gathering, and were dedicated and focused on co-creating a new future for the city.
Watch for more news in future editions and at www.axiomnews.ca.
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What's Working
Cincinnati Circles Pulling People to New Possibilities
Effort flowing into city-wide strengths work
In a pocket of Cincinnati, circles of people are transforming cultural norms by gathering around individuals who are marginalized and "pulling" them towards new possibilities.
The effort is recently nurtured in part by the life and work of renowned citizen advocate, Tom Kohler, of Savannah, Georgia, who is working against cultural norms to invent new ways that people can matter to each other. Full Story
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Newsroom Notes
CincySummit News Twitter Account Growing
A Twitter account for the news coverage of the Cincinnati Appreciative Inquiry summit is steadily building a base of followers. Many are Cincinnati residents and organizations, with others from the strengths or leadership movements.
Each time someone elects to follow the account, we think it's reason to celebrate. We see this social media tool as another way to grow the circle of those excited about what the summit and Appreciative Inquiry has to offer.
A next step is to explore partnering with Twitter followers who are champions of Cincinnati's strengths.
Follow the Cincinnati Summit News Twitter account. Twitter handle: @CincySummit.
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Get Involved
Be at the Hub of the Movement
1. Jump into the middle of the awareness, energy and excitement building around Appreciative Inquiry and the Cincinnati AI summit. Help expand the list of people receiving this free monthly e-news by forwarding it on, inviting your contacts to sign up or by posting a message to your website, Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts.
2. Be a key player in the Appreciative Inquiry activities underway in Cincinnati, most notably the preparations for and upcoming summit. Call 513-360-8640 for more information.
3. Bring Appreciative Inquiry to life in your own organization through stories. Contact Peter at Axiom News to learn more about how stories anchored in the Appreciative Inquiry approach create results.
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Strengths-Based Storytelling
Here's How Stories Can Work for You
Looking for results in your organization and your community?
Join the life-giving news network of Cincinnati and create the change you want to see - at an individual, organizational and whole-system level.
How? By telling stories every day about the people in your organization; stories about people going above and beyond, innovating, about project wins, people championing a new way of thinking, advancing a mission and making a meaningful difference.
Sharing success stories is the best way to create the change you want to see. Imagine seeing a new success story posted to your website every day. Then imagine those stories being shared with local news sources and on the Axiom News site, adding to the creation of a new Cincinnati story, a strengths-based story. Axiom News can do this for you: We discover, write, post to your website and share your success stories on your behalf. Engaging the people in your organization, and creating positive change through stories has never been easier. Visit the Axiom News website, or contact Peter to learn more about the benefits of organizational storytelling and how to get started. |
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The task statement,
Igniting Our Strengths to Invent the New American Metropolis, "tackle(s) everything that this summit is trying to do. It's trying to create a new American city; it's not trying to throw Band-Aids on different problems. It's trying to revamp Cincinnati totally from the inside-out, and I think that's the only way change is going to happen." -- Clarence Williams, Cincinnati resident
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recommended
watch
Hear from Dr. Victor Garcia on his vision for a new Cincinnati.
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Igniting our individual strengths, those of our personal networks, our neighborhoods, organizations, and system-wide players and resources, towards the invention and co-creation of the New American City (or metropolis) has play space for everyone. -- Peter Pula, Axiom News CEO
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Jump into the middle of the awareness, energy and excitement building around Appreciative Inquiry and the Cincinnati AI summit. Help expand the list of people receiving this free monthly e-news by forwarding it on, inviting your contacts to sign up, or by posting a message to your website, Twitter, Facebook and other social media accounts.
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Appreciative Inquiry defined
The traditional approach to change is to look for the problem, do a diagnosis, and find a solution. The primary focus is on what is wrong or broken; since we look for problems, we find them. By paying attention to problems, we emphasize and amplify them.
Appreciative Inquiry suggests that we look for what works in an organization. The tangible result of the inquiry process is a series of statements that describe where the organization wants to be, based on the high moments of where they have been.
Because the statements are grounded in real experience and history, people know how to repeat their success. -- Sue Hammond, The Thin Book of Appreciative Inquiry.
Click here for more definitions and resources.
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about
Axiom News
We are called to build a life-giving news network to co-create a renewed and thriving world.
We do this through the practice of generative journalism. It's founded on the principles of
Appreciative Inquiry, a strengths-based, capacity-building approach for driving organizations towards their highest potential.
Learn more and read daily stories at www.axiomnews.ca
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share your story
We're looking for stories about the impact of the strengths-based, Appreciative Inquiry approach on individuals, organizations and whole systems. Contact the newsroom at 705-741-4421, to share your news leads. We'd love to hear from you!
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more stories about stories
Find out how organizations are leveraging the power of storytelling through our Stories At Work articles, posted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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visit our clients
Check out what an online, strengths-based
storytelling program can look and feel like by visiting our clients' sites.
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