CTA Year-in-Review 2011-2012  

 

 

One measure of CTAs  success as a fiscal sponsor is both the number of Projects we take under our wing, and the number we launch into the world. Given this measure, we have been extraordinarily successful this year. The Tompkins County Workers Center left our fold to operate under its own non-profit tax-exempt status, Positive News USA and Engineers for a Sustainable World both moved to California and are operating under new fiscal sponsors, and the Life Writing Project is now based at Binghamton University where its founder, Myra Sabir, recently accepted a faculty position. We are grateful for the opportunity to support each of these Projects with a solid foundation, and wish them all the best.  

 

This year, we expanded our reach across New York State and have accepted several new Projects. Two are located in New York City: the Third Root Education Project and From Here: Making our Future. The Food Systems Journal and Buffalo Street Bookmarks are based locally, and the Local Investing Resource Center is a national on-line resource for people seeking to create a Local Investment Opportunity Network (LION) in their community. 

 

One of our newer Projects, the Dorothy Cotton Institute, has made a big impact locally with its K-12 Human Rights Education workshops, nationally with its leadership of the Human Rights Educators USA network, and internationally by traveling to and learning from Palestinians practicing non-violent resistance in the West Bank.  

 

One of our older Projects, the Ecovillage Center for Sustainability Education received two major government grants this year: one from the USDA to support the Groundswell Center's New Farmer Training Program, and one from the EPA to study sustainable housing options.  We congratulate the EcoVillage Center for Sustainability Education for spearheading this important work at the intersection of justice and sustainability.   

 

Lynn Andersen, the Durland Alternatives Library (DAL) Coordinator, retired at the end of 2011 after twenty years of service to both the library and the Center for Transformative Action. Lynn provided a heartfelt service to the library and all those who came through its door. While saying goodbye to Lynn was sad, we were thrilled to welcome Ryan Clover-Owens as the new Library Coordinator. Ryan is engaging new members and collaborators with  fresh energy and ideas in terms of mission, outreach and revenue generation.    

 

Our Executive Director's undergraduate course on Social Entrepreneurship was recognized as one of the top ten most rigorous and innovative in its field by Ashoka, a global association of the world's leading social entrepreneurs.  In addition, Cornell professor, Marya Besharov, and University of Delaware's Wendy Smith, published an article in the Academy of Management Journal, which  features Anke's course as a model for how to teach aspiring social entrepreneurs.  In the fall of 2012, CTA took this educational work to a new level by organizing the Finger Lakes Social Entrepreneurship Institute, which  attracted over one hundred diverse participants (new and experienced social entrepreneurs) from across the region and was tremendously successful. Thanks to this increased activity, visibility and acknowledgement, more and more students, faculty, administrators and community members are seeking out Anke's expertise on questions related to social entrepreneurship and transformative action.   

 

CTA is very efficient in the way we convert our resources into meaningful social impact that reaches communities locally, nationally, and internationally.  Yet, this valuable programming in transformative action and social entrepreneurship, along with the instrumental services we provide our Project Partners,  would not be possible without gifts from  people like you. We are grateful for your support.  Please follow this link to give generously now. Thank you!   

 

 

 

   

 

Job Opening at the Center for Transformative Action!

After five and a half years of excellent service, Richard Lansdowne is stepping down as the CTA Director of Operations.  Over the years, Richard has worked diligently to streamline our operations. We have benefited greatly from his rigorous attention to detail, his responsiveness to our Projects' needs, and his ability to communicate the many facets of our operations in a clear and concise way. Thank you Richard!

The Director of Operations (DO) supervises the administrative operations of the Center and reports to the Executive Director; the incumbent also works closely with the CTA Board's Finance Committee and the Project Partner leaders. The DO's scope of responsibilities include: accurate and timely bookkeeping; budget development and financial reporting; grants management; implementing human resource procedures; creating and maintaining procedural information; and frequent and effective communication with Projects to ensure compliance with policy and contractual obligations.

If you would like a full job description and information on how to apply, please contact Anke Wessels at akw7@cornell.edu

DCI Celebrates International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2012

The Dorothy Cotton Institute is hosting two showings of  5 Broken Cameras, a film by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi.

Where: Cinemapolis, 120 E. Green Street, Ithaca.
When 6:30pm & 9:00pm (two showings)
Suggested donation: $10
RSVP to tfckirby@aol.com to reserve a seat.

"An extraordinary work of both cinematic and political activism, 5 Broken Cameras is a deeply personal, first-had account of non-violent resistance in Bil'in, a West Bank village threatened by encroaching Israeli settlements. Shot almost entirely by Palestinian farmer Emad Burnat, who bought his first camera in 2005 to record the birth of his youngest son, the film was assembled by Burnat and Israeli co-director Guy Davidi. Structured around the violent destruction of each one of Burnat's cameras, the filmmakers' collaboration follows one family's evolution over five years of village turmoil...When watching a film that deals with such a painful controversy, we know that people tend to shut down. Most of us divide the world into right and wrong, good and bad, Palestinian and Israeli. We immediately take a side that corresponds to our identity, life experience, or ideology, even though these loyalties prevent us from fully experiencing the world. Reality is wonderfully complex, and we become frustrated when people fight to look at it with only one or two filters. 5 Broken Cameras was made to inspire, and not just to be interpreted as part of the political discourse--although it is, of course, an important part of it. We made the film with sincere initiative, trying to challenge our own assumptions and avoid cliche. In the end, we hope everyone will come away with open hearts."

Please RSVP to tfckirby@aol.com to reserve a seat.

Groundswell Farm Business Planning Course

Do you have the tools to make your new farm business thrive? In collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and Alternatives Federal Credit Union's Business CENTS Program, Groundswell will offer an intensive Farm Business Planning Course in the winter of 2013. The class covers all major aspects of the farm business start-up process, including assessing your resources; legal and regulatory issues; production planning; marketing; financial feasibility, budgets and record keeping; and more. It is also appropriate for established farmers who want to improve their business planning and management skills.

Dates: January 10 - March 14, 2012 every - Thursday evening for ten weeks Time: 6:00 - 9:00 PM
Location: Ithaca
Sliding Scale Tuition: $120 to $400
Learn more and apply online today!

The Center for Transformative Action (CTA) helps to create communities that work for everyone. We do this by providing fiscal sponsorship to innovative social change agents in New York State, as well as financial, human resources, and grants management services. CTA is an educational non-profit organization affiliated with Cornell University.

 

We envision change makers everywhere engaging and strengthening the power of the heart to remake the world.

 

We are an alliance of individuals and organizations inspired by principles of nonviolence and committed to bold action for justice, sustainability, and peace. CTA supports change makers with the tools to build thriving, inclusive communities that work for everyone. We serve our projects, the public, and Cornell University by offering educational programs and strategic organizational resources.

  Durland Alternatives Library

  Buffalo Street Bookmarks

  CUSLAR

  Dorothy Cotton Institute

 Ecovillage Center for Sustainability Education

Food Systems Journal

The Third Root Education Project

 Veterans' Sanctuary

 Vitamin L Project