CIRAL Activity Report #4

Readings THROUGHOUT THE WEEK: The Real Challenge for Collective Impact, Huffington Post; A briefing of the Collective Impact Model, FSG; Understanding the Values of Backbone Organizations in Collective Impact; Channeling Change – Making Collective Impact Work; (last week) Q&A Roundtable on Collective Impact, Stanford Social Innovation Review; (last week) Nonprofit management - Collective Impact, Stanford Social Innovation Review

January 31st, Thursday - I traveled to Cowlitz County for the County Health Improvement Forum. There I met up with Michael who I was only able to talk to briefly. But I had a unique experience being able to witness the Collective Impact Model (CIM) in action. Additionally, I sat at a table with the local pediatrician, a council member, and a pharmacist on the board of local pharmacists. Talking to them was a first hand model of why the model is so desperately needed. These were influential folks. The councilman mocked the, literally, poor citizens of the community, could only imagine growing the community through tourism, and who was a staunch capitalist. The pediatrician, having worked within the community was more understandable of the communities condition and was already adhering himself to the CIM.

February 1^st, Friday – I turned in my application for the cultural diversity award. Then I went to Seattle to meet with the Project Manager of the Low Wage APIC Workers Traveling Exhibit. In the meeting we put together outreach, and internal communications. Additionally, we solidified the action plan.

February 2^nd, Saturday – I met up with the large Steering Committee where we solidified the stories we are looking for in our twenty interviews and photographs. We also discussed various aspects, check ins and all that stuff that happens at a meeting. Afterwards I stuck around to make phone calls to organizations we were reaching out to. 

February 3^rd, Sunday - I followed up on email correspondences, with the various groups I have my hand in. I’m especially excited about a group I learned about over the summer called Generation Waking Up, or GenUp, that has an experiential activity that “awaken, empower, and mobilize ‘millenials’ to help bring forth a thriving, just, and sustainable world.” genup.net
Another group I’m working with is the Whidbey Island GeoDome that is an experiential experience uniting individuals with the world and the cosmos: whidbeygeodome.org

That evening I went to a potluck hosted by APIC. There I checked in with freshman to gauge their interest in seeing community kitchens on campus and a food bank- the response was obvious, yes. The food systems group my move forward a bit.

February 4^th, Monday – I participated in the Long Range curriculum meeting. There I introduced CIRAL and the work that I have been interested in. The response was positive. I could really use a team of support to help make this inroad most fruitful.  Additionally, I met up with the planning group for the February 18^th State Advocacy Day. We developed an action plan for the reaming two weeks.

February 5^th, Tuesday – I met with Randy Stilson of the archives to check in about opening access to student research projects. We broke the project up into building the webpage, developing the intake form, and getting the buy in of teachers. I hope to outsource the building of the webpage. I’ll develop the intake letter. I’m hoping that the curriculum DTF will support the project and get the buy of the teachers.

I’ve been working on the next revival meeting as well. We’ll be hosting a conversation about food on campus as the Campus Food Coalition will be there, Flaming Eggplant Café, and Freshmen. Additionally, we’ll be hosting space for all student groups to name their agenda’s for the rest of the year and have them placed on a single calendar.