Regeneration: Scaling Transformation Towards a Unified World

R E G E N E R A T I O N

Scaling Transformation Toward a Unified World

BY J.E. RASH

President and Founder

1020 Legacy Drive, Bedford, VA 24523

WWW.LEGACYINTL.ORG WWW.GTCORPS.COM

WWW.GLOBALYOUTHVILLAGE.ORG

SEPTEMBER 2019

Copyright © 2019 by J.E. Rash

Disclaimer

The appendices with the names of the individuals is proprietary and cannot be reproduced or disseminated without the author’s or his appointed representatives’ permission.

The body of the text other than the list of names may be reproduced and disseminated.

Index

BIO J.E. RASH: President and Founder Legacy International, Co-founder GTC

ABSTRACT

TABLE: COMPONENTS OF HUMAN TRANSFORMATION AND GLOBAL REGENERATION

REGENERATION: SCALING TRANSFORMATION TOWARD A UNIFIED WORLD 1

A genetic code for a global cure of body systems 2

Viruses compromising the immune system 3

Remedies for healthy body systems 5

Pathways for regeneration: regaining and sustaining our natural state of Unity 11

CONCLUDING REMARKS 22

APPENDICES: LEGACY INTERNATIONAL 1

1. Mission, Vision and Action Fields 2

2. Programs and Ages 3

3. Countries 6

4. Partnerships 8

4.1 Global Transformation Corps Imperative 12

BIO J.E. RASH

President and Founder Legacy International, Co-founder GTC

A futurist, entrepreneur, and spiritual visionary, J.E. designed Legacy International, as well as three other organizations, to be innovative global learning communities rooted in Universal Values, Practical Idealism, and their application in daily life. Under J.E.’s direction, Legacy has be­­­come a global leader in helping people to create positive legacies for future generations who face planetary challenges. It is based on the conviction that the most effective, sustainable solutions come from strong cross-sector collaboration and the courageous work of well-equipped social innovators motivated by both mind and heart.

Throughout his work, he seeks to build bridges of understanding and to develop practical interfaces among people of diverse backgrounds by emphasizing Universal Values, social responsibility, mutual respect and tolerance. His career includes studies in law, religion, and alternative medicine, work in professional theater and media, and the design of educational training programs for inner and outer leadership.

Known also as Shaykh Ahmed Abdu r Rashid, he is an authorized teacher in five traditional schools of Sufism, offering a unique approach for the contemporary seeker, which he calls ‘Applied Sufism’. Author of more than 70 publications, Shaykh Ahmed Abdu r Rashid’s articles and speeches have been translated into Arabic, Turkish, Russian, and Kazakh.

He sees himself as a change agent striving to create a positive Legacy for future generations who will be faced with planetary challenges and opportunities of heretofore unseen magnitude. He often quotes: “You cannot change a community until you change yourself” and seeks to encourage people to balance their outer life and goals with a rich and contemplative inner life and practice.

http://www.legacyintl.org/ and Global Transformation Corps

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes an esoterically, scientifically, and experientially motivated approach to scaling transformation globally. Rather than treating surface symptoms of the pressing current crises of human spirit and ecological balance, it focuses on the underlying causes that compromise the individual and global ‘immune system’. The author proposes natural remedies to effect an inner transformational healing, and stimulate an external global regeneration of healthy systems of action, which can result in personal, community, organizational and societal transformation and re-formation. These means entail returning to our inherent, wholesome human coding for Unity, which prescribes that we are essentially ‘good’, communitarian, and compassionate beings by nature.

The concrete practicality of this perspective has recently been supported by new scientific research (which is commented upon in this paper). It confirms Legacy International’s dedication to methods, which could be described as ‘Practical Idealism’; methods that focus on applying the principles of essential goodness and Universal Values in society. Thus far, forty years of successful educational and socially innovative programs have grown from this working philosophy. Designed to stimulate a deeper understanding and applicability of such Practical Idealism as it can be applied to leadership and creativity, Legacy International ’s new initiative Global Transformation Corps (GTC) capitalizes on this approach.

Using the metaphor of Dis-Ease and Regeneration, this paper describes 6 ‘Viruses’ that point to the deeper, underlying spiritual and ethical causes for global Dis-Ease. And in response, it proposes 7 ‘Remedies’ to build towards healthy ‘body’ systems, and 8 regenerative Pathways to reduce the world’s Dis-Ease.

‘Regeneration’ is introduced as the process of scaling or infusing remedies into ‘Global Action Systems’ (GAS). GAS are the dynamic values-based result of a ‘Global Information system’ (GIS); any information system which attempts to deliver the totality of measurable data worldwide within a defined context, here for a specific transformational and regenerative goal. The concept of Regeneration incorporates the essential relationship between personal transformation and progressive local and global restoration through a period of regeneration that impacts ideas, intentions, individuals, institutions, and communities. Unity is both its source and its ultimate destination. It is encapsulated in the following table, in a later graph, and elaborated upon in the balance of the document.

TABLE: COMPONENTS OF HUMAN TRANSFORMATION AND GLOBAL REGENERATION (p. 1/2)

TABLE: COMPONENTS OF HUMAN TRANSFORMATION AND GLOBAL REGENERATION (continued — p. 2/2)

REGENERATION

Scaling Transformation Toward a Unified World

It is not a surprise to hear the statement that “we live in perilous times,” or to see writings and hear discourses that reflect eschatological themes. Both overtly religious and decidedly secular voices expound on threats to planetary survival — or at the very least the possibility of the loss of over one million species and the forced migration of over 1 billion people within the next 20–40 years.

Rumi said: “Change comes through necessity, therefore Oh Man, create your necessity” … He did not say “Change for the good”; or just “Change!” Therefore, if we wish to avert the looming environmental and human crises that exist ‘down a very short road,’ we must create necessity for the good. Human beings are not mere recipients of arbitrary influences. We make choices that create poverty, war and genocide, racial and gender and ethic bigotry. Human beings choose to defile the planet and defy nature. We are the creators of the negative and hence we can also choose to be the co-creators of the positive transformation of the world.

Stated as an esoteric reflection, such a negative transformation of human status, climate and environment is a symbolic yet affectively real commentary on the deeper spiritual and ethical Dis-Ease we are seeing throughout the globe.

A GENETIC CODE FOR A GLOBAL CURE OF BODY SYSTEMS

By nature, our bodies fight disease, unless the immune system is compromised. This metaphor should not be lost. The viruses and bacteria attacking the healthy body, society, body-politic, family, or sub systems (education, health, wealth, etc.) can be contained and overcome best by a healthy body/immune system. In other words, what those of us who have approached this subject from a more spiritual perspective have un-covered in the inner meaning of text and personal experience, is that we are essentially ‘good’, communitarian, compassionate beings by nature. Understanding that is one thing; preserving it is another.

The sea of social, political, environmental, biological, and psychological Dis-Order that we are knowingly (or unknowingly) immersed in begs for solution as a matter of genetic as well as social reality. My conclusion to date has always defaulted to a core belief and practically idealistic tools that are founded in the idea that cooperation is natural law. We are encoded to cooperate, and therefore this natural capacity must be reinforced, sustained, attended to by every and any means in order for our essential human goodness to not be corrupted.

For 4 decades I have been speaking about the ‘science’ behind our essential goodness. Now it has finally been properly addressed and published in a book by Nicholas Christakis, entitled Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society (New York, NY: Little, Brown Spark, 2019). One reviewer wrote: “With a broad sweep of history and a deep knowledge of genetics and social science, Christakis shows how we are programmed to build and thrive in societies based on cooperation, learning and love.” (Neil Shubin, Author of Your Inner Fish)

“In a world of increasing political and economic polarization, it’s tempting to ignore the positive role of our evolutionary past. Drawing on advances in social science, evolutionary biology, genetics, neuroscience, and network science, Blueprint shows how and why evolution has placed us on a humane path — and how we are united by our common humanity.” (Cover flap of Blueprint)

I refer to this as recapturing our essential goodness to be ‘humane human beings.’

What needs to be broadly affirmed is that goodness is a natural, encoded state, and at the core of virtually every spiritual path and belief, demonstrated by the fact that the ‘more enlightened’ individuals in their self-discovery have unlocked, intentionally and sustainably, the DNA of Goodness: the Unity that binds us together, the social as well as physical immune system’s ability to heal.

VIRUSES COMPROMISING THE IMMUNE SYTEM

We do not follow our natural encoded goodness when we are distracted from that basic programming, or if the programming is missing information, is misinformed, manipulated, or hacked/attacked by a virus. The body does not fight disease well when the immune system is being compromised by viruses, unintentionally spread or intentionally spread (e.g. “fake” news, conspiracy theories, trolling, etc.). Those viruses attack the individual first and then spread through communities and organizations, and instantaneously through social media. Let us be (a)ware of those viruses.

Virus 1: Decline in Attention to Universal Values­

For over 5 decades we have been watching the decline in attention to values by many individuals — public and private. Let’s not be naïve: to the degree that we deviate from our ‘coding’ for goodness and cooperation, it is inevitable that society will falter and eventually collapse into chaos. As we contrive and have to navigate increasing complexity and chaos, if there is no clear intention to value Universal Values as the foundation of planning, decisions, social and scientific policy, the emergent phenomena will ultimately be the unraveling of social cohesion. We see today creeping (if not ‘running’) authoritarianism, tribalism, racism, denial of fact, and flagrant disregard of the rule of law.

To accept this development, despite the fact that it goes against human nature, illustrates how binary our lives and world have become… literally and metaphorically.

At the core of the effort to sustain cooperation and collective, as well as personal responsibility, is the emphasis on the value of Values. An intentional focus on cultivating inherent Universal Values such as compassion, inclusivity, equity and prosperity, requires us to go beyond individual agendas and differences.

Affirming the core goodness of human beings and the genetic urge to collectivize, to affirm and work for the Common well-being, or –as the ‘founders’ and ‘framers’ of the United States often referred to — “the commonweal”, it is essential and fundamental for individuals as well as nations to seek Unity in common Universal Values.

Virus 2: Increased ‘Dumbing Down’ and Reinforced Generalizations

During the more than 5 decades that I have been watching the increased ‘dumbing down’ of individuals it has become more and more obvious that this entropic process thrives on both an abbreviated or repetitive form of information, as well as an oversimplified version of information, which is then ‘fed’ to the general citizenry (240 characters in Twitter and compressed language and memes) — as the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth. The result is (and in some cases, I am convinced, it is purposeful) a lulling of the masses of individuals’ blind acceptance of the lack of verifiable facts. When every hour of news invariably opens with what is labeled ‘breaking news’ (while it should be called ‘broken news’), this has its own somatic effect. The result of repetition not only dulls the mind and blurs the line between fact and fake in the media, but it reinforces ideographic generalizations about minorities, ‘the other,’ or who/whatever the target may be: individuals, categories or groups of people, or even science (i.e., the denial of climate change) — the most egregious examples being “fake/news”, “Muslim/terrorist.”

Virus 3: De-collectivization

The rise of authoritarianism, patriarchy, and tribal fears bespeaks of intentional De-collectivization, fragmenting of individual relationships. Said in another way, the intentional disruption and deconstruction of communitarian ideals that are the very core of, and form the foundation of human intercourse and social institutions has the result of destabilizing relationships and trust.

Virus 4: Difference and Diversity in a Globalized Inner/ Outer World

40 years ago the rare individual was speaking about, let alone studying, the influences of cross cultural and intercultural relationships. As the world became more globalized and with the advent of the Internet, we began to see the effect and influence of cultural differences. For all too many people, this created a fear of ‘foreign’ cultural influences upon communities and nations. Many books and studies have been written on globalization, the psychology of change, the sociological implications of assigning ‘otherness’ in society — both those that enlighten and books that fuel the divide. My intention is to not only take note of these situations and their consequences, but to identify as a priority the need to seek remedies for the illnesses attacking our world/citizenry.

Virus 5: Re-activity vs. Pro-activity of Individuals, Communities and Organizations

Many ostensible values-laden organizations as well as socially conscious individuals and communities are still re-active and responsive more than proactive. When dwelling on negative and destructive aspects of threats and Dis-eases, such as environmental destruction, we lose the opportunity to co-create positive, regenerative remedies to those aspects from a place of creativity, mission, vision and co-laborative action.

Virus 6: Organizational ego

Normally referred to as ‘Organizational Culture’, it is helpful as well to think in terms of a collective aggregation of individual ‘ego’ and how the phenomenon of self-identification similarly can be reflected in the vision, goals and methods of the organization. This disease is the natural outcome of a competitive and self-centered mentality, one of objectification over identification with the whole. Deeply ingrained in Westernized culture, the projection of the ego into planning, policy, infrastructure, hierarchy, even dialogue, skews creativity and inhibits inclusivity, creating a powerful momentum toward self-centeredness and away from transparency.

REMEDIES FOR HEALTHY ‘BODY’ SYSTEMS

Healing individuals of disease, Dis-Ease, or ignorance, along with providing comprehensive and inclusive education and economic opportunity, along with removing the causes for physical illness (environmental pollution, stress, toxic and unhealthy food and eating habits, as well as stress and economic insecurity), would automatically heal the planet. But how do we get there? The Table following the Abstract conveys the architecture of such a plan.

My orientation to these issues is through the lens of Practical Idealism that I find expressed in a mystical approach to reality. In this framework, I offer two statements from the tradition of Sufic Islam. “God will not change the condition of a people until they change what is within themselves“ (Qur’an 13:11). And “There is a remedy for everything except death”, a saying of the Prophet Muhammad. From a secular source, the author Miguel de Cervantes repeats this exact same sentence in his famous novel Don Quixote de La Mancha.

Therefore, if diseases are anchored within, seeking remedies to take for inner transformational healing is a required component of the effort to attain an external global regeneration of healthy ‘bodies’ at the personal, community, organizational, and social transformational levels.

Remedy 1: Recapturing our Essential Goodness to be ‘Humane human beings’

If the science is correct “that there is an evolutionary blueprint“ to make a particular kind of society — a human society of compassion, justice, love, friendship, cooperation, and learning”, then this is not beyond our reach. Our social and psychological evolution, our cultural evolution, must globalize and affirm the potential that is encoded in every cell of our body and hence the template for social political and personal potential. I try to encapsulate this concept as ‘Diversity in Unity’ instead of the more common idiom; ‘Unity in Diversity’.

If these principles are correct, then such a premise is not some ‘airy unrealistic optimism’ but rather it is regenerative destiny based on ‘fact’ and science. ‘Truth’ and ‘love’ are transformative factors that can lead to success, economic security, re-formation of society, equity and redefinition of the natural human social and economic hierarchies as intra-dependent. We affirm this at Legacy International with our motto: “We help people to help themselves (and others)”.

Steven Lovink and Stuart Valentine in their book Imagining Philanthropy for Life (York, PA: Transformation Books, 2017. p. 222) hints of more beyond their metaphor. “We believe the pipeline of eligible initiatives may at first be modest; it is a new source code and financial DNA. But we are also confident that whole-system enterprise development will soon become a fast-growing sector and much more than a niche, for it represents the next frontier and nexus of evolutionary progress for humankind. Communities and entrepreneurs who recognize the opportunity of the new source code will over time gladly embrace the ability to get their products and services to market faster and with more success by adopting a business model that operates in harmony with life and caters to a growing market of increasingly conscious consumers.”

Remedy 2: Programming Change for the Good/ Combating the Negative Programming

My educated opinion and the experiences of my life guide me to suggest an aggressive and comprehensive sustained creative approach to counter the negative ideography and propaganda. We must use every communications medium, every tool, form of distribution of knowledge (social media, gaming, television, etc.) to catalyze a truly alternative transformation of a significant number of human beings, who are currently not only asleep but are distracted by news bites. We need to give a clear path to values-based leadership and create a platform for Vision. Some refer to this concept as ‘Propaganda for the Good!’ It also includes comprehensive values-based after school activities, volunteerism, intercultural exchanges that emphasize trust, love, peace, justice, beauty, generosity.

Remedy 3: Partnering for the Good or for Purpose: #create a legacy

The stakeholders in this endeavor are all members of humanity. We are inexorably connected through our core values as well as connected biologically as Christakis points out in his book Blueprint. At the same time we need a clearer and louder articulation of purpose. What I refer to as ‘partnering for purpose’, is a network of individuals who are consciously, purposely collaborating for the common good, creating necessity based on values. Although many people believe and espouse similar concepts such as ‘partnering for the good’ and ‘co-laboration’, few are really prepared to submit to the necessary protocols and guidelines that come with transparent, trusting, patient and self-reflecting co-laboration. Hence a key remedy, which is training, mentoring for and re-evaluating after training, for collaborative / cooperative relationships that are sustainable, is necessary and demand a high degree of trust and patience.

Shared risk and shared labor are required to allow for all stakeholders to have equity in the future. No one profits excessively, but all profit equitably from such investment: the monetary investor who wishes to impact society in a positive values-laden way, as well as the supporting organizations that actually implement the integration of values with work. When interest gives way to shared risk, it creates a sustainable legacy and trust. It only takes one or two well trained and committed individuals in any group whose egos have been re-formed to bring stability and direction to that group’s purpose and harmonize the co-laboration.

With well over 750 young professionals in just two of Legacy International’s programs and more than 5000 youth from over 120 countries from five continents, as well as executive leaders, educators and health professionals, I have seen that as we affirm values-based social innovation and commerce, maintain close personal contact, and build trust, we are able to sustain not only programs, projects and commercial endeavors but help to build sustainable communities. We refer to this as “#Create a Legacy”. The appendices of this paper give an overview of Legacy’s work.

Consciously creating legacies must be motivated from an inner urge to that goodness, the fulfilling of our inherent nature. There must be tools available moment-to-moment that assist the process and at the same time advance the outer ‘proof’ of evoking goodness, sincerity, safety, security, duty.

Extending the Legacy-building work model has proven to be a firm basis for sustainable regeneration. At the very least we can project the clear vision of sustainability and we are working diligently on tracking tools for measuring material results and refining the means to success; measurement and evaluation of not only our methods, but also our partnerships. Shared Value translates automatically into shared responsibility and hence it is the basis for measuring relationships that are potentially successful socially monetarily, personally and spiritually.

‘The feeling and the recognition’ that comes from good works incentivizes and builds faith in oneself, one’s goals and Every-One’s future. For just as the English language suggests in the word ‘everyone’: the Every is united in Unity. (One). That realization is the goal of every mystical path, at the core of every religion and spiritual philosophy. As everything else in life, it takes time and focus and effort and guidance to lead us to that ‘seeing.’ (“Seeing is believing” but even more reliable is “believing is seeing.”)

Remedy 4: Preventing the Errors of the Past through Evolutionary Education

The tendency to default to cultural patterns and failure looms ominously in repeating the errors of the past. There is a public health model Prevention Through Education that can apply in our work. The issue is: what type of education? Certainly not just a traditional didactic education. The Montessori Method of childhood education gives us a hint at the direction. What is required is a ‘prepared environment created for learning’, one that integrates practical life experience from age 3 throughout the growth and learning process. Legacy International applies this concept through creating ‘learning communities’ among groups of individuals, in settings that promote understanding, compassion, cooperation, and respect, and focus on values guiding action. Many of our professional development programs involve volunteerism and mentoring and shadowing / interning with successful organizations and individuals in one’s field of interest, as well as some more traditional learning formats (workshops, lectures, hands-on tasks, and on-line courses). The Montessori concept of ‘sensorial’ education, Legacy translates into ‘learn as you work,’ through hands-on guided and coached learning, purposefully designed to circumvent the mentality of success and failure, and promote a reintroduction of positive inclusive values and methods reintroduced in diverse forms until one absorbs them internally. (Montessori described this process as “the Absorbent Mind”, a primary characteristic of children age 0–9.) Scientists today speak of retraining one’s neural network patterns taking 21 days of regular practice. I call the entire process of conscious re-learning ‘Evolutionary Education’, and will make that the subject of another paper.

Remedy 5: A Movement for Continued Positive Movement

Replicating the successful inner and outer ‘means’ for success, creating the environment and individuals committed to be progressive change agents is a movement for sustainable progress. There are many popular idioms that describe this type of individual or circumstance: We say: “Such and such a person moved me” or “I had a moving experience” or “join this movement“ — all an affirmation of what we find pleasant, beneficial and in resonance with our inner essential coding for the good.

Remedy 6: Pro-activity

Those of us who strive to consciously base our lives on Universal Values must also learn to not be re-activists but become pro-activists. A Pro-activist discerns the temperature and tone of the times, intuitively self-initiates conscious intention, willingness to transform and strives to help regenerate the self, the community, organization and world.

Looking for examples of pro-activity, we find a few stellar examples. The Clean Seas project has responded to an obvious environmental necessity with a program that actively engages volunteers to recycle ocean waste and raises money by converting that waste into bracelets that become wearable symbols of a positive act to curb a pressing issue, environmental pollution. Even though it is a response to the problem, it is proactive by thinking out of the box, turning an emotionally charged negative situation into a global mission with an identifier/symbol of being part of a growing and very large movement. Clean Seas, instead of dwelling on the obvious negative and destructive aspects of dumping of plastic waste into the oceans, focuses on engagement and creative solutions to that obvious environmental threat. It interrupts the former pattern of action reaction, skipping the step of negative commentary. (See their website and positive TV ad campaign.)

Legacy’s LivingSidebySide® program is another such example. By focusing on character development, values, and social and emotional learning with teens and young adults, the result is what I call “Pre-emptive Peace-building.” Our emphasis in this and other programs is to awaken in a short period of time in participants’ goodness, respect, and the know-how for co-laboration — lessons that become tools for lifetime use and can help to avoid the later need for conflict resolution, because conflict has been proactively avoided.

Remedy 7: Organizational Harmony

Organizational ego must be remedied from within the individual as well as within the sub-system. The interaction between the individuals within the organization, plus the over-arching organizational climate and values, create organizational culture. The saying “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts” applies here, but each “part” plays a role in creating that whole. Fundamental to organizational cohesion is respect, not as a ‘value’ stated on a poster or brochure, but as an actual mentality that is enacted by each individual regardless of rank toward each other individual. Incentives and exposure to quantitative proof of the effectiveness of collaborative relationships, as well as creating a ‘safe and secure’ environment to air problems, issues and articulate vision and needs can rapidly change the organizational atmosphere. The more transparent and reflective each individual is encouraged to be, the more harmonious the individuals will be in their visioning, and in their inter-intra relationships. As a result, the more successful the enterprise will be — a success not measured solely in financial, but primarily in human and social impact terms. The rewards are imbedded in the success.

PATHWAYS FOR REGENERATION:

REGAINING AND SUSTAINING OUR NATURAL STATE OF UNITY

As we have stated earlier, rather than treating symptoms that appear on the surface, this esoterically and scientifically motivated approach looks to identify those ‘viruses’ which compromise humanity’s ‘immune system’ and those natural remedies that will allow the human collective ‘body’ to restore itself to our natural coding. The question arises: “How we can administer such remedies on a large or even global scale?” What I call ‘regeneration’ is the process of scaling or infusing the ‘remedies’ into ‘Global Action Systems’ (GAS). The more spiritually rooted the intention behind GAS, the more it opens the way and confirms Unity.

A Global Action System is the dynamic, values-based re-formative result of a ‘Global Information system’ (GIS). A Global Information System is any information system that attempts to deliver the totality of measurable data worldwide within a defined context — in our case for a specific inner, intentional transformational goal and consequent regenerative action process. This process is internal to the individuals, external in their actions; internal to the organization or institution and external in its applications to society — which perforce are sustainable and dynamic. Empirical data and evaluation of data leads to an attenuation of actions. Utilizing principles of GIS and overlays of information based on a values-based, success-oriented plan, leads to what I am calling GAS.

Utilizing existing core values / elements that have been distorted and fragmented over time, and re-generating them with a cognizance of and focus on the essential Universal Values that, if followed, would naturally affirm what is intrinsic and hence has the power to transform people, and by extension influence and reform institutions and policies. What is natural has the potential to move with ease, as it appeals to human beings’ deepest nature, affirms instincts and moves in resonance within time, step by step. This process by its nature will not abandon the essential intention and foundational values. To me it has always meant finding harmony between the inner and the outer elements of personal life but cognizant of our collective imprint, purpose, essence.

Global regeneration of systems though dimensions of human transformation

As the process of transformation gains momentum it engenders and sustains continued re-generation. Less and less resistance leading to a cycle of near perpetual progressive change.

One way of visualizing this is depicted in the graph below. The intent is to illustrate the essential relationship between personal transformation and progressive local and global regeneration through a period of re-forming ideas, intentions, institutions and communities. Unity is both the source and the destination of these transformative and regenerative processes.

The table following the Abstract at the beginning of this paper also provides detailed reflections on dimensions and strategies for values-based transformation, regeneration and how they can be applied in the world.

Global regeneration of systems through dimensions of human transformation

In the process of scaling the infusion of remedies, I have over the years identified — and applied — various harmonizing Pathways from the personal toward the global level of regeneration, embedded in the all-encompassing Universal Values, our essential coding and ultimate destination — Unity.

Pathway 1: Doing and applying the Inner Work

In the quiet recesses of the human mind, we all want the planet and human life to continue for generations. We are also all aware of the ravages of time and the natural forces of entropy. We have a choice. Those who consciously strive to work for a sustained and sustainable future, knowingly or unknowingly, are seeking personal alignment with the active power of Regeneration.

Merriam-Webster defines Regeneration as “1. reformed or created again 2: restored to a better, higher, or more worthy state; 3. spiritually reborn or converted.” This language does not imply a religious context, but rather implies the highest aspirations to which the human spirit can attain. As human beings our feet are planted on the ground, while our hearts and imaginations soar in the clouds. We can emphasize one side of that equation or the other, with obviously polarizing results. The divergence lies in the degree to which one is willing to do what we call “the inner work” — and the degree to which one acknowledges the inter-connectedness of life and our obligations to other beings.

The inner paths of many traditions have long emphasized such themes. Whether called Buddhism, Yoga, Sufism, Kabala, Christian mysticism, Taoism, Secular Humanism, or Practical Idealism, these pathways share certain common ethics: that human life exists for a higher purpose outside of one’s individual self or tribe; that belief must be manifest through action and espoused values expressed in daily action; that a respect for life in all its forms is fundamental to fulfilling one’s obligation as a human. To live by such ethics requires consciousness, conscience, and a refinement of character. Traditionally with the support of a personal guide, this is achieved through some measure of inner work: be it self-examination, contemplation, meditation, service, study, or gathering with like-minded people. Today, in secular settings we utilize experienced coaches to fulfill the role in the outer aspect of transformation.

Pathway 2: Our Organizational Model

Legacy International is founded with the intention to seek the best means to establish a global environment of peace, justice, cooperation and mutual respect. Human beings seek a just and meaningful life, and a healthy planet to support that life. Legacy’s visionary message of Values based transformation resonates with the hopes and vision of people across the globe. It promotes and reinforces our natural inclination toward compassion, peace, generosity, and good character, as described above in Pathway 1. We seek employees of all perspectives, backgrounds, philosophical, religious, or non-religious persuasions who are inspired to seek and to stimulate the expression of humaneness in themselves and others as part of the process of addressing issues of equity, leadership development, entrepreneurship, conflict prevention, social cohesion, or innovation. We select people for our team who espouse higher (Universal) values, who represent different cultural or community perspectives and who are keenly aware, who are inspired to serve for the sake of service, and who resonate with the principles of regeneration.

Legacy International’s activities and trainings are designed to communicate in ways that others can hear and understand and therefore are culturally relevant to specific audiences, flexible and adaptable whilst remaining firmly rooted in the Universal Values that have made our work unique. We seek to be the tree that bends in the wind but does not topple over.

We estimate that 50% of Legacy’s alumni come from conflict zones / disrupted societies and have returned to their native lands as transformational change agents in far ranging careers but united in values based community projects. They have become small communities of global visionaries, having learned how to strengthen their networks, maintain their passion and at the same time operate practically without compromising their values or culture. The appendices of this paper give an overview of Legacy’s work over the world.

It so happens that Legacy International has been a dominantly women-run entity for four decades: 80% of our staff and administration have been women. We consciously work to establish the atmosphere of a mutually supportive family with strong teamwork, minimal hierarchy, and the flexibility to fill in gaps and take on stretch goals as circumstances may require. Long before the current millennial culture, we adopted flexible work scheduling.

Pathway 3: Inter-/Intra-ruption vs. Disruption

Interfacing with the concept of time, the practices of the inner paths of course begin with the inner attention and intention and naturally migrate to our outer life. The inner state being suspended time and the outer application being in Time. As time must always reference something in this world, the proper understanding of how to use and suspend time forms the basis of accessing the doorways to knowledge or wholeness. Inner paths refer to that ocean of knowledge as ‘the Universal Intellect’ that contains all knowledge waiting to be accessed; ‘the hidden treasure’ waiting to be discovered or known. The doorway to that knowledge is accessible when time is suspended, for example in meditation, and the knowledge naturally flows toward the seeker. It is also accessible when material references to time and habitual patterns are intentionally disrupted or interrupted and then examined from a new point of view. What holds this process back is what author and consciousness researcher Emilos Bouratinos calls ‘self-locking objectification’. To unlock this tendency toward objectification requires the intention and the inter-ruption or intra-ruption of what is assumed and habitual. Or at the very least it requires changing the focus from that which assumes and confirms our bias to the moment and its requirements.

Human beings are inherently adaptable. For millennia, human history has attested to this truth. Change is most often achieved by introducing dissonant factors (e.g. dis/inter/intra/ruptions) in the patterns of communication, reflection, and subsets of systems management and imbedded cultural patterns. In this process the inherent and natural pattern of purpose and direction will emerge and effect discernible results.

The concept of ‘disruption’ dominates training and business today. As I have written in a blog DISRUPTION vs. INTERRUPTION vs. INTRA-RUPTION, disruption is beneficial in theory, but not always in practice. If the goal is transformation of individuals, affirmation of human essential goodness, with co-operation and co-laboration being intrinsic to our social and biological nature, I then suggest framing transformative changes as ‘interruption’, not disruption. Interruption implies reframing and redefines progressive movement toward an inherently satisfactory and fulfilling goal. In some cultures, interruption is an accepted form of dialogue and creative communication. Framed with social values, transformation is based on what unites us, what builds a future based on ‘social blueprint’ that is scientifically/genetically/ uniquely ‘living’ and sustainable in design.

Part of the human story is that each generation ‘creates’ and gains new knowledge. Solutions to long-standing problems may exist but are not evident until certain new knowledge is gained. Examples abound in medical and hard sciences, such as the recent development of DNA testing which is enabling decades-old cold cases now to be solved. We are evolving technology based on new necessities, yet at the same time the Universal Values that promise to bind humanity are still the same. Abandoning those values for the immediate technical advantage belies the human beings’ true nature. A personal commitment to transformation and gathering with others on such pathway gives us the support we need as individuals and as a society to commit to those values and set intentions accordingly.

Pathway 4: Intention

Intentionality is a human trait, one that is at the core of both individual and collective human achievement. As it is made more conscious and strategically focused, intention guides us to take what is natural and essentially humane and awaken the world of possibilities — the endless creative process that takes human capacity and ability over the horizon to new knowledge. Analogically we must build upon the healthy immune response to counteract the ‘viruses’ that have caused the lack of values and integrity rampant in today’s world. Our planning for the future must be truly wholistic, since all systems are connected and therefore affected by those viruses. i.e. greed, bigotry, fear, aggression and cultural bias.

Pathway 5: Stochastic Resonance

Addressing global complexities today demands firm and clear intention based on value and harmony. This harmony can be achieved by well-planned inter/INTRA-ruptions as described above, a kind of metaphorical stochastic resonance.

“Stochastic resonance (SR) is a phenomenon where a signal that is normally too weak to be detected by a sensor, can be boosted by adding white noise to the signal, which contains a wide spectrum of frequencies. The frequencies in the white noise corresponding to the original signal’s frequencies will resonate with each other, amplifying the original signal while not amplifying the rest of the white noise (thereby increasing the signal-to-noise ratio which makes the original signal more prominent).” (Wikipedia)

I extrapolate this to imply that our suppressed or de-emphasized essential goodness (values, harmony, purpose, collectivism), which have become objectified and devalued (and yet are still encoded in the human being, can be intentionally boosted by a chosen white noise (a filter, or interruption, a manipulation for the good). Certainly this is the intention of inner paths of transformation through many practices or culturally unique means.

Translating Stochastic Resonance into Practical Effective Transformation of Society

We must boost the ‘signal’ potentialities of transformative information on a nonlinear subconscious dimension that is resonant with our essential ‘goodness’. This is a call begging to be taken up, to use existing and future social media, video/TV programming, targeted messaging, cinema graphic and video graphic documentaries, films and games, to interrupt the socially negative anti-humanistic / anti-humanly-spiritual values with positive and cellular (essential encoding character) messaging — inspirational and practically idealistic/realistic messaging and examples. An example of this is given by one of our alumni from Vietnam, who uses social media and creative arts to engage Vietnamese youth on key issues. “In May 2015, together with a group of comic artists, she founded and led a campaign named “Todocabi,” which means “challenge your knowledge.” The project raised awareness among Vietnamese youth about the government budgeting process and called for greater transparency. Thanks to the comics, art-based videos, and paintings, after only two months “Todocabi” received over 12,600 digital signatures on a petition calling for transparency in the government budget that was submitted to National Assembly Representatives. This was one of the most successful youth-led advocacy campaigns in Vietnam. Since April 2014, Quyên’s project team “Little Frog” has produced videos on a variety of social issues, such as eating dog meat, protecting LGBT rights, the education system, and enhancing women’s rights.” (quoted from https://exchanges.state.gov/us/story/quyen-luu)

Pathway 6: Focusing on what Unites Us, not what Divides Us

Our network, an exclusive database of young social entrepreneurs, activists, and social innovators has the capacity, vision and passion to create a mission for regeneration toward a Unified world.

Co-laboration and cooperation across cultures is only possible where there is a basic agreement on common values, even when goals may be divergent. It is natural and desirable that when a major challenge needs to be addressed, a core group of sincere and well-informed, dedicated individuals gather to establish a unit among themselves and to discuss the matter at hand. Who participates is determined by the necessary mix for examining the issue and its dynamics. While not all the participants need to have practiced some form of seeing the ‘Whole’ — and so affirming Unity — it is highly desirable for one or two members of the group with some experience in such inner training to be included in every meeting or session. Their presence will be facilitating. Each participant will contribute the most significant knowledge that she or he has knowledge of on their specific subject interest or experience. And if the members of the group have sincere intention to follow the process through and submit to the possibility of other viewpoints and solutions, then the ‘universal knowledge’ will flow into the group and the relevant solutions will make themselves known. Herein lies the secret, hidden power of transformation. When the personally issues are no longer prime, what Dana Zohar (quantum Physicist and author) calls ‘flashes of spiritual intelligence’ can take place.

Truth is everywhere; accessing it requires abandoning the practice of ‘self-locking mental objectification,’ and truly wanting to be free of the subduing ego for the common good’. True collaboration is a process of individual submission; shared vision allows a self-organizing system to emerge and become operational. When this occurs, it is regenerative, re-forming, and positive on every level of life and society.

Based on the aforementioned values and processes, we strive to train people to experience the natural success and harmony/resonance that comes from partnering for the good; from transformative leadership (being inspirational not aspirational leaders); and from creating a track toward success that maintains a firm infrastructure. By merging vision and practical means, we strive to create new ‘communities’ of like minded individuals who at the core share the inspiration and vision for a harmonious future. Each of these groups collectively becomes an information node, which amplifies the resonance to a more highly audible signal.

Legacy is in the process of contacting alumni, retraining them at a higher and deeper level of sensitivity, social innovation, and responsibility, and supporting them to scale their projects or social ventures to achieve greater levels of success and also offer their models and the venture beyond the ‘local’ to the global community).

Our network, an exclusive database of young social entrepreneurs, activists, and social innovators has the capacity, vision, and passion to create a mission for re-forming the world.

Pathway 7: Purpose-FULL Partnerships

In order to work towards sustainable assessment, training and scaling of our alumni and their work, we have created purposeful partnerships. Collaboration is an essential ingredient in regenerating our global society. Many levels of partnership are needed, from the individual to organizational, the local to global levels. Constructive collaborative partnerships have been necessary and at the foundation of Legacy’s 40 years of leadership training. Those have been partnerships with individuals, with philanthropic organizations, with governmental and non-governmental organizations — as reflected in our annual reports. The appendices show a list of over 70 partnerships with host organizations for our professional leadership programs.

Legacy’s next level of partnership is expressed in our newest endeavor Global Transformation Corps (GTC), a collaborative platform that matches Next Generation social entrepreneurs and leaders with purpose driven experts and impact investors. One of GTC’s intentions is to help meet the needs of Sustainable Development Goals’ SDG Agenda 2030. No poverty; zero hunger; good health and well-being; quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; reduced inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water; life on land; peace, justice and strong institutions; partnerships for the goals. Those are the goals, which can only be met — and sustained — through global purposeful partnerships and action like GTC. Its focus on values-based inner transformation and outer regeneration enable measurable values-driven and Unity-inspired social impact solutions, through training, supporting and assessing rising leaders who together will transform the world.

This partnership is based on shared values and utilizes our network of 700 alumni from the MENA region and other regions, their local partnerships and the expertise of our training, assessment and scaling partners. See in the appendices the Imperative of the GTC partnership.

Practically speaking, one of the roles that Legacy International and specifically GTC is designed to play in global transformation on the individual as well as collective dimension is to redefine and/or regenerate perspectives on life, cultural interface, social and economic models and networks that evoke a sustainable and continual transformative, catalytic thinking and visioning, and practically applicable and relevant mind and skill sets. From redefining what mentoring, coaching, investing and education is to creating trust and safety and security in relationships based on the aforementioned values.

Pathway 8: Self-Affirming / Self-Vetting System

Combining regenerative forces in the most sustainable way requires sophisticated positive and inspirational self-affirming and self-vetting systems. Such systems uncover the potentials for success in candidates’, partners’ and our own personal evaluation of intent and goal, as well as success in the impact and success potential of products and services. For instance, the key to sustained and deeply rooted success for training candidates lies in identifying and supporting individual motivation as well as receptivity to a more directed and sophisticated individualized group training. The methods Legacy International uses to choose participants, as well as the continually refined and updated content and structure of our training, reveal to our trainers and co-creators the level of commitment individuals actually have. They reflect their flexibility, markers for perseverance, passion for change and success. Associated partnerships like GTC will further refine the inspirational, culturally sensitive, experiential aspects of Legacy training. Utilizing tools like a well-structured individualized online platform GTC will implement reflective visioning, impact assessment, as well as personal and business coaching, to assure success, as personal development, harmony and balance.

Such methods include measures like a larger worldview than oneself, and (for professional programs and GTC) scalability of product and service. Most importantly, they indicate the commitment to serve, to collaborate and to be willing to transform and regenerate one’s present thinking when necessary.

Those methods are self-vetting; they ‘sift’ candidates or training modules that are out of resonance with encoded engagement, potentiality and sustainability, while they attract those that (are ready to) resonate with their inspiration and positive potentiality. And those methods are self-affirming in the sense that they require confirmation and application of the individual’s and organization’s deeply rooted values and mission. Striving for the next highest potential for the individual, the community, the organization, humanity and the planet follows automatically. Those who appear ready to further the return to our inherent coding for Unity — which prescribes Compassion, Goodness, Patience, Peace, Community and Love — will be inspired by the call for inner transformation and will strive to stimulate positive regeneration, in their communities, organizations and societies. It only takes one person to stimulate, inspire and encourage many, many more.

Concluding remarks

The healing of the global Dis-Ease as in one’s own body depends on a regeneration of intent, based on a realistic acceptance of the condition and a careful plan of action that is supported by successful treatment, research and cooperation between the patient and the physician. Ours is an integrative and alternative method, tested and proven over 40 years on a smaller scale, shown to be effective and sustainable. Now we have an epidemic to address and suppressed immune systems, and we are compelled to meet the challenges before us by our vision, by our humanity, by our coding for Unity. Healing the planet / humanity begins with our interface and remedial efforts with each individual we serve, train, collaborate with and LOVE.

WE HELP PEOPLE TO HELP THEMSELVSES…AND OTHERS

APPENDICES: Legacy International

Index

1. Mission, Vision and Action Fields 2

2. Programs and Ages 3

3. Countries 6

4. Partnerships 8

4.1 Global Transformation Corps Imperative 12

MISSION, VISION AND ACTION FIELDS

Legacy International equips emerging leaders to transform their values and vision into sustainable success. We strive to leave a lasting Legacy of:

1. Sustainable citizen participation in local problem solving
2. Increased capacity in non-governmental organizations
3. Increased cross-sectoral collaboration
4. Constructive opportunities for the next generation
5. New vision and skills among community leadership
6. Hope, tolerance, and community engagement

Action fields

1. Business, Technology & (Social) Entrepreneurship
2. Civil Society & Governance
3. Economic development
4. Education & Training
5. Environment and climate change
6. (Public) Health & Medicine
7. Human rights
8. Peace, Combating hate and building social cohesion, Inclusion
9. Religion & Philosophy

Programs and Ages

Programs

Global Transformation Corps (GTC), a collaboration with Transformation Academy, Gomes & Company and developers of the Transformation Acceleration Capacity IndeX TrACX provides capacity building and networked resources to support our Next Generation entrepreneurs and leaders to realign our economic system from a focus on profit to values-driven, sustainable outcomes. This collaboration matches pre-screened transformation ventures globally with the talent and resources of purpose-driven experts and committed impact investors and philanthropists. See GTC’s Imperative in the next paragraph.

TechGirls is an international summer exchange program designed to empower and inspire young women from the United States, Central Asia and the Middle East and North Africa to pursue careers in science and technology. The centerpiece of the program is a week-long technology camp that provides participants with an in-depth examination of technology-related topics, such as coding and cyber security and engages them in 45+ hours of hands-on instruction. The camp is complemented by additional activities such as site visits to technology companies, leadership clinics, community service opportunities, job shadowing, and cultural events.

The Professional Fellows Program (PFP) for Business Development and Economic Empowerment, Middle East and North Africa is a two-way exchange sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and designed to promote mutual understanding, enhance leadership and professional skills, and build lasting, sustainable partnerships between mid-level emerging leaders committed to strengthening their communities through social entrepreneurship and workforce development.

Global Youth Village — Since 1979 Legacy has operated a one-of-a-kind summer program for international teens ages 13–18 — the Global Youth Village (GYV). At GYV, participants establish deep friendships with people from cultures vastly different from their own. They gain practical skills and knowledge in the areas of leadership, cross cultural relations, and conflict resolution, and discover how they can make a difference both locally and globally. Approximately 60% of the community is from North America and the balance from other regions. Over the past 40 years over 5000 teens from 105 countries participated in GYV. Students live, discuss, learn and work side by side with peers from many different ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

The Saudi Young Leaders Exchange is initiated and supported by the Embassy of the United States in Saudi Arabia and gives participants the opportunity to develop as leaders, learn practical skills and observe effective volunteerism and community service strategies in the United States. All are university students who have demonstrated leadership and entrepreneurship abilities in their schools and communities.

Emerging Young Leaders Award recognizes youth around the world for their efforts to create positive social change. Annually since 2016, Legacy International has facilitated the Emerging Young Leaders Award and Exchange Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. Young people from around the world are nominated by their embassies and ten are chosen by the State Department to receive this prestigious award.

Community Building and Social Cohesion Legacy International custom design these exchanges for either high school (ages 15–17) or young adults (ages 18–24) Since 2017, we have hosted 32 young leaders from across the UK (in groups of 10–12) sponsored by US Embassy London. They travel to the U.S. for a 17-day exchange program, and receive 3 months of mentoring after returning home. Resources for facilitating community dialogues, building cohesion campaigns, and organizing advocacy training will enable each participant to expand skills and envision new models of intervention for local conditions.

LivingSidebySide® is Legacy’s signature training experience that foster inter-ethnic, racial, and religious understanding among youths and young adults facing troubled circumstances — in the US or abroad. This curriculum has brought about great successes in training leaders experiencing interethnic tensions or recent strife.

The Youth Leadership Program (YLP) On Demand is a unique program created to serve the U.S. Embassies’ emerging needs. The program supports high school youth and adult educators’ participation in intensive, substantive three-week exchanges in the United States. The exchange activities introduce participants to a comprehensive survey of civic education, community service, and youth leadership development. The students and educators participate in workshops, community service activities, discussion groups, meetings with community leaders, and have opportunities for substantive interaction with each other and their American peers.

In 2019 two special programs were added, one for youth from the US and Mexico, and the following program for youth from the US and Turkey:

Youth Agricultural Leadership & Economic Development (YLP Turkey-USA) is a hands-on leadership experience for Turkey’s young, emerging agribusiness leaders and their mentors. This exchange aims to enhance participant’s ability to serve as contributing members within their agrarian, rural communities, while also embracing science-based innovations. It’s goals are to promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries, to prepare youth leaders to become responsible citizens and contributing members of their communities, and foster relationships among youth from different ethnic, religious, and national groups.

Ages

Legacy International offers programs for all ages:

15–18 Global Youth Village

15–17 Youth Leadership Program (YLP) On Demand

15–17 Community Building and Social Cohesion(1)

15–19 LivingSidebySide®

15–17 TechGirls

18–24 Community Building and Social Cohesion(2)

18–25 Emerging Young Leaders Award

20–25 Saudi Young Leaders Exchange

24–40 Professional Fellows Program

20–40 Global Transformation Corps

3. Countries

Global Transformation Corps has a special focus on the pressing need for successful social entrepreneurship, job creation and economic development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), in addition to its global focus.

Tech Girls from the United States participate with Tech Girls from the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, Tunisia and from Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kirgizstan and Tajikistan.

Saudi Young Leaders Exchange has U.S. college students participate with participants from Saudi Arabia

Emerging Young Leaders Award participants came from Afghanistan, Algeria, Belgium, Burma/ Myanmar, France, Georgia, Honduras, Malta, Indonesia, JErusalem, Kenya, Malta, Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, Peru, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tunisia and Vietnam.

Professional Fellow Program participants from North Africa: Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia come to the US, and the US mentors travel to those countries during an outbound trip.

Global Youth Village had 5000 participants from 105 countries over the last 40 years. Among the last years were youth from: Algeria, Australia, China, Egypt, El Salvador, Guatemala, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Native America, Nepal, USA, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sudan, UK, Vietnam and Yemen.

Community Building and Social Cohesion has participants from across the UK.

The Youth Leadership Program On Demand has had programs with participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, from Cyprus, Indonesia, Iraq, Mexico, Turkey, the US and from Yemen.

4. Partnerships

Legacy International has been Partnering for the Good with Non-Profits, Businesses and Governmental Agencies, to host program participants:

Organization & Type

826 DC — Nonprofit

American Friends Service Committee — Nonprofit

Anant — Business

APCO Worldwide — Business

Arlington Chamber of Commerce — Nonprofit

Ashoka — Nonprofit

Ashoka’s Youth Ventures — Nonprofit

Black Girl Ventures — Nonprofit

C5 Accelerate — Business

Calvert Impact Capital — Nonprofit

Campaign Legal Center — Nonprofit

Congressional Hunger Center — Nonprofit

CQ Roll call — Business

Creative Associates International — Business

DC Department of Parks and Recreation — DC Gov

Department Small and Local Business Development — DC Gov

Education for Employment — Nonprofit

Fair Chance — Nonprofit

Fifth Tribe — Business

Grameen Foundation — Nonprofit

Halcyon — Nonprofit

Heinrich Boell Foundation North America — Nonprofit

Hera Hub DC — Business

Impact Hub — Business

Inclusive Innovation Incubator (In3) — Business

Institute for Multitrack Diplomacy — Nonprofit

International Foundation for Electoral Systems — Nonprofit

Ippon Technologies — Business

Kaboom! — Nonprofit

Latin American Youth Center — Business

Leadership Greater Washington — Nonprofit

LifePieces to Masterpieces — Nonprofit

Mine the Gap — Business

National Association For Environmental Education — Nonprofit

National Association of the Deaf (NAD) — Nonprofit

National Democratic Institute (NDI) — Nonprofit

National Waste & Recycling Association — Nonprofit

Northern Virginia Mediation Service (NVMS) — Nonprofit

NPR — Nonprofit

Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development — Government

Open Arms Housing — Business

PeacePlayers International — Nonprofit

Pilleave — Business

Points of Light — Nonprofit

Project Create — Nonprofit

Project on Middle East Democracy — Nonprofit

Running Start — Nonprofit

Serve DC — The Mayor’s Office on Volunteerism — Government

Small Enterprise Assistance Funds (SEAF) — Business

Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage — Government

Social Innovation Fund — Government

Stage Six, LLC — Business

Street Entrepreneurs — Business

Stuck In The Sand — Business

Talent Beyond Boundaries — Nonprofit

TeachNow, Inc. — Business

Tech Change — Nonprofit

The Women’s Collective — Nonprofit

Union Kitchen — Business

United Way Worldwide — Nonprofit

U.S. Green Building Council — Nonprofit

Washington Parks and People — Nonprofit

Women in International Security (WIIS) — Nonprofit

WeWork Labs — Business

Youth Service America — Nonprofit

4.1 Global Transformation Corps Imperative

“One way of characterizing the global shift so urgently needed now is to move from an economic system optimized for growth and profit to one optimized for human well-being and a sustainable ecosystem.” Blueprint for Better Business (UK)

Imperative

Global Transformation Corps (GTC) mobilizes concentrated radical action to collaborate and to achieve sustainable global transformation. It challenges “business as usual.” GTC transforms Next Generation entrepreneurship and leadership — realigning our economic system from the short-sighted focus on profit optimization to values-driven, sustainable Earth-friendly outcomes.

GLOBAL: GTC’s platform matches the talent, resources and values of Next Generation social impact entrepreneurs, purpose-driven experts and committed impact investors globally.

TRANSFORMATION: This collaboration brings transformation concepts to market, adding to prosperity (local, global), and creating jobs, while generating measurable and social impact solutions that meet 5- and 10-year SDG Agenda 2030 imperatives. Its Catalytic Leaders Lab results in laser-focused outcomes that harmonize with nature and community sustainability.

CORPS: Based on its values-based, deeply connected and hi-tech enabled network, GTC fuels vetted transformation ventures that provide sustainable solutions to pressing local, regional and global problems. It empowers and scales unrelated, latent networks of emerging entrepreneurs and expert mentors with committed, compassionate social impact investors and philanthropists. The resulting Multi-sided Platform reduces the threat to our planet’s existence both on the spiritual, ecological, and economic levels… through a corps of conscious entrepreneurs; bankable sustainable ventures worldwide that enhance investor value; and solutions that directly impact SDG imperatives.

Goals

· Increase the awareness of SDG Agenda 2030 and commitment to Universal Values;

· Generate and sustain a global network of values-driven Next Generation (social impact) entrepreneurs committed to 2030 SDG Agenda, based on a Quadruple Bottom Line that

will generate value for: People (consumers, employees); Planet (sustainable impact);

Profit (investors, company stakeholders); and Prosperity (community);

· Reduce the risk of transformation-driven social impact ventures.

Strategy

GTC will search out the threats and most unique and innovative solutions that impact our global 5- and 10-year SDG imperatives. With urgency, it will systematically link RESOURCES (social impact investors) and ongoing SUPPORT (mentors, coaches, training) to IMPACT (pre-vetted social impact entrepreneurs) through a Multisided Platform. This Platform will mobilize transformation agents in business, NGOs, government agencies, universities, finance and philanthropy to collaborate with rising social entrepreneurs to meet the 2030 SDG Agenda. GTC will achieve its transformative goals through:

1. launching regional and global contests to increase the awareness of SDG Agenda 2030;

2. pre-screening and qualifying entrepreneurs, challenging ventures with Catalytic Leaders’ criteria, SDG Agenda 2030 and investor benchmarks;

3. integrating the core values throughout the entrepreneurial experience (e.g., TRUST, EMPATHY, SUSTAINABILITY, TRANSPARENCY);

4. expanding capacity with reflective, analytical & project execution skill sets;

5. collaborating with a diverse team to produce transformative business models;

6. providing long-term support and resources for sustaining, financing and scaling ventures; and

7. evaluating ventures with an exclusively developed social impact and risk assessment system.

GTC has three phases:

1. Mobilize Intention 2. Transform Capacity 3. Scale Impact.

In each of the three phases, committed experts and impact investors collaborate to challenge and provide unwavering support to qualified entrepreneurs (startups and striving ventures) focused on achieving SDGs:

· Intend — Engage participants who intend to and are committed to addressing the SDG Agenda 2030. Qualified entrepreneurs are selected to integrate values and purpose throughout their ventures; thus supporting the realignment our economic system.

· Transform- Interaction with purpose-driven functional experts transforms a new generation of Catalytic Leaders to integrate self-reflection, digital technologies, and best practices to drive breakthrough solutions. They earn certificates after completing the seven-week Catalytic Leaders Lab.

· Impact- In the Catalyzer phase, coaches and experts interact (online, in person) with qualified social impact ventures to execute and refine their business models and gain second level investment. Selected sustainable enterprises are evaluated based on impacting all stakeholders with a Quadruple Bottom Line and achieving targeted SDGs. They are scaled to expand regionally and create jobs, economic development and new venues for empowerment while diminishing the attraction of extremism and threats on our ecosystem.

Objectives

1. Launch GTC prototype in 2 MENA countries (e.g. Morocco, Lebanon, Oman) in 2019–20.

2. Scale GTC via a global contest in 2020–21.

3. Mobilize a network of transformation-driven impact investors committed to supporting emerging social impact ventures and SDGs

4. Develop the state-of-the-art values driven, 7-week capacity building curriculum to qualify leaders/ entrepreneurs of social impact initiatives with management, digital & reflective skills.

5. Implement a Multi-sided Platform that facilitates interaction and generates value among of emerging entrepreneurs, transformation-driven impact investors, and purposeful mentors.

Activities: Year One and Two

(2) GTC Prototypes in two MENA countries
Justification- recruit, train and manage 40–50 + transformation-driven emerging entrepreneurs from host counties in MENA region to develop strategic planning, business model and campaign design, implementation and refinement for place- based transformation to directly address 2030 SDGs in MENA region

Justification- guide and coach entrepreneurial teams to implement transformative business models in the MENA Region.

GTC Global Contest
Justification-select 30+ emerging entrepreneurs globally with transformation initiatives that are determined to have the strongest potential impact for specific SDG Agenda 2030 imperatives. These entrepreneurs will receive transformation- driven capacity building from global experts in leadership, exponential organizations, stakeholder centric culture, transformative business models, catalytic marketing, digital technologies, transformative economics, intergenerational collaboration and impact investing.

Justification- host training in a hub for entrepreneurship (e.g., Kenya, Taiwan, Ecuador) to coach entrepreneurial teams to implement transformative ventures.

Catalytic Leaders Lab
1. Expand the internal capacity of NextGeneration entrepreneurs to build transformative ventures.
2. Design interactive values based,social impact driven online/offline curriculum.

3. Integrate foundational technologies (AI, IOT, Blockchain) into impact solutions.

4.Develop impact investor team to coach entrepreneurs to pitch transformation ventures to “transformation impact investors.”

5. Develop criteria and award certificates.

GTC Multi-sided Transformation Platform
Adopt an existing multi-sided platform as a prototype to facilitate necessary interactions among entrepreneurs, impact investors and experts.

Revenue Generation Potential

GTC is designed to generate revenue streams; after an initial prototype, entrepreneurs should be willing to pay for the Catalytic Leaders Lab; awarding the certificate would have a fee; GTC platform could incorporate different membership levels; Global Contest will ignite global interest and generate corporate and foundation sponsorships; and MENA prototypes will generate local matching funds and in-kind support.

Outcomes

· Test, refine and scale GTC prototype for global launch.

· Develop, test and refine Catalytic Leaders Lab curriculum integrating reflective, analytic and strategic skills and mentoring program.

· Launch GTC Platform to increase the number of qualified entrepreneurs and matches their organizations and resources.

Impact on SDG Agenda 2030

· Increase the awareness of the urgency in MENA and globally.

· Include and engage the rising global voices of the Next Generation, the women and the marginalized to become actively involved in global transformation initiatives.

· Certify ~80 Next Generation conscious entrepreneurs as Catalyzers by 2021.

· Monitor and assess solutions to ensure that solutions meet that timetable and goals of the SDG Agenda 2030.