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Radical
Changes in Store as We Transition to 100%
Sustainability and Community Control in
2008 and Beyond...
Dear
friends,
So much to share since our last e-newsletter
a year ago! Catalytic Communities has
shifted gears in a major way this past year.
I don't get the chance to fill you in often,
so I hope you'll have a close look at this
newsletter to learn what we've been up to
and where we're headed next!
Last Fall our online Community Solutions
Database won us one of 25 2006 Tech Awards,
out of a pool of over 950 initiatives around
the world "using
technology to benefit humanity."
Similarly, our Casa community networking
hub was recognized by UN Habitat's World
Urban Forum as one
of 12 "actionable ideas" in the area of
slum upgrading.
Our community networks are expanding at
an increasing pace, and this Fall we launched
our first ever "Call for Projects," doubling
the number of nations represented in our
Community Solutions Database and bringing
in new projects in a variety of areas.
To help with the posting and translation
of these projects, we've also counted on
the critical help of several new volunteers.
In 2008 we will be reaching out across
Latin America planting the seeds of network
expansion by word-of- mouth through initial
face-to-face encounters.
That said, we have decided we are not
doing good enough! Catalytic Communities
is now undergoing a historic, radical, and
unique transition process that will
make good on our dedication to community
empowerment and peer networks.
Our Board
of Directors has recently approved the
separation of Catalytic Communities (CatComm
- USA) from Comunidades Catalisadoras (ComCat
- Brazil). CatComm will be uniquely responsible
for developing our multilingual website
www.catcomm.org
along a Web 2.0 (highly interactive online
community) model.
We're lucky to have gained Michael Maranda,
experienced in community organizing and
online communities and previously of CTCNet
Chicago, as our new Strategic Director to
undertake the remaking of the site to make
it more robust, interactive and extensible
and keeping at the core mission. By mid-2009
CatComm's site will be a highly interactive
online community of local organizers from
around the world, all supporting each
other through a site requiring minimal staff
involvement and developed by a network of
volunteer website developers, translators,
and community organizers.
Equally exciting, ComCat (Brazil) will
take over full responsibility for our Casa
community networking hub. With this,
we are now transferring leadership and
ownership of the Brazil organization to
the community leaders who have used the
Casa since it was first opened almost
5 years ago. Community organizers in Rio
are meeting weekly as they determine the
leadership structure, calendar of events,
and fundraising approach to grow the Casa
in 2008. By 2009 the Casa will be 100% directed,
managed and funded through the efforts of
volunteer community leaders in Rio.
What all of this means is that by mid-2009
CatComm will be 100% self-sustaining!
We have a small endowment that will cover
maintenance costs from that date forward.
But until then, we are still counting
on your support. And Rio's community
organizers may also seek your support in
the future to grow the Casa's efforts locally
there. To make your 2007 year-end contribution
please click here
or choose among the "year end giving" options
to the left.
I want to personally thank you for your
encouragement of our work in the past and
to ask you to support CatComm as we move
forward with this bold transition plan.
Please write a check or make an online donation
today, and throughout 2008, to support us
in the home stretch of our goal in achieving
financial sustainability and leaving CatComm
with the right footing to grow on its own
for many years to come...
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Latin America Tour '08
Rosa Zambrano, New Campaigns
Director
As CatComm's Director for New Campaigns,
one of my priorities for the coming
24 months is expanding our network
across the Spanish-speaking world.
To reach this objective, we are
launching a Latin American expansion
tour. Our accumulated experience
has convinced us that what we offer
communities in Brazil, those online
tools that have contributed to empowering
hundreds of community efforts here,
can serve to strengthen communities
across the world, and that now is
the time to expand our reach.
Our initial focus will be to draw
increasing numbers of positive community
experiences from across Latin America
into our Community Solutions Database,
involving their protagonists in
our active global community, so
that their efforts can inspire communities
around the globe. In 2008 we will
be reaching out in Peru, Argentina
and Guatemala, given the abundance
of cultural and social initiatives
at the grassroots in these countries.
We are counting on support from
you - members of the CatComm Network
- to guarantee the success of this
effort.
To
support this campaign sign the Pledge
for Rosa's Latin America Tour
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24 New Projects!
A Sneak Preview
Next week we'll be introducing
you to two dozen innovative new
community projects from around the
world as they enter the Community
Solutions Database! Projects
from 10 countries will be included
in the mix, from Australia to Zimbabwe!
We'll open the week
Monday with the foundations
of strong communities -- projects
posted in the Community-Building
category. From Ghana, Brazil, the
US, the UK, and two from Uganda,
these projects provide necessary
elements for building community.
Tuesday we'll introduce
you to a unique set of Education
and Skill-Building projects
ranging from day care and orphanages
to college prep from Brazil, Zimbabwe,
and Uganda.
Wednesday we'll feature
a set of 4 Health programs
ranging from a geriatric hospital
to programs in support of aids orphans
and water purification systems.
Thursday will feature creative
Business & Economy projects
from Brazil, Australia and Uganda
ranging from chili production to
an information technology cooperative.
Finally, we'll complete the week
Friday with Culture &
Leisure programs from Sudan,
Brazil and a program supporting
communities in Mali and Peru, several
focusing on cultural preservation.
Click
here to learn more about all the
projects in our Community Solutions
Database
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About CatComm
In a Nutshell
Catalytic Communities (CatComm)
has created a world where community-generated
solutions are just a mouse-click away,
where anyone, anywhere, confronting
a local problem, can find the inspiration
and tools they need to implement the
solution, learning from their peers.
CatComm uses technology to link
grassroots community groups so they
can learn from each others' successes.
Since 2000...
...CatComm has built a modern,
dynamic website to vividly
display community solutions from
around the world in extensive detail
and easily searchable formats. Over
24,000 people visit the site monthly.
...CatComm has thoroughly
documented over 160 community projects
from 19 countries and translated
them to three languages, making
them available online in our Community
Solutions Database, winner of
a 2006 Tech Award.
...CatComm has developed
an on-the-ground tool, its Casa
community networking center
in Rio de Janeiro, a hub for 1200
local leaders from over 170 communities
who come together to exchange solutions,
ideas, contacts, resources, knowledge,
and more. The Casa was recognized
in 2006 by UN Habitat's World
Urban Forum as one of twelve
"actionable ideas" in
the area of slum upgrading and affordable
housing.
...CatComm reaches over 40,000
individuals through the networks
of leaders we support, by attracting
visibility to their initiatives,
helping them articulate their work,
and facilitating the exchange of
information between peers and outside
supporters.
Find
out more...
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We look forward to communicating more effectively,
more frequently, with you in the future, as
the transition to community ownership takes
hold. In the meantime, don't hesitate to contact
us with suggestions, recommendations, ideas
and more! And, once again, thank you for being
a critical force in shaping CatComm as it's
evolved from vision to reality.
Warm wishes for a joyous holiday and a peaceful
2008,
Catalytic Communities
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