
Feb 19, 2024 At one of the most premiere business schools in India, IIM (Ranchi), they hosted a "Soul Carnival", with food, games and joy of being related. But with a twist. Here's more from their press release: However, what sets this year's Soul Carnival apart is reliance on the Trust Economy model – a radical yet resonant approach where transactions at stalls are not fixed by price tags but are left to the discretion and generosity of patrons; the birth of this revolutionary concept was inspired by ServiceSpace movement of kindness and generosity happening globally. For a deeper dive into various models, check out this article on spectrum of reciprocity (and many practical examples and experiments).
Feb 15, 2024 Retreats and circles are in the air! In the very location of Gandhi 3.0 retreat, Drishti Foundation just hosted a retreat with various NGO founders, most of whom our foundation has been supporting for the last 30 years. Apart from sharing stories, some technical best practices around the increasingly complex landscape in India, and building synergy among each other -- there were also the "Moved By Love" ripples of hand-made name tags, rangoli mandalas, peace walk, interfaith prayers and so much more! Here's the retreat participants building those trademark hearts with each other, two days ago: Speaking of rangolis and mandalas, here was a photo shared on a volunteer thread of another gathering that Parag, Anamika, N2 and many others from our Surat volunteers hosted: And of course, in two weeks, Meghna and a gang of 20 volunteers will be hosting yet another retreat -- and word on the street is that people from Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Dubai are trying to join the waitlisted gathering! In the application, one of the questions is about the background - - and it's touching to see the diversity of backgrounds that are drawn to these shared values, like this: I am currently 22 years old and have been working for the past 7 years. I started as a delivery boy and have now worked my way up to a staff position. It has been an incredible journey, and I have enjoyed every moment of it. Currently, I am preparing for my 12th grade exams which will end on March 6th. My aspiration is to become an engineer one day. Thank you, all, for all the open-source inspiration -- and the murmurations we took home on Monday! :)
Feb 15, 2024 Oregon Zoo Releases Endangered Condors Back To Nature In California The soft release program at Oregon Zoo has helped restore the population of condors to about 500 in California. Read the full story here.
Feb 12, 2024 Some sweet stories from our KindSpring community this week. :) Big Snowstorm Here And ... Big snowstorm here and we closed the library early. 3 of us scraped snow off of our coworkers cars while they finished closing up. Read more... Helping And Encouraging A Friend Heard from one of my best friends from school (we were in each other's wedding party) that his practice was not going well and he's contemplating closing his doors. We graduated together and he is far too talented to not be treating patients and helping folks live happier, healthier lives. Read more... Offering A Seat On Public Transit I was riding home on the SkyTrain (our rapid transit, like a subway) after work, and as I was getting ready for my stop, I tapped a woman who was standing and pointed to the seat. And I gave her a little wave through the window [...] Read more...
Feb 5, 2024 How Can I Align My Career With My Deeper Values Dharma Realm Buddhist University recently offered a special, online dialogue with Birju Pandya about how our inner values intersect with our outer realms of work and career. Birju has explored how to center values and a heart of service within one's work for many years. During the call, he shared some of his journey along with three deep questions to reflect on from our own unique perspectives. The talk planted wonderful seeds in people's minds. You're invited to view the recording here.
Feb 2, 2024 A Book for an Act of Kindness Professor Michael Gordon is offering his book, Doing Good with Money, for free -- or rather, for non-financial expressions of wealth. Interested readers can sign-up to receive a free e-copy of Michael's book by sharing an act of kindness they've offered in the world. People spanning four continents have shared their uplifting and heart-warming acts of kindness. The act of sharing them is, in itself, able to create ripples around our world. "The way I feel reading those reflections is what now makes me hopeful about 'changing the world'", said Michael. "There’s something inside these acts — large or small — that feels like an ingredient we need to create change that matters: A willingness to act with kindness; to benefit others; to see — what’s the opposite of futility? — that change starts within us. What if: We began to realize that there is lots of energy in these isolated acts? And that we might find others with similar inspiration? And work together from a sense of connection and meaning?" Read many of the kind acts, and share your own, here.
Jan 30, 2024 From I to We: Karma Kitchen Vienna Located in Generationencafé Vollpension in Vienna's first district, Karma Kitchen Vienna has been extended due to its positive impact. "It is no coincidence that Vollpension in particular has taken up the idea of the Karma Kitchen: The social enterprise with two locations in Vienna employs a total of 80 people, more than half of whom are over sixty years old", writes Suzanne Wolf. Read more about this heartful venture in here.
Jan 24, 2024 Sanctuaries of Silence Gordon Hempton, acoustic ecologist, describes silence as not the absence of sound but rather the absence of noise from modern life. "Silence is the poetics of space; what it means to be in a place." We invite you to watch Gordon's brief video and consider how and where you might lean into spaces of silence.
Jan 17, 2024 Can I Align My Career with My Deeper Values? A Dialogue with Birju Pandya On Tuesday, Jan. 30 (5:30pm Pacific time), Dharma Realm Buddhist University will offer a special, online dialogue with Birju Pandya about how our inner values intersect with our outer realms of work and career. Birju has explored these and similar topics for many years. He will share part of his journey while opening space to consider opportunities to create more alignment within our own multifaceted existences. Learn more about this special event, and reserve your ticket, here.
Jan 13, 2024 NGO Retreat (Mumbai): Leadership to Laddership Founders and senior leaders from 45 NGOs gathered at a special retreat in Parel East, Mumbai last fall. These change-makers came together to explore the transformative shifts of moving from leadership to laddership. Diving deep into ServiceSpace values, they considered such ideas as: Broad Margin Goals Vs Narrow Margin Goals – How can we move from short-term thinking to long-term thinking and from the ‘Me’ to ‘We’. Value Of Context Vs Value Of Content – Asking ourselves not “what” we are doing but “how” we are doing it. Designing For Social Permaculture – Moving from ‘transaction’ to ‘building connections and community’. From Leadership To Laddership – How do we support and nurture an entire team to grow through Inner Transformation. Deepcasting in a Broadcast World – How diving deeper and amplifying the good is more effective. You can read more about this special retreat here -- or watch some inspiring video clips here.