Sensemaking the Transformations Community’s Future

Authors

  • Bruce Evan Goldstein Associate Professor, Program in Environmental Design, University of Colorado Boulder, USA. Corresponding Author: brugo@colorado.edu
  • Sam J. Buckton PhD researcher at the University of York, UK
  • Vicki Nichols Goldstein Executive Director, Inland Ocean Coalition, Boulder, Colorado, USA
  • Julianna Gwiszcz Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, USA
  • Christopher D. Ives Associate Professor, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, UK
  • Curtis Ogden Senior Associate, Interaction Institute for Social Change, Massachusetts, USA
  • Carlos Alvarez Pereira Programme Chair, The Fifth Element @ The Club of Rome
  • Joel Onyango Lead of the Climate Resilient Economies Programme and ACTS Pathways Academy, African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), Kenya
  • Luea Ritter Co-founder and creative steward of Collective Transition and Co-leader, WorldEthicForum
  • Niko Schäpke Assistant Professor in Environmental Governance, University of Freiburg, Germany
  • Karen Spiller Thomas W. Haas Professor of Sustainable Food Systems, The Sustainability Institute, University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA

Keywords:

Transformations, Community of Practice, Sustainability, Transdisciplinary

Abstract

The Transformations Community (TC) is a dynamic collective of sustainability action researchers and systems change practitioners dedicated to fostering equitable, sustainable, and regenerative futures. Since 2013, the TC has organized biennial conferences, with the most recent being a July 2023 five-day hybrid event in Sydney, Australia; Prague, Czechia; Portland, Maine; and online, with over 400 speakers and 700 attendees from over forty countries. This article delves into the insights and recommendations of a curated group, termed "sensemakers," who convened in Prague after the biennial conference in 2023. Their role was to engage in a deep reflective process, synthesizing their experience at the conference and charting ideas for desired future trajectories of the community. They identified core guiding principles labeled the "four Ts": Temperance, Transdisciplinarity, Translocalism, and Transformative Learning. These principles capture the TC's ethos, emphasizing the blend of academic rigor with real-world applicability and the interplay between individual agency, collaborative action, reflexivity, and alignment across sectors and places. Sensemaker discussions spotlighted four core areas of potential engagement for the community: decentralized and networked conferences, dynamic digital platforms for resource sharing and community building, collaborative workspaces for extended projects, and strategic partnerships with related transformation-oriented initiatives. Furthermore, the sensemakers acknowledged the need to pursue immediate actions such as organizing future conferences and developing long-term governance strategies that nurture the community's growth in alignment with the four Ts. By identifying where the TC stands and possible paths forward, sensemakers initiated a broader process of reflection and wayfinding that will continue within the TC over the next year.

Author Biographies

Bruce Evan Goldstein, Associate Professor, Program in Environmental Design, University of Colorado Boulder, USA. Corresponding Author: brugo@colorado.edu

Bruce Evan Goldstein serves as the Lead Weaver of the Transformations Community and Associate Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, in the Program in Environmental Design. He deeply values the TC and is dedicated to nurturing it. His research and practice focus on supporting transformative networks and communities.

Corresponding Author: brugo@colorado.edu

Sam J. Buckton, PhD researcher at the University of York, UK

Sam Buckton, a PhD researcher at the University of York, focuses on how evaluation can support systemic transformations and appreciates the personal transformation work he experienced during the conference.

Vicki Nichols Goldstein, Executive Director, Inland Ocean Coalition, Boulder, Colorado, USA

Vicki Nichols Goldstein is a lifelong ocean conservationist and community organizer, and Founder and Director of the Inland Ocean Coalition, which is dedicated to organizing ocean conservation work among people who don’t live near the coast.

Julianna Gwiszcz, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University, USA

Julianna Gwiszcz, born and raised in Pennsylvania, USA where she now once again resides, serves as the Capacity Building & Engagement Lead for the BRIDGES Sustainability Science Coalition, a UNESCO Management of Social Transformations (MOST) program, and its Flagship Hub based at the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at Arizona State University. Julianna's work is dedicated to enhancing social and ecological justice, as well as sustainable wellbeing, to foster a regenerative future for people and planet.

Christopher D. Ives, Associate Professor, School of Geography, University of Nottingham, UK

Chris Ives is Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham's School of Geography but grew up in Sydney. With a background in ecology and environmental planning, he leads a master's program in environmental leadership and management and is committed to recognizing and acting on historical moments of opportunity, with groups like the TC. His work is focused on the role of values, nature connection and inner dimensions in enabling sustainability transformations.

Curtis Ogden, Senior Associate, Interaction Institute for Social Change, Massachusetts, USA

Curtis Ogden, Senior Associate with the Interaction Institute for Social Change and facilitator of Food Solutions New England, traces his blood roots back to the UK, Germany and the present day Czech Republic, and now resides in western Massachusetts in the US on the traditional lands of the Nonatuc people. During the Prague gathering he introduced an energy systems science and practice workshop he is developing that will enhance interpersonal, intrapersonal, and larger systemic healing.

Carlos Alvarez Pereira, Programme Chair, The Fifth Element @ The Club of Rome

Carlos Alvarez Pereira, the Vice President of the Club of Rome and Programme Chair of The Fifth Element, was born in Paris to Spanish parents. He values diverse perspectives and possesses an inquisitive nature, which he described as similar to a six-year-old - full of questions leading to more questions, a reflection of the never-ending cycle of life.

Joel Onyango, Lead of the Climate Resilient Economies Programme and ACTS Pathways Academy, African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), Kenya

Joel Onyango, born and educated in Kenya, works with the African Center for Technology Studies (ACTS) as lead of the Climate Resilient Economies Programme and ACTS Pathways Academy. His expertise lies in water science, policy research, and community sustainability, and he is dedicated to rethinking conventional approaches in various systems through challenging dominant narratives in research and practice through decoloniality dialogues.

Luea Ritter, Co-founder and creative steward of Collective Transition and Co-leader, WorldEthicForum

Luea Ritter, originally from Switzerland and now based in Greece, is co-founder and creative steward of Collective Transition and co-leads the WorldEthicForum. As a process steward and participatory action researcher, she designs spaces for the interaction and relation between diverse voices, including the subtle wisdom of systems. Fostering coherence in social fields to navigate the complex challenges and potentials of our times is her main inquiry that underlines her diverse involvements.

Niko Schäpke, Assistant Professor in Environmental Governance, University of Freiburg, Germany

Niko Schäpke is an assistant professor in Environmental Governance at University of Freiburg, Germany, and a senior research associate at the Research Institute For Sustainability (RIFS) in Potsdam, Germany, and specializes in sustainability transitions, transdisciplinary research, and inner transformations.

Karen Spiller, Thomas W. Haas Professor of Sustainable Food Systems, The Sustainability Institute, University of New Hampshire, Durham, USA

Karen A. Spiller, a native of Detroit Michigan, is the Thomas W. Haas Professor of Sustainable Food Systems, University of New Hampshire, Durham. She is both Coordinator and the Massachusetts Ambassador for Food Solutions New England. Karen emphasizes racial equity in food systems, in all systems and is deeply committed to service, drawing inspiration from her ancestral ethos.

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Published

2023-12-19

How to Cite

Goldstein, B. E., Buckton, S. J., Goldstein, V. N., Gwiszcz, J., Ives, C. D., Ogden, C., … Spiller, K. (2023). Sensemaking the Transformations Community’s Future. Social Innovations Journal, 22. Retrieved from https://socialinnovationsjournal.com/index.php/sij/article/view/6954

Issue

Vol. 22 (2023): Transformative Partnerships: Proceedings of Transformations Conference '23

Section

Sensemaking and States of the Field

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Bruce Evan Goldstein, Sam J. Buckton, Vicki Nichols Goldstein, Julianna Gwiszcz, Christopher D. Ives, Curtis Ogden, Carlos Alvarez Pereira, Joel Onyango, Luea Ritter, Niko Schäpke, Karen Spiller (Author)

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