NOTE: Images in this archived article have been removed.
As a response to the increasingly urgent need to create thriving local enterprises and jobs, and inspired by a training in the Art of Hosting, sponsored by Transition US, Transition Mar Vista/ Venice held its first Pro Action Café on May 3rd.
The following 4 projects of Transition members were selected for support, based on their relevance to our fundamental goal of creating a healthy, sustainable and resilient community in West Los Angeles:
—Home Grown Gardens is Matt Van Diepen’s young business focused on transforming the urban landscape to include productive agricultural land and supporting all those who want to grow food in their homes.
–Anandi Bliss is founder and co-owner of Refyll,a company that produces high quality non-toxic personal care and cleaning products in re-usable containers to be “refilled” at Farmer’s markets and at a retail space to be opened.
–Naomi Curland, founder of the Westside Produce exchange, a monthly gathering of urban gardeners to exchange home grown produce, is starting a non-profit, No Meal Left Behind, to reduce food waste in the public schools.
–Stephon Litwinczuk, an accomplished filmmaker, is in the process of growing his young production company Oneness Media into a full time social enterprise to support the work of transformative eco and social justice organizations.
Invitations were sent to our Transition members first and then to our networks of friends and acquaintances with an eye on skills such as marketing, PR, non-profit work and business planning. We were able to use the beautiful home of Transition ally Andy Lipkis, president of TreePeople.
The day began with everyone meeting for coffee and snacks. Old friends reconnected and new relationships started. After the café officially commenced with a circle and introductions answering the question of what we are in service to, the rules of the game were laid out. These underscored the importance of mutual respect, listening and speaking from the heart.
The event was divided into four rounds, where a specific question would be the focus of the table conversations. The project managers were asked in consecutive rounds: What is your vision; what is missing; what are your needs; what are next steps, with the end goal of realizing practical actions to take in order to grow their enterprise.
It didn’t take long for the group to begin to unleash the full power of their expertise and creativity. Realizing that their years of knowledge and experience had a willing vessel in the project managers, ideas began to flow and the four tables were crackling with inspiration. Everyone was having so much fun that it took a bit of coaxing to get people to change tables between the rounds. The value of each individual contributor was amplified by the power of collective intelligence.
By the end of the fourth round every project manager had multiple sheets of ideas, drawings, a wealth of new information to apply, and of new contacts to further the goals of their work.
During a closing circle, the participants expressed gratitude. Receiving so much from the community so quickly can be an overwhelming experience and project managers were encouraged to relax and sit with all the information before rushing into action. Afterwards we feasted on freshly made quiche, salad from the community’s gardens and bread and pastries from local restaurants, continuing the conversation and networking. Organizers of the Pro Action café will follow up to determine impacts over a one month, six and twelve months period.
