Hope for Creation IACCW – Spring Week Six Summary

Leverage Change for Broad Impact & Design for Co-Responsibility

In Sunday’s class, we first discussed how to leverage change for broad impact. As the authors of Regenerative Development and Design: A Framework For Evolving Sustainability write, rather than focusing only on reducing negative environmental impacts, “regenerative development asks the opposite question: how do we increase human impacts, but in ways that are consciously beneficial? In other words, how can humans serve as sources of healing and regeneration for every living system they affect?” (154). Drawing on systems theory, we affirmed how intentional changes in nodal points – places where multiple systems converge – carry the potential to have wide-ranging impact. Second, we talked about how to design for co-creativity and collaboration. “A developmental design process works directly on growing meaning and will. It starts with building strong relationships among stakeholders around a shared identity and future. It continues by helping stakeholders envision the roles they are called to play in order to bring this future into being. It supports the relationships, new capabilities, and self-accountability that these roles will require. The work of a designer is to create a process that invites everyone into this co-learning culture” (182). The questions we explored included: What are some of the most impactful nodal points at Hennepin, and which ones could be leveraged for wide-ranging, systemic impact? How will we foster fields of caring, co-creativity, and co-responsibility in our collective efforts?