August 20, 2019 Newsletter
Rich Harwood's Latest Blog: Reclaiming our Social Norms
In his latest blog, Rich Harwood writes: “In my over 30 years of rebuilding and strengthening communities of all kinds and sizes, I have found that one clear telltale sign of a community’s civic health is its norms. Struggling communities are riddled with norms of endless divisive debates, incessant name-calling, and ugly derision... It is a dire mistake to wait for our politicians to reset our social norms. We don’t have that luxury; and in all the work I have done, politicians typically are the last ones to step forward. They are waiting for us.”
The Patterson Foundation Names Winner of A2A Live! Contest to attend Harwood Summit
Judges Rich Harwood, Tom Tryon, Opinion Editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, and Debra Jacobs, President and CEO of the Patterson Foundation, have chosen Manatee Area President of United Way Suncoast, Bronwyn Beightol, as the winner of the A2A Live! essay contest! They received submissions from public innovators across Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties who shared how they are putting the Harwood practice into action. Bronwyn described how she is Turning Outward personally and professionally. We’re excited to see Bronwyn and Tom at the 2019 Harwood Summit in Philadelphia!
Watch Rich Harwood, Debra Jacobs, and others from the foundation call Bronwyn to deliver the news!
The Focus of this Year’s Harwood Summit: How do we bring people together when our society is breaking apart?
This is also the central question of Rich Harwood’s new book, Stepping Forward: A Positive Practical Path to Transform Our Communities and Our Lives. The book sounds a call that we don’t need to accept what’s happening in the country, and that there is a more positive, practical way forward.
The Summit is a safe space for us to have an in-depth, serious and provocative conversation about what it will take for us to move forward, together. All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of Stepping Forward. We hope you’ll join us at this year’s Summit from Sept. 19 - 21 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia!
2019 Public Innovators Labs: Take Action and Make an Impact
This year's Public Innovators Lab for Libraries, co-hosted by the American Library Association, is an in-person training in Atlanta, GA from Oct. 15-17. You will learn how to uncover your community’s aspirations, develop effective programming and create lasting change in your community. Register to get trained to Turn Outward!
If you can't make it to the in-person training, consider registering for our Virtual Public Innovators Lab! The Virtual Lab is an 8-week online course launching on September 23, 2019. It provides an accessible, cost-effective option for becoming trained in the Harwood Practice. Register today!
Next Webinar: Supporting a Turned Outward Organizational Structure
In our next free library webinar—Supporting a Turned Outward Organizational Structure—Harwood Coach Carlton Sears will discuss how you can use the Harwood practice to drive internal cultural change. He’ll be joined by Jean Canosa Albano, Assistant Director for Public Services at Springfield City Library (MA); Kelli Knapp, Director and District Administrator, and Beverly Leonhardt, Reference Librarian, at Warren Public Library (PA); and Erwin Magbanua, Principal Librarian at Chula Vista Public Library (CA).
Register for this webinar on Sept. 25 at 1 PM ET to learn how you can orient your team and keep them on track to being community focused.