MISSION in International Exchange Platform in Thailand

by Grace Calleja

The Birthing Center members were invited by Nick during the June 2011 BC meeting to attend the International Exchange Platform on August 25-27 2011.  This was organized by the School for Wellbeing in Chulalongkorn University.  The organizers are the same people who closely worked with Bhutan's famous Gross National Happiness.  Four of us expressed interest to attend, but I was the only one left who could go.

Nick was a Keynote Presenter on The Threefold Nature of Social Innovation.  

 

To know more about the details of the conference, please log on to http://www.schoolforwellbeing.org/c.php?id=42.

 

There were more than 100 people who attended the conference representing all continents of the world, except Africa.

 

Most of the participants came from the field of academe, civil society organization and funding agencies.  A few from the government of Thailand and 3 of us from the business sector.  I am half-half though, because I represented MISSION in the conference.

 

A highlight of the conference was the World Cafe Process where the following questions (not verbatim) were discussed:

1.  What are the challenges that prevent social innovation to take place?

2.  What social innovations can we expect to see in the next 5-10 years?

3.  How can we support these social innovations to take place?

Another highlight was the Marketplace of Happiness, where 12 topics were discussed simultaneously and we had to choose which "market" we wanted to go to.  I chose 1.  Youth and Sustainable Education and 2.  Media and ICT (Information Communication Technology)

 

I am convinced that MISSION's framework is so far the most sophisticated and encompassing in terms of approach to societal transformation.  Others were overwhelmed with the task ahead, at the diversity of interests and ways to achieve "sustainable wellbeing" in a national level, moreso at the global level. MISSION is saying it is POSSIBLE and we have the tools and formula on how to go about it.

 

I also brought home with me ideas on how to organize Karangalan and/or other conferences, where to get funding for MISSION, new contacts/network for MISSION, and possible expansion of MISSION in Thailand starting from an IT expert who created a Free Downloadable Apple Application called Doctor Me (in Thai).

I also learned the huge advantage we have in front of us to create value out of common property such as knowledge, communication, network, etc....

 

 

You can check this site: http://www.imaginalmission.net/web2.0/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=177:mission-in-international-exchange-platform-in-thailand&catid=55:birthing-news&Itemid=235

 

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