Communicopia

We're really excited to let you know about the Open Everything Retreat, coming this fall to Hollyhock. Former WOC convener Mark Surman is at the helm, supported by Jason Mogus, David Eaves, and Mike Lewkowitz.

From the Open Everything website:

Christopher and I just got back from an action packed week in the UK with The Elders, moving their online vision and strategy project forward (see my March blog post for more info on this amazing new global NGO, their vision, how important online is for them, and our role with them). On the weekend Elders co-founder Peter Gabriel offered us to stay at his world famous recording studio, Real World Studios, in Box, UK, which was fantastic.

So it came as quite a fun surprise to be reading the latest Time Magazine on the flight home, and finding out that Peter has been listed as one of the Top 100 most influential people in the world for 2008! Our Elders board chair, the Archishop Desmond Tutu, wrote a great article about Peter and what a wonderful, heartful, and visionary man he is.

On the weekend I got to attend the first ever Social Venture Institute in Toronto, at the Kingbridge retreat centre just north of the city. It was a fabulous weekend - not just because of the 24 degree C in the sunshine but the amazing quality of the presenters, participants, and nascent community of socially engaged business people forming in Ontario.