The Conversation, Ted, World Future Society, Australian Labor Party, and Australian Council of Trade Unions, are favourites of mine.
The Conversation… theconversation.edu.au, Ted… ted.com, World Future Society… wfs.org, Australian Labor Party… alp.org.au, Australian Council of Trade Unions actu.org
They are a place to connect with experts and organisations to discover ideas and innovations that will inspire and enhance your own work. Knowing what others are doing enables you to make breakthrough connections that otherwise would never be possible.
From the curious to the serious with the latest ideas and research from academics with rigour and jounalistic flair… They are ideas worth spreading. Example of a, can do freedom... can’t do discrimination, world.
The light on the hill shows the goodness of a top down bottom up mixed approach.
We shape our world through policy. This policy is made not only by politicians, but by thousands of public servants and the thousands of women and men who petition parliaments and ministers, who join interest groups, comment through the media or represent unions, corporations and community movements. All have a stake in policy. The entire community is affected by policy.
Political institutions, such as the legislature, the government and bureaucracy, the courts and all the statutory bodies of the public sector, should conduct their procedures according to the traditional ideals of democracy… in particular, justice, liberty, equality and community. The whole political structure should rest on a participatory society which maintains a group life.
Communication leads to benefits… protective for each other, respective for each other.
The end game is Fulfillment.
Policy offers the possibility of fulfillment through creating intimate connection and the promise of satisfaction. Policy design is an important element in the intricate web of communication that sustains consumer culture as consumers are told their dreams should be realised through the the processes and outcomes of inclusive policy design.
One of the keys is possessing fluid or liquid content: ideas that lend themselves to being modified and adapted by people. If you get that right, you don’t have to put it out there, the consumers, the voters, will do that for you.
One way is to give each other our own space. People need the freedom to do things on their own as a matter of self esteem… the opportunity to flex our muscles. And there are several kinds of muscles we may need to flex.
For example, Australians have won these rights:
The Right To Vote
All Australians who are registered and 18 years and older can vote. As a registered voter I recommend you find out about the people who want to represent you and what they plan to do for you and vote for the candidates who you believe will represent you well.
Freedom Of Speech
You are free to say what you think about local, State and Federal Government policies. If you feel that you have a problem or something to say, you can contact the media. Write a letter to the editor to be published in the newspaper, Call talkback radio, Sign a petition, Contact your elected representatives and let them know what you think, Send a submission to a Parliamentary committee, Write articles and comments at Wikipedia :–)
Freedom Of Association
You are free to join any organisation, union, or group you choose. You can join a political party. This allows you to be involved in choosing candidates and making policies.
Freedom Of Assembly
You are free to meet with people in public or private places. This can be in small or large groups. In Australia you have the right to organise or attend a rally. You must always obey the laws about behaviour in public and private places.
Freedom Of Religion
In Australia you are free to follow any religion that you choose.
Freedom Of Movement
You can move freely between all States and Territories and leave Australia at any time as long as laws are obeyed.
Sensible sustainable policy serves as an early warning sign to help people spot problems and opportunities far enough in advance so that they can prepare and make wise decisions.
Knowledge alone is no longer the key to a prosperous life. The critical skill to couple knowledge is foresight. Knowledge quickly goes out of date, but foresight enables you to navigate change, make good decisions, and take action now to create a better future.
We often think people are successful because of luck, when in fact it was their foresight that made them lucky. Foresight prepared them so they were ready to act on their opportunities. If you look at any successful person, organisation, even a country, you will find a high degree of foresight. That’s why foresight is the ctitical…
Ingredient Of Success
Foresight is critical to achievement in all areas of your life, including your major life decisions. People who lack foresight are likely to find themselves unemployed when jobs are unexpectedly lost to new technologies, competition from overseas, or shifts in consumer tastes. Foresight is the key to survival in a world of disruptive innovation.
Foresight enables you to see opportunities, avoid threats, and chart the fastest path to your goals. The key to success is seizing opportunity when it arises. But you need to see the opportunity and be prepared to take action. That’s why foresight gives you power and agility to achieve any goal you want to achieve.
7 Ways To Spot Trends
Here are a few techniques to spot new opportunities and potential problems. These methods give an edge to help succeed.
Scan the Media to Identify Trends… Conduct ongoing and systematic surveys of news media and research institutes. These surveys help spot significant trends and technology breakthroughs.
Analyze and Extrapolate Trends… After the trends are identified, the next step is to plot the trends to show their direction and development into the future. Trend analysis and extrapolation can show the nature, causes, speed, and potential impacts of trends.
Develop Scenarios… Describe the future development of a trend, a strategy, or a wild-card event in story form. These scenarios can paint a vivid picture that can help you visualize possible future developments and show how you can prepare effectively for future risks and opportunities. Scenarios help you to blend what you know about the future with imagination about the uncertain. Scenarios help you move from dreaming to planning and then to accomplishment.
Ask Groups of Experts… Conduct carefully structured surveys of experts. Polling a wide range of experts in a given field can yield accurate forecasts and suggestions for action.
Use Computer Modeling… Use computer models to simulate the behaviour of a complex system under a variety of conditions. For example, a model of the economy might show the effects of a ten percent increase or decrease in taxes.
Explore Possibilities with Simulations… Create simulations of real world situations by means of humans playing different roles. For example, in war games, generals test out tactics they may later use on the battlefield, or corporate executives can explore the possible results of competitive strategies.
Create the Vision… Help systematically develop visions of a desirable future. Visioning creates the big picture of possibilities and prepares the way for goal setting and planning.
Sensible sustainable policy does…
Prepare for the Opportunities and Challenges of Tomorrow… Be able to position your career, your business, your family, your investments, even where you choose to live by using trends to your advantage and avoid threats.
See the Big Picture… Understand the larger forces shaping day to day events. You’ll see how the sudden and random events that make the headlines are part of larger patterns of change.
Inform of Breakthrough Events… Get advance notice of new events. Most importantly, you’ll have a context to evaluate the impact of new events.
Save Time… With the Internet and 24/7 news it can seem impossible to keep up with all the information you need to know. When you know the trends, you can cut through the clutter and focus on the news most relevant to your goals.
Find New Solutions… Gain new vision, expand your horizons, and be able to overcome mental roadblocks. You’ll understand the impact of changes outside your industry or area of expertise.
Make Better Decisions… Have a much better understanding of your opportunities, potential threats and the long term impacts of your choices.
Act with Confidence in an Uncertain World… Have tools, information and a network to help you succeed amidst complexity and change.
The world faces enormous challenges. We need to work collectively to develop the wisdom and consensus to build sensible sustainable policies with a no wrong doors approach.
My Profile… https://plus.google.com/108123840469826880209