It's the 4th of July here in the U.S. We gather with family and friends to celebrate and attend events that show off our patriotism. Yes to the family and friends gatherings (my kids and grandkids are still in town with us, and it's been a joy). Not feeling the patriotism, as the current administration, … Continue reading Celebrating global connections this July 4th holiday
The discipline known as knowledge management is one of the through-lines of my career. A common scenario when you work in this discipline is helping folks think through how they deal with the loss of deep expertise as people leave the workforce or transition out of active service. I am now in what I recognize … Continue reading Legacies and transitions
I've been (slowly) hacking away at a longer essay to summarize how I came to think about learning and communities. It's challenging. Like herding concept cats. When I write things like this, I start by trying to find key ideas or concepts that come to represent principles for me. (An example is Have direction, let … Continue reading A work-in-progress reflection: Designing for learning through community
"It's exhausting." That comment is stuck in my head. It came at the end of an email exchange with a leader of Environmental Justice Evanston (EJE), an elder, and veteran activist and community organizer. The exchange was about implementing progressive changes that come out of large-scale community listening efforts in Evanston. She noted that, in … Continue reading Monthly update (June): Looking for bright spots
I recently facilitated two meetings that took me slightly outside of my normal setting, which was teaching working professionals in a graduate degree program. Both recent experiences yielded interesting insights in my journey to apply my know-how in different settings. One of the things I realized is that these three things - have direction, let … Continue reading Have direction, let the dialogue go where it wants to go, and engage everyone.
Jeff Merrell 