Building the Field for Developmental Spaces: a new project in collaboration with Fetzer Institute, Commonweal & Ekskäret

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We are excited to announce a new project on "Building the Field for Deliberately Developmental Spaces" in collaboration with the Fetzer Institute, Commonweal and Eskäret Foundation. 

This project is a very first step in our field-building efforts. Its focus is on an initial "survey of the field" to map stakeholders and programs and start forging connections and awareness.  Focused on programs for youth and young adults (15-25 years old) in the US and Europe, we will be exploring what it looks like to be "deliberately developmental", profile relevant organizations, looking at their programs, approach and philosophy.

Background to the Project: an emerging field of "deliberately developmental" programs

There is an opportunity to coalesce a new field of "deliberately developmental" ("transformative") programs or spaces, especially those focused on youth and young adults.

This field exists within the much broader area of programs for youth and young adults ranging from the YMCA and CityYear to national service models as in Israel and Switzerland and Taiwan to spiritual retreats and personal development programs.

We use the term coalesce specifically because there is already significant latent potential within this broader area for the emergence of a deliberately developmental approach. This is not coming together out of a vacuum, it is a bringing together. For example, a CityYear National Hampshire director recently discussed with us how they are becoming more "intentionally developmental". 

This has the nature of a "strategic effort" that we hope can force-multiply by crystallizing an idea whose "time has come" and catalyzing change across an entire ecosystem of youth and young adult activity. There is an analogy with "youth development" as a concept twenty years ago: youth workers suddenly had something to explain and legitimize what they were already partially doing and were therefore eager and willing to adopt the concepts and language – at the same time, those ideas had a real impact in focusing and evolving their work.

This proposal is a very first step in this field-building effort. It focuses on an initial mapping of stakeholders and associated forging of connections and awareness. Assuming this was satisfactory a follow up would look at convening and deepening connections and alignment towards a full emergence of this new field.

Plan of Work

The core part of work will be a survey and analysis of stakeholders encompassing the following:

  • Brief profiles of organizations. This should include both those already explicitly related to deliberately developmental approaches and representative stakeholders of the broader space of youth and young adult programs.
  • Looking at language and ideas: This is a space where different people may be talking about the same ideas with different terms. We reiterate that there is already work happening that is using developmental strategies and theories but which may not be seen or labeled as such.
  • Methodologies and practices being used: For example, some groups may be meditating every day. Others may be taking people hiking in nature. What kind of practices are being used?
  • Engaging potential funders and other stakeholders who may wish to get involved  in this  work in addition to ourselves.

Regarding geographic focus: in this first effort resources limit us to focusing primarily on the US and secondarily on  Europe – and even in these locations we may need to limit ourselves  to where we already have connections and expertise. We will of course, welcome suggestions and contact from any location.

In addition, depending on budget we would also engage in one or more of the following:

  • Developing and sharing a "manifesto" articulating the key principles of this emerging field.
  • Producing briefing documents introducing the key deliberately developmental ideas in an accessible manner.
  • Convening one of more meetings of potential stakeholders to build connections and explore and develop the previous two items

Delivery of this initial phase will be led by a team at Life Itself Labs consisting of Rufus Pollock, Boaz Feldman and Catherine Tran, with input and oversight from Oren Slozberg at Commonweal, Michelle Scheidt at Fetzer Institute and Tomas Bjorkman at Ekskäret Foundation.

More about the partnering organizations

  • Life Itself: Life itself is a community committed to practical action for a radically wiser, weller world. We create coliving hubs, start businesses, do research and engage in activism to pioneer a wiser future.
  • Commonweal: Founded in 1975, Commonweal is a center for learning and research, transformation, and discovery located in Bolinas, California, on land that is part of the Point Reyes National Seashore. Their programs work in the areas of health and healing; education and the arts; and environment and justice.
  • Fetzer Institute is based in Michigan, USA. Fetzer's mission is to help build the spiritual foundation for a loving world and Fetzer is a growing community of people who see we're part of something more, aiming to inspire and serve a global movement that transforms the world into a more loving home for all.
  • Ekskäret: The Ekskäret Foundation is a Swedish non-profit organisation which aims to facilitate the co-creation of a more conscious and sustainable society. The Foundation was founded in 2009 with a focus on the connection between life-long personal inner development and growth and societal development.

Want to know more or get involved?

Are you interested to know more or want to get involved in some way? You can:

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