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Vancouver Learning Circle

May 11th, 2009 Notes

The first Vancouver Learning Circle, on May 11th, included practitioners and funders who were drawn to a discussion of the role of social enterprise in urban Aboriginal economic development. Circle members spoke about creating some sustainability for urban Aboriginal organizations; a way for them to win some independence from the funding yoyo. Others talked about the prison of poverty and how we can bring those people to job, and ultimately, business readiness.

Some of the questions we thought would guide our learning journey are:

• What are the structures that bring us into supportive relationship with each other?

• What are the principles and practices that we inherit from traditional knowledge that can build our new practices?

• What are the politic-free models that we could grow?

• What are the policy, capital and funding mechanisms that help people make the jump from social assistance and HRDC funding, to business and self-sufficiency?

The Circle expressed a preference for working with: a cynic free group, where ethnicity doesn’t matter, and where there is an “organizational-free zone.” Next meeting June 16th.