Lots of changes, moved to Brussels

Right now, the name "quelle diffèrence" has acquired another dimension of validity for me in my everyday life. A week ago, on the 13th of september we moved to Brussels. Ali will be working at the Swedish permanent representation to the EU, negotiating development issues. I will be getting to know the city, developing my own new networks, feeling out the opportunities on the european scene and getting involved in things that I find interesting.

After a week in our new city we are definitely getting settled in our new apartment in central Brussels. It is much bigger than the one in Stockholm, but our things (furniture and such) are pretty much the same, and pretty much fill the place up. So weird how to completely different apartments can still be filled with the same interiors and suddenly become pretty similar. Quelle diffèrence, yet still so similar :)

The other new and BIG difference, as of yesterday, is that the far-right, racist, Sverigedemokraterna (Sweden democrats) got voted into the Swedish parliament with 5,6% of the votes. What was a real threat in the pre-election polls is now a sad fact of the political map in Sweden. I will devote some continuing space to this issue and its aftermath in entries to come.

One last pleasant difference that I have noticed every day in Brussels so far is that the weather tends to treat us to some sunshine and blue skies every day. Even though days may start out very grey, they have tended to turn around and get out the good side after a few hours. We are keeping our hopes up about this trend continuing well into the autumn here!

Keep on making a difference!

/Ola Nilsson

More creative meetings - workshop for young leaders

I was asked by my friend Cina Staron to do a workshop on creative meetings, as part of a leadership training for the National Association of Young Musicians (RUM). It was a beautiful, sunny saturday morning out at Kärsögården - a perfect setting for young leaders to grow! Walking the last bit from the bus stop to the facilities there were a LOT of little snails taking their morning walk as well, along the edge of the damp grass.

The group was intimate and attentive, they'd been together for the past two days so they were rather well familiarized and comfortable in the group, with some internal jokes developed as well, that spread giggles across the room a couple of times throughout the workshop - nice to see the signs of early team building (it was something about getting into a circle).

We transfered in to the workshop by each grabbing a little stone (I had picked a dozen on the path to the center, washed them off in the cold lake, and laid them to dry in the sun), feeling it, looking at it, then describing it, and finally drawing free associations to what the stone could tell us about creative meetings. The stone-exercise was a bit of an "Aha!-moment" for some, as a complete break from the ordinary and expected - so it had a good effect as a transfer in.

The rest of the workshop we used a bunch of different methods and exercises, drawing partially from the book Mer kreativa möten (which I project managed at LSU), to go through stages of planning and preparing for creative meetings. I essentially guided them through a needs-based approach to project planning, using the NAOMMIE-method (which I have been inspired by from Magdalena Musiala - every day arts).

So we brainstormed, collaborated, drew, antithesized, dart board evaluated, went out in the sun, and feedbacked. All in all, it was a creative atmosphere, lots of laughter, funny connections, ants in the pants, grass under feet, sun on skin and positive spirits!

The spontaneous feedback round from the group was really positive and included getting helpful tools, new ideas and liking the way I explained things clearly :) In return, I liked the group too, appreciated everyones interaction and participation and had a good laugh at some of the crazier ideas in the drawing exercise!

Oh, and another funny detail was that one of the training participants couldn't be there for this workshop because he was in town playing in an orchestra for the Swedish Crown princess' wedding...

Good fun!

/Ola Nilsson

Quelle Différence

- facilitating change, making a difference

Getting what you ask for

The global summit to Rework the World, in Leksand, Sweden, has come to an end. Four days of summit with 1700 people from 120 countries has been a very powerful experience. Up until the very end I can say that I have gained.

One woman told me a story, as we were sitting on the bus back to our cottages. She had been stressing the past couple of days over a project proposal that was to be handed in in two days and she didn't feel like she had the sufficient grounding in the issue that had to do with compiling an exhibition for a major actor that had to do something about sustainability, food and China. She was almost about to give up, but then in the lunch-line she starts talking to the person standing behind her who happens to be from China. One lunch-time conversation later and she is ALL set with her proposal - with all the necessary connections for her to be perfectly grounded and well prepared for her pitch.

Somehow, in the magic algebra of serendipity, her fears and doubts were swept away, her dreams were answered! I thought that was really great, and shows that consciously putting diverse people together creates a nice growing ground for these subliminal goals to be realized!

/Ola Nilsson

Workshop: creating a silicon valley for the clean-tech era

Outdoors group discussions at global youth conference

The National council of Swedish Youth Organizations organized a lunch session during the Rework the world conference in Leksand, Dalarna. I facilitated the participatory part of the session simply by dividing up in the teams and reflecting about the crucial steps needed to scale up our resepective initiatives.

/Ola Nilsson

Heal the hood at global youth conference

The rap number Heal the hood joined the big youth constituency gathering on the thursday evening session at Rework the world in Leksand, Sweden. The energy was high from a dynamic from a lively Global Village Market session around the solutions to reworking the world for a sustainable future.
Heal the hood helped get us to a high energy wrap up, a perfect conclusion of a rather long day. Thank youth! /Ola Nilsson

Achieving a radical change in global policy making - Saturday workshop

Achieving a radical change in global policy making

Time: 5 June, 12:30-13.30
Place: Gropen (the park outside of the food tent)

To achieve the goals of a economically, environmentally and socially sustainable development we need to rethink much of the policies in today's politics. However, in order to do this, changes at a much more fundamental level are required. The question of this panel discussion is; what are the systemic changes we need to address in order to achieve a radical change in global policy making and what role can young leaders play?