Six years of research has led our team to a three-proposal project we’re calling Project Weave.
Our collective objective is of the following:
- Deepen democracy
- Extend government to the edges
- Bring more people into decision making on issues important to them, where they live
One note: You may be feeling an allergic reaction to the words “democracy” and “government”. If you do, you’re not alone. Many people have lost trust in both.
Our theory of change includes the following:
- We won’t “move the needle” until people coordinate on policy decisions
- People don’t need government permission to enact all local decisions
- Begin local, replicate successful implementations, scale globally
The belief is that our governmental institutions are not the problem. The problem is that politicians (and media) have been captured by people with outsized influence. In the US, this was caused by expensive campaigns and the systematic disengagement of voters.
This is part “HR problem” and part “systems gap”. Our research has revealed a missing system that was present, now eroded by intent or accident. A system able to replace misaligned legislatures.
The good news is that our team and collaborators see a clear path forward. I’ll present the details in the next few blog posts about Project Weave.
Systems change is in the connective tissue, and the only way to reach it is indirectly. If that is the project, then that is where the work is… but it must be done carefully, very, very carefully. In that tender liminal realm much resides. The ability to love, the capacity to desire another relationship with each other and the world, a relationship that is vital, not exploitative.
— Nora Bateson
