now...November 2015

This is what I'm doing now.

Sharing Learning Doing (my work)

1. starting and working on an action research project with Greening Wingrove CIC to run until January 2016 (in partnership with Ethical HR Ltd)
2. starting a short project with a community centre in the east end of Newcastle to help them build a stronger network around them 
3. helping two organisations to become charities
4. planning an evaluation with Neil Shashoua of Trapeze Consulting for a Newcastle-based charity to start in 2016
5. helping Claire, the Broadacre House manager, to set up a co-working space in Broadacre House
6. (still) working on the backlog of my bookkeeping - I won't do this again (the backlog not the bookkeeping)
7. trying to write a regular newsletter to share inspiring, useful and exciting things. The plan was to send it out every two weeks or so but I'm not doing that well - none this month or last month but two in September

My learning and networks

1. learning social entrepreneur stuff - I'm a student on the School for Social Entrepreneurs 2015-2016 Start up programme with the Yorkshire and Humber school. It's a year-long programme with study days, action learning sets, a mentor and small start up grant. The first two study days were were in October and next two are in December. I'm meeting my new mentor, John, in Edinburgh at the end of this month
2. planning the next Urbanistas North East meet up in Broadacre House on 24 November (I'm part of the planning group. Urbanistas is a women-led network for women working on social change in cities)
3. planning the 2016 collaboration superheroes meet ups and collaboration supperheroes supper clubs (I host (now with Marc Jones and Robert Laycock) collaboration superheroes, a quarterly meet up about learning how to be super at collaboration, and new for 2016, collaboration supperheroes, a supper club. This came out of North East Together, Leaders Network for Social Change)
4. reading Social Gravity: Harnessing the natural laws of relationships by Jason Lauritsen and Joe Gerstandt for my book group. Our next meeting is in January so there's plenty of time to read the book (in theory)

Being an active citizen

1. volunteering as a trustee of Northern Creative Solutions, which runs Broadacre House, a meanwhile space project turning an empty 40,000sq ft/6 storey office block in Newcastle upon Tyne into a thriving community hub and home for charities (20 and growing), social action and creativity. It's brilliant
2. volunteering as a trustee of Scotswood Natural Community Garden. We run and manage a beautiful garden in Scotswood, Newcastle upon Tyne, to help people learn about nature, sustainability and growing and be more healthy
3. running (with William Mortada and Holli Brown) Newcastle Social Media Surgery to help people (community activists, charities, community groups) to use social media better 

Sequins and Tweed

1. working on some product lines for the alternative Christmas fair at Broadacre House on 5 December - so far I've made felt ball garlands, repurposed fuzzy felt for Christmas cards, and, inspired by 70s string art, have hand-stitched more Christmas cards - and now need to get on to packaging and pricing
2. learning how best to mount and frame nursery rhyme vintage playing cards
3. wondering what to do with this blog

I stole this idea from Derek Sivers. It's such a good idea to steal that loads of other people have done the same and there's now a now page movement plus a website that lists people's /now pages nownownow.com.