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(For more information on the Thousand Sister Cities, view the Innovation Underground Prezi presentation.)

The Thousand Sister Cities Project is a sustainability learning exchange between Fairfield and communities around the world, based on a holistic approach to sustainability encompassing both technical and social transformation and addressing not only environmental but also economic and social/cultural factors.

The primary objectives of the project are to:

1. Provide what a growing number of students are looking for - an educational process/structure aligning with what we believe is the emerging educational paradigm and supporting self-exploration, empowerment, and the development of skills and abilities that translate into having a positive impact in the world.
   
2. Engage people within the sister cities in a way that supports and empowers them to become sustainable and self-sufficient.
   

The learning exchange revolves primarily around:

1. Projects: Applied learning opportunities that benefit client organizations and communities, e.g., Sustain Angoon project
   
2. Learning events: Workshops, classes, certificate programs, etc., offered through the Bonnell Building Project and other organizations
   

The Thousand Sister Cities Project is a sub-project of Innovation Underground, a network/intentional community and infrastructure we have been developing to support a new kind of collaborative, real-time learning and working in which individuals, and especially young people, pursue personal and collective interests, projects, and ventures.

Benefits:

To students/team members –

• Develop technical skills
• Develop organizational/social transformation skills
• Learn to work as part of a project team
• Learn client intervention skills
  
• Experience another culture, inc. learning language
• Applied sustainability
  

To clients (cities and organizations) –

• Become more self-sufficient/sustainable on all levels
  
• Build local capacity
• Cultural exchange/building international relationships
  

To partner organizations offering learning events (e.g., Sustainable Living Coalition, Maharishi University of Management, Ecology Action) -

• Attract more students to existing educational programs
• Create opportunity to expand educational offerings
• Expand organizational capacity through access to Innovation Underground/BBP resources

How projects are launched:

Every project is unique, but generally project launches involve:

• Engaging with a client to identify what they want to accomplish
• Determining what assets/resources they have and what they need
• Determining required skill sets
• Creating an initial plan and budget
• Identifying project coordinator/lead
• Forming team/recruit team members (can be interns, students getting credit, people paid based on key skill sets)
• Raising money as needed*, and
  
• Going through some kind of team formation process (vision, objectives, etc.)

For more information, contact Steve Cooperman at 641-209-1948.