Worldwide Blogger Network Wants to Thrive!

FutureChallenges

FutureChallenges Thinking global, living local: Voices in a globalized world

FutureChallenges

FutureChallenges

FutureChallenges

160 Bloggers in 65 Countries More than 1,000 Posts and around 1,500 clicks a day Founder: Bertelsmann Stiftung Present Project Partners: Club of Rome, Rockefeller Foundation, Kiel Institute for the World Economy

Futurechallenges.org

@FutureChall_org

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FutureChallenges

FutureChallenges

Who we are and what we stand for We, 160 bloggers and other supporters, are Future challenges.org. The network offers activists and bloggers the opportunity to present their personal views on the effects of globalization for the attention of a global audience. We aim to show a human perspective on the topic of globalization which otherwise is usually described in abstract terms like the amounts of traded goods and flows of trade and finance. People must first understand what globalization means before they can act as consumers, producers or political actors to influence developments. Only then can they shape the process of globalization based on their ideals.

The conditions in which such influence can be exerted are challenging indeed: global megatrends are causing the transformation of societies and economies across the world.

We are now living in an increasingly complex world in which the simple answers of the last century no longer suffice. The challenges posed by our present World 2.0 - sustainability, demography, over-indebtedness, climate change, social inequality - need answers firmly rooted in Politics 2.0.

Does Future Challenges offer ready-made solutions? No, we don’t. What we do is rather use the resources of our platform to push for collaborative efforts to tackle the challenges the future holds. We believe that the time of isolated decision-making by self-appointed leaders is over.

We reject the quick and simple fixes favored by media and politicians. We refuse to be moved by cultural, national and religious prejudice.

Futurechallenges.org

@FutureChall_org

facebook.com/Futurechallenges

FutureChallenges

FutureChallenges

What we are looking for

What we offer:

A major strategic realignment on the part of the Bertelsmann Stiftung means that it will no longer continue to finance the project in its usual manner. Accordingly, in the light of the many positive experiences made thus far, the present team and network of bloggers are planning to take responsibility for the furtherance of the project

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After a short transition period, it is planned to transfer the platform into the hands of a non-profit organization.

To this end, the team is seeking suitable prospective NGOs and institutions who are interested in supporting the aims, methods and networks of the platform and using them to further their own work.

An international, stable and highly coordinated network of economically and politically savvy bloggers and activists, Proven experience with state-of-the-art and online-based methods of communication, collaboration and event organization, Access to the key global players in academia and the non-profit sector dealing with future challenges.

Futurechallenges.org

FutureChallenges

FutureChallenges

We give the people a voice The people active on our platform are driven by their desire to make the world in all its diversity a more understandable, and thus a better, place. The international outlook of Future Challenges lends globalization a human face and gives people from countries worldwide a voice and a platform to express their opinions and experiences.

Future Challenges places a clear focus on internet-based communication and dialogue. On average Future challenges.org publishes 1-2 blogposts every day. These blogposts serve as the springboards for communication and discussion in social media. Futurechallenges.org has a particularly strong presence on Facebook (ca. 12,000 fans) and Twitter (ca. 1,400 followers). Many of our bloggers are among the best online networking personalities in their country with numbers of followers in the four- or five-digit range.

@FutureChall_org

facebook.com/Futurechallenges

Futurechallenges.org

@FutureChall_org

facebook.com/Futurechallenges

FutureChallenges

FutureChallenges

FutureChallenges.org has a consistent global outlook Over the past four years this project has not only helped the Bertelsmann Stiftung (Europe’s largest private foundation and the original initiator of the project) to gain a wealth of new perspectives and insights, but also the Rockefeller Foundation and the Global Economic Symposium of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy together with other project partners such as Yale University. In terms of methodology, we have collaborated with the Club of Rome, the Google Collaboratory in Berlin and the Government 2.0 Netzwerk Deutschland to strike out in new directions such as BarCamps and magazine-sprints. In 2012 Future Challenges won the German Online Communication Award in the category “Internal Online Communication” in recognition of the outstanding quality of the internet-based, decentralized communication of the worldwide Future Challenges network.

Future Challenges has a decentralized structure.

Until the end of 2013 management of the network was in the hands of the Bertelsmann Stiftung in Gütersloh (Germany). All content was published under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 License and could be reused under the terms and conditions of such a license.

The present network of bloggers is divided into nine “regional” groups: › North America › Latin America › Brazil (following an internal focus of the Bertelsmann Stiftung) › West Europe › Central and Eastern Europe › Africa › Middle East › Asia › Australasia/Pacific

Each of these groups is managed by its own Regional Editor who is responsible for recruiting new bloggers and manages the editorial process within his or her team. The Regional Editors are also involved in the strategic development of Future Challenges.

In addition, up to 15 additional people are employed in such areas online community/social media management, translations/copy editing, films, publications etc.

The majority of our blogposts are published in English, although the Latin American group also publishes posts in Spanish (each post is accompanied by a short abstract in English).

Futurechallenges.org

@FutureChall_org

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FutureChallenges

FutureChallenges

Topics covered by Future Challenges The selection of each topic covered by the monthly Content Package is primarily determined by the feedback we receive from our network.

Content Packages from the past few months, for instance, dealt with such issues as:

› The journalistic heart of Futurechallenges.org is the posts written by bloggers for the category “Local Views”. In these highly personal texts, the authors present their own individual take on the key theme connected with globalization. We believe that issues which move people have a very high relevance.

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Inclusive Growth and Sustainability: Buzzwords or real 21st century challenges?

Poor Women in Cities: Challenges and Innovations Growth vs. Sustainability - is there only room for one?

Austerity: Less is More?

Free Trade: Bane or Benefit?

In response, each of these topics received 20 to 40 blog posts from all regions, creating a unique diversity of perspectives.

Our bloggers also write special blogposts on selected studies and reports and offer their own individual perspectives and on the ground experience as counterpoints to academic analysis. Some of the members of network have even been invited to take part in discussions at leading conferences on the strength of the special blogposts they have published.

Futurechallenges.org

@FutureChall_org

facebook.com/Futurechallenges

FutureChallenges

FutureChallenges

Future challenges can only be met by collaborative efforts Of particular importance is our long-standing collaboration with the Global Economic Symposium (GES: www.global-economic-symposium.org), the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the Rockefeller Foundation. The GES has a solid track record in collaborating with leading experts in academia, politics and civil society on the evolution of solutions for global problems. A select number of our bloggers participate in the GES, and its annual two day symposium in which the solutions are presented. Our bloggers’ live reports from the conference give the GES a high online profile. This model has proven to be immensely successful and is one that could be applied equally well to other conferences and events.

In partnership with the Rockefeller Foundation we have developed a comprehensive study on the interdependencies between global megatrends, publicised the work of the Rockefeller Foundation and explored new ways of identifying themes and issues for the attention of major foundations.

Together with the Club of Rome, we organized and held a BarCamp on the role of the internet in tackling global challenges. Bloggers from Yale University were also contributors to our platform.

Its worldwide network and decentralized structure mean that Futurechallenges.org can be rapidly deployed in any locality. With their live streaming of informed commentary, our bloggers can publicize events held anywhere in the world whilst also actively supporting high visibility content placement on the social web.

Futurechallenges.org

@FutureChall_org

facebook.com/Futurechallenges

FutureChallenges

Map produced with Google Maps

FutureChallenges

The Future Challenges Network of Bloggers

Our commitment to communication and transparency The some 160 Future Challenges bloggers from all four corners of the world are a highly dynamic community who strongly identify with the project and its mission: “Thinking Global, Living Local: Voices in a Globalized World�. Exchanges between bloggers and the community take place via collaborative tools such as Google Docs and relevant

social media channels. All cutting edge formats including BarCamps, Meetups, Hangouts, Etherpads and Book-Sprints have already been tried and tested by us and have been successfully leveraged for the production of content. In 2012 the project won the German Online Communication Award in recognition of our pioneering work in transparent communication.

Future Challenges is not only decentralized in terms of its operating structure: all strategic and thematic decision-making in the network is also conducted on a collaborative basis. This has always been a highly constructive process and one that has proven its long-term value.

Futurechallenges.org

@FutureChall_org

facebook.com/Futurechallenges

FutureChallenges

FutureChallenges

Contacts

Ann-Kathrin Garrell a.garrell@gmx.de @Anke_Ga

Anneliese Guess amsguess@gmail.com @DCAnneliese

Nicole Kleimann nicole.kleimann@versanet.de @nk2804

Daniel Roth daniroth.dr@gmail.com @DanielRo25

Mario Sorgalla mario.sorgalla@gmail.com @mariosorg

Ole Wintermann ole.wintermann@gmail.com @olewin