Fall Updates + Dreaming of Futures...
Just a few updates to share as we head into the fall season, and a question about our futures
Hey Changemakers!
I’m back from summer vacation (spent some time in England with the family), and I want to kick off the fall season with an update on a few things I’m working on here at “Agents of Change” as well as a prompt to get us all dreaming about our futures as we enter this new season. Here goes…
Fall Institute for Changemakers: Starting at the end of this month, I will be launching the second in a series of independent professional development & growth experiences focused on making change happen in our work. This Fall Institute will run for 4 weeks, starting on September 27th and going throughout much of October. This Institute is modeled on the Summer Institute that I offered in July and August, but I am expanding the format based on the feedback of the attendees in my first institute. Registration is now OPEN and folks have already been signing up. I have capped the fall session at about 20 participants, so if you are interested I encourage you to sign up soon and be a part of this second amazing cohort of changemakers. You can learn more details through my most recent post about the Fall Institute. Email me with any questions at murawski27@gmail.com.
Exciting Changes Here at “Agents of Change”: This fall, I will also be making some updates and changes to the “Agents of Change” Substack community that I am very excited to share more about soon! I am working through all the details now, but I can share that I am working on creating an additional paid subscription option with more posts and threads, more opportunities for community building and connecting with others, and some virtual happy hours and ways to connect in real time. The free subscription option will stay, no worries, so if you are happy with “Agents of Change” right now, be rest assured I will always be offering posts around once or twice a month for free. But for those interested in a bunch more support, content, and ways to connect, I am really excited to be offering this soon. Stay tuned!
Building a More Human-Centered Museum through Digital Technologies: As we head into Fall, I’ve continued to reflect on what it means to be human-centered in our work and in our institutions. This got me thinking about a presentation I was invited to give at the International Conference of Museums and Digital Strategies (CIMED) hosted in Spain this past March. In preparing for this presentation, I spent time thinking and reflecting on just how much the pandemic has impacted the types of human-centered interaction and engagement we strive for in museums, and whether we can indeed use digital strategies to connect deeply with visitors, communities, and human stories. This talk has recently been posted on YouTube, so I encourage you to watch and let me know what thoughts or questions you have — or share examples of other digital projects that amplify human connection and empathy (I’d love to learn about more).
Dreaming of Futures: Finally, I want to end by sharing some questions we thought a lot about during our Summer Institute and that we will be exploring again in the Fall Institute. I have been thinking a lot these past few months about the vital importance of imagining, envisioning, and dreaming about our futures — what if the best were to happen? What might that look like? The radical, optimistic practice of imagining our best futures in a vital part of our work as changemakers. Hope in a possible future can drive our energy and purpose when advocating for change, especially when we face challenges and barriers. Since September is a time for beginnings for many of us, I wanted to open this question to everyone here in this community. I invite you to reflect on these questions below, and add your thoughts in the Comments, where I will respond, as always:
What is the future you dream of (for your organization, your work, your community)?
What change are you advocating for, and what will your world be like if that change happens?
“Offering a vision of a different future and cultivating the belief that such a vision is possible is the best way to motivate people to stand up for change.”
-Kazu Haga, peace activist
The change I'm making in my own practice, and trying to advocate for with the teams I work with (as a freelancer) is to strive to always work anti-racist and anti-ableist ways. For me specifically, my world would be a much more comfortable and satisfying one - one where I don't feel constantly compromised about my commitments or unhappy about the harm that I am part of perpetuating despite my best efforts.