Of the many suggestions for the next EVOKE, I’ll call attention to four:

Agent Ninmah, a Hero already, hopes for better teacher support: tools for example that make it easier for classrooms to play (following the trail blazed by our Hero Agency Chengyuan High School). And Agent Gabriel Martin seconds her request with a good teacher-friendly wish list of his own.

Agent Samuel Freilich is a Hero for his Season 2 recommendations, especially I think (a) getting politicians to play and (b) getting us closer to an epic win state!

Agent Elizabeth DiMola is a Hero for inspiring us with her idea of EVOKE 2.0 played for real in communities worldwide, maybe using Ushahidi as a platform.

Agent Sarah Shaw Tatoun is a Hero for her thoughtful analysis about the difficulty of balance in the open classroom that is EVOKE.

And d’oh! I almost forgot! Agent Richard Smyth’s popular EVOKE: Season 2 – The Comic.

The other outpouring we’ve seen of course: THE EVOKATIONS. These are proposals by Agents that put the lessons of EVOKE into action. If you want to be uplifted (and you do), search for them. Two I’ll mention: the inspiringly crowdsourced OUR FARM and Agent David Dewane’s Library initiative. Which he sums up so well in this drawing!

We thank everyone that’s working on an Evokation, and encourage them to take that energy forward!

How do you handle a crisis? Agent Abby Krieger knows from experience – you don’t judge people – and she’s a Hero for sharing that wisdom for LEARN7. And a different experience sparked Agent Soni Pitts to connect the connective power of Ushahidi with crises in her hometown. And Agent Ryan Friedrich is a Hero for his simple vision of a sustainable future: one that avoids negative-sum thinking.

I found quiet heroism in three personal stories: about indaba, from Agent Brian Chatterton; about women empowering women, by Agent j m; and Agent Hafie Yillah’s very simple vision of food security in the year 2020 that I hope is as true as ever: “I am eating a meal that myself and 8 other individuals helped prepared. We are all of different backgrounds, but each of us has come together for the common goal of feeding one another.”

And with that, I let go of something I have never actually held in the first place: the power to make people Heroes. The heroism people show here, much of it unassuming and some of it unremarked, far outweighs any authority I may have seemed to have.

Said another way: “It has been very inspiring to me to see so many people willingly take on the learning, acting, and imagining that EVOKE has asked of them — and to watch what has unfolded. I know I’ve only seen the tiniest part of it, and still it astonishes me.” Thanks, Agent Ninmah, for your words, speaking truly what is in my heart.  – Calida, with Mita and the entire EVOKE team

JOSH JUDKINS

The moment when the true worldchanging potential of EVOKE first struck me was reading a post by Agent Mario from Monterrey, Mexico – which began:

Last week I decided to start an urban farm from my own. I took this decision because I thought why not? How hard it can be?
I saw an example of a mexican urban farm here in the evoke network and that motivated me to do it too. (more…)

The example he had seen was a collection of photos from the Centro de Agricultura Urbana, Romita in Mexico City, posted by Patricio Buenrostro-Gilhuys.

To me this was a perfect example of the power of this EVOKE network we have begun. Two individuals who probably would have otherwise never connected had an impact on each others lives – with a very tangible result.

The capacity for what every EVOKE member has shared to inspire others is extraordinary. With over 19,000 people from all across the globe signed up it’s impossible to know just how much of an impact has resonated from our community, and where it will lead.

Another story from close to home: as a direct result of her involvement in EVOKE, my wife will soon be volunteering her web content and editing skills for the Open Source Washing Machine Project. She heard about them through Solar Sister, who were her ACT1 Hero, and answered their call for help.

She’ll be joining a host of other EVOKE Agents who have been donating their time and resources to organizations already making a change – thereby having an impact on the lives of those around us and the world right now.

Two months ago I wondered what our species-specific web pattern looked like. As Season 1 of EVOKE comes to a close one thing is clear – the strands of this network extend out far beyond it. They extend into the plants beginning to grow in Mario’s urban garden. They extend out into the communities we shared our EVOKE projects with. They connect out to the Social Innovators we lifted up as heroes, and then extend out again beyond them.

For me, these 10 weeks have cemented two things:

1. We are surrounded by problems which we will simply not be able to solve alone.

2. Thankfully we won’t need to – we truly can EVOKE them!

NATHANIEL FRUCHTER

Wow. What a ride EVOKE has been!

In some sense, I think that EVOKE was a learning adventure—and an experiment—for all of us. As a gamerunner, I didn’t really have much of an idea of what to expect. As a player, I didn’t know what to expect, either. Everybody learned as they went along, and look what happened! What happened really changed my expectations of what could happen within a simple online community. Here are a few highlights that I’ve taken away from the EVOKE experience.

1. The sheer number of agents that signed up to participate amazed me. As of the writing of this, we currently have roughly nineteen thousand members with about 10-20% of them categorized as truly active. For an ARG, a game, a community—that’s unprecedented.

2. I could never stopped being amazed at the amount and quality of work that was constantly being put out by agents from all over the world. As a student, it was really inspiring (and humbling) to see what others could turn out.

3. Most of the player base really took the game and its message to heart. Nowhere else will I ever see people from all over the world collaborating much like I did here.

4. The game has also influenced me, both as a student and as a member of a generation that will soon be actually responsible for the world (a scary thought, I know ). I’ve noticed myself making unconscious connections to many a thing I’ve learned on EVOKE.

5. The EVOKE experience is what you make of it. Almost everybody made something out of it. Personally, I think that’s all that really needs to be said to show the impact of the game.

So, to all of the agents on the network: remember what’s happened here. Try and take a piece of it with you. Good luck with your EVOKATIONS, and, who knows? We might see you in the future.

GENE BECKER

My wife taught me to always send a personal thank you note to someone who gives you a gift. In the last 10 weeks here, I have received gifts uncounted…but I’m going to bend her rule a little bit because I don’t know how I would write 19,290 thank you notes. If you would indulge me by pretending that this is addressed just to you:

First, thank YOU — all the agents of the EVOKE network — for your tremendous gifts of energy, intelligence, creativity and spirit that you have expressed through your gameplay. I am privileged to have been witness, participant, and occasional co-conspirator in your collective learning, sharing and Evoking. I figure the future will hinge, for better and worse, on our ability to work together as a massively multiplayer online species; EVOKE is an alpha prototype and I think we all have fast-forwarded ten years into the future with some success, don’t you? For the opportunity to be here with you in this intensive boot camp for global human innovation, I say thank you to all.

Next, I’d like to acknowledge those I’ll affectionately call the “radicals” for stirring the pot and challenging all of us to think about the hard issues of culture, politics and “doing good” in a rapidly changing world. You have both espoused and embodied a worldview that demands to be heard and reckoned with when we aspire to change the world in a positive way. I don’t always agree with your tactics, but I want to recognize your passion, your cleverness and your ideas. You know who you are, folks.

Of course an enormous thank you goes to the people that created and ran this incredible, infuriating, inspiring, exhausting, convivial, confrontational, delightful, impossible, all-consuming time suck of a life-changing, world-changing…um…game. Experience. Movement. Meditation. Community. Classroom. Laboratory. Journey of self-discovery. Yeah, all of those. Alchemy, Calida, Jane, Ken, Bob, Kiy, Nathan, fellow gamerunners & mentors, ten weeks with you was a lot, and ten years would not be enough. Gratitude all around, and if I ever catch you IRL there will be a penance of tequila shots.

Now back to catching up on my last minute quests!

MITA WILLIAMS

It had been weeks since I had heard from Alchemy.

I don’t like to bother him with personal matters. I know he’s a busy guy – having to coordinate his global team’s efforts to change the world and all – but after the first month of no contact from Urgent Evoke – no quests, no missions, no urgent evokes, I wondered if I was at fault somehow and if had done something seriously grievous in my last mission. And so, after I couldn’t be patient any longer, I sent Alchemy a short message asking him what had happened. I told him that I loved working on Evoke missions and while it was some of the most difficult, more frustrating work I had ever lent myself to, I was missing its call to action and its purpose. I missed the camaraderie, too.

Alchemy almost immediately responded to my message with a phone call. I could sense his smile, a continent or so away. But I  could also sense his seriousness: this was not going to be a negotiation. Not one that I could win, anyway.

In short, Alchemy told me that I needed a sabbatical. He told me that the work of Urgent Evoke is largely that of one trying to restore a balance to a particular place and that this work cannot be done in the long-term without maintaining a balance in our own lives. I could understand this. I’ve seen many of a passionate activist become burned out, withdrawn and even embittered after years of effort and unfinished work.

“But”, he said as gently laughed, “this is no time for vacation.” He then asked me about the people close to me and the work they were doing. And then he asked me about the young people that I knew in the community. Were any of them possible Agent material?

I confessed that I was no Calida and I lacked her ability pick out that person in the crowd who had the spark, the drive and the ingenuity to flourish in the chaotic environment of the Evoke Network.

“Ah”, replied Alchemy, “Have you considered giving them a mission to give them an opportunity to show themselves to you?”

And that phone call has put me on this path of mentorship. And the young people that I’ve been introduced to through this new role have completely inspired and revitalized a part of myself that I didn’t even realize was tired. Not to say that the work doesn’t come with its own frustrations. Young people are so impatient for change! And yet it always a joy to work towards a better future with them.

And for them.

LAUREN SOFFER

When I first got involved with EVOKE, I knew I was in for a wild ride, but nothing could have prepared me for what happened.  The sheer number of Agents who became part of the EVOKE network was simply astounding!  But what was even more astounding was the unbridled creativity that arose from our pool of new Agents.

It was so exciting to see all new EVOKE Agents just jump right in and powerfully give so much of themselves creatively, emotionally, intellectually, and collaboratively!

I feel truly honored to have been a part of this wild ride that we call EVOKE!  And you the Agents made it all possible!  Don’t let the end of EVOKE experience be the end of your experience!   Keep EVOKING!!

KEN EKLUND

We began this game with an old adage, “Give someone a fish – feed them for a day. Teach someone to fish – feed them for a lifetime.” Many agents have commented on the powerful truth in these simple words. But there’s an assumption also: that the teacher knows the best way to do the task (that there even is one best way).

EVOKE has been an experiment in going beyond that assumption. We began EVOKE not knowing “how to fish.” What we did have was faith that, if we brought together enough people into the right kind of discussion, they would collectively figure out excellent solutions to problems.

This is nothing new, of course. Since time immemorial people have gathered around a campfire to tell a story which leads to discussions about what is happening and what, collectively and individually, we should do about it. The difference is that, with the electronic campfire of the Internet, we can now involve tens of thousands of people from all over the world.

The method is a long way from perfect. As agents well  know, the restraints of the Internet exclude many of the most desired voices from participating. Plus there are language barriers, cultural differences, distractions…

What is remarkable to me, however, is how powerful EVOKE has proven to be despite its limits. I speak both as an observer and as a participant. As an observer, I can see change happening almost anywhere I look on EVOKE. Agents build on what has been posted before, and other agents continue the building process through their comments. By being in turns both teacher and student, EVOKE’s agents have created a massively inclusive educational machine, one designed to continuously welcome new students, bring them up to speed quickly, and welcome a diversity of ideas. It’s not just intellectual; it’s social, emotional, cultural; it’s full-contact learning.

As a participant, I come away changed from each session with the agents on EVOKE. It will be hard, I think, for people looking at the game after it is over to fully appreciate its dynamic pull. But the agents will remember, and that’s what’s important.

EVOKE’s ninth challenge is networking in a crisis. LEARN: Agent Teresa R is a hero for her first-person account of contracting malaria and the constraints of fear. Agent Chris Ke Sihai , a hero already, adds his experiences from when SARS arose in Taiwan. Agent Jeremy Laird Hogg is a hero for his insights about using text messages both to gather information and to prevent panic. LEARN AND ACT: Agent Miaomiao Huang is a hero for putting her lessons from the Wenchuan earthquake to work in her earthquake preparedness dark site. ACT: Agent Margie Alsbrook, already a hero, calls attention to the issue of maintaining best information in crisis dark sites, so that they will be fully ready if crisis strikes. IMAGINE: Agent tasneem alloo is a hero for her step-by-step vision of successful community action if a killer flu appears in Zambia.

The eighth challenge is to preserve indigenous knowledge. Agent Pradip Dey is a hero for his up-to-the-moment reporting on the situation and stakes for indigenous knowledge, a report that resonated with many agents. Agent Paul Allison is a hero for connecting local knowledge to global problems, starting with students gathering very local knowledge in a park in Queens NY. Agent Thinkwell Ndhlovu is a hero for recording what he knows about the sacred rocks in the Matopo Hills. And Agent Paul Holze is a hero for his question: what if indigenous knowledge is actually subverting the truth?

Chengyuan High School

Special recognitions: the Agent Collective at Chengyuan High School are heroes for their enthusiastic approach to the Missions; check out their work! Agent John D. Boyden is a hero for his steady, positive encouragement of other players and good works. And
Agent sunnydupree is a hero, period.

EVOKE’s seventh challenge: creating urban resilience. Agent Thys van der Veer is a hero for focusing us on the planning principles for the new mobility city. EVOKE’s sixth challenge: gender equality. Agent Edoardo Simone Paluan is a hero for posting this graph about the extent of gender inequality.

EVOKE’s fourth challenge: secure clean water. Agent Vivian Volirakis is a hero for finding Carry5, an organization that not only walks a mile in the shoes of others, but carries water while doing it. Second challenge: food supply. Agent Gilford T Hapanyengwi is a hero for imagining vividly what sacrifices the unthinking pursuit of secure food might cause.

And don’t forget that if you want to pursue that great idea, EVOKE encourages Evokations.

Finally, to all you agents who are working on your missions, and on changing the world by changing yourselves, EVOKE’s hat is off to you. I see real courage going on, and real dedication to change. You are forging a fantastic legacy by May 12. New agents – there is a Rest Stop for you! Check in there if you’re wondering what to do, want to say “Hello EVOKE!” or just need a lift. And Agent Gabriel Martin is a hero for creating it for you (and so is Agent Buffy B for (among other things) helping Gabriel keep the WELCOME sign lit and the coffee fresh). – Calida, for Ronald, Mita, Ken, Simon, Josh, Nathaniel, Chelsea and the rest of the EVOKE team

Agents from all around the world drew on their local insight and creativity, and produced a number of wonderful objects. Lets check out a few of them:

One of the most stunning examples has already been highlighted in this week’s Heroes Blog Post – a Venus of Willendorf style mother symbol sculpted out of stone. You can see the whole process on PJE’s photo gallery, but here is the final result:

Aware that she could not be certain what language would be spoken and written in the future, Leandra used symbols on a block of wood. Her object depicts the need to shift grazing animals from one area to another as the seasons change, as taught to her by her father:

Reid Falconer is turning an indigenous musical instrument he had made previously into knowledge object as well. To tackle this challenge he is burning onto his homemade didgeridoo information about Australian Aboriginal fire farming techniques:

After some pondering, Scott Douglas Fraser found an inventive way to pass on the knowledge about the local healing plant used by the Indigenous People of the Pacific Northwest. He has created a staff wrapped in cordage which will have different pieces of ‘Devil’s Club’ tied into to it – a Medicine Stick which also symbolizes the Asklepian (rod of Asklepios, Greek God of Medicine) and a length which matches the Megalithic Yard:

Turil Cronburg adapted an existing jack-in-the-box to create an Earth Box. She added a quote to the top from a member of Wampanoag tribe from the Eastern Massachusetts area, as well as a Medicine Wheel design to the side, and started filling it with elements that make up life:

In a world where most of the objects around us have been made by someone else, it’s been so exciting to see EVOKE Agents embracing the maker culture. When this is combined with a genuine effort to capture knowledge which could otherwise be lost, it becomes something very special indeed.

If you would like to create a knowledge object yourself and are not sure where to start, check out the 3 step process proposed by Agent Cronburg.

Once you’ve done so, post a link to it in the comments here so others can check it out!

For TEACHERS: Agent Chris Ke Sihai wants to start EVOKE 1.5, a site that teachers can use after EVOKE is officially over. If this is something you would like to use, let him know. For all of us: Agent Shakwei Mbindyo urges us to join the Davos conversation about Visions for Africa: let our voices be heard!

LEARN8: Agent Meira Datiya is a hero for reminding us that the best knowledge is that we arrive at ourselves, from various and primary sources and through honest inquiry.

ACT8: Among a very very crowded field of EVOKE superhero symbols, I’ll highlight two: Agent Ana Maria Luiza Barbuta of Iceland is a Hero for her Tribal Labrys (right). And the ever-resourceful Agent PJE is a hero for her handcarved mother symbol. You should look at them all, though: one way to start is by searching the EVOKE Evidence for “symbol” (or for “symbol1” to reveal the original Symbol Challenge by Agent Ninmah). And if your symbol is not in there, get busy and add one!

LEARN7: A Hero already, Agent Claudia Flores Saviaga offers this great suggestion on how to use Ushahidi: to monitor fair elections. ACT7: Agent Reid Falconer continues a long line of successful mission actions and earns his Hero badge with his SMART LIVING campaign.

IMAGINE6: Agent J.J is a hero for his vision of gender equality 2020.

ACT5: Agent happyseaurchin is a hero for his macro-scale microfinance game – all you need are 10 friends, 10 quid, and a month. And speaking of Agent Ninmah, she’s a hero this week for either her startling IMAGINE5 vision of an alternative currency in the year 2020 or for her discussion-sparking ACT3 post on the mysterious human-powered sewing machine 2.0, take your pick!

ACT4, ACT3: Agent Gillian Robinson of South Africa is a hero for finding Cynthia Koenig and the Water Roller, a device that helps people get the water they need with less energy.

LEARN2: A Hero already, Agent Patricio Buenrostro-Gilhuys deserves recognition again for the weekly blog roundups he sends to his friends, which always contain some excellent, often overlooked, ideas… and for this well-presented and extremely thought-provoking idea for making food production as resilient as the Internet.

LEARN1: Agent Elora Ramirez is a hero for her post reminding us what in the end is the deepest thing we share: stories.

QUIET TIME. As we enter our last two weeks of EVOKE, gamerunner Ken urges us to reflect on the learning that we’ve sparked and will continue to spark, and urges us to forge a worthy legacy in the time that remains. Some words to consider, taken from this exchange:

In my opinion that is one of the obvious learning aspects of [EVOKE]. If you get a bunch of people together, all coming from diverse backgrounds, with both different and similar goals, they are bound to have feedback which will inevitable contribute to the game. I think one of the questions is, how will each player of the game, improve the game simply by playing it? There is some responsibility for the programmers, developers, etc. But, the real responsibility to change the game, lies in the people playing the game. One doesn’t have a successful community by telling someone else to fix the community. One has a successful community because each and every person IS the community. As you both have mentioned, it is a work in progress and a living organism. For it to exist in a state of perfection would be, unnatural. Evoke must evolve, as part of its nature. The people playing Evoke, must also evolve, for that is the only way Evoke can.

Thank you, Agent Catrina Cuevas, for your wise words.

– Calida, for Mita, Ronald, Batandwa, Nathaniel, Ken, Simon and the rest of the EVOKE team

Patricio Buenrostro-Gilhuys provided an in depth look at the solutions proposed to the resiliency problems in Mexico City (Mexico) created by its massive growth in population over recent years. On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, Danielle-Anne O. Rubinos outlined some of the the programs which have seen Makati City (Philippines) internationally recognized as a resilient city.

A range of useful local resources were also discovered in Bangalore (India) by A.V. Koshy, Washington DC (USA) by Michele Baron and Austin (USA) by nomadHAR.

Agents in Grahamstown (South Africa) found out about a range of initiatives there. Dyllan Ocker writes about three of them – emergency evacuation, flooding control and a citywide “Greening Project”. This community gardening venture is also mentioned by Matthew Collins who learned about it in an essay called Risk to Resilience.  With Kirsten Moore outlining projects aimed at sustainable water supplies among others, it’s clear that plans for resilience in Grahamstown are indeed widespread.

Although some cities provided great sources of information, many Agents found it quite a challenge to locate local resilience plans. As Samuel Freilich discovered for Boston (USA), often there is no single centralized summary for a city – so you need to look out for a range of organizations that work towards that goal. Margie Alsbrook was surprised to discover one of the best resources for northwest Arkansas (USA) was their Department of Emergency Facebook Page.

On the other hand, just because the information is readily available doesn’t mean that it’s having the desired effect.  Erin Sammons from Hamilton (New Zealand) explains that even though the local Civil Defense service have been televising the need for disaster preparedness as she can remember, she knows very few people who have taken action themselves.

Another challenge to the spread of resilience information discovered by Oliver Hohlstein is the potential for language barriers. He found that although Bonn (Germany) is an international city and UN location, its information about the dangers and strategies for when the river Rhine floods are only available in German.

Finally, across the board most Agents reported that very few people they knew had considered the idea of urban resilience. Omri from Tel Aviv (Israel) suggested that http://www.resilienceproject.org/ is a great resource to point people to and provides a look at what is happening globally. Leah MacVie went on to raise the question of whether resilience education should be a basic part of our school curriculum.

After reading through these and perhaps even your own investigations, what do you think? What ways could we help ensure those around us have a better idea of what our cities are doing to improve their resilience – and how might we best see those efforts get the support they deserve?

Are we doomed? Agent Iron Helix is a hero for his reasoned, thought-provoking treatise on the grand flows of civilizations and societies (or, “why I’m a doomer”) that’s sparked some great discussions and ideas. Agent Ezra Ho is a hero for his alternate view: in 2020, a world beyond consumerism, which has embraced a Resource-Based Economy.

Are we up for a challenge? Agent Julio Cesar Corona Ortega, a hero already, has a great challenge: the world-changing gory MMORPG. Agent Chris Ke Sihai is a hero when he challenges EVOKE to help dislodge good ideas such as Jane Chen’s Embrace for preemie babies from old production models and put them into the hands of mothers everywhere. Both these challenges are great ideas for Evokations and you (yes, you) are invited to join in!

Can we get to the next level in global health? Agent Reema is a hero for urging us to walk a mile with the feet of someone who has no shoes, calling attention to the health problems that shoes prevent. Agent Alexandra Chauran is a hero for her IMAGINE idea, a vision of how investments in prenatal health care pay off. And Agent opelo kuda ndikimbela is a hero for her ACT idea, asking children for their wisdom on issues such as HIV/AIDS.

Can cities survive? Agent Reem N Bsaiso is a hero for her blueprint for instilling resilience into a community, starting with communities in Jordan. Agent and Mentor Vinay Gupta (Hexayurt Project) is a hero for his excellent video on Urban Resilience. And among the scores of agents who have posted well-researched and well-imagined reports about the resilience of their communities, Agent Roger Briggs is a hero for his disaster preparedness ideas for Wichita, Kansas, USA.

Can we get to the truth of “food security”? Agent Margie Alsbrook is a hero because she questions the various, even contradictory ways we talk about “food security.” Agent Lana Lovasic is a hero for her photos showing local food resilience taking place: making natural pesticides and fertilizers and low-cost farming in South Africa. Agent Benjamin Michael Jones is a hero for confronting the dilemmas of localized food in a tourism-fixated world, and similarly Agent Tanja Jauk is a hero for her start on open, honest questioning about the food situation where she lives in Austria.

Can we spark great improvement in gender equality and freedom? Seems we can. Agent Recania Burger is a hero for taking simple, direct action to empower girls in her community. And Agent Gilda Lorena Arias, a hero already, deserves mention again for this ACT photo on empowering women.

What is up with that money thing anyway? Agent Murray Sterley is a hero for his vision of the future of money: keyed to human capital, not to profit. Meanwhile, Agent Iyamuremye Jean de Dieu, a hero already, ponders the true meaning and consequences of development in Rwanda.

Things like water and energy – can I really make a difference? Agent NANGAR SOOMRO is a hero for accomplishing two ACT missions at once: saving water and saving energy by rethinking how water gets heated where he lives in Pakistan.

I’m just starting EVOKE! Can I still make a difference? Apparently yes. Agent Tanya P. has made one post, but she’s a hero because she’s shared what it takes to be positive and why that’s so valuable.

I’m just starting EVOKE! Who’s doing good work? Agent A.V.Koshy is a hero for collaboratively putting together a list of interesting agents (also see his Autism Evokation). This list tends toward the intellectual; for a fuller spectrum of EVOKE’s good works, you might start with the Heroes List on the EVOKE Leader Cloud. Plus it must be said: EVOKE is far, far bigger than these lists put together! I encourage you to make your own discoveries.

And finally, Can you Win The Planet? Agent Alexandru Ragalie is a hero for the Save The World Lottery, a great Evokation idea.

“This is one of my favorite EVOKATIONS so far,” says Simon, our resident Evokation enthusiast.

Again, we acknowledge the Unknown Heroes of EVOKE: the people who are setting their own goals and challenges and meeting them, the people who quietly (perhaps) are giving to the collective intelligence and wisdom and taking away individual insights. Our hats off to you – Calida, for Nathaniel, Simon, Mita, Gene, Ronald, Batandwa, Ken, Chelsea, Lauren and the rest of  EVOKE

In Week 6 EVOKE looked at the situation with women’s rights and gender power over the globe, from the horrors of abuse (as reported by Julio Cesar Corona Ortega in breaking the cycle of violence) to disempowerment in terms of education and access (reported by Evo in her post about empowering women through media).

Agent Claudia Flores Saviaga is a hero for her report on gender politics in Mexico, which several gamerunners found to be insightful about the nature of entrenched problems with achieving gender parity. Agent Robyn Stegman of the USA is a hero for taking action on Mission 6 and raising money for Dhamma Moli and its mission to thwart human trafficking.

Mission 5: Money – the Controversy Continues. On top of her many bulletins about initiatives in Grahamstown, Agent Kirsten Moore of South Africa is a hero for her post about barter and the Local Exchange Trading System, which is sparking a very interesting discussion about the value of money; Agent Rahul Dewanjee of India is a hero for his contributions here and in many, many other economic and financial discussions. In the face of fiscal adversity, Agent Rebecca Gillman of the Philippines heroically researches and establishes the becbuck. And Agent Turil Cronburg, a Hero already, provokes much thought with her ideas about Nature’s Gift Economy and her own week-long action to reap its dividends (here’s her wrapup).

Missions 4 and 3: Water and Energy. Agent MoE (Stefano Cieri) of Italy, a hero already, inspires with his posts about Dr. John Todd and the biorepair of environments with Living Machines, and his vision of Human Rights Day 2020. Agent Yumna Moosa of South Africa is a hero herself for connecting with Trevor Mulaudzi, the hero she’s shadowing, and opening the door to a collaborative clean water project, Clean Shop! Agent Julio Cesar Corona Ortega is a hero for the workable, viable twist he adds to solar power.

Missions 1 and 2: Social Innovation and Food Security. You can be a hero even if you are just starting out. Agent Emma Clarke of Australia is one for her thoughtful post about “don’t fight culture” – including the one you’re in. And Johan Sundqvist of Swedenis a hero for his action supporting a local ecobox: getting his food from local sources and connecting to the land.

Agent Samiran Roy is a hero for establishing the EVOKE Ongoing Projects Thread, a place where any EVOKE agent can find a summary of the projects that agents have started – a fantastic place for newcomers in particular to get started with their collaborations to change the world, as well as a way for all agents to share ideas and constructive criticism with the project runners.

Agent Ursula Kochanowsky is a hero for her Evokation idea,  her forthright call for help and her courage through this challenging process. To me, Ursula is showing exactly what an Evokation is all about: an idea, collaboration, courage and spark.

And let’s acknowledge right here the Unknown Heroes: the people with great ideas, helpful comments and generous spirit, who have made great contributions – those who haven’t yet appeared on these pages through no fault of their own.

Finally, this is brilliant: Agent Justin Miyamoto is a hero for getting us to collectively and collaboratively write and perform the EVOKE song(s). (Justin’s got complete instructions.)

I urge all EVOKE Agents to give this a listen and contribute if you can; it’s for a cause we can all get behind.  – Calida, for Nathaniel, Mita, Chelsea, Ronald, Simon, Ken, Josh, and the rest of the gamerunner team

So far, everything that’s happened on EVOKE has exceeded our wildest expectations. Agents have created, thought, discussed, and innovated their ways out of some of the toughest situations facing our planet. Evokations are taking shape. Altogether, some truly amazing ideas have been created on this network. We’d like to give everyone a chance to share their ideas and evokations through the EVOKED conference, starting during early May.

The EVOKED conference is a unique one. The evokation of EVOKE agent Sam Gutekunst (and now an official side project!), it will allow agents from the EVOKE network to give a live streaming five to ten minute talk on the EVOKE-related subject of their choice: an extension of a blog post, the results of epiphanic discussion, an amazing evokation, or maybe something else entirely.

While the EVOKED team is still working out details, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t start thinking about it! We’re currently taking applications for talks. If you think you (or perhaps your evokation team) would be interested in giving a talk, don’t hesitate to sign up. We’re flexible and we’ll read over every application.  Go for it!

Those who were able provided financial support to a range of initiatives, others gave of their time, and many have worked to spread the word about the challenges many women face and projects working to counteract them.

These three ways to empower women are actually covered in detail by Margie Alsbrook, who enacted all three this week – donating globally, volunteering locally, and reassessing personally. A.V. Koshy also found three different ways to help – alongside donating, his focus was on educating and mentoring women, to see them become “tomorrow’s elite and aware leaders”.

The Global Giving projects to which Agents have been providing financial support are incredibly varied – here is a small selection:

• Giuseppe Giovanni Calvi and ben aided a group providing learning centers for rural Afghan women in Herat.
• Agent Traveller is assisting efforts to help women entrepreneurs in Ghana.
• Bryan Kehr was amazed at how much of a difference he could make with only $13 – which would cover one month’s costs for an Ethiopian woman running a business selling vegetables.
• Joshua Z and João Carrapa are supporting the International Medical Corps in their mission to save the lives of new mothers in the Congo.

Other EVOKE Agents shared how they were donating their time. Sfiso Mbhele has been assisting girls in his South African community with Maths. David Delgado Talancón in Mexico has been assisting with educational podcasts for his local school.

Rebecca Gillman has provided a stunning gallery of photos telling the story of how her school’s partnership with the Philippine Community Fund is empowering women to sew their way out of poverty. They collect trash, and turn it into extraordinary jewelry – which can then be sold.

It’s jewelry like this that Mark Mulkerin reminds us is available from Fair Trade shops in many towns and cities around the world. He points out that it’s possible for us to support women in need on a regular basis by choosing to buy the products they have made.

Finally, I was captured by Cornelia Harper Tang’s ACT 6 post this week. She writes about asking her lecturer why they had watched a 1990s documentary on the role of women in developing countries, and describes her shock at his answer that the situation hasn’t changed a lot since 10 years ago.

Her post has created discussion around the things that are changing, and Cornelia herself has decided this is the area she wants to base her Evokation on. If you’re interested in joining forces with her, don’t hesitate to let her know.

Thanks to all the EVOKE Agents who took a stand this week to support the empowerment of women across the globe.

The more we lend our efforts to those already in the field,  the more we raise awareness of these issues with those around us, the nearer we come to ensuring the next 10 years will truly be a time of change.