BI has developed O-Change as a creative competition to engage citizens to become a dynamic force “proposing action to the international community”.
In essence, it is a Public Contest on how to fix the tremendous problems the World is facing with the possibility to see the best solutions proposed being implemented.
In order to make sure the mediation between stakeholders would be based on a more balanced relationship, one of the tasks of Bridge Initiative has always been to help strengthen global civil society. This has first consisted in giving a more credible voice to civil society voices by organizing public debates and events with other stakeholders. It later involved encouraging alliances or joint strategies within civil society forces.
But over the years, with new media allowing new participatory processes and CSOs being always questioned about their representation, one of the new challenges for global civil society is not simply outreach but its own capacity to listen to citizens locally or globally and to allow genuine bottom-up processes.
With this in mind, Bridge Initiative has developed O-Change (Olympiads for Change) as a creative competition to engage citizens to become a dynamic force “proposing action to the international community”. In essence, it is a Public Contest on how to fix the tremendous problems the World is facing with the possibility to see the best solutions proposed being implemented.
Bridge Initiative has developed O-Change as a creative competition to engage citizens to
become a dynamic force “proposing action to the international community”.
MY BAILOUT FOR HUMANITY
The goal of the O-Change project is to promote, mostly with younger generations, the collective and participatory design of solutions to the crises the planet is facing. To reach this goal, O-Change invites people to take part to the conception, the financing and the implementation of a Bailout Plan for Humanity. The O-Change motto being:
Convince the powerless that things can change,
Convince the powerful that things must change.
LOCAL AUTHORITIES:
an ideal partner for O-Change and multi-stakeholder dialogue
While a number of frameworks for global citizenship try to expand through the web only, while governments and international institutions are focusing on rapidly facing the existing crises in conventional manners and while organized global civil society is still encountering difficulties in formulating its own alternatives, Local Authorities seem to be an important practitioner of multi-stakeholder dialogue. Constantly knocking at the door of Global Governance, they are quite open to cooperation with others (other players or other parts of the world). They are an ideal partner to successfully implement a series of processes and events, close to people’s lives. The network of Local Authorities (UCLG- United Cities and Local Governments) is reacting positively to a Bridge Initiative request to become a strong partner of O-Change.
To achieve its goals, O-Change is thus combining:
- a strategy to be directly and permanently accessible for each individual through participation on a web-portal a partnership designed to enable a series of local events in any parts of the world
- leading to a global joint event to give visibility to the components of Bailout Plans which will have emerged through O-Change…
- Engaging citizens in a holistic bottom-up process of reflection to address global crises and to understand interactions between them.
- Encouraging political creativity through multi-stakeholder, multi-polar, multi-cultural projects which would generate new transversal answers.
- Providing leverage for the evolution of official policies on globalization
- Applying core elements of the Olympics - a movement, quest for a better world, youth, mutual understanding, friendship, solidarity, fair play - to the challenge of building global citizenship.
TIMEFRAME AND ACTIVITIES
O-Change combines advanced social networking tools with a succession of local and global events, together aiming to build momentum. From educational circles to socially active groups, the overall map and timeline of O-Change will physically grow « outside the current box » of public affairs. Across the planet, teams form to submit a joint project through which they show that change is possible at a local or at a global level. They suggest new frameworks for action. Through the network of Local Authorities, alliances are formed to ensure a diversity of geographical and cultural voices and partners . Following the launch of the web portal and preliminary discussions with potential partners, the next phase for which this grant will be used will consist in finalizing the criterias for Bailout Plans to be conceived, financed, implemented and exhibited.
SELECTION
A “O-Change Committee” of 30 people will be formed between Bridge Initiative historical participants representing global stakeholders and a strong representation of Local Authorities. The Committee will finalize the criterias for Projects to be submitted to O-Change.
BAILOUT PLANS CONCEPTION
Based on the criteria, on existing practices to be shared and reinforced or on new visions, teams will form and work to conceive their own bailout plans for Humanity, budget them and submit an implementation strategy. The O-Change Committee will pay special attention to mechanisms suggesting new ways to redistribute wealth at a global level.
IMPLEMENTATION AND EXHIBITION
Resources and expertise will be brought to the selected projects for their implementation. Political consolidation of what should be seen as a Citizens Bailout Plan for Humanity will be exerted both through in direct contacts with Stakeholders and through a major Public Event possibly attached to the London Olympics.
PARTNERSHIPS
While developing O-Change, Bridge Initiative has approached the following potential partners. Beyond the new strategic partner represented by the network of Local Authorities, BI will now undertake, based on the new context for the project, to finalize different forms of cooperation and alliances with:
- The Olympic Committees (the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Committee, the London 2012 Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee)
- Educational Entities: UNESCO’s Educational Division
- CSO's: the World Social Forum, ATD Fourth World,GAN-Nets, CRID, Action Aid, GCAP, Coordination Sud, the coalition of NGO National Platforms, Pioneers for Change, amongst others
- New Media Platforms: Daily Motion, MSN, One World, Aavaz.org, and Global Voices On Line want to be partners in a way or another.
- TV Broadcasters: NHK Japan, Link TV USA,Arte and French Public TV have also expressed interest in becoming partners.
- UN agencies