news

upcoming events, initiatives, books and blog

Experiential Events & Resources:

January 2020 - July 2021: Make Shift Happen, a community well-being and crime prevention initiative in The Pas, Manitoba, Opaskwayak Cree Nation and the Rural Municipality of Kelsey area. Working with community to develop an overall strategy. Action research, collaboration, awareness, we are working together to shift into the future. Check out the Make Shift Happen Facebook page. See the Executive Summary of the Oscar's Place Survey and the full Oscar's Place Summary Report for one piece of the community assessment. Promising practices for community crime prevention have been compiled and Labs are happening. We'll keep you posted on the Facebook site.

September 2018 to December 2018: Calgary here I come! Back in Alberta working on creative community building. Let's talk about the next opportunity, 403.797.2155

May to August 2018: Clearwater Lake, Manitoba saw the night light up with Nuit Blanche live at Studio One28 (yes, at our cabin). An explosion of live art, music, poetry, Flatlander Cider tasting, sculpture garden, uncommon artisan sale, appetizers and the outdoor movie at midnight had to be postponed. Get ready for the next extravaganza! Pictures to come.

"Showgirl Trapped in a Librarian's Body" the second resource in Karen's Creative Connection Series: connects people with passion and integrates sculptural experience, visual inspiration and essential writings. Lauched in Calgary, Alberta February 28, 2015, the sparkarts deck (aka Showgirl cards) focus on living life to the fullest, looking at the world differently and dynamic evolution.

Florence Centre Ukraine Board - support and development continues. It's a non-governmental organization focused on family resources and community education. Amazing the work they are doing in such a chaotic time! We just completed a Zoom Tour across Western Canada, December 2020, hosting 9 sessions with approximately 100 people. Lucy Romanenkova, CEO together with Florence Centre staff in Ukraine shared their work, extending the reach into 14 'provinces' and rural areas in the country. A few of their videos which highlight the work they do: Florence Centre Overview
https://youtu.be/JNN7GO3kyP0. Spark video https://youtu.be/WuIXFPxtiuM
Check out their English Facebook page to follow their work in building a brighter future together. https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlorenceCentre

Collective Impact Alberta (CIA) is an ongoing process. If you're interested in a Pop-up Collaboratory contact us. Snippets of information and resources are at www.collectiveimpactalberta.blogspot.com . It's all about key players across Alberta coming together to accelerate our impact to Create a Culture of Wellness. We're making shift happen!

Cards:

Showgirl Trapped in a Librarian's Body sparkart decks are available! With over 60 cards, these cards are designed to SPARK reflection, dreaming, creation & action. The deck includes photos of Karen's sculptures & castes, with questions, writings, quotes and wild words. The intention:

living life to the fullest
looking at the world in new ways
embracing dynamic evolution

Use your mind, body, spirit and experiences to learn, live, lead and for leisure.
A big thanks to Cathi Groves for her photography and to the Caste for sharing their essence.

$10.00 plus GST and shipping.
I'll be growing the deck with your sparks and pictures of new sculptures. After you've used the deck send your inspirations and sparks to me at
info@fourward.ca (I'm working on a space for your sparks).

E-book Resources:

The Active Community Strategy Guide is now available.

$5.00 plus GST we will email you an electronic copy to help your community develop a strategy that reaches beyond programs.
For an extra $5.00 we will mail you a copy on a portable jumpdrive as pictured above. Visit our 'Books and Multimedia' page by clicking on the RESOURCES tab at the top, for more information about the Guide.

Books:

RECkless Abandon, K. Driedger, 2010.
What are people saying about RECkless abandon?

"Excellent compilation of activities and tips to use in facilitating groups and or to 'recreate' or reintroduce play into our lives bringing out our creativity in our own ways. After reading this I can say that author Karen Driedger is aptly named 'creative alchemist'." L.D.Ell

The first book in a Creative Connections Series; a resource about integrating play, activity and creativity into your life.
Contact us for more information. Print copies are sold out, next print date TBD. e-book versions available.
$20.00 plus GST and shipping for print copy.
$5.00 plus GST for ebook.

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