Accelerated Family Learning - Friends of Campaign4 Learning

The CSJ Awards recognise and reward effective poverty fighting groups from across the UK. Now in its fifth year, the CSJ Awards have brought over 64 winning voluntary groups to the attention of the national media and policy makers and given total prizes of £153,250 to date.

Stories, Storytelling, Story-Selling in Business

"Good stories fascinate us all. They always have. They always will. At this moment in our nation’s history, we are seeing two epic stories evolving—in terms of our new President, and in the state of our economy. The story of Obama many believe is epic, and certainly the story of our nation’s recession and economic downfall is also a burgeoning epic tale. Stories move societies forward. They inspire, engage and initiate change through their telling and re-telling. Basically, there are two types of stories: Truth Stories and True Stories."

"In this scrambled up world of work there are no rules and few walls. And that means the key to business success is totally up for negotiation. It’s time to rethink the best skills to have in any executive or entrepreneur’s toolbox. Forget an MBA from a flash business school, a talent for spreadsheets, or an aptitude for social networking. Think Juggle!"

Jeff Bezos - "What's dangerous is not to evolve"

"When we align ourselves with the opinions of others without examination, we are robbing ourselves of the opportunity to analyze our own preferences and desires, to determine our own solutions. We miss the chance to review the criteria others are utilizing, to question their biases and seek our own inspiration. In stunting the development of our own individual perspectives and initiatives, we trap ourselves in lives that appear to be predestined, and deny the possibility of realizing our personal potential."

Society is in flux. The global economy is in meltdown. Education is in turmoil. Why? The world has, and is, changing faster than we can keep up. One of the reasons for this disconnect is our insistence on teaching our young people in the same way that we ourselves learned. We're teaching as if there were a dearth of resources, when actually we're spoiled for choice. 'Digital literacy' is a term much debated, but which allows us to grasp hold of an important concept. Literacy in the digital arena just isn't the same as it is when sitting at a desk with paper and pencil. But how is it different? And what can we do about it? Allow me to suggest some ways in which we can come up with a workable definition for 'digital literacy' and show you methods by which we can educate our young people for the blended digital/physical world they do, and shall, inhabit!

"Businesses built to operate in the Networked World are as different from the Industrial Age models as a computer is from a multi-plane camera. Networked organizations are more biological than industrial. They resemble their employees more than their employees resemble them. They are highly adaptive, mobile, open, sensitive to their environment, and ultra-responsive. They continuously evolve, nurtured by a steady stream of intelligent input from inside and outside the organization. In a networked organization, where good ideas originate is not half as important as how–-and how frequently—those good ideas become reality. Good managers don’t try to control their brand’s narrative but, rather, to foster an environment in which it can be liberated, expanded and unleashed across networks. The emphasis is not on following a script, but on improvisation."

“I have spent years talking with brand fans; from obsessed Harley Davidson riders to young Japanese Hello Kitty admirers (one of whom, incidentally, owns more than 12,000 pieces of Hello Kitty merchandise), to devoted Irish Guinness beer drinkers. I’ve, time after time, been struck by the apparent parallels between the power of religion and of brands over followers. But, in reality, would such a claim possibly hold up? Is it possible that some brands have managed to create their own religion by, coincidently or deliberately, adopting triggers and tactics from the world of religion? The question became an obsession for me.”

David Allen, author of "Getting Things Done," one of the best-selling productivity books of all times joins Robert Scoble to talk about the future of work and how to make the most of productivity while minimizing stress. Allen also talks about his upcoming GTD Summit