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In January, 2007 five of started meeting in my apartment to discuss and plan for some sort of community center. We each had our own ideas. By March we settled on the concept of one of us. She is now spearheading a project that is in a development stage, which includes buying a building.
Her idea is a great one, yet there is room for more. The concept of what I've called OUR PLACE, for years now, still has great possibilities.
I found, thru the process of working with my friend last year, that I my ambition and abilities to "spearhead" a project of this magnitude are limited. Therefore, I keep this section here on the website as a way to put out to the Universe how much I believe in this. May it be an attractor field to manifest others whose talents and ambitions are greater than mine who I can work with to create it.
The Third Place -- Its Importance
The Third Place's of today and the future can play an important part to help us feel connected and to help us find ways to co-create socially, spiritually, politically and as economic units. And with the world in the shape it's in, we need Third Places to come together even more. If you are not familiar with the Third Place term, Home is the first place, Work the second and then there are Third Places.
Ray Oldenburg wrote The Great Good Place in 1989. Here is a quote from the site:
"Ray Oldenburg is an urban sociologist from Florida who writes about the importance of informal public gathering places. In his book The Great Good Place, Oldenburg demonstrates why these gathering places are essential to community and public life. He argues that bars, coffee shops, general stores, and other "third places" (in contrast to the first and second places of home and work), are central to local democracy and community vitality. By exploring how these places work and what roles they serve, Oldenburg offers placemaking tools and insight for individuals and communities everywhere."
Currently the coffee shop is the predominant model for a place to go and hang out alone or with friends, to hold informal business meetings or meet blind dates. Starbucks is the major player. As many of you know, I work at Starbucks right in the retail environment, at the counter. They call it being a barista. I joined the company in December of 2005 because of my belief in the power of Third Place. I've loved working at Starbucks because of the customers and the Partners I work with. Yet, after two years at my Starbucks, longer than ever I thought I'd stay, I'm out on short term disability because of a back injury. In addition, the fall of 2007 I had the opportunity to informally present some of my ideas to upper management. I was told, firmly and kindly that there was no way that I could play in their game and that Starbucks had other things it needed to focus on now. Indeed, their stock is down and the competition between Starbucks, McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts makes them more and more alike. That's what happens when you have a hot category. However, this opens the door for something different -- so just perhaps the OUR Place concept will find its players and happen.
Back in my corporate days I consulted coffee companies. Helping Starbucks be a better company would have had great impact. Yet, I was not meant to be.
How could Starbucks improve?
Many of the elements of Third Place that Oldenburg speaks about are not happening and Starbucks is not maximizing the Third Place potentiality. One thing that is missing, in my opinion, is that people do not intermingle to meet new people and make new contacts. In very few stores are there means to create more community within a particular outlet.
Being connected and feeling community is a huge social need now. Have you heard about this or read about it?
I have another idea about this too, but I'm saving it until I can find the right resources.
If your have read this far, something must be guiding you...so keep going!
OUR PLACE
I envisioned OUR Place as a community center that lives Universal Spiritual Values, promotes Global Ccommunity and local community. Tthe drop-in Third Place is the essential ingredient.
This dream and intention of mine to create a "chain" of these community centers is now shifting. I am on board with the plans of the group mentioned above.
Yet my original vision is well worth your time to explore. See below.
Ani
OUR Place OneWorld Community Centers
Third Places to Gather -- hosted in coffee/tea houses
Education, Entertainment & Recreation Centers
Environmental Centers that are Examples What is Possible
Adopt a Community Partnerships
Vocational & Global Action Networks
Vision
The inspiration for OUR Place is to design community centers that
- Facilitate OUR personal, community and planetary evolution through loving, caring local gathering places
- Facilitate our spiritual being
- Create a means for us to build OUR networks
- Act as a meeting place for many organizations
- Act as examples of the best green and sustainability business practices living lightly on the planet
- Use spiritual, higher consciousness principles to “succeed” in the market place
- Use commercial viability to source outreach services
- Participate in Global Change through our local community
OUR Place Mission
In order to help us grow our spiritual selves and communities, to help save our planet’s ecological system, foster sustainability, progressive social, political goals and universal spiritual values, the mission of OUR Place is to create integrative structures and services that grow OUR individual and collective spiritual and economic power.
By creating a chain of socially responsible Third Places, be they coffee houses, tea houses or some other form of easy access gathering place, within higher consciousness educational centers we gather like-minded neighbors and grow our spiritual community, helping us as individuals and within our communities and beyond.
We contribute to a better world by moving consumer dollars and entertainment/ educational time to this higher consciousness model. Financial viability helps create right livelihood for those involved. Profits are invested in outreach work.
OUR Place is designed to be a new model for Community Centers focused on evolutionary offerings and built around the accessibility of the Third Place model. Spiritual, educational, entertainment and recreational offering will help us all evolve at our own pace. Of course, all the offerings, services and products available at OUR Place will meet standards that align with our principles.
OUR Place will provide a loving and empowering place for like-minded people to gather and create ways and means to support, cooperate and collaborate with each other.
Thru coming together informally, OUR Place will grow our spirituality, our networks, alliances and create infrastructures that nurture us personally and in community. Cooperation in our vocations can help us reach our potential and make more of an impact. Together we hospice the old paradigm and midwife the new.
OUR Place is based on the principles that:
- We are the people we have been waiting for creating the change we wish to see in the world.
- There are many paths.
- Many hands make light work.
- “The urge to progress is innate in all societies and culture, both individually and collectively.” 1
OUR Place, the Business, is designed to utilize the principles of sustainability, vocational enhancement and building cooperative ventures.
OUR Place is in the concept development stage. Your interest and energy helps create the attractor field that gathers the talents and people to create OUR Place.
Step forward as you are called. There is no obligation. If you are inclined, please pass this concept on to others who may wish to participate!
If you desire more detailed information about the evolving OUR Place concept, go to OUR Place -- In Detail. Also use the Join Ani's Mailing List feature at the top of the page to be placed on the OUR Place mailing list. Then you can be notified of any changes and be a keeper of the dream.
Ani Colt
Creating OUR Place
CreatingOURPlace@aol.com
AniColt.com
1 David Hakins, Ph.D. The I of the Eye
2 Mahatma Ghandi Create and “Be the change we wish to see in the world”2
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