StartingBloc presented Make Your Ideas Happen :: Transformative Communication.

The first in a series of BuildingBloc Workshops lead by: Scott Sherman, Founder, Transformative Action Institute. In this one day workshop, we tackled how to make your ideas happen through transformative communication + conflict resolution, with plenty of open StartingBloc-style dynamic conversations in between.

Sarah and Taryn from HQ were on the West Coast. One of the new Regional Board Chairs, Grace joined them as well! SF based StartingBloc Fellows and their friends joined us to exchange inspiring ideas, forge new relationships, and make new friends!

The Los Angeles board hosted a mixer for StartingBloc Fellows and people who would be interested in StartingBloc. Taryn and Sarah were in town for meetings in preparation for a 2011 Institute in Los Angeles and they meeting up with local Fellows and new friends! The evening of cocktails and conversations about social innovation was to support Falling Whistles. 10% of the drink sales at this event went to Falling Whistles to help them further their mission!

This is a mixer with a twist! Here's how it works: Both organizations invite their community to join us for cocktails at UC Lounge. Attendees pay $5 at the door, and their $5 goes towards the organization they mention upon arriving (Sparkseed or StartingBloc). Volunteer bartenders pool their tips into a large donation, which will go towards supporting both hosting organizations.

Oh wait, that's not all - we will have speed mentoring from 8 - 9 PM followed by a DJ who will spin some tunes for us to break out onto the dance floor! All this and more being organized by the awesome folks at Prime Produce.

Join us in finding the best and brightest candidates who are going to gain and add significant value to the StartingBloc community. If your love for SB alone doesn't make you want to tell everyone and Obama, we're raising the ante: * Individual :: StartingBloc will give away a free Bloc Party ticket and recognition on StartingBloc's website to every person who recruits five applicants! * Region :: The Region that recruits the greatest number applicants will earn a $300 bar tab at their favorite hangout! * Institute :: The Institute cohort that recruits the greatest number of applicants gets $300 in seed money to their favorite venture!

A huge THANK YOU to the members of the Bloc Party Planning Committee who made the Bloc Party II such a success!
Lila Cardell
Rachel Routh
Evan Tzeng
Bic Leu
Marin Kaleya
Alexis Suib
Bonnie Oliva
Whitney Smith
Ines Peschiera
Mira Wijayanti

Please join StartingBloc Staff, Board, Fellows and Friends in celebrating StartingBloc's effervescent, fearless leader :: Joanna Opot. After attending StartingBloc's 2005 Boston Institute for Social Innovation, Jo proclaimed, "See ya, United Nations!" and joined StartingBloc as our first Director of Programs. As Executive Director for the past two and a half years, she has built StartingBloc's presence in the social innovation space, led the expansion of StartingBloc's Institutes globally to Europe, and touched the hearts and minds of our 1,100 Fellows and over 10,000 partners and friends. Join us in wishing Jo well on her journey 'round the world, following her marriage at the end of June. Jo's request :: No gifts please. Suggested donation online or at the door to StartingBloc :: $15