WhereToTakeAshokaHouse

Background

1. Sustainable: finacially viable and protecting privacy
2. Maintenance: Original vision and property maintenance
3. Past roles: community meetings, spiritual gatherings, examination of critical issues
4. What's not being done that needs to be done?

Options

1. No Option option

• Sell
• maintain status quo

2. Retreat for Rent

• Help create a critical mass of Bowen Island retreats
• strengths: dialogue centre away from the fray, yet close to Vancouver. Use the resources of the Island. Seperate the centre from the house.
• Someone to program
• Ashoka seperated as a revenue generator
• possible collaboration (rental), either as a simple rental or planned programs with a paid programmer to start

3. Collaboration with an educational institution or group

• Minimum breakeven budget to pay for all expenses including maintenance
• They program, Ashoka rental
• Possible benefactor (in their "dream" area eg. Clearwater/education peace)
• Recruit key person to make things happen

4. Applied Foresight Centre

Here's how it would work:

• start with a problem or critical issue to the future
• vision of a preferable vision for the future
• background understanding of the issue: what is the probable future without action?
• What steps can be taken to acheive the preferable future?
• Who is responsible for the steps and what is the timetable?

This then would be a think tank that takes a problem and stays with it long enough to get action and solve it.

Centre for Applied Foresight

1. Committment to idea
2. Continue to work with a small group of people to continue to develop the concept
3. Look at existing research eg. Pacific Resources Centre and define niche
4. Decide on an implementation plan and action responsibility
5. Maybe pilot test one issue for which people have passion. Move it forward
6. Recruit someone to catalyze action/be creative, someone passionate with time and energy
7. Possibly find benefactor to finacially support action: grants/foundation.