You're Invited | Minnesota Idea Open IV: Forever Saint Paul Challenge

The Minnesota Idea Open's Forever Saint Paul Challenge kicks off today, asking its biggest question to date: What would you do with $1 million to make Saint Paul great? Learn more about the Challenge below, and check out an invitation to attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the "Largest Picture Made of Lite-Brite" this weekend. Maybe a few light bulbs will go off in your head so you can figure out your own $1 MILLION idea!

What Would You Do With $1 Million to Make Saint Paul Great? Somebody pinch us. The Minnesota Idea Open is dreaming big for its most epic Challenge to date. We're so proud to announce The Saint Paul Foundation's Forever Saint Paul Challenge. What's so big about it? The winning idea will receive $1 million to become a reality. That's 10,000 Benjamins, folks. So get ready to answer the question: What you would do with $1 million to make Saint Paul great? Why Saint Paul? Because place matters. When people love where they live, they invest time, energy and ideas to make it a great place. And we know that Minnesotans have crazy love for our capital city. What's not to love? Saint Paul is home to our professional hockey team, regional theaters, jazz festivals, farmers' markets, a winter carnival, the Hmong soccer tournament, Cinco de Mayo festivals and so much more. (There's also an official study by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation that confirms our epic pride in our capital city). Whether you've lived, worked or played in Saint Paul for three months or three generations, we want to hear your best and brightest ideas. In the coming weeks, you'll learn more about the Forever Saint Paul Challenge, our amazing capital city and some fun and special events we'll be bringing to neighborhoods all across town. Stay in the know at MNIdeaOpen.org/foreversaintpaul. So join us, and our friends at The Saint Paul Foundation (who know a thing or two about Saint Paul), as we work together to think boldly about the future of our state's capital. We'll kick things off on February 16 at MNIdeaOpen.org/foreversaintpaul.   Help Us Bring a World Record to Saint Paul To launch an epic Challenge, you need a fun-sized event. Join us as we attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the "Largest Picture Made of Lite-Brite" on February 16 at the Union Depot, 214 East Fourth Street, Saint Paul. This giant art installation will be 12 feet tall by 24 feet long and filled with more than 520,000 Lite-Brite pegs. We'll warm-up the party starting at 3:00 p.m. with live music, food and super-sized games. You'll also be able to submit your million-dollar idea. The official lighting ceremony starts at 7:00 p.m. with brief remarks from Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Carleen Rhodes of The Saint Paul Foundation and special guests, followed by illumination of the Lite-Brite. We'll even have a Guinness World Record judge on hand to confirm our entry into the record books! The event is free and open to the public. Come before the lighting ceremony, and you might be able to help us make history by placing the final record-breaking pegs into the giant Lite-Brite! Though not required, we'll like you even better if you help us out and RSVP here. Stay Connected The Idea Open is dreaming big things for Saint Paul on Twitter and Facebook. Game On. Minnesota Idea Open  Minnesota Idea Open is a venture of Minnesota Community Foundation

You're Invited: Twin Cities Research Group features Alan Palazollo on Data Viz Tools

Join the Twin Cities Research Group, a local networking group and event series for Twin Cities-based researchers and analysts, at their next Brown Bag Speaker event. Featuring Alan Palazzolo, an interactive news developer for MinnPost.com, you'll hear all about the tricks of the trade from a local practitioner. Register below and don't forget your brown bag!

TCRG Brown Bag Speaker Series 2013:

Wednesday, February 13, 2013, Noon to 1:00 p.m.

*NEW* Please RSVP for the event if you plan to attend http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D8WXJY2

Topic: Data Visualization Tools and Tech

At the next TCRG Brown Bag, Alan Palazzolo will provide a practitioner's view of data visualization – with tools, techniques, and resources. We will go through some of the basic concepts of what data visualization is and what makes a visualization successful, look at real examples, and then go through tools and resources that will help build visualizations.

You can see the work of the MinnPost Data Team at http://minnpost.com/data

Featured Speaker: Alan Palazzolo is an interactive news developer for MinnPost.com, where he helps in building news applications as well as data visualization to enhance or accompany stories. Alan also volunteers as a local organizer for Code For America.

Where: Wilder Foundation, Room 2610

451 Lexington Parkway (at University Ave), Saint Paul, MN 55104

A Map with the meeting's location is at www.TwinCitiesResearch.org

Event is FREE. Wilder's parking ramp is FREE. Bring your own brown bag lunch.

As always, we will finish the hour with a discussion and Q+A. Join us to participate with your ideas and questions.

www.TwinCitiesResearch.org
https://twitter.com/TCResearchGroup

What's at risk

Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos 

"In some cases, fear can be a good thing. It can drive us, motivate, and it sure feels good when we can overcome it. The times when I have had that 'fear' reaction or feeling are the times when I knew I was onto something important and worth my energy and time. I ask myself, 'What do I risk by not challenging myself, my company, my team, and society? What’s at risk by being 'safe?’ The biggest risk is you never know what could have been on the other side. You’ll never really know what you’re made of and that truly is something to fear."

-Julie Smolyansky

You're Invited | Ashoka Solutions Forum: Engaging All Generations of Changemakers

Changemaking has evolved over the generations as well as across the generations. Join Ashoka Twin Cities as they feature Fellows, Dina Buchbinder and Nancy Henkin, at the upcoming Ashoka Solutions Forum Engaging All Generations of Changemakers. Through highlighting intergenerational engagement strategies and community change work, the Fellows will help explore what works now as well as next generation solutions for the pressing social challenges of today and tomorrow.

Ashoka Twin Cities You're Invited! We're thrilled to invite you to the fifth Ashoka Twin Cities Solutions Forum - a unique public event that highlights the innovation of leading social entrepreneurs, Ashoka Fellows Dina Buchbinder and Nancy Henkin. Join us on February 28, 4:30-6:30pm at the Minneapolis Central Library.  To register, please visit:http://solutionsforum5.eventbrite.com

Live Interview with

Ashoka Fellows

Dina Buchbinder & Nancy Henkin

on Engaging All Generations of Changemakers

Join Ashoka Twin Cities and Bush Foundation for our 5th Solutions Forum, a live interview featuring Ashoka Fellows Dina Buchbinder and Nancy Henkin. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. The conversation will be held at the Minneapolis Central Library on Thursday, February 28th at 4:30pm, with a reception to follow.  Doors will open at 4:00pm. 

Dina Buchbinder will discuss her experience introducing an innovative, action-oriented education model called Deport-es para Compartir (Sports for Sharing) to a Mexican education system that has long struggled with passivity and rigidity.  Deport-es para Compartir is empowering elementary students to create pragmatic solutions to social and environmental problems and implement them in their schools and homes, meanwhile fostering awareness and teaching values such as teamwork and fair play.  Dina is expanding her work to the US and looking forward to connecting with community members here in Minnesota.

Dr. Nancy Henkin will share her insights on creating communities that are good place for growing up and growing older.  The Intergenerational Center's lifespan approach to community building brings together residents of all ages, community organizations, and policy makers to address issues of concern to multiple generations.  Its national Communities for All Ages initiative highlights the power of intergenerational relationships and promotes interdependence, reciprocity, individual worth, inclusion and social connectedness.  Drawing from experiences in Moose Lake and Proctor, Nancy is looking forward to deepening the intergenerational conversation in Minnesota.

These two leading social entrepreneurs are just some of many Ashoka Fellows throughout the world who are focused on engaging all generations in innovative solutions for pressing social problems. Past Solutions Forums have supported community members in growing innovations locally from our global network  through partnerships with organizations, foundations, companies, and individuals from our region. Come hear from leading innovators and be inspired to act right here in Minnesota. 

In partnership with

You're Invited: Redefining Diversity 2013

We're delighted to be partnering later this month with Torch Community and GenYWCA of the YWCA of Minneapolis for Redefining Diversity 2013. Join us for an evening where we'll bypass judging a book by its cover and instead dig deep into the content of each other's character. As we consider the different paths and experiences that have shaped each of us individually, we'll more fully recognize that they collectively amount to the shared story of us all.

If you look on the surface of diversity- whether that is someone's skin color, age, gender, sexual orientation, or cultural dress, you see complexity. What one should do is think not of what you see before you; but of what experiences, interactions, and relationships it took to produce what you see. At this event we challenge you to take a look at diversity through a different perspective. A perspective that will do more than just celebrate our differences. Join Torch, Minnesota Rising and GenYWCA in a out-of-the-box approach toward thinking about diversity in the Twin Cities. And this is our guarantee; walk in as a young professional, walk out with the tools to be a Diversity Leader.  WHEN Thursday, February 28th, 2013 5:00pm-8:00pm LOCATION Poet's Corner Room at Kieran's Irish Pub 601 N. 1st Ave, Minneapolis, MN AGENDA 5:00-5:30  Registration/Networking/Apps 5:30-7:00  Welcome/Program 8:00-8:30  Networking/Next Steps TICKETS $10   Early Bird (until February 12th) $15   Ahead of Event $20   At the Door Sponsoring Partners Diversity Partners

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