January+14+Gathering


 * Overview:** A group of 11 NNF CoP members gathered together for a day-long series of discussions in San Francisco, CA. What follows is an abridged agenda and corresponding notes:


 * Recommended Readings: Pre-Reads **
 * Building the Field of DreamsLessons learned from network weaving initiatives supported by the Barr Foundation. (By Stephanie Lowell in 2006.)
 * Building Smart Communities Through Network Weaving An introduction to the basics on networks, how they evolve, and how they can be shaped for social impact—illustrated through a case study. (By Valdis Krebs and June Holley in 2006.)
 * The Essence of Weaving A blog post by Bill Traynor about recent insights on building network weaving capacity at Lawrence Community Works. (2010)


 * Proceedings:**
 * **Knitting Together the CoP**: An exploration of a map of our community through the lens of participants’ network areas of interest, and an opportunity to take a closer look at our respective theories of change. [see map here]
 * **Network weaving**: A discussion with Roberto Cremonini about his experiences at the Barr Foundation supporting network weaving and assessing impact. //How/why did Barr start the work? How did it play out? Why support network weaving? What was learned?// [View notes here]
 * **Conversation with Network Weavers**: A discussion with Chris Lynch and Mary Tiseo, who worked with Barr as two different types of weavers: the individual as a weaver and the organization as a weaver, respectively. Chris was tasked with weaving an afterschool sports network in Boston; Mary's organization, South Africa Partners, helped realize World Cup Boston 2010. [View notes here]
 * **Peer Assist**: Stephanie McAuliffe and Kathy Reich pose the question, //How to approach a program evaluation and strategy in a networked way? And how networked should the work be? What are the tradeoffs, and when does the ROI “tip”?// [View notes __here__]
 * **Synthesis** [View highlights here]