The World Citizens’ Movement – many paths, one direction
Kosmos is an enthusiastic participant in the World Citizens Movement. After two global conferences in Johannesburg in 2013 and 2014, that united 400 global citizens from all over the world, the next milestone is the World Social Forum in Tunis this March, building on the vision of the Johannesburg Compass.
Conference Report: Toward a world citizens’ movement - the story of the movement from…
Rebirth in Governance!
Dear Readers,
This is a packed edition of Kosmos Online, and we do believe a vital one, mainly on the themes of transforming governance and global citizenship. Clearly, the two go hand-in-hand. We call for inspired leadership, as well as new forms of authentic participation in the political process at the bioregional, national and global levels. For the many who work tirelessly at the local…
Global Citizens, Part I
By Mark Gerzon
PUBLISHED IN FALL | WINTER 2009
“Why do the people in France hate us?” a second year student, one of almost three hundred seated in the large lecture hall, asked me. “They tried to attack the Olympic torch when it was passing through Paris. Is that because they don’t like our country?”
For a split second, I was speechless. I knew the answer to the Chinese student’s question.…
We the People Have a few New Ideas about Governance
Collaboration, Participation and Deliberation are at the heart of new Governance models.
It might surprise you to know that most states do not emphasize civic education, which includes learning about citizenship, law, and governance. So it is not surprising many US citizens believe government is something far removed from 'real life'. Even some of the Founding Fathers said 'common man'…
A Parent’s Resource Guide to Social and Emotional Learning
EDUTOPIA has curated a list of blogs, articles, and videos for parents about fostering skills like kindness, empathy, gratitude, resilience, perseverance, and focus in children.
Resources by Topic:
Encouraging Kindness and Empathy
Cultivating Perseverance and Resilience
Fostering Gratitude
Mindfulness, Emotional Intelligence, and Focus
Home, School, and Community…
The Case for Teaching Emotional Literacy in Schools
By Daniel Goleman, Author of The Triple Focus: A New Approach to Education, from his LinkedIn blog
Self-Awareness Training
The children coming into their second grade classroom that morning arranged their chairs in a circle for a daily ritual: Their teacher asked every child to tell the class how they felt (unless they didn’t want to share this), and why they felt that way.
This simple…
INTERVIEW Joshua Gorman: Generation Waking Up
By Rhonda Fabian
Kosmos: You have been working with young people for a number of years now, Joshua. How is this generation different?
Joshua Gorman: There’s a new generation of young people waking up and coming of age all across the planet, a generation rising between an old world dying and a new world being born. We are the make-it-or-break-it generation. The all-or-nothing generation.…
Coping with Our Feelings about Climate Change
Courtesy Whidbey Institute, Cascadia Climate Collaborative
Climate destabilization is accelerating more rapidly than scientists predicted. It does not lie somewhere in the future; it is happening right now. Extreme weather events have become routine, and their intensity is growing, affecting entire communities, human and non-human. We have responded largely by seeking alternative technologies,…
Trusting Our Feelings
Dear Friends of Kosmos,
It's that special time of year when we invite you, our readers, to write an 800-word essay for Kosmos Journal. Two essays will be chosen for publication in the 2015 Spring/Summer print edition of the Journal, and a selection of others will appear in Kosmos Online. Our theme is an inquiry into the many dimensions of Life itself, and what it means to feel truly alive.…
The Media Consortium Conference: Is Alternative Media Becoming the New Mainstream Media?
By Dot Maver
Imagine being in a room filled with people dedicated to investigating the truth, to exposing wrongs, to sharing good news and solutions, to creating a better world. A gathering where everyone is seriously interested in learning from one another and sharing resources with the understanding that together we are stronger and more effective. Welcome to the world of alternative media…