Ventana Launches New Partnership with BALLE

Working with organizations to identify their fundamental needs as living and evolving entities is among Ventana’s core capacities. In 2010, Ventana is partnering with BALLE, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, to develop and drive a cutting-edge program aimed at activating a shared community, supported by individual learning and personal leadership, within BALLE and between BALLE and its affiliated networks. This Community of Practice project reflects a fundamental theme of our times, as many organizations seek to pioneer new forms of networked relationship.

A Leader of the New Economy Movement

Ventana is inspired and excited to be involved in this project with BALLE, whom we see as one of the leaders in the new economy movement. BALLE’s reach is already extensive and is rapidly expanding. The organization is visionary and values-driven, yet at the same time possesses a sharp business acumen that is alive to the challenges of small, local enterprises. BALLE’s network, multi-stakeholder approach to the local economy is also highly resonant with Ventana’s philosophy.

Where BALLE’s mission is to create breadth of community, Ventana’s intent and capacity is to support and nurture the depth of these relationships. We see the Community of Practice project as a perfect vehicle for an organizational learning field – another of Ventana’s core capacities – where the skills and wisdom of the networks can be woven together to form a common intent and practice, which will simultaneously feed both the individual networks and the BALLE movement.

Creating a Learning Field

The creation of a learning field is vital in this context, as it supports those within the organization to engage in new forms of inquiry, allowing new paradigms to emerge based on personal leadership, wisdom and creativity. This is a direct expression of the Academy for the Love of Learning’s mission, of which Ventana is a part - “to awaken, enliven, nurture and sustain the natural love of learning in individuals and organizations.”

Through this project, Ventana will support BALLE in harvesting personal leadership and initiative from its affiliate networks in a way that retains autonomy and individual innovation, yet still encourages coordinated action. Further, Ventana will partner with BALLE to increase its capacity for self-reflection, self-development and learning, in order to nurture a shared community across the organization, based on common values, intent, and authentic relationships.

For more information on this project or Ventana services, please contact Patrick Anderson: 505-995-1860 or patrick [at] aloveoflearning.org