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The John W. Gardner Academy for Regional Stewardship provides a learning network that enables participating regional communities to activate an opportunistic and adaptable process of constructive change. In July we introduced the four communities currently participating in the Academy and described the values that underpin their efforts. This month we present a model of continuous learning and change involving (1) discovery of new ideas, allies and partners, (2) deciding on the focus, scope and priorities of community change, and (3) driving a realistic and adaptable process of experimentation.
 1. Discover: Building a Case for Change
Regional stewards build a convincing case for change in their communities, accumulating information, ideas and allies in the process. Using indicators and other information tools, they diagnose the challenges facing their communities and the tensions between competing values that must be addressed in new ways. They creatively describe, reframe, measure, and connect issues and root causes. They try to understand what is working, what is not working, and what might work. They seek out the experiences of other communities to expand the view of whats possible and find other regional stewards who might be able to help them frame problems or develop solutions. At the same time, they seek out and discover allies in their communitiesindividuals that can help make the case and become part of the coalition for change.
2. Decide: Making Critical Choices in Experimentation
Regional stewards use what they learn from the discovery process to make decisions. Through dialogue that builds trust, they make choices from among the many actions they could take to tackle their challenges. While they may consult people in other communities and tap into national sources of research and ideas to consider options for action, they sort through different ideas and decide on how best to apply what they have learned. They decide about focus, scope, and priority in designing experiments in community changeimmediate actions connected to an overall vision (or story) of change that will provide opportunities for continuous feedback and adaptation.
3. Drive: Mobilizing Allies for Change
Regional stewards are relentless in their drive for change. While they are thoughtful and reflective in gathering facts and engaging in dialogue about what to do, they neither succumb to paralysis by analysis nor engage in an endless search for the perfect solution. Once they establish an appropriate platform for regional stewardship, they embody the spirit of experimentationthey reflect, decide, act, then reflect on initial results, make more decisions, pursue new actions, and start the process again. They drive a realistic, opportunistic and adaptable process of experimentation.
Participants in the Gardner Academy for Regional Stewardship are partners in living experimentation that are continuously learning and testing these core principles, while generating valuable lessons for other regions that may follow in their path. If you are interested in participating in the Academy, please contact either Doug Henton, Academy Coordinator, at or John Parr, President and CEO of the Alliance for Regional Stewardship, at (please include a reference to the Gardner Academy in the subject line).
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