MEÆT 1.0 – MICRO-FUNDING TOGETHER
After a succesful pilot project in August, Edmonton’s NextGen presents MEÆT1.0 – MICRO-FUNDING TOGETHER, November 26, 2011, 6:30 PM at Latitude 53.
A project of ENGAGE, producers of the popular DIYalouge forums, MEÆT brings local creatives and new philanthropists together for an evening of short proposals followed by a shared meal. At the end of the meal, all diners vote on which proposal receives the pot of funds to move forward with their project: immediate funding for awesome ideas! MEÆT1.0 is hosted by Nate Box of Elm Café. For more information onMEÆT and to register, visit www.meaet.com.
“MEÆT 1.0 brings us together for a meal and to fund home-grown projects. By getting together and pooling our wealth we can avoid bureaucracy, get right down to the meat of an idea and make it happen. We look forward to continuing the momentum from the discussions we had with participants of DIYalouge last week,” says Carol Neuman, Engage Working Group Co-Chair.
Edmonton NextGen is looking for MEÆTing participants – limited space is available:
1. Presenters: Apply to have a project funded, present your project & come enjoy dinner;
2. Diners: Come enjoy dinner, experience the presentations, vote for your favorite, and donate $10 to fund something awesome.
Twenty-nine (29) spots are remaining; register as a Presenter or Diner at www.meaet.com.
Read on for a reflection from Toscha Turner, NextGen Volunteer, on her
experience planning and hosting MEÆT 0.5…
Towards the end of my maternity leave, I was looking for ways to become more involved in shaping and contributing to my local community – it felt like I was entering a meaningful new phase in my life and I wanted to share and contribute to something meaningful as well. NextGen has provided me with an amazing place to collaborate on projects and ideas with talented, engaged people who are as excited as I am about what happens in this city.
At the Mayor’s Think Tank: Our Arts, Our City in June, I heard Peter Kageyama speak about loving one’s city and the many benefits of creating “lovable cities”. In his presentation he highlighted some projects in other communities that he saw as “love-letters” from residents to their city, and one of them was monthly micro-granting dinner in Detroit. It brought together a diverse group of people who were all interested in their community to break bread, share ideas, and collectively fund a creative initiative with a local focus. Using this model as the inspiration, the Engage Committee hosted the first MEÆT in August.
We wanted to keep the first event casual and take advantage of the wonderful long summer days we enjoy here, so we decided to hold the first event in my mother’s garden. While it might seem somewhat presumptuous to volunteer someone else’s yard for a party of 50 strangers, my mum and I host charity teas there in the summer and I suppose I just assumed that she wouldn’t mind one more event. Luckily, I was right, Mum was on board – although in retrospect that could have created quite a problem!
It was really important to us that we not only celebrate great local ideas, but that we also celebrate great locally-sourced cuisine – we were so lucky to have the participation of some fantastic local food and beverage providers. I must admit that I was mostly running around during the meal, but I enjoyed a delicious plate after everyone left – it was by far the most scrumptious barbeque I attended this summer! MEÆT 1.0 is taking place in Shop Local First month, so we are hoping to highlight this component even further this time around.
We had some terrific presentations at MEÆT 0.5, but what really impressed me was how varied the proposed initiatives were – there is so much creative energy in so many fields in Edmonton. Our inaugural winner, Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton, will be presenting on their project, and we can also look forward to some of their cider at the event! I am really looking forward to sharing another meal with some fellow Edmontonians and hearing some more amazing, innovative pitches this time around!
Check out images from the event at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/