If you encountered the previous POST entitled “Spin Up Time” – consider this the second verse of that song – just with some additional detail you can use in setting your own expectations. Setting Expectations Everyone has expectations – whether they realize it or not. After hearing our vision, you may not need any additional information to sign up and join us. But at some point, most people want more detail as to “What’s the plan?!” It’s a question that everyone should ask, even if they don’t. These 4 Phases are a starting point. We expect to adapt and evolve...
Commentary / Exec Dir Journal
Spin Up Time
Disappointment often stems from unmet expectations. We’ve all experienced it: feeling let down when someone is rude or when a meal doesn’t live up to the hype. While unexpected events can bring joy, it’s hard to be truly disappointed if you had no expectations to begin with. That’s why it’s important to set realistic expectations as we build the IDRN network. This is a long-term project, and the road ahead will have its challenges. But by understanding what to expect in the coming months, we can focus on the progress we make and the impact we create. Spinning Up the...
Commentary / Exec Dir Journal
More than Collaboration
IDRN’s desire to foster “new and better collaboration” involves far more than meets the eye. Growing up in west Texas, you could drive for miles without seeing another car. When you did, it was customary to wave—a simple act of politeness. A friend from the former USSR found this inconceivable, leading to some laughs. However, this act is fundamental to my worldview, rooted in my childhood: acknowledging another person and communicating, “I see you.” This, too, is a core focus of the new IDRN: increasing awareness. As our introduction materials state, lack of awareness is the first barrier to healthy collaboration. Yet, there’s...
Commentary / Exec Dir Journal
Why Grassroots?
Q: IDRN emphasizes the grassroots aspect of our network. Why? A: Most disaster response efforts could benefit from more informed grassroots engagement. First, let us revisit things that are opposite of grassroots. Top-down. Highly structured. Corporate. Government. Elite. An establishment or power structure proactively shaping a culture or society with an agenda. Whatever word one uses, the understanding is that there is power, control, resources, organization, agendas, and the ability to “make things happen.” In the disaster response world, large groups like governments, the United Nations, and large NGOs immediately dominate most people’s thinking. Why? That is because they typically...
Commentary / Exec Dir Journal / External Links
A Month of Vision+Q&A Sessions
May 2024 is an important month as we are consolidating what has been learned from the past 8 months of meetings, travel, and introductions. We will be working to significantly increase and improve the clarity of what the International Disaster Response Network (IDRN) will look like in the future. The initial and specific plans we will be pursuing need to be discussed and vetted through more conversation and tweaks. Ultimately, we hope to find a healthy alignment with all of those people and groups we are actively inviting to be part of this exciting and promising future. As part of...
Commentary / Exec Dir Journal / External Links / Video
Personal Introductions: Viral Growth & Network Effects
Over the recent months, we have been encouraged to meet with people from over 50 different countries – introducing the vision for relaunching IDRN this coming year as a registry focused on improving awareness. That awareness will be multifaceted including: awareness of those responding to a specific crisis event, awareness of various groups’ focuses and personalities as we help those groups find new supporters and volunteers, awareness of the many amazing resources that already exist specifically to help people prepare and respond better, and awareness of best practices that we can celebrate with the hope that others will...
Commentary / Events / Exec Dir Journal
IDRN Regional Gathering Research
We have been actively researching possible venues to host an IDRN Global regional gathering – especially accessible to Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Current, venues being considered are in Cairo, Egypt and Istanbul, Turkey. We are looking at early December 2024 or January 2025 as a possible timeframe. If you are interested in hearing more, providing opinions as to what is best for you, or ask questions, please feel free to use the FRIENDS of IDRN form on the website. Even if you’ve already registered, it will be no problem to send another message. We’re excited about the possibilities...
Exec Dir Journal / Video
Introduction Video
When we need everything all at once – systems, explainers, websites, printed material, examples, stories – it can be difficult to know to do first. And then sometimes, it becomes very clear. We are meeting a lot of people at this current conference – more than we met in Africa in late January. It would have been nice to have a video then. But now we are meeting even more totally new people (with even less knowledge of IDRN) who would really benefit from an introduction & overview. And now, since we”ve been able to “dial in” some terminology that...
Commentary / Events / Exec Dir Journal
Seoul IDRN Korea Meeting – August 2024!
We are pleased to announce that our venue and other important details have been confirmed for a key International Disaster Response Network gathering to be held in Seoul, South Korea, August 27-30, 2024. Please put the last week of August 2024 on your calendar if there is any chance you might be able to join us. Details are below. It is exciting to share this news because this meeting is a bridge. This meeting will be a bridge from the PAST into the FUTURE for the International Disaster Response Network. The people who have been living and breathing IDRN since...
Commentary / Exec Dir Journal / External Links / Spotlight / Video
Bravo!
IDRN seeks to minimize top-down and centralized approaches and maximize decentralization and peer collaboration.
This recently shared YouTube video is the epitome of the concepts upon which IDRN seeks to operate. We want to celebrate people who get it!