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Visit Other Web Forums Social Innovation Forum Modelpedia: A Vision of Transformation By Alice Holstein Mack, Ed.D. The 8,000 volunteer members of Engineers Without Borders work on humanitarian engineering projects—such as water pumps and bridges—in the developing world. The organization’s founder, Colorado engineering professor, Bernard Amadei, described to a MacNeil Lehrer correspondent in December, 2007 how he had discovered a San Pablo village where girls were prohibited from going to school because they had to spend the day carrying water. A simple water pump was designed and implemented so that the girls could attend school Since Amadei founded engineers Without Borders in 2000, there have been 200 chapters developed world-wide with the majority of the volunteers being engineering students. This is "engineering with a human face," says Amadei. His organization is a MODEL that is helping in big and small ways to transform the world. In fact, this MODEL organization is oftentimes developing other MODELS that can be applied elsewhere. Obviously Engineers Without Borders also took their cue from another MODEL, Doctors Without Borders. All of these applications and replications are examples of the power of a MODEL to initiate and influence transformative change. They enable the replication of something new without reinventing the wheel. Imagine, then, the existence of an international data base that could identify MODEL organizations, programs and development projects that are this very minute transforming the world. The MODELS would include technological improvements such as those done by Engineering Without Borders as well as social invention projects such as the well-known Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco that for years has been a MODEL of prisoner rehabilitation and employment opportunity. For years I have been collecting articles about MODELS in my files. One example is the Seawater Forests Initiative, which uses seawater, photosynthesis and human intelligence to green coastal deserts, generate wealth and provide planetary ecological balance. Another example is Auroville, the MODEL township in India that aims to be a universal town where diversity can realize human unity. A strictly for-profit example is the London-based St. Luke’s ad agency, spun off from a major advertising conglomerate to become a MODEL employee-owned business that helps organizations develop their "total role in society." But there are thousands and thousands of MODELS all over the world that could be replicated in whole or in part. For years I dreamed of a data base that would collect these examples and make them available for free. I had neither the human and financial resources nor the technological savvy to bring this about. I imagined it to be a huge, costly project. Then I read a June 17, 2006 New York Times article, "Growing Wikipedia Revises Its ‘Anyone Can Edit’ Policy." The article contained some background behind the international, web-based Wikipedia encyclopedia that is almost entirely user-generated except for a staff of four full-timers and some 1000 volunteer administrators. Together they monitor entries and edit those where derogatory or untrue facts might be entered on a given topic. In short, Wikipedia is a MODEL for MODELPEDIA that could be accomplished with a small staff and some volunteers. There are already some MODELS that attempt to do similar things. APPROPEDIA, for example, attempts to gather and link appropriate technology inventions, but these are limited to technology and leave out the vast number of social inventions. www.wiserearth.org has a huge data base of organizations that are working on transformative projects of various kinds, but these are organizations in general, not MODELS and therefore minimize the power that MODELPEDIA could generate. They also are primarily only non-profit organizations. Wikipedia itself contains some entries that are models, such as Auroville, but they are not pulled together by function, which a MODELPEDIA would need as a design element. "Criminal Justice Interventions," for example, would be one example of a function category that would enable users to find models. There they would find the Delancey Street Foundation entry as well as such things as MODEL drug courts and more. Cross referencing happens easily with Wikipedia type entries. At the current time, however, Wikipedia does not mention the Delancey Street Foundation MODEL program nor many other MODELS of transformation. It was not designed for such a role. Who could effectively mobilize a MODELPEDIA project that would help transform the world? A division of Wikipedia itself is a logical candidate as is a major search engine such as Google, or a software company such as Microsoft or an upstart that understands the Wikipedia technology. Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft is a billionaire entrepreneur who could easily sponsor MODELPEDIA as would any other modestly well-healed mogul. Necessary ingredients include a small administrative staff, some volunteers and the marketing vision and resources to issue a planetary plea for submissions to this data base. Like Wikipedia, it would grow on its own from there. Complements to the written entries and contact information could be a "How to Build or Implement" section and videos that illustrate the project or program. Assuming it would become even half as popular as Wipipedia, MODELPEDIA could help transform the world in record time. About the Author: Dr. Alice Holstein Mack is an author, speaker and consultant from La Crosse, Wisconsin.  She has had a 27 year career as an Organization Development consultant and college instructor.  A passionate interest in Organization Transformation led her to the years-long collection of material related to this article. Dr. Mack can be contacted at holsteinmack@yahoo.com Reader's Comments: Author's reply: Global Mind-Shift.org calls it a very worthwhile idea that deserves a wide audience and www.Reinventingmoney.com calls it an idea that MUST be implemented.  • The Modelpedia project makes sense because it is similar to the effective techniques of best practices and lessons learned. We waste much energy in "reinventing the wheel." Wanda dexter@dakota.net Submitted February 02, 2008, 18:32:15 • It could save time in training by providing a self-learning tool or access to updates and revisions of the model or a round-table of problems or solutions. Katherine Schnell kateandelle@charter.net Submitted January 28, 2008, 23:16:43 • Great Idea! I believe you can just enter the models in Wikipedia and identify it as a model in its keywords. Sergio Lub sergio@favors.org Submitted January 28, 2008, 04:37:07 • Wonderful idea! I hope that it gets off the ground as soon as possible. Mary Pat Hill info@hillconnections.org Submitted January 24, 2008, 10:39:15 • I'm convinced that the MODELPEDIA you propose MUST somehow be implemented. I'll forward your message and will post the abstract and link to my blog, http://tomazgreco.wordpress.com/. Thomas H Greco thg@mindspring.com Submitted January 22, 2008, 23:37:15 • This is wonderful. We applaud such an idea. We're a Asset-Based Community Development group working on various projects, and would find such a "pedia" helpful. E J Ash lizash@gofairtrade.net Submitted January 22, 2008, 21:58:48 • Information is already being gathered worldwide by motivated people and organizations. Why not make it available to all to save duplication. Great idea! Patrick Hundt Patshomeimp@yahoo.com Submitted January 22, 2008, 21:17:07 • Excellent idea! World changing! Thank you for your insight, Dr. Mack! Barb Schieffer raspberrybarb@yahoo.com Submitted January 22, 2008, 17:58:55   • Very insightful. I think this could provide the motivation for accelerated change around the world. Ken Graun ken@kenpress.com Submitted January 22, 2008, 14:27:22 • What a wonderful conceptgather models from around the world to address world-wide issues! Laurie Landry laurielandry506@yahoo.com Submitted Tuesday, January 22, 2008 1:17 PM