Current e-Journal
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September 8, 2026
September is a time for starting over
In this week’s Systems Change Newsletter…
- Invitations and Announcements
- Catalytic Thinking Exercise: September: Time to start over
- Resources to Further Your Practice
Invitations & Announcements:
Re-imagining Program Evaluation
What if we could reinvent program evaluation to provide not just organizational learning but community improvement? As Creating the Future begins documenting the learnings from our demonstration projects, that is what we’ll be exploring. And our community members - YOU - will be leading that process! From determining what questions we want to answer, to interviewing the folks involved with those efforts, this process will be as open and participatory as all our work. Come join us, and let’s make some cool stuff happen! Details are at this link.(opens in new tab)
A Light in the Darkness
Last month, Hildy was asked about Catalytic Thinking as a path to hope in these scary times. If you need a bit of inspiration, this interview will definitely do the trick. You can listen here…(opens in new tab)
Catalytic Thinking Exercise:
September: The mid-year New Year’s Eve
There seem to be certain times of years that call us to commitment and action.
In the U.S. and Canada, the first Monday of September - Labor Day – is one of those times. Labor Day has long marked the transition from summer vacation to school. As adults, we still see the beginning of September as the start of new projects at work, or planning for the coming year. As the light begins to change with the seasons, it sparks a sense of renewal, a season of diving in.
New Years is another time of renewal. We make resolutions, committing to do better, to be better. In the global north, that time coincides with the planet spinning from darkness to light. In the global south, the opposite, as long days of summer’s light begin turning towards the long shadows of autumn. That physical transition led our ancient forebears to set their cosmic clock to zero, creating an annual time of reflection and inspiration.
In the Hebrew calendar, the new year’s reflections come at harvest time (along with a whole holy day of taking responsibility for our actions, and the effects of those actions on others). On the flip side, the Chinese New Year marks the start of the spring planting season. Times for celebrating. Times for creating what’s next.
Some people see their birthday as that time of recommitment and renewal. A time of self-reflection.
In truth, any day can mark a time of recommitment. And right now, whether you are living where this is the end of summer or the end of winter, there is a change coming. As the sun moves away from the extremes, we can feel that change in our hearts. We even say that we can “feel it in the air.”
What, then, could this time of renewal make possible for our work as changemakers?
Try this
There is something energizing about these annual times of reflection and commitment to action. And it is especially energizing when everyone around you is also feeling that sense of possibility.
What, then, can we do to capitalize on that energy? The questions of Catalytic Thinking are a great place to start.
Inclusion questions:
As we consider the Inclusion questions in the framework, we find ourselves engaging with our community members, asking for their wisdom.
- Who is affected by the social good work we are doing? What would it take to include them in our plans and commitments? What would it take for them to lead the direction we take?
- When we gather all the people who will be affected, are we listening for their potential – or are we only listening to their problems? What do they aspire to? What strengths do they have to build upon? What are their core values?
Possibility questions:
The possibility questions lead us to be our most creative, moving beyond constantly reacting to circumstances, to actually create what is possible.
- What is the best possible outcome from this time of reflection and planning?
- What needs to be in place for that outcome to be reality?
- What actions will we take to make that outcome happen?
Strength questions:
And the strengths questions are where we find the courage and the resources to make all that good stuff happen.
- In order to take action, what do we already have to build upon? (See the resources section below for a list of assets you may not be thinking about.)
As we step into this season of change, this is a time for stepping into the power we have to create a reality different from our past. So, Happy Renewal Time, everyone! And may the power of Catalytic Thinking(opens in new tab) guide you to create something awesome.
- WATCH: Right before we went to press on this newsletter, we found this joyful video about the power of September – as if he were reading our minds! Watch it here…(opens in new tab)
- READ: Assets are not about money. Our real strengths are all around us. Check out this list…(opens in new tab)
- LISTEN: Catalytic Thinking gives us a path forward in these difficult times. Hildy shares that path in this dynamic conversation. Listen here…(opens in new tab)
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