Our Ethos

Who is the expert: The renewable energy specialist or the 80-year-old housewife?

The answer is of course: both!
When a place is in need of re-visioning, it can be helpful to call in global expertise to provide a fresh perspective. But in order to develop an anchored vision and achieve sustainable change, it is essential to tap into the embedded knowledge of the community.

To make the most of the expertise of both parties, the CLEAR VILLAGE process provides a space and a methodology for locals and experts to meet, collaborate and jointly develop a vision for the future.

All are experts
It is key that the change process happens on the community’s terms. That is why we aim for a ratio of approximately 80% locals and 20% globals in the room. And the main rule is: all are experts. The globals have their defined fields of expertise, such as renewable energy, sustainable architecture, anthropology, economics; while the locals are the experts on the place and know what it is like actually to live there, what could easily be changed, what is working well and what is in need of improvement, and what ideas and dreams could spark the collective imagination of the community.

When these two areas of expertise are combined, novel approaches can be developed, local capacities can be harnessed, and the dream implementation can begin.

Process Design & Facilitation
As a general rule, it is the locals who define the vision and the change that will take place. The globals are there as a resource to advise on concrete solutions, adaptability, feasibility or in any other way relevant to the process. The globals also contribute by examining the community with a fresh pair of eyes and pointing out unexplored potential, which one may not notice when living there day to day.

CLEAR VILLAGE’s role is take process leadership. We first talk to the community, then select the global experts to ensure a broad reservoir of applicable knowledge. Our process design and facilitation techniques accommodate wide-ranging types of contribution. In the course of our project work, we have designed a variety of exercises that activate body, mind and soul; support the collective intelligence within any given group; and ensure equality of participation for everyone involved.

In short, then, CLEAR VILLAGE facilitates the cross-pollination of local knowledge, experience and competencies with the global expertise of passionate professionals from our network to build compelling community visions.

Browse our network of global experts, innovators and change-makers