Live Day

The goal of Choose2Matter is to equip organizations and leaders with everything they need to share the message of mattering with their community, customers and/or employees.

Innovation is not an idea or event; it is an invitation and expectation to use your genius to make your life and the world a little more interesting and awesome place.

Choose2Matter Live is that invitation. During this one of a kind immersive experience, participants will discover their incredible change making and leadership potential.

Our goal is to help awaken and liberate the genius that exists in all by giving that genius a reason to show up. We expose participants to existing and emerging global problems and the local challenges that prevent change from happening.

We want to see everyday leaders, peacemakers and innovators influencing the global and local realities from their unique perspectives and collective talent.

 

Our Beliefs and Process

We believe that the solutions to the problem we face already exist and the people needed to implement those innovations are right in front of us.

Embedded within our classrooms and communities are the greatest leaders, instructors, and creators for the things that make for a better life and world.

Rather than seeking outside experts, C2M’s role is to unleash and expose participants to the genius in their presence.

We do this in a three part framework we call Liberating Genius:

ACCEPT

Acknowledge that your actions count. Live up to and into your genius.

We begin every Choose2Matter with this statement: “You are a genius, and the world needs your contribution!” Research and our experience show that nearly 100% of five year-olds believe this sentiment. By the time students turn 16, only 2% still believe it.

Mattering doesn’t just happen to you. You must actively pursue it. “You matter” is not a statement of inspiration; it is a call to action. Until we believe that we matter, we cannot convince others that they do, and we cannot take effective action to change the world.

Our team presents a “Mattering IS the Agenda” keynote at conferences, school districts, businesses and organizations all over the world. Our toolkit “Mattering IS the Agenda” is a high-impact collection of our top presentations, articles and workshop activities on mattering.

We are developing “Teachers Matter” to improve teacher morale and retention, and “Parents Matter,” based on Angela’s renowned work, to help schools and families develop an effective partnership.

 

ACCELERATE

Share the message that everyone matters. Notice, value and honor the genius around you.

Words Matter. A single word can ignite a friendship. Words can lift a spirit. Words can end a war. Well-chosen words, borne of a practice of noticing, honoring, and valuing, can change lives, and, if used pervasively, can change an entire culture.

We let others know they matter with authentic, specific words of praise or challenge. “You matter” is a challenge, an invitation, and an expectation. When you let others know they matter, it lifts your spirits. The person hearing your words may not show you immediately, or ever, that you impacted them. But they are listening, and they do believe you.

Our articles “Secure Students Hearts or You Don’t Have a Shot at Their Brains” and “Two Letters That All Students Should Receive” have together been read by more than 75,000 educators. Never underestimate your significance, or that of the right words at the right time. It takes a few seconds to change lives, and it costs nothing.

ACT

Leverage collective genius.

Ask: what matters most to you and why? What breaks your heart about it? What are WE going to do about it?

To empower people to ACT, Choose2Matter has conducted a series of live events called Choose2Matter LIVE! in schools and communities throughout the US.

Students explore and share their personal story, map their heartbreak, and develop an action plan to tackle the issues that matter most to them. This gives genius a reason to show up; it is the ultimate form of authentic, passion-based learning.

 

Our Core Distinctives

1.  Listening Loudly

Rather than “assigning innovation” to one another, we use our personal stories and shared experiences to increase interest, trust and _____ to discover how we may collaborate toward a better, more just future.

Embedded within each personal and shared story, we discover our everyday talents and capabilities of making change in ways that bring about lasting transformation.

This carefully designed experience that we call LISTENING LOUDLY,  equips participants to enter into local and global conflict more intelligently and into the stories of others more compassionately.

2.  Heartbreak Mapping

Our method for cultivating everyday changemakers to act is driven by passion and compassion which results in our participants’ following not only their heart but the heartbreak of the world and the individuals living in it.

3. The Causes and Actions

Our shared stories and conversations are designed to convene leaders and learners to emerge from within a specific context, cause or area of challenge.

These leaders galvanize through our framework forming small communities who seek to shape change and mobilize others to help carry out that change.

The innovations that come from the Heartbreak mapping exercises are turned into actions that will play out in the days and months to come.

Participants make a public proclamation on how they will choose2matter in hopes of rallying others around their mission and causes.

 

Our Team and Partners

Each live event is carefully guided by our team of international curators & change makers whose shared conviction is that innovation must move from theory to reality, from political to embodied, and from project-focused to people driven.

We invite these leaders and emerging influencers to join us during the live event or connect with the  conversations via social technologies and platforms like Skype, yammer, Twitter and Facebook.
In addition to our team of international curators & change makers , we are joined by a volunteer force of student leaders, who train with our team and help influence everything from logistics to marketing and community engagement.

 

Our Brave Community

We live in a culture that associates bravery and bravado with heroic and near impossible to believe acts.

We would argue that purposefully and creatively living into and unto our genius as everyday change makers do not only requires more bravery and bravado, it requires faithfulness, trust and unwavering belief in your community.

We are smarter together is not just our mantra; it is our imperative we have to take this seriously. Choose2Matter is a passionate and dedicated community of changemakers who learn and live as agents of impact.

They choose to own and use their genius for something bigger than themselves.
They choose impractical, improbable and  in doing so defy impossible.
They choose to lead; to make an impact; to leave a legacy.
They choose brave, and will help you do the same.

Choose2Matter LIVE:

The Innovation Experience of a Lifetime

Choose2Matter Live is a one-day intensive designed experience to practically shift the idea of innovation and the act of change making from illusive theory to an aspiring reality.

Sample schedule:

7:30 am – 8:00 am: Registration

8:00 am – 9:00 am: Welcome and Opening Remarks – YOU MATTER!

9:00 am – 10:00 am: Session 1 – Listening Loudly (ACCEPT)

10:00 am – 10:15 am: Break

10:15 am – 11:30 am: Session 2 – Heartbreak Mapping Everyday (ACCELERATE)

11:30 am – 12:30 pm: Lunch

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Session 3 – Choose2Matter Public Proclamations

1:30 pm – 1:45 pm: Break

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm: Session 4 – Action Planning and Research (ACT)

2:45 pm – 3:30 pm: Celebrations and Closing Remarks

What’s in It for You?

Innovation doesn’t just happen on a global, political mass scale level; it happens in our schools, our communities and in our hearts.

Innovation can no longer be outsourced. Change making is an every day , every person event, and Choose2Matter is a grassroots movement that begins to sow seeds of hope that ripple powerfully into your life and community.

Through a fusion of storytelling, passion driven learning, and community action, Choose2Matter Live will:

• form a robust process and practice of innovation you can take back to your school/organization
• develop the vision to see the learning, leadership and change making within the culture of your current community
• learn to compassionately and collaborative enter into practical innovation, imagining creative ways to contribute to the flourishing of others.
• understand how to leverage the collective talent, resources and networks to solve complex and challenging problems in new and unique ways.
• most importantly recognize and restore your faith in the individual and collective capacity to impact and create a world in which we all want to live and learn in.

 

JOIN US NOW!

What a glorious thing that we don’t have to wait a single second to change the world. – Anne Frank

Welcome to the first step in liberating YOUR own genius and moving forward in helping others do the same.