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Global Imagine Projects

The Imagine Movement has spread to over 70 projects in more than 20 countries spanning 6 continents and continues to grow.  Learn more about the Imagine Movement below.

Africa

Asia

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

North America

South America 

The Imagine Movement

Since 1998, a self-organizing global Imagine movement on six continents has emerged in dialogue with Imagine Chicago's work. The Imagine approach has informed civic engagement efforts in government, business, education, culture, health, and youth and community development. Each Imagine project has been locally designed and implemented. Some have been neighborhood-focused and run by unpaid volunteers. Others have been city- or country-wide and initiated and managed by government staff with public funding. Still others have been public-private institutional partnerships.

There is no Imagine “blueprint” but Imagine projects tend to share certain common features: strength-based and vision-oriented communications which invite participants to name what matters and how things could be different; intergenerational collaboration as a preferred way of working; integration of arts-based activities into civic dialogue; and a commitment to place-based intercultural communities of practice within which people share ideas, resources and practical tools that make a tangible community difference. In recent years, some large scale Imagine projects in cities including Calgary and Durban have focused on citizen engagement in defining a 100 year vision for sustainable development that informs government decision making in the present. In countries including Denmark, Scotland and the UK, country-wide Imagine networks have formed, often catalyzed by a shared interest in applying Appreciative Inquiry to Community Development.  

Imagine Chicago is aware of more than 70 Imagine projects in the world, many claiming inspiration from Imagine Chicago.  We have summarized by continent the global Imagine projects of which we are aware, realizing that some of the information we have is woefully outdated.  We expect there are many other Imagine initiatives we know nothing about but which are infused with a similar commitment to inspired citizen imagination and commitment to place. If you have developed or are currently developing such a project you would like included in the global Imagine map above, please visit the Imagine Movement Group and provide us with a short project description/history including any active web links and we will add you to the map.  Video clips and photographs are also welcome.

At the global Imagine conference in 2002, (see conference proceedings summary) many attendees expressed interest in becoming an active community of practice. We have initiated a google Imagine Movement group to connect and facilitate communication between “Imagine” minded practitioners. It will be a place to post information and links to your project, ask questions and see what other projects are doing . This community welcomes newcomers that are looking to get an Imagine project off the ground. Contact the Imagine Movement Group and/or Imagine Chicago for more information.