Energy is up around Calgary’s Generative Journalism news co-op, New Scoop YYC, this week as new and familiar faces mingle at several gatherings with Peter Pula, founder and CEO of Axiom News.

Simone Lee, who has taken on the role of events co-ordinator with New Scoop, is one of those anticipating the events, which begin tonight.

Simone is excited about the opportunities these gathering make possible for those who’ve already joined New Scoop.

“I know this is going to be really rewarding for the people who have signed on already with us to be our writers and to be involved in our community,” she says. “It’s a big treat for us to be able to offer this to them.”

Simone also looks forward to “putting New Scoop on show” for those who are coming and are new to the initiative.

“There are a whole bunch of new names coming forward,” she says. “You put a message out into the world and it’s really encouraging to see that people are listening and finding us on their own.”

Simone’s own story of connecting with New Scoop co-founder Sarah Arthurs is one of those of discovering who you’re looking for — without knowing you’re looking for them.

“I’d just gotten really tired of hearing the same stories about potential developments and changes in communities always getting met with a negative backlash,” says Simone, who has a background in marketing and publicity.

She was already in a place of exploring what it could look like to replace the dominant “not-in-my-backyard” syndrome with a “yes-in-my-backyard” kind of response, when she took part in a group called Leadership Calgary.

“We went to visit Prairie Sky (a co-housing unit where Sarah lives) to see how they operate on a consensus model and, independently, a mutual friend, who knew what I was doing, said you should really talk to Sarah about her new endeavour and so afterwards we set a time to meet. We got together the next day, had lunch together, curled up in their TV room and Sarah just started explaining the thoughts behind New Scoop.”

Sarah summed up some of those principles in a recent blog:

• We are telling stories of what we want more of. We are actively seeking stories that reveal a Calgary that is thriving, sustainable and inclusive — driven by the courage and creativity of citizens and communities.
• We are telling stories with a shifted chronology. Our stories focus on the present and the future. We are creating a large space for Calgarians to name and share their preferred futures.
• New Scoop has a different ownership and business model. We are a not-for-profit (NFP) multi-stakeholder co-op.

“I just kept saying, ‘Yes, yes, yes’,” Simone recalls. “I think perhaps she was a bit surprised when I said sure, right away, I want to help you do events. I’ve been working on it since then.”

Through her work with New Scoop, which she’d like to expand to include writing, Simone is aspiring to create the conditions for positive change to take place in her city. “There are a lot of people doing a lot of neat things here,” she says.

The events this week include:

• A Potluck and friendly introduction to New Scoop with Peter Pula, happening tonight.
• An official pitch and introduction to New Scoop’s work and business model at the Dawn of a New Media breakfast, taking place 8:00 -10:00 a.m., Feb. 26.
• A training day to learn more about Generative Journalism, 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Feb. 26.

Related Blog:

Grotto Canyon Pictographs and New Scoop YYC

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