October 2015 Newsletter

Upcoming Events & Workshops

Rising Minds: Community-Centered Design & Storytelling for Action 
Wednesday, October 14, 9-10 am, Soho House NYC
How do we facilitate diverse groups to craft their stories, share them, and spark real-world social action? Lee-Sean Huang, cofounder and creative director of Foossa, will share about his creative approach, focusing on his recent collaboration with UX for Good and the Kigali Genocide Memorial. Coffee and pastry will be served. Register for FREE here.

GIVNYC 2015, presented by Givkwik
Tuesday, December 1, Impact Hub NYC
GIVNYC 2015 is a live participatory philanthropy event taking place in New York City on Giving Tuesday (December 1) later this year. We are looking for non-profits to participate and showcase their work. Learn more about partnerships here.

Transformative Storytelling Class
Monday, December 14, 7-9 pm, Centre for Social Innovation, NYC
Join Foossa’s Lee-Sean Huang in uncovering the narrative structures and strategies used by social change practitioners and entrepreneurs for building community and inspiring action. Register today and use code Huang25 to get 25% off. 

Recent Appearances

Foossa's David Colby Reed recently presented about community-centered design at the Service Design Global Conference at The New School. In the photo above, DCR is presenting the Inzovu Curve, an output of our collaboration with UX for Good and the Kigali Genocide Memorial. The Inzovu Curve maps a prototypical journey of a person going through the transformative experience of a museum reaching a state of motivation and action.

In September, Lee-Sean was on a panel about the Future of the Sharing Economy hosted by Be Social Change at ?What If! Innovation partners. Other panelists included representatives from MiLES, MeetUp, Airbnb NYC, and Sailo.

• Event recap by ?What if! Innovation
• Event recap by Yanbo Du

Future of the Sharing Economy Panel - 22 September 2015 Organized by Be Social Change - http://t.co/OarQ58L6Sv Special thanks to our hosts ?What If! Innovation and to sponsors Airbnb, Runa, Kopali Chocolates, and Edward and Sons From cars and music to accommodations and staffing, it’s never been easier for anyone with an excess capacity of goods and services to maximize their resources through collaborative consumption. Commonly referred to as The Sharing Economy, these transactions minimize waste and environmental impact, save costs, cut down barriers to entry, and increase productivity in a mutual give-and-receive exchange. Expected to grow from $15 billion to $335 billion in revenue from 2013 to 2025, The Sharing Economy is positioned to disrupt traditional renting sectors like automotive and hotels. This potential for growth has attracted entrepreneurs and corporations alike, but how does it trickle down and increase opportunities and returns for individuals at every level of the exchange? And when are words like “community” and “sharing” disguising purely profit-driven transactions, a strategy coined as ‘WeWashing’? With thought leaders from across the sector, this panel discussion will delve into the opportunities and challenges that come with collective collaboration. We’ll highlight the distinction between the Access Economy - where consumers are primarily interested in low costs and convenience - and an authentic Sharing Economy, rooted in trust and the strengthening of communities, and explore when, how, and if The Sharing Economy can be a source of empowerment. Moderator: Marcos Salazar, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Be Social Change Panelists: Melissa O’Young, Head of NY Community, Airbnb Delphine Braas, Cofounder, Marketing & Business Development, Sailo Odile Beniflah, Head of International, Meetup Eric Ho, Founder, miLES Lee-Sean Huang, Co-Founder / Creative Director, Foossa

Recent Publications

An Immigrant Asks: Lee-Sean's poetic response in the Huffington Post to the current political rhetoric around immigration in the US and Europe

A Bronx Tech Tale: A story about innovation in tech education and job creation from the birthplace of hip hop

Phnom Penh, City Interrupted: Kris Hartley, Foossa's researcher-at-large, writes a dispatch from the Cambodian capital

Private Storytelling Lessons

Looking to sharpen your storytelling skills? Foossa co-founder Lee-Sean Huang is now accepting new students for one-on-one coaching and mentoring in person or via Skype.

I specialize in helping change-makers, social entrepreneurs, start-up founders, as well as established executives craft their personal and organizational stories for inspiring their communities to action.

I have been teaching this material at classes with Be Social Change, Un-School of Disruptive Design and Social Innovators Collective, as well as at universities like School of Visual Arts, Parsons School of Design, and Cornell University. My private sessions offer students the opportunity to get deep into applying transformative storytelling to their own work.

Email at us hello@foossa.com to schedule a free consultation.