Dear Hub Hosts,

Here we are, almost ready for the beginning of the fifth u.lab. We are so excited! Not least, thanks to the vibrant energy that we sense in the Hub Host Community. Our Hub Host calls are so inspiring, you are so inspiring. The sheer variety-- of people, intentions, sectors-- is part of the magic and potential impact that we feel buzzing around. Our intention is to support you in the very best way we can! And building on that: by creating an infrastructure that enables you to support each other.

Let's use the coming weeks to prepare the global social field. For that, we have an invitation to put to you: please help us spread the word about u.lab during these final weeks before we launch! How? By sharing (with your family, friends, colleagues) via email and/or on social media:
  1. the links to enrol in u.lab: 
2. this  blogpost  written by Rachel about the impact the u.lab has had on the lives of individuals and communities.

Thank you in advance for sharing the above.

In this newsletter you will find:

1. Updates
2. News about TCL - the Transforming Capitalism Lab
3. Practicalities
4. Tips of the month


1. Updates
Some news for you, based on frequently asked questions:
  • Office Hours Live, the format that we used in 2017 to have weekly interactive moments with team and participants, will be changed. Because we also have the online program Transforming Capitalism in September-December we thought it would become too much for everyone. We did not want to add more pressure to your busy schedules with weekly live-activities. But to keep you informed about what is happening in the global community and to share relevant news, we will record bi-weekly Office Hours that we plan to share at the end of the modules, so that we can reflect back and also look forward to what is coming.
  • For those who missed the Hub Host call on August 29th; the theme was 'how to harvest the u.lab journey'. Please read the Hub Host guide if you want to know more about that. In this guide, you will find the exact dates, links and themes for the upcoming Hub Host calls. The next one will be on September 5th. 
  • Online Hub Host calls; since the number of online hubs is growing, we may be scheduling additional Hub Host Calls. These will be scheduled and integrated into the Hub Host guide so stay tuned and keep checking the Hub Host guide.  

2. Transforming Capitalism Lab
During the upcoming u.lab, Presencing Institute will also be hosting the Transforming Capitalism Lab. The latter also runs Live Sessions and intends to combine online global activities with in-person local initiatives.
On the day that we launch the u.lab (on Sept. 13th), we also have a Live Session with the Transforming Capitalism Lab. It could be an idea for you to integrate this, or a part of it, in a first hub session with your participants as a way to get acquainted with the team.
More information about TCL will be communicated in our next September newsletter.


3. Practicalities
Some of the following information was also in the July newsletter, some is new:

Create or update your hub: go to www.presencing.org , click on 'Community'>'Hubs'>'Hubhosts', scroll down to 'Starting a Hub?' and click on 'Create a hub'.  Tick the 'u.lab1x2018"-box in the space to categorize your hub.

Update your existing hub , by indicating that you participate in u.lab 2018:
  • Go to your hub, click 'Options/Edit your hub' and tick the 'u.lab1x2018"-box in the space to categorize your hub
  • If you didn't create this hub in the beginning, please contact the admin of the hub and ask him/her to update the hub.
Don't forget to invite your participants to start with the 90-minute self-paced u.lab 0x
and communicate to your group or hub that they can already enroll for u.lab 1x as of now, so that they will receive an email reminder when the course is about to begin (links have been shared, above).

If you are on twitter, follow us: @MITxUlab and make sure to always hashtag your posts with #ulab and #ulabhubhosts


4. Tips of the month
We used to share a monthly reading tip, sometimes a movie, sometimes a program. We'd now like to invite you to send us your tips and ideas to co-create a great collection of inspirational materials. What do you think is relevant for us as Hub Host community to 'digest'? Let us know by sending your ideas to ulabhubhosts@presencing.com

For this month we highly recommend 2 books:
  • ' When things fall apart, heart advice for difficult times' by Pema Chödrön ('about how to keep opening wider my own heart'-- in the words of Alice Walker, author of 'The Colour Purple')
     
  • ' The book of Joy ' a  dialogue between two extraordinary leaders -- the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu-- about lasting happiness in a changing world. 

Enjoy,
Simoon and Rachel
Hub Host support team