Christopher Bowers- backstory

November 11th, 2009 by Christopher Leave a reply »

Bio and experience

Christopher Bowers: BSc,  MEd, the creator of  ConversationWorks, is an educator, story catcher, videographer and human entrepreneur. ConversationWorks  encapsulates all the story-related projects and initiatives that he has developed to help bring people and ideas together.

Early in his  teaching  career he saw the power of story in the classroom. He taught a wide range of subjects, from music to introductory Japanese, from math to media, entrepreneurship to computer science and media, working with students from k -12 in over seventeen schools. As he gained more experience he saw more opportunities to include stories in his lessons. The entrepreneurial spirit, of seizing opportunities, began to influence his teaching. He won a Marshall McLuhan Distinguished Teacher Award for Innovation in Education in helping implement computer technology across the curriculum. The deputy minister of education commented that even in the early years of the web, while many  isolated  themselves with computers,  he used computer  technology to  create and  strengthen community.

Now as Executive Director of Community School Interviews, a registered charity, he works with classes on Vancouver Island to help students understand the power of personal inquiry as they interview leaders from a pool of over 120  speakers. View sample feedback from  speakers

His role as Story Catcher of Victoria began about 3 years ago. He continues to be on the team of UVic’s  Office of Community Based Research.  Two years ago he introduced the concept of Story Catching to  UVic to enrich conference experiences and knowledge sharing.. He also coordinates Green Drinks Victoria a sustainable community / business network  with over 1000 members. To support  those efforts he created the Green Drinks Network of Possibilities, a social network with over 500 members  designed to help connect  cause (great ideas for positive change) and resources (from the community)

He has  helped organizations, including government < feedback>, education and community groups discover and use the power of personal story.  He  created a  series for Community Leadership Development , called Conversations with Roger <feedback>, and co-created and produced  Women in Change.

One of his current projects is creating and developing What’s Gone Well Today.com and an upcoming program to help develop empathetic organizations.

Here are some video links about, or from his work.

Community School Interviews  (CSI): 8 minute documentary

Gaining Ground: Resilient Cities interviews that add a unique layer to the event

The experience of being involved in a CSI  series

UVic’s  conference on Sharing Stories and Spaces

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