“The place simply feels alive. I couldn’t find anyone involved with the Roulant who didn’t agree at least with that: that the place is brimming with life. And I wanted to know why.” So begins Warren Nilsson’s extended meditation on Santropol Roulant, a small and unassuming community organization in Montreal that is gaining wide notice for its ability to engage clients, staff, and volunteers in profound and unusual ways. The Southern Wall is a series of reflections on just what it is that brings organizations to life. And it suggests that the answer lies not in missions, structures, or policies but in the fundamental nature of the relationships we create as we travel in these awkward, strange ecologies that we call organizations. The booklet is divided into five themes:

• From contract to commitment- p. 21
• From roles to gifts- p. 33
• From routines to rhythm- p. 45
• From plans to presence- p. 53
• From boundaries to shores- p. 67

Choose one of these themes to read and share your thoughts on in the Facebook comment section. Click on the image below to read and download your own copy.

Here are a few comments from past readers:

“The Southern Wall is causing me to question many of my assumptions about how voluntary organizations work or should work…a very interesting mix of stories (the realities of people) and the more conceptual.”  – Lynne Toupin

“It was one of those books that I picked up and it immediately spoke to me. I periodically go looking for it on the shelf, and I don’t do that with very many books.” – Gillian Keefe

“Wow! There is so much to learn from this. It is inspiring and reminds me of what it is I am searching for and what it is that I am missing in my work life…I got half way through it and was overwhelmed with the desire to bake bread.”  – Kariann Aarup

“The book is so beautifully written in a way that non-fiction rarely is; full of stimulating and inspirational ideas yet both still and flowing in its core. It teaches but calls to the heart as well as the mind.” – Barry Brownstein

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