Jon Alexander, a Storyteller, Strategist, and Visiting Fellow atHarvard University. Jon started out in advertising and co-founded in 2014 with Irenie Ekkeshis a consultancy, the NewCitizen Project which works with organisations across sectors to explore what it would mean to treat people as citizens, not just consumers. In 2022, he published a book, Citizens, which won numerous book of the year awards, was reviewed by the Financial Times as an “underground hit”, selected by the World Economic Forum for its CEO Book Club.
Jon wears a few other hats: as a Visiting Fellow at the University of Manchester, a Senior Associate at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, a founding member of the OECD's Innovative Citizen Participation Network, and a member of the Advisory Councils of DemocracyNext, the Apolitical Foundation, and the Democracy and Culture Foundation. Jon holds three Masters degrees spanning humanities and business.
In this episode, Jon reflects on his journey from advertising to starting a consultancy The New Citizen Project to writing a book and become an author, public speaker and actionist. He reflects on human history as a journey from subject to consumer to citizen. He proposes a definition of citizen as a practice rather than status and as verb as a noun. He explores how storytelling is not only a way to inspire and agitate, but also a form of action. He shares many inspiring stories that can help imagine a citizen future. Jon highlights the value of collaborations especially at the intersections, and invites us to embrace a citizen-centered design approach.
To learn more about Jon's work, follow him on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-alexander-11b66345/
and check his website:
Two references he shared with us in the podcast:
Using Emergence to Take Social Innovation to ScaleMargaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze
Navigating Societal Change through Design
by Sara Gry Striegler and Julie Hjort.
Credits:
Conception, host and production: Anne-Laure Fayard
Sound design & Post-production: Claudio Silva
Music & Art Work: Guilhem Tamisier