Lauren Baum leads The Idea Village Team in an effort to engage and retain “Vanguard” talent in New Orleans. The Idea Village aims to connect talented individuals to existing leadership, educate them about opportunities, and elevate them to the community.
Vanguard: van•guard |van gärd|
1. The foremost division or the front part of an army; advance guard.
2. The forefront in any movement, field, activity, or the like.
3. The leaders of any intellectual or political movement.
Vanguards in New Orleans
The Idea Village was founded on the belief that talent is the catalyst for change. Post-Katrina, we have an unprecedented opportunity to engage the next generation of national leaders – individuals brave enough to take a chance and smart enough to see a unique opportunity; fire jumpers and change agents in the new frontier. Those that never dreamed of living here are engrossed in the most interesting, exciting and inspiring ride. The next generation of social, economic and cultural leaders is developing before our eyes.
The Idea Village is working to develop a powerful network of Vanguards from different generations, career paths, socioeconomic & geographic upbringings, to inspire innovation in each of their respective lives and careers. It is a work in progress, beginning with simple gatherings to "bump brains" with plans in the works to develop new programs to accelerate and expand the cross-pollination of ideas. It is our goal to engage, connect and retain these Vanguards to feel the collaborative passion and energy in New Orleans that will create meaningful social and economic change.
LikeMinded Coffee (LC)
A once a month gathering of Vanguards to meet, exchange ideas and mobilize activities. The New Orleans gatherings are linked to LCs across the globe, multiplying the brain mash-ups and possibilities. Recent gatherings have brought together a biofuel entrepreneur with a city council president chief-of-staff with newly arrived leaders of the public education reformation with a branding expert fresh off a plane from London with a William & Mary Magna Cum Laude grad who bought a one-way ticket to New Orleans. Dry kindling, sparking a blaze of talent.
Vanguard Happy Hour
The evening complement to LC brings the newly arrived and rapidly arriving together with the native seeders of transformation. Recent gatherings brought university presidents, the creator of Broadway South, an ad agency president together with digital designers, urban planning pioneers, 20-something aspiring state representatives and other status quo rejectors. The exchange of idealism and experience, the collaboration of wisdom and fresh legs are being funneled into various projects, firms, movements including Idea Village programs such as IDEAcorps™.