Gail Pearman

Propel, South Africa

I am a newcomer to KM and International Development – albeit I have dived in with gusto. My thoughts may be green, so please take what is valuable and grin knowingly at what may be naive. I believe that international development with an exponential impact is not the dream of an idealist. It can exist, but only when learning with the mission to capture and nurture knowledge is the inner core – and only when there is more glue. By glue I mean “willing knowledge sharing”. Knowledge is not IP. It should be shared, even if it goes against human nature to embrace the spirit of learning – where we must not only replicate what works but terminate doing what doesn’t work. Even if failing forward is a difficult lesson. Looking ahead, nothing should be lost in translation, literally. Local connections and no assumptions are key. While my one-person mission cannot glue back together any macro-splintered impact, I believe when we collectively hold and hand over knowledge with the respect and rigor it deserves – to the next generation – this is the glue we need for the Future. If as a writer I can help to ignite momentum, if as a mom, I can inspire young people to hold knowledge management at the centre of their lives – and if in any way (possibly in a So-many Core Cultures Documentation project) that I can add to the momentum of this significant work, then that is my starting point. Gail Pearman: Writer | Propel Communications Associate.

Keywords: Knowledge Learning, Culture Knowledge Protection, Understanding Knowledge Pertinence, Speaking Young Peoples’ Language