The Agency Dictionary
Words shape how we understand the world. Sometimes we redefine them. Sometimes we restore them. Sometimes we ask them to do new work. Throughout this Dictionary, familiar words may appear with unfamiliar parts of speech. That’s intentional, because if we are to build better futures, we need a new vocabulary.
Agency (v.) – To intentionally shape the future through courageous action. To reject the belief that systems are fixed. Agency is not something you have. It is something that you do.
Trust (v.) – To create the conditions in which people are willing to take meaningful risks together. To create the conditions in which people are willing to take meaningful risks together. To choose vulnerability over certainty. Redefined here as a practice rather than a feeling.
Belonging (v.) To create the conditions in which individuals know they matter. To invite participation without requiring conformity. Redefined here as an action rather than a destination.
Learn (v.) To expand how we understand ourselves and the world. To remain open to being changed by new experiences. Redefined here as transformation rather than accumulation.
Play (n.) – A radical method of exploring possibilities. A way of experimenting without fear of failure.
Joy (n.) – The experience of finding meaning, connection, and delight in the process. A condition that expands creativity, resilience, and possibility. Often mistaken for the reward for effort; understood here as part of the work.
Hope (v.) – To act in service of more just futures. To choose possibility despite uncertainty. Redefined here as action rather than optimism.
Curiosity (n.)
Leadership (v.?) – To create the conditions in which other people can flourish. To cultivate agency rather than authority. To prepare for the conditions of change.
Museums (n.)