UCP, in collaboration with the Institute for the Future (IFTF) and AARP, is sponsoring a unique collaborative storytelling experience for the public good - Ruby's Bequest - in which thousands of people will help forecast the future of caring in the United States. We invite people of all backgrounds and experiences to share their concerns, questions and innovative solutions on topics ranging from elder care to Medicare and Social Security to time management and stress reduction. We believe that utilizing new media to engage the general population could uncover new ways of thinking about the role of caring in our society.
Ruby's Bequest publicly launched March 9, 2009, introducing to the world the fictional town of Deepwell, USA, where the community is abuzz with talk of the mysterious Ruby Wood. She recently died and left a sizeable estate to the town, but only if its citizens can dramatically improve how they take care of their own people. So, in order to pass the "caring tests" posed by Ruby's will, the citizens of Deepwell are seeking advice from people all over the world:
What are the best ways out there to care for people with Alzheimer's? Or cerebral palsy? Or cancer?
Through this unique, immersive experience, thousands of people are adding their stories and strategies, and working together via email, video, and phone, to imagine—and create—a new "ecosystem of caring."
Ruby's Bequest project operators will incorporate all these ideas into the ongoing narrative, and together with the project participants, will guide the townspeople into the year 2016, forecasting how individual ideas and collaborative solutions work over time to manage the quality of life in Deepwell – and the nation as a whole.
