03 · Portfolio
Primed Community™
10 years. 6 communities. International recognition. Now a validated platform model.
10yr
2016 – 2026
1,000+
Network at peak
836
Tracked participants
83
Alliance partners
113
Storyteller alumni
11,350
Student-attendances
The Story
In 2016, Ed founded Primed in Medellín with founding members Andy and Casey, in a neighbourhood with deep cultural identity and a growing tourism economy. Economic opportunity was emerging, but most of the value flowed past the communities themselves.
Primed's answer: train residents as bilingual storytellers (tour guides, cultural ambassadors, community educators) so their own neighbourhoods became sources of dignity and income, not subjects of outside narration.
Timeline
2016: Semilla
Community English Launches
Ed founded Primed with Andy and Casey, who brought English teaching and workshop expertise. 3 levels + children's class. ~110 participants at peak. JAC El Bosque venue partnerships. 4 communities from year one.
2017: Storytellers
18-Month Formation Program
CLIL methodology. Language + narrative + community tourism application. Residents become narrators of their own transformation.
2019: Experiencias
Community Tours + Recognition
Storyteller graduates begin leading tours. Recon Colombia Winner. TripAdvisor reviews accumulate. National media coverage begins.
2021: Scale
1,000+ Network
SAP Social Innomarathon Finalist. TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice. Alliance network formalises. International volunteer pipeline (IVHQ, United Planet). Expansion to 6 communities.
2022: Transition
Governance Handover
Ed returns to Australia. A Colombian leadership team takes over daily operations under a Managing Director model. Ed stays on as Executive Director (governance, technology, international partnerships). Swedish Ambassador engagement.
2024: Platform
Full Digital Infrastructure Rebuild
Consolidated WordPress, spreadsheets, and WhatsApp into a purpose-built edge platform. 36 database tables. 3,244 contacts. 4,130 media files archived. LMS with 5 courses, 64 lessons, 1,158 quiz questions.
2025: Growth
New Programs + Record Volunteering
158 international volunteers (3,446 hours). Storytellers Manrique: 25 graduated from 30 (84% retention), A0→A2 CEFR. New Solvo Global Social Sponsorship Program: 20 youth in workforce English. $144M COP in donations. 85% asset growth year-on-year.
2026: Evolved Community™
Platform Architecture Shared
The platform architecture developed for Primed informs Evolved Community, a multi-tenant framework Ed is developing separately. Primed's data and governance remain community-owned. IP agreement with Catalina (founder of Corporación DanDlion, merged with Primed in 2022) in progress.
2024 Delivery Data
| Indicator | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Storytellers enrolled | 48 | 2024 cohort |
| Storytellers retained | 31 (64.6%) | Above typical 50–70% range for vulnerable populations |
| Instructional hours | 143 | 108 in-person + 35 online |
| English proficiency gain | +3.8 points | Internal assessment (non-standardised instrument) |
| Tourism engagement at 6mo | 33.33% | Up from 29.17% baseline |
| International volunteers | 131 | From 23 countries |
| Volunteer hours | 3,560 | Conversation practice, cultural exchange |
| Volunteer programme revenue | $105M COP | From hosting fees (earned income, not grants) |
| Volunteer economic value (est.) | $178M–$490M COP | Replacement cost: 3,560 hrs × $50–137.50/hr |
| Bilingual employment documented | 2 participants | Baseline; formal tracking begins WP2 |
2025 Delivery Data
Source: Informe de Gestión 2026 (Corporación Primed)
| Indicator | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Storytellers graduated | 25 of 30 (84%) | Manrique cohort, above 2024 retention |
| Instructional hours per student | 164 | 126 in-person + 38 virtual |
| English proficiency gain | A0 → A2 | CEFR progression, 10 with significant gains |
| Income increase (English users) | +6% | For those using English in daily work |
| Programme satisfaction | 88% | Beneficiary-reported |
| International volunteers | 158 | 83 in-person + 40 virtual + partner programmes |
| Volunteer hours | 3,446 | Across all volunteer lines |
| Volunteer economic value (est.) | $91M–$172M COP | Opportunity cost – replacement cost methods |
| Social Sponsorship (Solvo Global) | 20 youth enrolled | 14 continuing; workforce English, ends Jul 2026 |
| Immersion experiences | 8 experiences | 44 foreign participants, 5 allied organisations |
| Donations received | $144M COP | Solvo Global, United Planet, individual donors |
| Organisational asset growth | +85% | $63.3M → $117M COP total assets |
International Recognition
| Outlet / Award | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| El Espectador | Colombia's national newspaper of record | — |
| Semana | Colombia's leading weekly news magazine | — |
| Caracol TV | National television | — |
| W Radio | National radio | — |
| University of Wollongong | Academic profile + partnership feature | — |
| Recon Colombia Winner | National social innovation recognition | 2019 |
| SAP Social Innomarathon Finalist | Global social entrepreneurship competition | 2021 |
| TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice | Community tourism recognition | 2021 |
| Socialab | Social innovation network feature | — |
El Espectador: "Las personas carecen de oportunidades, no de habilidad"
Recon Colombia: Storyteller Formation (2019)
TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice (2021)
University of Wollongong: "From crash to Colombian classroom" (2022)
W Radio: SAP Social Innomarathon Finalist (2021)
RE-AIM Measurement Framework
Primed applies the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance), the same evaluation model used in national health programs in Australia, to its community education work. 33 KPIs across five dimensions.
| Dimension | Example KPIs | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach | Participants, volunteers, community coverage | 48 Storytellers, 131 volunteers | 30 Storytellers + 20 Solvo, 158 volunteers |
| Effectiveness | CEFR progression, retention, satisfaction | 64.6% retention, +3.8 pts (internal) | 84% retention, A0→A2, 88% satisfaction |
| Adoption | Alliance partners, program tracks | 78 partners, 1 program track | 83 partners, 3 program tracks |
| Implementation | Hours delivered, session consistency | 143 hours delivered | 164 hours/student, 3,446 volunteer hrs |
| Maintenance | Continuity, graduate outcomes, financial health | 10yr, 27 graduates tracked | +85% asset growth, $144M COP donations |
Infrastructure Scope
What this scope would cost if commissioned externally (for context — the community's own investment of time, trust, and participation isn't captured here):
| Deliverable | Equivalent Cost |
|---|---|
| Platform (website + LMS + member management + ops dashboard) | $150K–$300K |
| Measurement infrastructure (7 framework docs, RE-AIM, H1–H5, surveys) | $50K–$100K |
| Alliance framework + pentagon model + convenio templates | $30K–$50K |
| Data consolidation and migration (9,439 files catalogued, 628 events structured, 4,130 media migrated) | $100K–$200K |
| Strategic documentation + publication roadmap | $20K–$40K |
| Total equivalent | $350K–$690K |
A decade of community-led development: founded by Ed with Andy and Casey,
now operated by a Colombian team across six communities and documented with structured evaluation.
The platform is the infrastructure — but the real asset is the community, the relationships,
and the graduates who carry the work forward.
Platform Architecture (Current)
| Layer | Detail |
|---|---|
| Hosting | Edge hosting: primed.community |
| API | Serverless API: api.primed.community (~45 endpoints) |
| Database | Edge database: 36 tables, 3,244+ records |
| Storage | Object storage: 4,130 media files (21.76 GB archived) |
| Auth | OAuth + email whitelist + role-based access (4 roles) |
| LMS | 5 courses, 64 lessons, 203 quizzes, 1,158 questions |
| Public pages | 12 + /app/ dashboard + /demo/ |