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 Comuna 13, Medellín, with founding members Andy and Casey — a neighbourhood with deep cultural identity and a fast-growing tourism economy. Economic opportunity was emerging, but most of the value flowed past the community itself.
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. Born in Comuna 13, with local JAC (community board) venue partnerships.
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).
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, with IP arrangements formalised alongside Primed's Colombian leadership.
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
Selected coverage and awards, with sources:
- El Espectador — "Las personas carecen de oportunidades, no de habilidad" (national newspaper of record)
- Recon Colombia Winner — national social innovation recognition (2019)
- TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice — community tourism recognition (2021)
- W Radio — SAP Social Innomarathon Finalist (2021)
- University of Wollongong — "From crash to Colombian classroom" (2022)
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 |
Value Contributed to the Community
All of the infrastructure below was designed and built pro bono and given to Primed. The figures show what the organisation would have paid to commission this work externally — value contributed, not invoiced. The community's own investment of time, trust, and participation is the larger asset and isn't captured here.
| Contribution | Equivalent Commissioned 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 value contributed | $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/ |