Category: Good Works

Social Entrepreneurs at Vibewire

Entrepreneurs, Good Works, Smart Bloggers, Social Media

vibwire Running a startup business is a challenge. There are ideas to prioritise, investors to meet, technologies to implement and yes, even work to do. But what about budgets? What about planning? What about marketing? And is there somewhere that you can go to meet up with like-minded entrepreneurs? Yes, entrepreneurship can be an isolating experience.

But what happens if your efforts are not designed around a profit motive? What happens if the outcomes that you seek have a social or a change-oriented focus instead? This is the world of the social entrepreneur – a business that is “for more-than-profit”.

Here in Sydney, Vibewire provides residencies for young social entrepreneurs and creatives. Their sQuareOne space in Ultimo is an incubator where social entrepreneurs can come together, learn from each other and receive support from a small, but flourishing community. sQuare One offer scholarships and host workshops designed to kick-start your social business.

At the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Opportunity even held at Vibewire, we heard speeches from Annie Le Cavalier, Janine Cahill, Jackie Ruddock and Anna Rose. Annie spoke about the changes underway with Vibewire, Janine discussed the role of vision and futures, Anna explained how she is working to have climate change recognised as a youth issue, and Jackie talked about the School for Social Entrepreneurs which is launching in March 2009.

If any of these activities sound interesting to you, contact the folks at Vibewire, or leave comments below and I will put you in touch.

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Send a Different Kind of Water this Christmas

Good Works

Water pumpI was speaking with my friend, Tim Longhurst, today and he was telling me that paper is 80% water. Obviously, by the time it gets to us, the water has evaporated, but clearly paper production requires access to vast water supplies – and given the scarcity of this precious resource, it makes sense to conserve it whenever possible.

And as we approach Christmas – a time of sharing and giving – take a moment to consider a DIFFERENT kind of gesture this year.

Each day 5,000 children die because they don’t have access to safe drinking water. That’s a lot of kids today, tomorrow and the next day … It’s a lot of kids who won’t see the end of 2008. And it’s a lot of kids who won’t see Christmas.

BUT you CAN make a difference. Rather than buying packs of cards that you write on and send, perhaps, instead, you could donate the water to people who need it.

WaterAid enables the world’s poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. These basic human rights underpin health, education and livelihoods and form the first, essential step in overcoming poverty.

So this year, you have the opportunity to not just spread some Christmas cheer, you can change someone’s life.

There are TWO easy steps: 

  1. Visit the WaterAid donation page. Take a fraction of the amount that you would normally spend on cards and send it to WaterAid to begin making a difference in the lives of children around the world. If you would spend $2 or $3 on a card, halve it and donate it here.   
  2. Visit the WaterAid eCard page and send Christmas eCards to all your friends. That way they still get the message, but also have the opportunity to participate in a great Christmas cause.

Now, that’s what I call a Christmas gift!

FOR BLOGGERS: If you would like to support WaterAid this year, you can find more detail here. Or leave a comment and I will put you in contact with the team responsible.

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How Mo Can You Go?

Good Works

This November, in support of the Movember campaign around men’s health, I am growing a moustache. Yes, it is itchy. Yes, even a little scratchy. And maybe slightly embarrassing. The good thing is, that I am not alone. I am joined in this endeavour by a team of like-minded "mo bros" led ably by our furry captain, Jye Smith.

All donations go towards research into depression and prostate cancer — and they are tax deductible.



How Mo Can You Go? on 12seconds.tv

Please remember, ONE in SIX men are affected by depression at some point in their lives, and over 2900 Australian men die of prostate cancer each year. These are men like your brother, father, uncle and best friends. Even a donation of $2 will help make a difference.

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Concert Time at The Factory – Article Thirty-Nine

Good Works, Smart Bloggers

a39_one Each day we get closer to the month of never-ending Christmas parties … but before we get too excited about the year end festivities, I would like to remind you to set aside the afternoon/evening of November 23 – especially if you live in Sydney. From 4pm, Sydney schoolgirl, Isadore Biffin, is hosting a concert at The Factory in Enmore, featuring some great bands and speakers – with the aim of raising money for the rehabilitation of former child soldiers in The Congo.

 

You may have seen the recent news reports on the situation in Africa. The problems seem massive – 250,000 refugees on the march, potential famine, war. But it is important to remember, there are real people behind these figures – little kids, mothers, families – all struggling to survive. But you CAN make a difference.

 

By attending the Article Thirty-Nine concert, you will be supporting a cause that will change the lives of kids in Africa. Not only will you have a great time, listen to some great music and be inspired by passionate speakers, you will be helping to make a difference. Tickets are only $20 … and absolutely all profits make their way to Africa. Hope to see you there!

 

Oh, and there is even a Facebook group. You can find it here!

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Sponsor Me This Movember

Good Works, Web Fun

movember08-1 For the last two years, each November, I take part in an unusual ritual. It begins at the beginning of the month and it lasts right through to the last itchy moments before the year-end whirlwind of December hits. The participants in this ritual signal each other with a knowing smirk, a casual glance and scratch of the chin. That’s right, it is Movember — a time to build awareness of prostate cancer and raise money to fund research projects. After all, this is a disease that affects 1 in 6 men.

Last year, the Movember campaign – a month long commitment from men around the world to grow a moustache (while also seeking sponsorship) – raised around $21 million. Over 131,000 men around the world took to the “tash” … and this year we hope for even more. (I believe that the majority of this money was raised by the families of these men who promised to pay as soon as their faces were shaved clean.)

This year, I have joined a team of wannabe-beardies. In other words, we may take this “Mo” too far – to the fear and disgust of our families and friends. We ably led in this endeavour by Jye Smith. My other team mates include Matt Fitzsimmons, Scott Drummond, Tom Voirol and Tim Longhurst. And while it is early days and our confidence is high, Scott admitted a secret fear at coffee on Friday. He is concerned that his facial growth will be less than stellar. But there is a solution … the Build a Beard Workshop. You simply select the beard of your choice, Photoshop it onto a picture of your face, and voila! Not only do you get the beard of your choice, you also raise money for a Kiva project.

Remember this Movember, even the smallest amount of sponsorship will make a difference – and donations over $2 are tax deductible. By using this link, you will immediately be issued with a tax deductible receipt.

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Sol Trujillo as a Mo Bro

Authenticity, Branding, Community, Good Works

sol4_lowres Each year, around this time, the buzz starts building. There are a couple of emails and then maybe a couple of messages via Twitter. Men across the country start twitching their noses and scratching their faces. Each of us wonder — “can I do it again”. But sure enough, come November 1, the signs are obvious.   

Days later, even a casual walk down the street will yield telltale signs. Five o’clock shadow yields to three day growth. Rough, sprouts give way to more a more fecund appearance … and the men, united in this cause, knowingly nod acknowledgement to each other. For during this month every year, we are no longer disengaged, disconnected or disinterested. We are all citizens of the Republic of Movember.

During November, two charities push to raise awareness around men’s health – prostate cancer and depression. Men across the country are encouraged to cleanly shave their faces and grow a moustache for charity. You can raise funds individually or as part of a team, with the funds raised going to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and BeyondBlue.

I have now been involved in Movember for the past three years. Not only do I believe in supporting these causes, I am a great fan of the strategic approach that the Movember team take to participation – for during this month I am not just “another guy growing a mo” – I am a “mo bro” (I have joined Jye’s team here). That’s right, I become part of a community (a republic no less), I join or establish a team, and I make an individual contribution to worthy causes. And importantly, it brings a sense of play and enjoyment into the world (something that I think is essential for the future of brands).

In recent weeks, we have seen a number of Australian brands begin seriously investigating social media (with mixed success). Causes such as Movember can be excellent vehicles for “humanising” your brands … and all you need to do is participate. How might this work?

Let’s take one of the country’s most notable moustached business leaders … Sol Trujillo. What sort of momentum and interest would Sol’s participation drive in Movember? How many Telstra employees would also register for the internal team? How much positive PR and buzz would this create? And how would this transform the way that YOU and the customers of Telstra think about Australia’s largest telco?

For brands wanting to engage with social media, the first step is to listen. The second is to participate. Is anyone listening? Is that a hand I see raised? I would love to think so.

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Do Good on Blog Action Day

Community, Good Works, Social Media

Are you new to social media? Does it feel confusing? Fast? Alien?

When you step into the social media world, you certainly are entering a new domain and a new way of understanding the way that we PARTICIPATE in our local and global communities. I don’t mean the veiled participation of global democracies. I mean, real me-and-you participation … working together to CHANGE what already is into something we WANT it to be.

This is a fundamental change in the role of the individual. It is tribal, but tribal by association. We can choose where we belong. We can mark ourselves as participants simply by doing … and indeed, one of the hallmarks of social media is the collapsing of thought and action. In this brave new world, words (while powerful) fade in comparison to actions. Our measurement, our worth, our standing in the world is determined not by what we write, but by what we do. And Blog Action Day is a great example.

October 15 is Blog Action Day, a non-profit event that aims for mass participation around a single theme. This year, the focus is on poverty and there is much that you can do to raise awareness and contribute to this global movement: 

  • You can make a loan and change a life by investing in an entrepreneur’s business through Kiva   
  • Visit BlogActionDay.org, register and contribute to the movement by writing a blog post
  • Read other Blog Action Day posts, comment on them and help build momentum

But if you are closer to Sydney and you want to make a tangible difference to the lives of others, consider attending the Article Thirty-Nine Concert in Sydney next month. Tickets are now available, and there are some great bands donating their time and talent in support of child soldiers.

 

 

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A Year, That Year

Good Works

If you use Twitter, you may have noticed that a number of people have turned their avatar blue. It is part of the effort to raise awareness of anxiety and depression — Blue Day 2008. World Mental Health Day is on October 10. Depression can affect any of us, at any time — sometimes it creeps up on us, other times it hits like a fist. But it can be worked through — and help can be found. For me it was writing that helped to me to work through my own depression … and I have now lived many years without looking back into its cold eyes.This is a poem that I wrote  from the depths.

A Year, That Year
The must door exhales the memory of you.
Rotting teeth, perfect flying spirals
  and the fresh breath of forgotten fears
I dreaded your coming and going
  and the wake of your torrents – the sting of your tale
For I knew there was more to the story than the telling.

The idle tranquility of sprawling sheets offends the angry palm
Slamming doors, eyes shut, window panes.
The disappointment of a clear sky, an empty
  room and words falling from the page
And of all this you taught me:
  Even deserts have spring rains.

But for me?

I have supp’d on losses of a kind
The mother lost and lost haunts each move,
  each thought, each brush of skin on skin
The friends countless, disappeared, disappearing
  all rooms without faces
And the words that left me when only
  writing could hold the sorrow that breathed me
I stood
  shooting tentacles, acts of faith –
  desperation aside
I would have preferred anything to this
To the slow, unfolding knowledge
  that can only bring you to yourself
I have squeezed the blinding anguish of you,
  ripped the pages of your history
Ate it like the truth

And at its end, shooting sparrows from the sky,
  I began with ink
  and an uncertain ending.

—–

UPDATE: Take a read of some personal Blue Day stories.

So what can you do?

The folks from BlueDay2008 suggest the following:

  • If you don’t have a blog of a podcast, register on this site and submit a post that will appear on the Submitted Posts page.
  • Change your avatars on your favourite social networking site
    Twitter/Facebook/FriendFeed/etc to something blue, download one of our pre-built ones
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Modify your blog theme to be mainly blue
  • Run a Second Life event, or attend the jokaydia event
  • Wear blue for the day
  • Organising a meet ups on the day, currently organised:
  • Tag your photos/posts/tweets with BlueDay2008
  • Become a fan on FaceBook
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All I Need is a Sentence

Good Works

You know the type. They say all the right things. They have an answer for every question. A smile for every challenging question. Nothing sticks. Nothing phases. They are the BIG talkers.

But if you listen, really listen to what they say, you will find their words spiralling into nothingness. There is no SUBSTANCE. Nothing to hold on to.

One of the things I like most about social media is the way that it cuts down the time between "saying" and "doing". That’s not to say that there is no effort involved, but that the technology is an accelerator, allowing you to move very quickly from strategy to ideation to execution. For example, the Age of Conversation went from an idea to a published book in around three months. Unheard of! As you might guess, the people that I admire most are those who DO things. They take on the challenges that most of us would blink at. They ask the hard questions. And more importantly, they follow through.

Which is why I was so excited to hear of this innovative project by Jasmin Tragas. As a voluntary Ambassador at Women’s Opportunity, Jasmin is reaching out to women all over the world to participate in a project with the theme, "A Woman’s Investment" with the aim of producing a slide deck and raising $10,000. The money will be used to seed a micro-credit program for women in the Philippines. All she needs from you is a single sentence. That’s right, your initial contribution is a few words. Think of it this way …

The reason I am asking you is because I believe you are a woman with an entrepreneurial spirit. Along the way, you made
an investment. It may have been words you spoke, a course you
undertook, a gift you gave, a smile, a risk or an adventure. Perhaps another woman made an investment in you.

So if you have ever wanted to make an impact beyond the scope of your normal life, spare a thought and a few words for Jasmin’s project. Read here post in detail. Tell your friends. Encourage them to participate … or even donate here.

Save Lives with Your Vote

Good Works

This is not a post about the upcoming US election. It is much more immediate. In fact, you have only today left to act. International Medical Corps has been matched to one of the Top
  25 in American Express’ Members Projects, ‘Saving the Lives of Malnourished Children.’ They are currently in the top 5, but need to remain there to receive funding. They need your vote.

Find out more about their project here. And then go here to vote. Today. Thanks.