People are beginning to build and frequent community-specific web spaces with the purpose of connecting with their neighbors on and off-line. Sites like Idaho's MoscowWiki, New York's Washington Heights & Inwood Online, and California's Silicon Valley Commons are inspiring examples of how announcements and good vibes can spread when a few people in a small town or city are logged on and posting information about their communities and interests.
These sites are great because they offer a centralized online place for community events, issues, organizations and yes, even well-intentioned gossip. They’re online spaces where everyone can feel welcome and where those who have regular access to the web can serve as liaisons for their neighbors who may not. And while they may appeal at first to the web-savvy types, there’s a concerted effort on the part of the designers to be as low-key and user-friendly as possible.
Do you use or know about a similar site for your community? Post a comment below!
With over 400 start-up meetings in more than 82 countries since February, the past four months have yielded countless opportunities for action and collaboration.
In California, USA, the recently formed Los Angeles Idealist Network continues to build upon the initiative we proposed in February for making more connections in communities around the world. After organizing two successful start-up meetings in February, Idealist member Karen Chien attended the 2007 Idealist Campus Conference in Chicago, where she contributed to the event as a facilitator. There, she met with representatives from the Chicago Idealist Network, another group that has formed as a result of a start-up meeting. As they exchanged ideas for group development and member communication, Karen returned to L.A. motivated and inspired to sustain this momentum and build upon the previous start-up meetings by developing the L.A. Idealist Network. This group of people is committed to actively exchanging ideas and resources as they work together to build a better world. To learn about L.A. Idealist Network’s next “meeting of the minds,” read their event posting.
The cooperation and teamwork between the L.A. Idealist Network and the Chicago Idealist Network highlights the opportunities we all have to connect with each other.
You can start community groups in your neighborhood, too! Visit Idealist’s Community Action Center to learn how.
From the time the first modern encyclopedia was born in a French cafe, coffeehouses have long been a meeting place for the exchange of ideas and fostering social change.
England's Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts (RSA), who themselves were founded over cups of joe more than 250 years ago, is reviving the power of these gathering spaces through a joint initiative called the Coffeehouse Challenge. Partnering with Starbucks, the two are urging people across the United Kingdom to get together this summer in coffeehouses to discuss and act on issues affecting their local communities. The real cream on top? The organizations are offering a total of £20,000 in awards to get the most innovative ideas off the ground.
You don't need the backing of a major coffee conglomerate to bring the challenge to your own community. All you need is a belief that people really do want to make change in their neighborhood, and some motivation to get started. So grab that latte and check out coffeehousechallenge.org for ideas on how to initiate one in your country. You can also use Idealist's Start-up Meeting tool to promote your efforts.
Thanks to an innovative and fashionable new tool called Reactee, now you can find people who share your interests, gather participants for your community project, or advertise your campaign---all without saying a word!
Interested in this shirt? You can find it at Reactee!
While wearing your Reactee T-shirt, whether you are riding the train, walking down the hallway at school, or sitting on a park bench, people who read the personalized words on your shirt can pull out their cell phones to text the code on your shirt if they are interested. They'll immediately receive a text message back with more information!
People are using the custom-made shirts for activism, information-sharing, marketing, and fun. Reactee's homepage features Julia, in Boston, Massachusetts, who created a shirt that says "Obama for President." It has been a useful tool in the political campaign she was already involved in. "Every week I update my shirt response with a new reason why I support Obama," she says. "I can even collect digital signatures for my petitions with my Reactee shirt... Volunteers join my Reactee text alert to know when the next organizational meeting will be."
Also check out mobileactive.org for more trends and idea about using cell phones for activism.
Does globalization directly combat localization, or can they coexist? Are brands more powerful than governments? Why do we consider some lives more valuable than others? These questions and thousands more from around the globe can be found on Dropping Knowledge, an innovative website that revolves around the simple yet profound premise that asking questions improves the world.
Using the power of art and media, this Berlin and San Francisco based website asks us to drop the assumption that we know all the answers, and encourages people to seek new solutions to pressing problems through community dialogue. To launch this global forum DK filmed over 100 of the world’s social visionaries answering 100 questions on topics ranging from the politics of violence to the new global frontier.
Anyone can submit a question and/or answer to the site in addition to browsing the footage. Already there are endless thought-provoking subjects to choose from on everything from science and technology to animal rights, all of which are guaranteed to stretch your brain and inspire action. Dropping Knowledge believes that we all have something to contribute. What’s your question?
With over 68,000 nonprofit organizations on our site, we can't keep track of all the intriguing local and international listings. But sometimes a common theme will emerge and we just have to learn more! We recently noticed an abundance of postings that involve ships and sailing. And these organizations' missions run deeper than your average cruise!
The concept of an ocean voyage full of learning and connection isn't new. The Ship for World Youth, organized and financed by the government of Japan, promises leadership development, cooperative dialogue, and transnational friendships to the young people who climb aboard. Programs like Semester at Sea offer academic coursework to college and university students looking to spend a mobile and experiential semester abroad. This past spring, Archbishop Desmond Tutu even set sail as Semester at Sea's Distinguished Lecturer in Residence. He remarked, "In the great ocean of human affairs, this idea may seem like a small fish, but one fish can reach others and those others can reach still more until the great web of understanding and enlightenment spreads out to encircle the globe. Only in that way can we move beyond our fears and learn, finally, to live in harmony with ourselves and our planet." Now that's deep.
Check out these other ship-related organizations on Idealist: Amistad America, Earth Ship One LTD, Greenheart Project, Peace Boat, Schooner Inc., and WorldShip Humanitaria.
On Saturday, June 23, we're hosting an NYC Community Picnic in Brooklyn's beautiful Prospect Park, and you're invited!
Bring some food, kick back with us in the sunshine, and get inspired by all the great things your fellow New Yorkers are up to. You'll have the chance to learn more about our initiatives and our mission, but mostly we just want to see what fun connections can be made when our members meet face-to-face.
Check out our event posting for more details and to RSVP. See you there!
If you want to contribute to organizations working in the public good but don't have a Gates sized pile of cash, here are some quick ideas suggested by an Idealist member.
photo by nicmcphee
Visit "click to donate" sites. By clicking on links at these sites, you'll be supporting activities of social good. Examples include The Hunger Site and EcologyFund.Com. Or try a "search and donate" site where a certain sum will be paid to charity for every search you perform. Try GoodSearch or Everyclick. You can also contribute the unused processing power of your computer to the global good at the World Community Grid. Or send instant messages to contribute via i'm Making a Difference. Finally, you can contribute through email and blogs using ippimail.
Thanks, Ajith, for the links!
Have anything to add to the list? Use the comment feature below.
At Idealist, we connect people, resources, and ideas to build a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives. June is an exciting month for everyone pursuing that goal, because of the internationally coordinated Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride campaign. From Oklahoma City to Paris, from San Francisco to Budapest, the LGBT community and friends are coming together to celebrate and discuss issues of common concern, including marriage equality, HIV/AIDS, and discrimination.
photo by elroySF
Talking about Pride month got us thinking about how these events, which are widely recognized as having first started after the Stonewall Riots in New York City, grew to be an internationally recognized movement. What kind of coordination did it take? What communication methods were used? How can these lessons be transferred to those who are working to advance the causes of freedom and dignity in other ways? Tell us what you think.
Pride events are happening all over the world. Check out this list to find one in your area, or search for organizations on Idealist that are addressing LGBT issues.
Building on the seven year legacy of the World Social Forum, the very first United States Social Forum will be held in Atlanta, Georgia from June 27 through July 1. A couple of Idealist staffers will be in attendance, and we’re excited to be a part of this event. The forum will provide a platform for relationship building between people and organizations who are working to build a better world, and we’re looking forward to connecting with as many of them as possible.
If you’re going to be there and would like to connect with us, make sure to check out the workshop we’ll be facilitating:
Action Without Borders: Working Collaboratively Across Issues
Will you be there, too? Leave a comment and let us know!
Playing 3D online games is a lot of fun, but playing them for work is even better. That's exactly what some nonprofits are doing; they're creating avatars and diving into the online virtual world called Second Life. In Second Life, the users have control of almost everything; they can create buildings and clothes, chat with others, and even fly.
A virtual idealist
TechSoup, a technology nonprofit, has taken the lead and organized a Nonprofit Commons, filled with 31 tenants (for a full list, click here). It's a town square for nonprofits in Second Life, a place where they can promote their causes and interact virtually. TechSoup also organizes meetings on Fridays at 8:30am PDT; it's a great place to hear about all of the innovative work these nonprofits are pioneering.
We at Idealist have our virtual office in the Nonprofit Commons, and we encourage you to sign up, sign on, and pay us a visit!
Big thanks to everyone who attended our New York City Community Picnic in Prospect Park this Saturday! It was great to meet some of our active members face-to-face and to learn about the great projects you're up to.
We had such a good time that we're planning to host another event soon. Stay tuned for details!
Today two of our staff members visited Google's New York offices where Google Earth Outreach was officially announced. Google Earth Outreach is basically Google Earth for nonprofits, and we are excited about the possibilities for this tool!
In April, Google and the U.S. Holocaust Museum launched the Genocide Prevention Mapping Initiative in the first use of Google Earth for an NGO or cause. It was brilliant, effective, and very quickly it became obvious to those of us working with NGOs around the world that this was going to be a revolutionary new medium for how information about a cause can be shared.
Google Earth Outreach is providing tools and resources allowing any organization (which is able) to "quickly and easily annotate Google Earth with pictures, videos, and information to tell compelling stories of their work." Nonprofit organizations can also apply for a grant of Google Earth Pro software (worth about $400) and recipients will receive additional technical support from Google.
If you're a nonprofit organization, try posting a volunteer opportunity for a programmer who can help your organization work with things like Google Earth. It's free. Nothing to lose.
In Kenya, camels carry books along with other goods to Garissa village in an effort to help raise the literacy rate of the community. In London, a competition to design a bat house is underway to combat the declining biodiversity of those misfit creatures. In New Mexico, high school students eat fresh produce from a greenhouse they built with their own hands.
photo by Eric
Solutions like these and more can be found in Worldchanging: A Users Guide for the 21st Century, a mini-encyclopedia for those who care about the present and future of our global society. From human rights to green space exploration, this collection of articles from the stimulating website www.worldchanging.org offers innovative answers, ideas and inventions for a sustainable planet.
We receive daily examples of how people have taken creative approaches to the goal of connecting people all over the world. One such example came to us recently in the form of the PangeaDay.org.
photo by lorelei
As the recipient of a 2006 TED Prize, filmmaker Jehane Noujaim was given the opportunity to make one wish in front of a room full of people with the resources, will and desire to help make that wish come true. The basic guidelines were that the wish had to "…create an incredible sense of excitement and common purpose."
May 10, 2008 – Pangea Day – will serve as the culmination of Noujaim's wish "to bring the world together for one day a year through the power of film." People from around the world are invited to submit short films highlighting the many facets of our daily lives. Selected films will be simulcast around the world alongside musicians, speakers, and activities organized in conjunction with events to spur ongoing community involvement.
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