Idealist's databases are filled with opportunities, resources and people from all over the planet. Each week we bring you a roundup of what you can find on our site related to a specific country or city. Today we spotlight Colombia.
Photo by basiliosilva16 on Flickr
One simple search on Idealist shows 726 organizations (listed in Spanish and English) in Colombia acting as women's networks, foundations for children, volunteer centers, rural development agencies, and more. There are 6 volunteer opportunities listed in Colombia on our English site, and another 6 listed in Spanish. (Spanish speakers might also like to search our sister site, www.idealistas.org.)
If you're looking for Colombians to connect with, you're in luck, because as of this posting there are more than 1,000 personal profiles on Idealist. And 12 Idealist Groups have already been created by some of those enthusiastic members!
Would you like to help make more connections among Colombian people, organizations, and resources through the Idealist network? Join the Construyendo Puentes en Colombia group.
A few months ago we let you know about Pangea Day which is coming up on May 10. On this day, selected films will be simulcast around the world alongside musicians, speakers, and activities organized to spur ongoing community involvement.
Image from _vinil via Flickr
The February 15, 2008 deadline for submitting a film to be a part of this historic event is fast approaching. Fortunately, the submission guidelines are refreshingly simple. Essentially, the films should be:
* visual stories that can be easily understood despite language barriers
* In English or with English subtitles
* Approximately 5 minutes in length
* Received by February 15, 2008
For more detailed guidelines and to actually submit your film, visit the Pangea Day website at www.PangeaDay.org and click “Submit a Film.”
This event will serve as the culmination of 2006 TED Prize winner Jehane Noujaim’s wish to “create an incredible sense of excitement and common purpose [and] to bring the world together for one day a year through the power of film.” We couldn’t imagine a better way to spend a day.
As members of the fashion community increasingly wear their hearts on their sleeves, "socially conscious" is becoming synonymous with "chic."
Fair Trade Fashion by eob on Flickr
Designers around the world are starting to take note about the far-reaching effects of their fabrics. In Norway, the high-end label FIN prides itself on being the first organic fair trade fashion company, with its artists personally traveling to India to check production. Nearby, Denmark's NOIR label gives a percentage of the profits to support cotton workers in sub-Saharan Africa, and has created a foundation that provides medicine and micro loans.
Fashionistas who have both a keen eye for what looks good and an interest in eradicating poverty are all the rage. The label EDUN - run by Ali Hewson and Bono and famous for its connection to the ONE Campaign - fosters skill building for clothing factory workers in India, Peru, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, Mauritius and Madagascar. Over in Washington DC, Fashion Fights Poverty is a nonprofit that encourages responsible shopping. Last year they raised funds for the Uganda-based organization BeadforLife.
New York Fashion Week kicked off last Friday and one runway show, Earth Pledge FutureFashion, gave top industry names like Michael Kors and Donatella Versace the chance to showcase their eco-friendly apparel.
Know about any other related events or designers? Leave a comment below to let us know!
If you work for a nonprofit organization in the United States, chances are you're starting to think about what will happen when you or your staff retire. On the surface, it seems that today’s nonprofits face the same crisis that other sectors of society are facing worldwide: the aging workforce and the eminent "brain drain" that will occur when the Baby Boomer generation retires. Seems everywhere we turn we're hearing forecasts of an imminent leadership deficit.
Take a deep breath, people. This perceived crisis can easily be averted if organizations, companies, and government departments take some simple steps to recruit and retain an experienced workforce.
The bad news is that, for the most part, nonprofits are not ready for Boomers. The good news is that two organizations—The Conference Board and the National Council on Aging (NCOA)—have started providing a roadmap for nonprofits interested in tackling this issue before it becomes a serious problem.
The Conference Board’s report, Boomers Are Ready for Nonprofits, But Are Nonprofits Ready for Them?, recommends several key steps—including developing new flexible work models, expanding recruiting networks, examining and creating new pathways to nonprofit jobs, and professionalizing volunteer management and human resources functions—to best utilize the vital aging workforce. This report was sponsored by the MetLife Foundation and the nonprofit Civic Ventures in conjunction with Civic Ventures' recent BreakThrough Awards, awarded to "innovative organizations that tap the passion and experience of people over 50 to improve society."
Meanwhile, the NCOA’s report, RespectAbility in America: Promising Practices in Civic Engagement Among Adults 55+, identifies ten “RespectAbility Principles” that include: “Alignment and Integration” (organizational leaders need to rely on the support of adult 55-plus to strengthen their nonprofit and weave that understanding into the fabric of the organization), “Intentional Relationships” (organizations must consciously build strong relationships with adults 55-plus), and “Empowered Participation” (the opportunities available in an organization much match up with the expectations and expertise of adults 55-plus).
If you're interested in how the United States' nonprofit workforce will change in the coming few years, have a look at these reports and think about how your organization can best tap into the wealth and experience of mature professionals.
Is MySpace a good place for nonprofit organizations? With the flurry of friend requests, comments, bulletins, images, and videos, it's easy to get lost.
Photo from the Myspace page
The Nonprofit Organizations MySpace page is trying to provide a nice home and support center for those nonprofits trying to make themselves known on MySpace. Its mission is: "1) To serve as a portal to all nonprofit organizations on MySpace. 2) To persuade nonprofit organizations to start a MySpace and teach them how to use it effectively. 3) To build a community of individuals who support nonprofit organizations and their presence on MySpace."
To do so, the portal features blog entries and guides that are particularly helpful for nonprofits. Each month, they select and highlight several MySpace pages that are really making things happen: an organization, an activist, an artist, a socially responsible business, a video, and an e-Action. And to add to the integrity of all of this, the Nonprofit Organizations MySpace has been quite successful itself, with nearly 27,000 friends, frequent comments on its blog, and a dynamic and engaging page.
Jillian Glazer, the brave soul who manages our Nonprofit Career Fairs, writes:
Jillian with Abram at one of our fairs last year
Now that I've had a chance to take a deep breath, I am so thankful to have been involved in the Idealist Nonprofit Career Fair on Tuesday at Boston University. Highlights of the event included:
-Meeting representatives from a whopping 180 nonprofit organizations working towards vastly different aspects of change in the world.
-Seeing more than 1,500 faces pass through the event space. We saw a rainbow of skin tones and hair styles (including the increasingly popular no-hair style), we saw college freshmen and grandparents, wheelchairs, canes, suits and ties, Birkenstocks, parents pushing strollers and holding hands of small children...and even, briefly, John Kerry (who passed by on his way to the phone bank for Barack Obama).
-A wonderful realization that for many people and organizations, this event was the beginning of a great connection (or several!).
I want to say thanks to so many people who made the day run so smoothly. Idealist’s Erin Barnhart (our expert on all-things-Volunteerism) moderated a workshop on "International Nonprofit Careers and Volunteerism," which was extremely well-received by an audience eager to learn more about doing good work abroad. If you'd like to read more on that subject, check out our Volunteer Center; if you’re interested in Volunteer Management, browse our Volunteer Management Resource Center.
Am I really helping? This is one of the common questions asked by those considering international volunteerism. Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy answer. There are, however, ways to help make sure that your good intentions come across with positive results:
Photo by justinbaeder on Flickr
1. Be Open-Minded – Resist the temptation to think you know how things can best be accomplished and instead head into the experience open and willing to learn.
2. Be a Partner – Avoid thinking your volunteerism will have a "magic bullet" effect. Consider your time abroad less as helping a community than as partnering with a community, contributing your personal skills and energy to an already rich body of local know-how and expertise.
3. Be Realistic – Have realistic expectations about what you can accomplish, recognizing that change takes a lot of time and your impact, while important on its own, will also be part of a larger continuum of local and international volunteers, each giving time and energy and collectively making a difference.
4. Be Ethical In Your Choices – Do your research when choosing a volunteer opportunity, making sure you know how they involve local citizens as well as how they plan to sustain your efforts after you leave. Ask questions about how they budget and spend their resources; for example, do they hire locals for staff positions?
5. Be Informed – Read up on issues of international development: economic globalization, international trade, foreign aid, etc. The more you know about perceived and real impacts of international development policies and funding, the more you’ll understand the global complexities in creating lasting change.
Finally, for more information on ethical international volunteerism, be sure to check out the excellent The Ethical Volunteering Guide by Dr. Kate Simpson.
Some estimates say that in the United States there are two cars for every one person. In this car driven culture, it's no surprise that there are a number of nonprofits related to transportation and driving.
Photo by Ben McLeod on FlickrRight Rides, an organization in New York City, offers safe rides home late at night for women, transpeople and gender queer individuals for free because of risks of sexual and physical assault. Since it began in 2004, the organization has greatly expanded its programs. Initially serving the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods of Brooklyn and the East Village and Lower East Side in Manhattan, it now services over 35 neighborhoods. They even go one step further with the Safe Walk program, in which volunteers walk individuals who don't feel safe all the way to their door.
On the opposite coast, another innovative program is run by the Anna Armstrong White Foundation, founded in memory of Anna White after she was killed by a drunk driver. The program partners with local bars in Washington state and at Safeco Field (home of the Seattle Mariners) to offer free taxi rides homes for intoxicated people. To date they have driven over 3000 people home.
To find out if there are similar resources near you, search for keywords or phrases like "traffic," "self defense," and "safe ride home" in this directory or in the search bar at the top of this page.
Artwork by Ichjejag on Flickr
Which project will you vote for in this year's (she changes the world) award contest hosted by Mama Cash?
The six nominees are quite impressive, from the only lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women's network in China, to an organization that helps women from Burundi and Rwanda deal with traumatic experiences of civil war. The project that receives the most votes will, of course, win a cash prize. Be sure to vote before February 10!
Beyond casting your vote, you can continue to be involved with Mama Cash, an organization based in the Netherlands that supports innovative women's projects around the world. You can learn more about women's rights, apply for a grant for your project, or donate to support others' work.
In our 5Q4 ("Five Questions For") feature, we share stories from all over the Idealist network of people making connections and doing their part to build a better world.
Photo courtesy Bill Golderer
Today you'll meet Bill Golderer, Founding Pastor and Convener of the groundbreaking Broad Street Ministry, known throughout Philadelphia, PA and beyond as a "different kind of church." Based out of a gothic cathedral on the Avenue of the Arts, a section of the city known as much for its culture scene as its homeless population, the ministry was intent on establishing itself as an engaged member of both communities right from the beginning. With programs like its Center for Subversive Theology and monthly No Barriers Dinners, the goals of the ministry are to provoke a shift in the inner working of the community and to foster a broader conceptualization of what people identify as faith, advocacy and community.
Our correspondent Trish Tchume caught up with Bill, who was kind enough to share his thoughts on everything from old minister tricks to Paris Hilton. Settle in for a treat:
1. What brought you to your current position at Broad Street Ministry?
Bill: The year before founding Broad Street Ministry, I was unemployed for the first time in my life. I had been a seminary professor for almost 3 years and hated it, but was afraid to leave. Finally, my soon-to-be wife pointed out that I was miserable and encouraged me to take some time off and move to Berkeley where she was going to school. I went and 'lived in the desert,' so to speak. I spent a lot of time in a Benedictine monastery, keeping silence. I really had to be quiet and just think about what I wanted to do with my life. I also repaired my relationships with friends and mentors that I had broken during my unhappy time. A lot of clarity came from knitting that web of relationships back together. I filled the rest of my time meeting with interesting people in the Bay Area, listening to their stories and trying to identify the elements that spoke to me. That's when the vision for Broad Street Ministry came to me.
There's actually a deep irony in me being ordained in the church. I grew up going to church but when I went away to college I found that being a part of a faith community was counter-cultural to the people I wanted to surround myself with. Most of the changemakers, artists, and activists didn't tend to hang out with 'churchy' people. God's funny that way. But I still saw in the church an opportunity. Because when it's at its best the church is one of the few institutions that crosses the lines between race, class, and ethnicity and is not content to let those divisions be. The church doesn't shy away from looking those differences in the face and encouraging people to make themselves vulnerable to those conversations.
2. Talk about a recent experience that reminded you why you do what you do.
Bill: With this sort of work, I spend so much time staring such crushing need in the face that I often worry about becoming really callous against people with greater resources. This can be a serious issue when I have to put on my fundraising hat and approach some of these people for support. I was recently at a fundraising dinner when one of our donors – a really wonderful older gentleman who we've known for a long time - approached me to explain that he and his wife would not be staying for dinner. He explained that his wife's dementia often left her embarrassed in situations like this because she couldn't remember the names of people that she knew she was supposed to know. So I let him know that I understood and went over to his wife to thank her for coming. And when I reached her she said to me, "I'm so sorry. I don't remember who you are…but I have the sense that you love me." It was so comforting to hear her say that, because I really do love her. I don't share that as a sentimental story. That to me is an activist's story. There's so much coming at us, so much static, but all advocacy has to come from that place of love. And I was just so glad that even though I sometimes feel myself hardening against people with means, there was still something in me that was able to communicate that love to someone.
3. Tell us about an inspiring or unexpected connection you've made because of this work.
Bill: I was getting up from my table at an event last weekend and my chair bumped the chair behind mine really hard. When I turned to apologize to the person I'd bumped, I realized it was the new mayor, Michael Nutter. As soon as I started talking he said, "I know who you are. You're that minister down on Broad Street that's working with the homeless. I want you to come see me so we can talk about what you're doing and what you think we should be doing." It was just such a great reminder of the fact that I can be in this dialogical relationship with someone like Mayor Nutter, who really cares about this city, who sees his role as a calling. I think there are a lot of good reasons for a pretty high wall to exist between a mayor and clergyman, but for him, the equation was simple: you care about homelessness, I care about homelessness, neither of us can claim to know everything about that so let's get together and talk about it.
I think there are just a finite number of people in the world for whom it would mean something to me to have their respect or to have them say "that guy's no joke" or even just to have them know about the work that we do. Honestly, I could really care less if Britney [Spears] or Paris [Hilton] knows what we're up to. But there are people like the mayor or Sister Mary Scullion of Project HOME that are absolutely heroic to me because they are just up to their ears in commitment and leveraging their power everyday to make systemic changes. That's the goal of Broad Street Ministry – to be known by people like that for what we do across institutions and faith lines.
4. Is there a book/resource that you often recommend or a piece of advice that you often offer to people looking to do work similar to your own?
Bill (Laughs): I think it's an old minister's trick to give someone a book no matter what the affliction. Actually I'm sure a lot of people would probably give this answer but I would say, Po Bronson's What Should I Do with My Life? It's a series of 30 vignettes written by people who just have a deep sense that they want to make a change. Some of the changes end badly, and I appreciate that about the book: it points out that there's inherent risk in making change. But there's also a gift in asking the question "what should I do with my life" rather than "what do I want to be when I grow up." Bronson even talks about this: how the latter question, which focuses more on what we want, robs us of our moral imperative, whereas the first question allows us to start from the posture that life really does have a purpose for you. There's inherently a way that you're supposed to roll. You just have to figure it out.
5. What's the thing you're most looking forward to in the coming year?
Bill: What's magic about this work is that this outfit keeps finding new ways to reacquaint old friends into a new mission. Just recently I had a colleague of mine leave a very established gig in California because she wanted to help build this. I'm constantly meeting people that I immediately feel are like people I've known for my whole life. And it's always really interesting for me to see over the course of a year who of those people moves out of the acquaintance zone or the observer zone and makes the choice to travel alongside us as we build this ministry. And it happens all the time. People find their passion through Broad Street Ministry, and a lot of times it has nothing to do with their day job. We try every day to find opportunities to use this ministry to give people an opportunity to act on what they truly feel like they should be doing in this world.
Idealist's databases are filled with opportunities, resources and people from all over the planet. Each week, we'll bring you a roundup of what you can find on our site related to a specific country, region or city. Today we spotlight Quebec.
Photo by Payton Chung on Flickr
So far, there are 130 organizations in Quebec registered on Idealist. They cover issues such as sustainable development, the environment, domestic violence and international cooperation.
If you're looking to volunteer in Quebec, there are 3 opportunities posted at this time. You can tutor adult students, participate to an International program in the area of the new information technologies or support counselors helping young people from almost 3,000 Canadian communities.
Would you like to help make more connections among people, organizations, and resources in Quebec through the Idealist network? Visit our Spread Idealist page or start a local Idealist Group.
You probably won’t be able to request paid time off on March 12, but on Favorday that’s not the point.
Recently a group of people in Washington, DC got together and agreed that what they really wanted to do on holidays was nice things for each other; they didn't care so much about buying gifts or attending elaborate events. But even when they tried simply doing nice things they found it was hard to get beyond the social pressure of the card-giving and gift-buying season. So instead of trying to rethink the holidays we all know, the group started something new: International Favorday.
On March 12, 2008, people all over the world will be performing planned acts of kindness on what Favorday’s founders are calling a “People Powered Holiday.”
Want to take part? The only rule is you can't spend money. Start budgeting time and making lists of the favors you'll do for people, the way you might plan to give gifts on another holiday. You might want to:
* Volunteer for an organization in your neighborhood.
* Pay the bridge toll for the car behind you on your morning commute.
* Rub your partner's feet.
* Set up a Facebook profile for your mom, because you love her and want her to know what you're up to. (Jake's going to do this one.)
If you want, you can also create a favor “wish list" and circulate it to your friends with favors you'd like done for you - just like you might during the “standard” holidays. But remember, gifts must be favors, not material items.
For many of us February 14th brings to mind conversation hearts, handmade valentines or maybe just cynicism about the commercialization of romance. But thanks to Eve Ensler'sVagina Monologues and thousands of "Vagina Warriors" around the world, the day has taken on new meaning as V-day, a day to raise awareness about violence against women and to take action to stop it.
Ten years after the first performance of The Vagina Monologues, V-Day has raised over $50 million to fund 5000 local anti-violence programs around the world from South Dakota to Iraq. The show has been staged thousands of times in 120 countries educating countless men and women about the realities of violence against women.
This year's anniversary celebration will culminate on April 12th with "a once in a lifetime event featuring international performances of The Vagina Monologues, musical guests, and V-Day activists from across the globe." V to the Tenth will take place at the New Orleans Arena and will feature performances from the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Rosario Dawson, Salma Hayek and Common. In the days leading up to the performance New Orleans' Superdome will be transformed into SUPERLOVE, "a place to heal, gather, protest, celebrate and activate to change the story of women!"
Check out http://v10.vday.org/ to find out how you can attend these extraordinary events. Can't make it to New Orleans? Check to see if the V to the Tenth speaking tour is coming to your city.
This V-day may be a good time to remember that violence against women affects everyone. Take a look at V-Men, a series that considers the role of men in the fight against violence.
Peanut butter and jelly. Milk and cookies. Field trips and learning. We spotted two nonprofits that prove that last combination is a winning one:
Photo by hoyasmeg on Flickr
The volunteer-run nonprofit TransitPeople brings urban youth between 7 and 12 years old on educational excursions in the Los Angeles, CA area, using only subways and buses. Since almost a decade ago, the volunteers have taken over 20,000 children to a variety of places from the Aerospace Museum to the Pasadena Playhouse--helping kids have fun and promoting mass transit and environmental consciousness at the same time.
Operating both in the United States and Canada, Trips for Kids(TFK) is another nonprofit that thinks teaching and transportation is a stellar duo. The organization takes at-risk children on mountain bike outings for exercise and education. As kids pop wheelies, they also learn life skills such as leadership, team building, environmental awareness and more. There are over forty local TFK chapters from Boone, NC to Flagstaff, AZ, with one chapter in upstate New York even incorporating a teen pregnancy prevention program.
Know about any similar organizations or initiatives? Leave a comment below to let us know!
We’re not advocating in any way that a job you adore can substitute for a lackluster or dead-end relationship. However, at this time of the year, the benefits of loving your work sure beats a bunch of shiny red mylar heart balloons or a big ol’ box of stale chocolates.
Photo by Sister72 on Flickr
Whether you are currently in a job you don’t mind, in a job you truly hate, or are unemployed and actively looking for a job, it’s always a good time to look for a career that you’ll love. Especially these days, “work” does not have to be the opposite of “play” and a career can equate to more than a paycheck. Similarly, employers are looking for more than just relevant skills in their new hires. Particularly in the nonprofit sector, “passion” is often a highly desired quality (even if it’s somewhat lacking in your current relationship). One of the best ways to show this passion for the mission is through volunteering and interning. In fact, nonprofit HR managers ranked volunteering and interning as the most desirable life experiences a candidate could have. The other benefit to doing volunteer work and internships is that you get a chance to see if you like the position and the organization. It's kind of like going on a few dates before you commit to the idea of falling in love with the gig.
So while it might be going a bit overboard to put “looking for love” on your resume as your Career Objective, it’s not too much to ask for. And with the plethora of opportunities in the nonprofit sector, landing a job you love might be easier than finding a romantic prospect this Valentines Day.
First dates can be excruciating. Unless you’ve got instant chemistry, you both could be looking at a long evening of awkward pauses and stilted banter. A possible antidote to this situation? Planning an evening that can be both fun and meaningful – volunteering!
Photo by LittleGoldWoman on Flickr
Instead of meeting your date for the same ol’, same ol’ – dinner and a movie, anyone? – try something different and sign up to volunteer. Serve a meal together at a soup kitchen or shelter. Spend an afternoon cleaning up a park or beach. Walk or wash the dogs at a local animal shelter. Volunteering as a date is a win-win-win situation: you’ll likely have a lot of fun; you’re guaranteed something to talk about, learning more about one another’s interests and concerns in the process; and you’ll be making a difference! How many times can you say that about a first date?
And, hey, we're not a dating service, but you never know who might be checking out your Idealist profile. Why not give it some love today and make sure it's up-to-date?
Idealist's databases are filled with opportunities, resources and people from all over the planet. Each week, we'll bring you a roundup of what you can find on our site related to a specific country, region or city. Today we spotlight Ireland.
Photo by tiseb on Flickr
Currently, there are 127 organizations in Ireland registered on Idealist. They cover a wide range, from a nonprofit that sets up computer networks for tribal communities to an interfaith roundtable to a sanctuary which houses unwanted monkeys.
If you're looking to volunteer in Ireland, there are 7 opportunities to do so at this time. You can work as an interpreter for survivors of torture, assist the elderly, try your hand at conservation and more.
So far, there are 212 Idealists signed up with personal profiles, as well as 282 people who list themselves as volunteers. If you're from Ireland or have an affinity for Irish culture, create a personal profile and let the world know!
Would you like to help make more connections among people, organizations, and resources in Ireland through the Idealist network? Visit our Spread Idealist page or start a local Idealist Group.
From bake sales to candy bar fundraisers, community projects have long relied on the sweet tooth to raise money. Now it seems that the tried-and-true baked goods strategy is joining forces with a more cutting-edge strategy: online fundraising.
Photo by matuko amini
We noticed this sweet connection in the form of a blogging event called The Pies That Evoke Dreams Project. On February 29, blogs around the world will feature their favorite pie recipes as part of the popular monthly Sugar High Fridays blogging event. At the same time, the project will be raising money for a nonprofit organization called Pie Ranch, which works to engage urban youth in building healthier local food systems.
Q: How many social workers does it take to change a light bulb? A: None. They empower it to change itself!
Funny bone by Jef Poskanzer
Okay, okay. That was a bad joke. But we found two comedy troupes—who are much funnier than we are—that believe spreading good humor is the best way to do good.
First up: Their name comes from a comedy workshop scene set in a German sausage factory, in which an ace sausage stuffer declares she will save the people with her magic meat hands. Yup, you guessed it. They're The Magic Meathands, an improv group based in Los Angeles, CA. Focusing on laughter as a way of building community, the Meathands bring their funny to 24-hour crisis centers, group homes for children, and community events that feed and serve the needs of the homeless in the Greater LA area. In addition these and other performances, such as benefits and company retreats, the group's director shares his stage-honed conflict resolution and team-building skills at corporate seminars
From their humble beginnings in a living room in Providence, RI to regular performances around New England, In House Freestyle is another troupe that believes laughter is the best tool for social change. Blending music, poetry and comedy, the quartet's shtick ranges from dancehall to diabetes—and sometimes hamsters. "New England's only all-black sketch comedy group" has also produced a film that "highlights urban accomplishments and realities in a proactive, solution-oriented way." Click here to learn more.
If you're tickled by this topic and are in the New York City area, check out the NYLaughs Idealist Group. If you join you'll help spread the spirit of independent comedy by making it free and available on the streets of NYC.
photo by Sanctu
Registration deadlines are fast approaching for the i-genius World Summit to be held in Phuket, Thailand, March 13 -16. According to the organizers, “the event will bring together 100 of the most creative and innovative socially minded people from across the world, together with leaders in business, media and finance.” The four-day gathering will focus on new opportunities in a changing world, building networks and partnerships, communications, and support for social entrepreneurs. Representatives will be in attendance from such companies and entities as UNESCO, UnLtd, CNN, VIACOM, IBM, The British Council, Tribe Wanted, and The World Bank.
There will be workshops on everything from marketing to attracting investors, but i-genius also plans to put the "social" in social entrepreneurship: they're planning an opening night poolside reception, gala dinner, film festival and beach party. It’s a well-known phenomenon that the best ideas don’t come to us at our desks or during staff meetings but in spaces where our minds are free to wander.
Interested in joining this meeting of creative minds (and doing a little snorkeling) this March? You can still register by visiting http://www.i-genius.org/summit/about.htm. Don’t forget to send us a postcard!
Did you know that 2008 is the International Year of Languages, according to the United Nations? If you haven't explored all the activities and resources that have emerged as part of this year, today is a great day to start. February 21 is International Mother Languages Day, which seeks to "promote people’s uniqueness and cultural diversity by highlighting their mother tongue."
The idea is that because linguistic diversity is threatened by the "globalization of communication and the tendency to use a single language," a day should be set aside to encourage networks like our own to share ideas and information across cultural lines and in many languages. But the action doesn't stop today; the people behind this holiday are advocating for more intensive foreign language classes in primary and secondary schools, international exchanges of primary and secondary school teachers, and much more. Feeling intrigued - or celebratory? Visit this page to learn more.
You can also visit Idealist's Language Project page to learn how we're working with volunteers to translate our website into many languages.
Several teams at Idealist have started to use the messaging service Twitter for internal communication. Recent "tweets" (messages limited to 140 characters that are broadcast to anyone who is "following" you on the service) include Idealist's Web Guy, Dave, sending a link to an article on web usability; our podcast team announcing that our podcast has moved up in the iTunes nonprofit podcast rankings; and lots of inside jokes.
So far we've just been using it to overcome challenges related to working across nine cities, four countries, and three continents. We're still evaluating, but recommend that other multi-office organizations try it on for size.
In addition to helping with internal communication, it seems some organizations are using Twitter to communicate with a broader audience. Check out January's Net2ThinkTank question to read tech-savvy recommendations about how nonprofits should (or shouldn't) use Twitter.
We also wanted to point out this Social Signal blog entry which makes the great point that Twittering allows us to highlight small, incremental accomplishments. Through Twitter we can collectively provide a timeline of milestones across the nonprofit sector.
Another cool service is Terra Minds, which lets you search public tweets. You can find out what people are saying (tweeting?) about your organization or issue.
If you decide to try it within your organization, let us know how it goes!
Idealist's databases are filled with opportunities, resources and people from all over the planet. Each week we bring you a roundup of what you can find on our site related to a specific country or city. Today we spotlight Bolivia.
Photo by emiliagarassino
Known as the land of the altiplano (high lands), highlights of Bolivia include the quechua and aymara languages, as well as the chuño food.
On Idealist.org you can find 170 individuals from Bolivia interested in solidarity actions and other diverse issues.
Find volunteer opportunities, for instance, to help people in risk of losing their homes, or to fight against violence. You can also assist one of more than 200 Bolivian organizations working for other social causes, such as education, cultural conservation and many others.
Additionally, don’t forget to join the Idealist Group Construyendo Puentes en Bolivia, which already has 16 members participating in initiatives to help benefit their communities.
For our news-savvy readers out there, it’s no news that President Bush just returned to the United States from a trip to Africa. This is Bush’s second trip to Africa, and it’s significant because he’s only the fourth U.S. president to visit Africa while in office. Now, in order to ensure this latest presidential visit becomes a tradition and not just an occurrence, as well as strengthen the relationship between America and Africa, our friends at the ONE Campaign are asking for your help.
In December, members of ONE got the 2008 U.S. presidential candidates to go on the record with their plans to combat extreme poverty. ONE is following up by making sure the next U.S. President commits to also putting her/his newly elected presidential feet on African soil.
If this is something that matters to you, sign the petition and ask all of the presidential candidates to pledge to visit Africa during their first term. You don’t need to live in the United States to sign the petition.
Idealists in New York
If you live in New York City and you want to meet fascinating people, connect with new projects and opportunities, or engage in scintillating conversation, then this is your week!
On Tuesday the 26th you can connect with nonprofit and public sector professionals and others who want to make a difference at Imagine Tuesdays—a weekly after-work party inspired by Idealist's invitation to Imagine a better world. The party will be from 6:00 to 9:00p.m. at Latitude (3rd floor). You can find more information here.
Then, on Wednesday the 27th, the New York Idealist Network will hold its monthly gathering at 6:30p.m. at Proof. Everyone who comes will have a chance to meet great people, share resources and ideas, promote your own projects, and get involved with new ones. You can find more details and RSVP here.
Looking for even more? You're in luck! We just found out about this great new website—thinkdrinknewyork.com—that lists a multitude of socially and intellectually stimulating events around the city. This week, for example, you could discuss energy independence over drinks on Thursday and hear prominent journalists discuss the election on Sunday.
Let's hear it for the city that never sleeps (and never stops sharing great ideas)!
In some parts of the world, skateboarding is viewed as a terrible nuisance. But an organization in Uganda has a much different take on the sport.
Photo by Uganda Skateboard Union
The Uganda Skateboard Union is building skate parks across the country to, as they say, "combat boredom and idleness among youth." This grassroots program builds ramps, then teaches kids how to skateboard, educates young people about health issues, and distributes donated skateboards among community members.
A movie is in the works. We couldn't resist sharing this amazing preview:
Photo by shortfatkid
For children who are lucky enough to have experienced it, a tree house just might be one of the coolest inventions ever. But now adults are starting to see its value as more than a play space. Around the world, the tree house is becoming a model for progressive and sustainable design.
A project of the US-based nonprofit Lift Kids, the O2 Sustainability Tree House branches out from the traditional aesthetic of a tree house. Resembling a Japanese paper lantern-inspired disco ball, the house is constructed from local recyclable materials—hemp, plastic milk cartons, and other waste—and is suspended by cables so it doesn't harm the tree that hosts it.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the UK-based company Sybarite has designed an ultramodern pod that looks like it's straight out of a sci-fi movie. Extremely eco-friendly, the tree house contains solar cells, rain and wind collection devices, and more to make it 70 percent energy self-efficient.
If you're more into the do-it-yourself approach, take a cue from three Massachusetts Institute of Technology architects who interpret the term "take root" in its most literal sense. They've cast aside common building materials and instead have created a home that is supported by vines, roots and branches from trees trained to grow for five years. With mud walls, windows made of soy, and a water collection system, the house is a living, breathing part of the ecosystem.
Curious about design that goes out on a limb? Be sure to check out our related list of 103 innovative organizations for more inspiration.
Photo by Matthew Fang
Professional performing artists, including dancers, musicians, comedians, actors, and other entertainment industry workers, grips, cinematographers, gaffers, etc. may not realize how their skills and experience are valued by the nonprofit sector. Work in the nonprofit sector can complement their industry work as a parallel career, or can be a rewarding new career. They are dedicated, intelligent, and motivated multi-taskers (both physically and mentally). Performing artists and other industry professionals can act independently as well as take direction, and they are comfortable working under some serious pressure. After all, no one is there to save you when you forget your line or next step. Sadly, many entertainment professionals don’t know how to capture all they do in order to appeal to organizations outside of the industry.
That’s where groups like Career Transitions For Dancers (CTFD) and The Actors Fund (AF) step in. CTFD and the AF help entertainment and performing arts professionals identify their skills and interests in order to help them find sideline work or transition opportunities into a new field—all while fully acknowledging that these professionals are not leaving their entertainment careers behind but instead are reaching out to new opportunities and possibilities.
In April 2008, CTFD, the AF, and Idealist.org are teaming up in Los Angeles to hold two workshops that will help entertainment and performing arts professionals realize the range of opportunities available to them in the nonprofit sector. If you are a Los Angeles-based entertainment and performing arts professional, please join us!
If you're wondering why the nonprofit sector is a good fit for entertainment and performing arts professionals, here is what Joseph P. Benincasa, the Executive Director of The Actors Fund, has to say: "Most of our clients’ industry work is project to project, giving them the need to find additional employment where they can use their skills and passion. Work in the nonprofit sector—in all areas—fundraising, direct service and administration—is an ideal place for our clients to find either a parallel or new career."
Image by cambodia4kidsorg
Allow us to present you with a basic math problem. Let’s say you add…
$260 billion in annual donations
+ $3 trillion in assets
+ 80 million annual volunteers
+ 14 million employees*
How much political clout would that add up to be?
According to the organizers of the recently-launched V3 Campaign, the answer is fairly obvious: a lot! With that in mind, the V3 Campaign is working to harness this untapped political clout and leverage it to encourage political candidates to articulate how the nonprofit sector fits into their individual agendas.
What’s the equation for accessing all of this clout? That’s where the three Vs come in. The campaign provides tools for constituents to use their political Voice to contact candidates and let them know that their Votes are tied to the candidate’s level of commitment to supporting the work of the nonprofit sector. Finally, the campaign aims to increase candidates’ awareness of the social and economic Value that the nonprofit sector provides for the nation by highlighting the quantifiable impact of the work of the sector through statistics such as these.
To learn more about the V3 Campaign and how you can get involved, visit the campaign website.
Making connections at an Idealist fair
With a state motto like “Eureka!” and a slogan of “Find Yourself Here,” where better to head next for our Idealist Nonprofit Career Fair than California? Next Monday, March 3, we’re off to Silicon Valley for another round of helping people turn their good intentions into action toward positive change in the world.
While we're continually amazed to learn about the huge range of ways folks are making progress, we’re never really surprised to hear attendees and recruiters rave about these events. What else could you expect when you get hundreds of people in one room who are all hoping to help each other and their local or global community? If you’re interested in Term of Service programs (such as City Year or Peace Corps) or organizing jobs with workers’ rights groups, obviously you know you’ll learn about those opportunities at our Idealist Nonprofit Career Fairs. But did you know you can also find work as a radio disc jockey, an acupuncturist, a vocational trainer, a construction worker, a security guard, and many more roles not typically thought of in the category of “nonprofit work”?
Whether you’re just starting your career search and trying to gain some great internship experience, or if you’re a mid-career professional thinking about a transition into a new challenge, we hope you’ll join us next Monday in Silicon Valley or at any of our Idealist Nonprofit Career Fairs in the future!
Photo by bertrudestein
Ever wonder what it’s really like to volunteer in another country? CNN is providing a rare real-time glimpse into the experiences of volunteers around the globe via their Be The Change web series. By providing cameras, laptops, and webspace, CNN is hosting the ongoing chronicles of six volunteers serving in Tanzania, Cambodia, India, South Africa, Ghana, and Thailand.
For example, Cassie Phillips, a volunteer in Cambodia, recently posted a video about spending her Saturdays at a school that offers free English lessons. Another volunteer, Joshua Macabuag, who is serving with Engineers Without Borders in South Africa, discussed using the desalination process to combat significant local water shortages. Vimlendu Jah in New Delhi demonstrated how he leads groups of young people on night walks in the city to help them connect India’s homelessness statistics with the realities of life on the street. And on Jennifer Staple’s page, a volunteer with Unite for Sight discussed turning her passion for public health into a life-changing summer helping to provide eye treatment and glasses to citizens in need in Ghana.
To follow the adventures of these and other volunteers around the world, visit CNN’s Be The Change series here.
Photo by food_in_mouth
Mashups are all the rage on the web these days, and Netsquared, a project of TechSoup, wants nonprofits to join in on the fun. Entries for the Netsquared Mashup Challenge are due on March 14, and if you have a winning idea for a mashup, it could earn you a share of $100,000.
What's a mashup, you ask? Wikipedia has a great explanation, but it's probably easiest to show a couple of examples:
HousingMaps: While Craigslist is great for finding an apartment, wouldn't it be even better if you could see the listings all on one map? The folks at HousingMaps thought so too, so they mashed up Craigslist apartment data and Google Maps location data. The results are very useful for apartment hunters!
ChicagoCrime.org: ChicagoCrime takes crime data from the Chicago Police Department and organizes it by zip code and neighborhood, letting users easily view crimes near them. ChicagoCrime's mashup was so successful that they've started mashing up every piece of data they can find in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago, creating a new website called EveryBlock.
If you have an idea about how data can be mashed up for a good cause, submit it! Netsquared will pair winning ideas with technical people and money to make the mashup happen.
Photo by (Tres)
Idealist's databases are filled with opportunities, resources and people from all over the planet. Each week, we'll bring you a roundup of what you can find on our site related to a specific country, region, or city. Today we spotlight Brazil—land of sunshine, soccer, and samba!
Currently, there are 196 organizations in Brazil registered on Idealist, many of which focus on children, development, and environmental protection. If you want to volunteer in Brazil, start by looking through the 88 opportunities listed right now. You'll find plenty of opportunities to work with kids, including teaching English, music, and capoeira.
So far, there are 419 Brazilian Idealists signed up with personal profiles, and 915 people list themselves as volunteers. Reading this from Brazil? You can create your own personal or volunteer profile; visit our Portuguese pages to connect with other Idealists from Portuguese-speaking communities; join the Spread Idealist community to get other Brazilians involved; or start a local Idealist Group.
Photo by Matthew Fang
Professional performing artists, including dancers, musicians, comedians, actors, and other entertainment industry workers, grips, cinematographers, gaffers, etc. may not realize how their skills and experience are valued by the nonprofit sector. Work in the nonprofit sector can complement their industry work as a parallel career, or can be a rewarding new career. They are dedicated, intelligent, and motivated multi-taskers (both physically and mentally). Performing artists and other industry professionals can act independently as well as take direction, and they are comfortable working under some serious pressure. After all, no one is there to save you when you forget your line or next step. Sadly, many entertainment professionals don’t know how to capture all they do in order to appeal to organizations outside of the industry.
That’s where groups like Career Transitions For Dancers (CTFD) and The Actors Fund (AF) step in. CTFD and the AF help entertainment and performing arts professionals identify their skills and interests in order to help them find sideline work or transition opportunities into a new field—all while fully acknowledging that these professionals are not leaving their entertainment careers behind but instead are reaching out to new opportunities and possibilities.
In April 2008, CTFD, the AF, and Idealist.org are teaming up in Los Angeles to hold two workshops that will help entertainment and performing arts professionals realize the range of opportunities available to them in the nonprofit sector. If you are a Los Angeles-based entertainment and performing arts professional, please join us!
If you're wondering why the nonprofit sector is a good fit for entertainment and performing arts professionals, here is what Joseph P. Benincasa, the Executive Director of The Actors Fund, has to say: "Most of our clients’ industry work is project to project, giving them the need to find additional employment where they can use their skills and passion. Work in the nonprofit sector—in all areas—fundraising, direct service and administration—is an ideal place for our clients to find either a parallel or new career."
