Make The Difference Network

A new social network for those looking to make a difference has popped up. This time it is backed by some celebrity firepower. Created by Jessica Biel and boasting other celebrities such as The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), Brian Griese, and Gabrielle Union amongst others. The following is the description of what MTDN is:

"Make The Difference Network (MTDN) is a cause-oriented social network that connects nonprofit organizations with potential donors and increases awareness for small-to-medium nonprofit organizations.

Our Misson is to democratize giving by increasing the visibility of thousands of nonprofit organizations and empowering potential donors to search, select and fund these organizations’ specific “Wishes” and then to see the results of their giving."

It will be interesting to see if all these "Make a Difference" Social Networks can coexist and indeed live up to their missions. They are great for connecting people and hearing about what others are up to but I have yet to see one post success stories of the site being the protagonist for creating good things. It just seems that they are used to highlight what is already happening and I would like to see one of these social networks pop up and take that as its raison d'etre. My other criticism of all these social networks is that they bite off a lot at once without letting the user figure out how things work and how they can make the most of their experience on the site. I log on and I am immediately daunted by everything that is available to me and I don't know where to begin. I usually end up clicking through a couple of pages and then logging off because there is just too much information. I think that a greater focus needs to be achieved when starting these sites, and instead of creating more of the same they should work together with other sites so as not to splinter the effects that they can have. If there are 4 million people spread out across 10 sites then it becomes difficult to keep up to date on all that is going on out in the world, effectively stifling what is possible. It is a real problem throughout the not-for-profit world but one that needs to be addressed.

I wish MTDN the best of luck and urge you to check it out. It may be exactly what you are looking for in your social network.

100 People: A World Portrait

A friend sent me a link to this website today and I thought I would share it. It is called 100 People: A World Portrait and here is a blurb from the website that explains what it is all about:

"The 100 People Foundation exists to provide a structure and an organization for the project 100 People: A World Portrait. We believe that visual arts-based educational and multimedia programs are the most powerful channels through which we can build awareness, facilitate communication about diversity and activate change within our global community.

The project will find and capture in film, photography, music and text 100 individuals who represent the global population, proportionate to annual global surveys and statistics. This World Portrait will be used to make an introduction between the peoples of the earth and to facilitate a greater understanding of the diversity and the commonalities among us."

The project will publish a book, movie, photography exhibit, a school curriculum and the website. The project is already underway and you can check out some of the videos online at the website at 100 People. If you have a minute to check it out I urge you to do so. I think it is an important realization to understand the makeup of the world and the place you inhabit within it.

Tomorrow is Pangea Day

It is a big day tomorrow and I hope you are able to see what will be an amazing experience. Pangea day will be broadcast around the world tomorrow from 2-6pm Eastern time and is available on CityTV here in Canada. 24 films from all around the world. 24 different views on one earth. If you want to learn more about the show and where you can catch it log onto the website at Pangea Day

Random Kindness

Sometimes, in an alternate universe maybe, a stranger will do something kind for someone like open the door, or maybe say excuse me, or flash a smile, or offer spare change for the bus fare. It only happens so often and we hardly ever get to bare witness to it. Which I find absolutely astounding. At one point these things were called manners, or if a man did he was chivalrous, either way they were more than expected they were normal behavior.

Now I have been a fan of shows, movies, and organizations that in the past decade have made highlighting people who make random kindness regular behavior again. A few years back there was a great movie called Pay It Forward. It was nothing new but it made famous the act of being kind again. Since then we have seen many books and television shows take on the same idea but it still hasn't caught on. It is still an act of the minority to be openly kind to everyone including those you don't know. It is easy to be nice to those you know but alien to be nice to those you don't. That is the true measure here though. This is what character is. The person who opens their heart to all those they meet, who can care regardless of being intimately knowledgeable of a person.

I became familiar with this great organization called The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation a few years back. It acts as a meeting point for all those people who wish to share their ideas and experiences with integrating random acts of kindness into their daily lives. It is a celebration of those who care and of those who deserve some praise. We watch Oprah's Big Give and we lose sight of the fact that the things they were giving to were things that should not exist in the first place. Schools full of children unable to afford books or a wholesome meal. It shouldn't take an international television show or a website to make people notice the plight of our neighbors - the people we pass every day on our way to work. Here is the truth, the krux of it all: Kindness should not be random, it should be a part of our lives - a big part of our lives.

We shouldn't have to highlight kindness, we should not have to qualify kindness with random because that means it isn't done all the time, inherent in all that we do. If I could leave one lasting message it would be that kindness emanate from all that you do to all that you meet. Do me a favor and take that as your life mission. It may not happen overnight but little-by-little and day-by-day you will notice the world around you change. Your outlook will change, the people around you will change, everything will change. The paradigm will shift and the qualifier will drop and the people, organizations, movies and t.v. shows will stop. That is the world I want to live in. That is the world I want to impart on people. Kindness should be a way of life, so make it yours.

Food Crisis

As many of you will probably already know at this point, there is a global food crisis currently taking place. While you may not have yet felt its effects, make no mistake, it is a major problem with global consequences. All over the world riots are taking place as people are starving to death. Basic necessities such as, rice, flour, corn, maze, have doubled or tripled in price over the last year. For people living on less than $2, or in many cases less than $1, a day it means more than just a few extra cents a week. It means pulling your child out of school so the rest of the family can eat for another week, it means another child may have to work, it means that what little possessions a family has will be sold to get the extra money. It means that eventually they will be unable to afford the basics to life.

We, here in the developed world, take for granted the fact that we can purchase a bag of flour or rice without much consequence. It is readily available on the shelves, in comparison to a box of Captain Crunch it costs very little, and even as the price rises we hardly notice when the grocery bill exceeds $100 a week for the family. However, the rest of the world does notice. If you can manage it, I encourage you to visit the World Food Programs website and make a donation to the Fill the Cup campaign. $15 will feed 10 children for a week. If you want to learn more about the food crises I have added a number of links that a classmate of mine gathered. There is also a series of pictures below that illustrate some of the glaring differences between the haves and have-nots.

Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07



United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
Food expenditure for one week $341.98



Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11



Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09



Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27



Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53



Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55



Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03



Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23




Some more reading if you want to learn more:
1. How to stop the global food crisis - BBC
2. The New Economics of Hunger - Washington Post
3.Rising Food Prices to top UN Agenda - Reuters
4. Rising Food Prices - Chatham House Report
5. UN Scientific report on fixing the world food system
6. Credit Crunch? The real crisis is global hunger - The Guardian

Spilled Paint

I received this picture from a friend. The world is such a beautiful place, so colorful and extraordinary. This picture comes with the caption "The day God spilled the paint"

End of the Semester

So I have been noticeably absent lately and I do apologize. My time has been consumed by end of semester assignments and tests and I haven't had much time to sleep let alone write anything insightful. I am glad to say that it is now over and I can again breath. I missed two big days this past week and I hope you had a chance to read about them elsewhere, or more importantly to celebrate them. Earth day was April 22 (Tuesday) and African Malaria Day was April 25 (Friday).

I would also like to announce that Million Dollar Youth, the organization I was formerly working for, is hosting a concert on May 31 here in Toronto at the Opera House. Doors will open at 7pm and there are some really popular acts on the bill. I attached a poster below with more details and hopefully you can make it out.