Generation We Solve
Manifesto for Social Change
Preface
Draft #2
"One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade."
--Chinese Proverb
Challenging, exciting, idealistic, innovative, creative, unique=Generation We or as some call Generation Y! Those are just some simple adjectives to describe those who were born in the late 70's/early 80's up to approximately year 2000. And they total upwards of 95 million individuals, who hold a truly powerful sway in the future direction of this country, much more so than the baby boom generation. The energy in which Generation We can harness and utilize to bring out the good in all of us in quite amazing. The challenges our nation and world face are so great and demanding, we will need all hands on deck to bring about positive and real change to our Earth. The many crises our globe faces, ranging from climate change to fighting deadly diseases to spreading freedom and education require that those who wish to spread their ideas be heard loud and clear.
As a member of the first anniversary Generation We Solve team, we are excited that you have joined us on this exciting journey to empower a nation. Throughout this guide you will find out how the founding of this new and exciting organization came about, our definition and beliefs on social change and sustainability, our own model for lasting social change, and most importantly your role in this new and exciting journey as a social entrepreneur to empower a new generation to bring about true and lasting social change.
We truly hope that you see this guide as not the end of a journey, but the beginning. This journey will take us into new communities searching for solutions to social ills that have plagued too many of our fellow citizens for decades. Instead of sitting on the sidelines, you have decided to join us in bringing real solutions to social ills ranging from health education to a new green environment to education reform. We want you to really dig in and feel a part of our organization and utilize your talents and gifts to inspire a whole generation of citizens.
Take your time to explore our guide to social change and feel free to send us your comments, ideas, and suggestions. We are honored that you are standing with us in a new era of social change and idealism!
Best Wishes,
Joshua A. Murphy
CEO & Founder
Frank DiSpirito
CEO & Founder
JOIN...GenWeSolve online @ http://www.genwesolve.com.
READ..our Manifesto on Social Change.
APPLY...for an amazing fellowship.
CREATE..Social Change!
Welcome to Generation We Solve
"In embracing change, entrepreneurs ensure social and economic stability."
--George Gilder
Empowering A Generation to Change The World.
Many of us from a young age have been told that we can be whatever we want--President, an Astronaut, a Police Officer, etc. However, for many citizens, those dreams will never come true. Those who live in poverty, crime, and drug infested communities have greatly lower odds of gaining a high quality education or even graduating from high school. Poverty and lack of economic development, among other potent social ills, greatly reduce the ability of families to create independent and socially sustainable lives and communities.
Generation We Solve recruits idealistic, enthusiastic, and empowered young people to join us in our quest to find the root causes of these social ills that are holding whole communities from succeeding and create real social change solutions to these problems. As you develop these proposals, you will meet with citizens, community leaders and organizations, businesses, and government agencies to create a comprehensive proposal to revitalize, educate, and empower disadvantaged urban communities.
Generation We Solve will provide you with training, support, and continued guidance and mentoring throughout your social change project to ensure your are exceeding expectations, creating attainable goals, and posting measurable gains, staying on a timely track, and most importantly positively impacting communities with real results.
Throughout your social change project you will gain invaluable experience working with different groups and people, analyzing, testing, and creating different social change thesis, and following through and succeeding! We expect that our diverse team of leaders will choose social change topics that truly interest them--the environment, health education, education reform, poverty, economic & business development, etc.
We truly believe in our quest to empower a new generation to change the world and we will do what it takes to ensure you have all the tools, resources, and motivation to succeed.
Generation We Solve's vision is to empower and educate ordinary citizens to become agents of social change.
The name Generation We Solve is based on the idea that our generation is being called to creating lasting social change in our society now. We are capable, intelligent, idealistic, dedicated, and empowered to create solutions to some of our nation's most pressing social needs.
Our tag line--"Empowering a generation to change the world" reflects the idea that Generation We Solve is tasked with not just solving social problems, but empowering our generation in that process so each of our lives are lived to serve others and to bring about social change in our society today.
Generation We Solve's mission is to bring social change in our world through social entrepreneurship, empowering educational workshops, and community service.
These three goals within our mission serve as the core points by which we enact social change.
Social Entrepreneurship--training an army of social entrepreneurs to branch out into our neediest communities to provide unwavering attention, support, and solutions to that community's social needs.
Social entrepreneurs are defined by their love of service, innovation, resourcefulness, and their ability to place social value over monetary value. As a social entrepreneur you will learn to see people as the solution to our nation's social problems and not just the recipient. By empowering, educating, and preparing them to become social entrepreneurs in their own right, you will have gained many new experiences that will change you positively for a lifetime.
As a member of Generation We Solve you will be expected to uphold our core values of social responsibility, creativity, and honesty. You must be willing to learn from your mistakes, to use new and innovative methods to solve complex social problems, value all community members as you value yourself, and to show a determination and zest for social change that inspires those who serve alongside you.
Empowering educational workshops--we must educate not only our team members, but the communities in which we serve on how to create social change plans, the meaning & purpose of social change, and how they can get involved.
Through your service you will have the opportunity to meet with and engage a host of citizens, organizations, leaders, and businesses to empower them joining your social change project. While doing so you will be presenting to them our mission and vision, social change model, and how sustainability is vital for the long term success of disadvantaged communities. As a project leader you will be given the tools and resources necessary to recruit volunteers, sponsors, publicity, and support to ensure your social change proposal succeeds and flourishes.
Community service--we see community service in a different light. Community service is not just the act of volunteering for a couple of hours, days, or even a year--its about creating long-term solutions that will serve the communities for years and create long-term sustainability that last a lifetime.
"No real social change has ever been brought about without a revolution- Revolution is but thought carried into action."
--Emma Goldman
Generation We Solve sees social change and sustainability as two key partners. There cannot be social change without the ability of that change being sustained by the community in which it is serving. The ability of social entrepreneurs to create solutions to pressing social needs such as health education evolves around ensuring there is a lasting impact. For instance, to educate a community on health education would entail creating pamphlets on a whole host of health issues affecting that community, meeting with them to discuss the pamphlet, and bringing in resources to ensure they are able to receive the health benefits in which they need to live healthy and long lives. And it is sustainable in that a healthy community will past that same knowledge down to their children, relatives, and/or future community members.
As an organization Generation We Solve is not focused on patching up social problems that plague our neediest community, we are focused on long-term, sustained, and progressive solutions that allow communities to take control of their own lives and once again gain the right to achieve, dream, and succeed in all aspects of life.
Generation We Solve is aimed at giving communities the tools, resources, and motivation they need to become independent problem solvers within their own communities--to create lasting and sustainable social change.
Social change must come from the community and citizens in which the change is being proposed. In order to do this citizens must be engaged, educated, and motivated to create and follow-through on social change plans. These plans could range from ways to increase student enrollment in schools, creating a new green community model, increasing access to health care and health education for low-income families, bringing in more mixed-use economic development, and so forth.
We invest our resources in projects that are sustainable and create visible social change for the most citizens possible in that community.
We believe that the talent and ideals that our young people possess can truly cultivate a new era of social entrepreneurship that is rooted in the belief that we the people must be willing to solve the many social ills that plague our society and generation. Our generation must be called upon to fight for changes in our nation's social structure, because we will be dealing with these many issues for many decades if we do not take a stand now to solve them.
While traditional charities generally respond to the symptoms of entrenched social problems, the Funding Exchange network supports those who identify underlying causes and working to change these conditions. This is a core value of progressive social change as reflected in the phrase, "Change, not Charity" ™. Social change organizing:
Builds community-based responses, not solutions that affect just a few individuals and leave the underlying social problems intact.
Changes attitudes, behaviors, laws, policies and institutions to better reflect the values of inclusion, fairness, diversity and opportunity.
Insists on accountability and responsiveness among institutions, including the government, large corporations, universities and other entities whose policies and actions profoundly affect the living conditions of individuals and communities, whether locally, nationally, or internationally.
Expands the meaning and practice of "democracy" by involving those closest to social problems in determining their solutions.
Because progressive social change involves making significant changes on a systemic level, conflict with those who hold power is often inevitable. The power that social change organizations bring to the table is their ability to organize, to educate and to mobilize.
Progressive social change is a profoundly democratic undertaking. At its best, people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, abilities and ages join together in developing and implementing creative solutions to social problems. Organizing amplifies the voices of those whose interests are too often overlooked.
Money alone does not bring about change; nor do individuals. But when people band together and form organizations to focus their collective power, social change can happen. When a large number of organizations work together toward a common goal, that's a movement. Movements make change.
On the surface, social change movements appear to be spontaneous bursts of energy, a sweep of people, outraged and energized, rising forth to demand some form of change. But in truth, social change movements flow from careful organizing, massive public education, sustained agitation, and, at times, inspired collaboration across the divides of race, gender and class. These movements are driven by human energy, intelligence, courage -- as well as money.
The following may help give a more concrete understanding of social change:
SOCIAL CHANGE- n.
1.) The structural transformation of political,
social and economic systems and institutions
to create a more equitable and just society.
2. Proponents target the underlying causes of critical social problems, such as homelessness, discrimination and poverty.
3. While a variety of organizing and advocacy methods are utilized, social change organizations are characterized by activism, cooperation, persistence, and dedication of their members. (Example: An association of people with developmental disabilities working collectively to address issues of discrimination by empowering its members to advocate for themselves and collectively challenging service providers, government agencies and other institutions to ensure equal access and rights for ALL developmentally disabled people.)
Opposite: Status quo; charity; business as usual;
temporary solutions
One of our nation's must fundamental errors in education reform in our disadvantaged urban and rural communities is that we do not address the underlying causes of failure in our schools--the communities in which the schools are in and that our children are being forced to come home to.
Americas investment in its public education system is the vital issue of our generation. The reforms we take part in today will dictate whether or not we create a generation of learners, dreamers, thinkers, creators, inventors, and builders for tomorrow. We cannot continue to argue whether or not school vouchers are better than 100% public school education or if charter schools can fully prepare our young people for the real world or if private schools are the only savior for a "real" education. Simply put, we must ensure every child is receiving a first-rate education everywhere regardless of race, belief, or social/economical upbringing. I suppose the big question then becomes what is a first rate education? Lets start with the basics:
(1) Parents who mentor and ensure their child is attending class and respecting his or her teacher,
(2) Students who come prepared and willing to learn every single day and expect a challenge, and
(3) Teachers and school administrators who are fully prepared, excited, and qualified to teach our next generation of Americans.
There are many examples of school systems that fail to accomplish any of those goals and there are also many who greatly match and exceed them--and those are the schools we should be studying and looking at as a model for school reform and social change. We also cannot continue to endlessly throw money at schools that are simply failing our young people. There must be an end to excuses, poor results, mismanagement of resources, and failed expectations. If we expect our young people to want to learn, to be excited and able to do so, we must first offer them a product that is worthwhile and prepares them for not only the challenges of today, but for the hopes and dreams of the future. I truly believe that the future prosperity of our nation depends on the fate of our urban and rural school districts and communities alike. We must begin to truly understand these communities--meeting with parents, students, teachers, administrators, experts, and so forth, to forge ahead in a new model for education reform that directly links with a new model for social change and economic prosperity.
Young people who are engaged in their communities, who see the link between a solid education and a solid job--that believe that their home is a sacred place, that their lives are more important than drugs, gangs, or violence--these and much more are all vital in our quest to change and inspire a new generation of individuals. It won't happen over night or in a couple of years--but through the sharing of ideas and knowledge I believe we can overcome these great challenges. Through the building and linking of young people and parents with not just their school, but their surrounding environment I believe we can bring about real change. Having families create and run their own businesses, helping to build their own homes and schools, making them directly responsible for their own failure or success--and guiding them with the necessary tools for strong financial planning, educational growth, life skills, and so forth--I believe would be a new and interesting model for a better society for many living in poverty without hope or purpose.
We cannot simply depend on schools to do all of these things and still be able to fully educate our young people. There must be a partnership that brings together many ideas, community and business groups, and families. The investment would not only benefit those who join it, but also our society as a whole through the lessening of social welfare, the rise in prison rates, violence, drug use and instead would create a generation of independent, self-motivated, dream driven idealists who would create a new American legacy. When we are able to show young people who have been denied success all their life, who have been told they cannot go over the mountain, and who simply see life as a dead-end, we are able to expand on the idea that we are all in this together and that with every success story comes proof that given a challenge, a chance, and the right education--anything is possible.
We cannot continue to disregard the importance of social and economic change in our mission to reform our schools and our communities--economic and health inequality just to name a few. These ventures and goals are all intricately linked--they feed off of one another for good or for worse. So just close your eyes for a minute and imagine a community that wholeheartedly embraces their culture, their dreams and goals, their schools and leaders, and that feed off success rather than failure, hope instead of hopelessness, prosperity over depression, and the belief that each and every one of us can control our own futures and in turn open up new doors for a better and more enriching life. We can do this and we must or we are putting aside a whole generation of young people into the pits of failure and demise that will affect this country and this world for centuries to come. I challenge our leaders and each of us to stand up for a new model of education and community reform that embraces these ideas and beliefs:
(1) Education reform is linked directly with community and social reform,
(2) Empowering inner city communities to become caretakers and reformists of their own lives and neighborhoods will positively impact our nation for generations to come,
(3) Increasing personal development and life skills within our communities and schools is a method to empower lasting social change,
(4) Challenging all people to take positive risks and become independent entrepreneurs and leaders is a positive step for our society, and
(5) Failure to believe that all people are of self-worth and of vital importance to the future success of America and the international community will only lead to increased social welfare and dependency, lack of innovation, a stagnant economy, and decreased independence on ones own natural gifts, ideals, and hopes.
Through this model the goal is to create a system in which all areas of the community is coming together to reform not only education, but the systemic problems that plague disadvantaged school districts across the nation--poverty, lack of economic development, lack of health services, and so forth. By utilizing the energy and ideas of our nation's must idealistic young people, we can harness that energy to solve long-standing social problems that will not only improve the communities that we serve, but also the long-term future of our country and the earth.
Our Model for Social Change and Sustainability And Your Role
"Unless we involve people in the definition of their problems and the choice of solutions, we will produce a thin governing system that produces public services that patch over problems rather than going to their heart."
--Gerry Stoker, Chair of the New Local Government Network (NLGN) think-tank and Professor of Political Science at Manchester University.
Generation We Solve focuses on:
Community development and economic sustainability in disadvantaged urban communities.
Health (Obesity, HIV/Aids, Health Care Access, Safe Sex Education, etc.)
Poverty (Homelessness, job/skills training, financial education workshops, etc)
Education Reform (After school programs, parents & student education hour, school curriculum reform, etc).
Development and Sustainability (Clean energy, reduced water use, improved economic stability, etc).
As a GenWeSolve Fellow you will focus your social change proposal on improving disadvantaged communities so they are able to become self-sufficient, sustainable, and independent.
Meet with community bubble (citizens, leaders, businesses, non-profit groups, and other groups you deem necessary)---As you go out and meet with your community bubble it will be vital that you discuss the vision and mission of GenWeSolve and your role in the organization. Ensure that you keep adequate notes, either with a voice-recorder or a video camera to ensure all information that is vital to the project can be sent to our Social Project Development Team.
It is vital that you communicate with as many members of the community bubble as possible to ensure project feasibility, support, and community engagement. As a project leader it will be your responsibility to keep an adequate contact list of all those you have engaged in the community bubble.
Identify social needs
As you engage your community bubble--take note of the social issues and challenges that you come across. Choose projects that are feasible, measurable, and most likely to succeed. Each community has different social needs and will require different solutions.
And be sure to check our site database to ensure another project leader/team has not created a viable and feasible social change proposal that could possibly be used at your site.
Meet with GenWeSolve Project Development Team for initial brainstorming
It is vital that once you have engaged your community bubble and developed a list of social issues to be solved that you contact our development team. They will guide you through the process of implementing your project, play devil's advocate, and ensure that your proposed solution is the best idea and has all the resources and tools needed to succeed.
Review initial brainstorming data/ideas with community bubble
Once you have met with our development team you will then present your draft social change proposal to your community bubble to gain their feedback and perspective. Please be open to any and all ideas with an open mind and open heart. Listen intently and take all ideas seriously and respectfully.
Re-work proposals and put into action!
Once you have ironed out the details and re-worked your social change proposal with your community bubble and the GenWeSolve Development Team it is time to put your plan into action.
Once you complete this initial process, you will catalog your initial social change project proposal on our website at http://www.genwesolve.com. This will allow you to tag your progress, ups and downs, needed resources to succeed, and any other pertinent information that our team should know in order to assist you.
As you implement your social change project you will have continuous support from the GenWeSolve office. It is vitally important that you recruit a team of appropriate size that you believe will be needed to implement your social change project.
It will also be vital for your team to work actively with your "community bubble" to ensure constant communication, progress, support, and to conduct project changes as needed. As a project leader you must also sign our volunteer contract and ensure that each member of your team is registered with the GenWeSolve office and have signed volunteer contracts as well.
Potential Other Methodology:
THINK....about a social issue that concerns you and that is systemic.
FIND...a community in which this systemic social ill is present.
LISTEN...to the community and understand their needs, listen to their ideas and solutions.
CREATE...a social change plan that addresses those needs and provides socially sustainable solutions that solve that systemic ill.
$10,000 in grant funding per project—Ten projects per year.
Social change training and support from Generation We Solve
Submit project proposal through our website at http://www.genwesolve.com
The information you provide during the initial application phase will be considered in the selection of your project
Biography
Two Recommendations
College Transcript(s)
Two essays—one on a social issue and ways you would solve it and how you define social change in the 21st Century.
Phone Interview
Resume
All applicants must be at least a junior in college/university
Applicants must have sufficient English fluency and be a US Citizen.
Applicants must be willing to attend the GenWeSolve Training conference
Must have shown demonstrated leadership and entrepreneurial qualities.
Must have record of integrity, honesty, and concern for disadvantaged communities.
Must be able to clearly explain and detail your social change project
Must be willing to spend at least a full summer in Washington, DC—providing your own housing and transportation to and from.
Those selected as GenWeSolve Fellows will be partnered with a local or national non-profit organization in Washington, DC that correlates with their social change vision and goals prior to the start of their project.
Cost of your project—Project must stay within your $10,000 Fellowship grant
Your project must have a budget requirement under $10,000. We will work with you to ensure all the parameters of your project are met and fit within this budget.
Project must have measurable and attainable goals and benchmarks
Your project must have measurable goals and benchmarks. In order to ensure your project is successful it is vital that it is mapped out as a year-long project with clear expectations and results.
Project must be innovative and useful
Your project must provide new and insightful ways to solve a social ill facing a community. Ensure you are actively engaging many sources within the community you plan to serve as well as friends and family to motivate and assist you on your social change endeavor.
Project must attack a systemic social ill
Generation We Solve is committed to solving systemic social ills that plague disadvantaged urban and rural communities. We endeavor to select social change projects that get at the root causes of these social ills, rather than simply patching them up.
Project must have the ability to be replicated
Social change projects that have the ability to be re-created for other communities with similar social ills is of necessity.
The Number of People Served:
The projects we select must have a wide-range in the amount of citizens the project serves. Those that have the most chance for success and serve the most move further along in the selection process.
Resources provided and needed:
The projects that provide the most resources to communities in an efficient manner, while needing the least amount of resources to achieve success are of utmost need.
Systemic Change
Projects that go after the underlying and systemic problems within the communities being served—affecting public policy, social change & sustainability within the community, and can be replicated in other communities both domestic and foreign are of utmost need.
The goal of your social change project should always be how best to efficiently and creatively change the trajectory of a low-income, undeserved community so that it is able to become independent and self-sufficient in some form of social change that attacks a systemic problem. After your social change project is completed and put into action, we will work with you to determine the length of time that is needed to measure the success rate of the project through an extensive self-response survey, personal interview, and observation of the community served overtime.
As you have read our guide to social change you have begun the first step in building a better generation for tomorrow. We hope that you feel empowered, engaged, and ready to serve communities and social issues that you hold dearly in your heart and mind. We know that this will not be easy--there will be good days and bad days, ups and down, mess-ups and successes--however, never forget why you are here---and that is to truly change the world. Through your hard work and dedication a community will gain a new ray of hope and life and within itself will become an independent incubator of sustainability and success. Every child and family deserves the opportunity to succeed and live a life of full potential. We all have hopes and dreams and many us never have the opportunity to live them. Thanks again for your service and its time to change the world!
Discovering Your Purpose
Everyday I am constantly looking at the society and world around us and the issues that shape our daily beliefs, ideas, and visions. These issues range from education to health care to drugs. What makes the human mind tick and the way we think about everything! All those things are as complex as the development of an affordable hydrogen powered vehicle. It is so amazing to just think about how complex humans truly are in life. We all hold so many deep and personal beliefs and opinions about almost everything! We are shaped and molded by not only our own experiences, but from those that we see daily within our families, on the news, or by what we see and read in newspapers, magazines, and on the streets.
Some of us are passionate about ending hunger, while others are fighting for the environment. We all have some deep and strong personal vision on how we see the world and what we as humans can do to improve it and keep it healthy and strong. For me, life is all about being a positive impact in the lives of others, particularly those who are less fortunate and are unable to fight for themselves. I feel very strongly about inner city schools and communities, mainly because that is where my family grew up in and moved away from, which is why I feel as though I am the smart and idealistic person I am today. I want other young people to have the same chance I had in life to be successful in all that
I do.
Life is not only about knowing what we stand for and fighting for those issues, but also about knowing whom we are and discovering our innermost thoughts and feelings. Because once we are able to do that, we can become almost a new light of hope and justice for the world. We become more confident, self-reliant, and faithful in what we are here for on this huge and interesting planet we call Earth. No one person is on this Earth without a purpose and reason for living. Once we find our purpose, we can become visionaries of new ideas and thinking. Some people I consider visionaries are Colin Powell, Oprah, Martin Luther King Jr., and Bill Gates. All of them figured out their purpose in life, pursued it greatly, worked hard, and made a positive difference in the world for the better. Never be afraid to just open your eyes, ears, heart, and soul to the world around you. Because you never know what you might discover deep within yourself!
Imagine a place where ideas are created, dreams are lived, and hands-on interactive experiences are the cornerstone of learning. An education foundation in which children are seen, not merely as test-taking robots, but as active participants and equals in their own educational future now and in the future. A place filled with excitement, interactive learning, cooperation, and respect--where theaters and auditoriums are places of improvisation, acting, and being--science labs to experiment and create, art centers to draw and imagine.
For many schools this is not just an imagination, but a reality. Children are truly able to see themselves in the work they accomplish. They are able to learn not merely by just seeing, but also by doing--they can not just be told to dream big, but they can live their dreams now in the present. Every young mind is such a precious, delicate, and important idea that must be nurtured and expanded. The young mind must be challenged and tested, excited and calmed.
Everyday I get the opportunity to work with young people who do not have all of these necessary resources, let alone the motivation to push themselves further. However, they come to school ready for whatever the day brings them--either good or bad. They learn and make-do with what they have and when they succeed, the smile on their faces makes my work and the work of my peers even more gratifying and heart warming. Even though they do not always listen to me the first time or even third time, they know that I am there to make their lives just a little bit better, to help them go farther than they thought was possible.
And little do they know, they are challenging me to do the same--to stand up in the face of adversity, to live everyday as though it is my last, and to never allow the little things get to me too much. I know that they are special and if they were given the same resources as many of their fellow peers across this nation, they too would be able to attend the best colleges and attain the best jobs in the future. However, as of now, they are at a deep disadvantage in the quest for equal educational opportunities.
I have come to the conclusion that standardized testing would not be a necessity if school districts and our nation would invest in the resources, teachers, infrastructure, and commitment to learning that we all know is possible and necessary for the future success of our country in this global economy. When rural and inner city youth have been trained to expect mediocrity or at worse failure, why should they show respect, concern, love, or a true passion for learning when they know their is no light at the end of the tunnel? Instead they are forced to see education as just another long step to failure, just as many of their parents and relatives have experienced.
It is so hard to see hope, prosperity, or a chance for success when no one believes in you. With the election of President Barack Obama, I truly hope this will be a turning point in education. My students have truly been inspired by the Obama presidency and it gives them hope that they too can become something great in our society, no matter the color of their skin or their current socio-economic status. But, that will not last forever, that is why we must show them this hope and chance for success through action.
When it comes to inspiring, challenging, and growing the minds of our future doctors, entrepreneurs, scientists, thinkers, artists, and so forth--from Pre-K through college, they must be immersed in a full spectrum of educational opportunities and cultural awareness. This is where our present and future must lead us--our commitment to learning must be unwavering, wide-ranging, diverse, challenging, motivating--and without excuses or acceptance of failure.
We should expect nothing less than perfection from our students, parents, teachers, staff, and education administration, both locally, state-wide, and nationally. These are all of our children--no matter where they live, the color of their skin, or what we believe they are. They are the future, are we ready to accept failure or mark a turning point in providing every child with a true and equal education? I say we must for the sake of our nation and for the sake of every child who dares to dream.
Success
Wealth. Power. Happiness. Family. Friends. Partners. Luck. Hard Work. Dedication. Goals. What exactly determines success in the 21st Century and what is the definition of success? Is it achieving a set goal? Making millions off a successful product or service? Is it going to college and living a great life with a family? Ultimately success is defined by each individual. However, if you are aiming to have a successful life that is defined by how you change the environment around you--as an entrepreneur is concerned--how do you achieve that level of success that is noticed by society and be rewarded for it?
For many who achieve success in the business world a string of many actions precipitated full fledged success. For instance, Bill Gates credits the fact that he was able to have access to a computer, in which most citizens did not, as a means for his future success. Imagine if Bill Gates never came into contact with a computer--what would the world look like? Some people are able to truly change society as we know it.
If you look at other success stories in the entrepreneur world, success comes from a myriad of opportunities, luck, perseverance, dedication, and resources. I believe that everyone has a success vision within them, but most will never be tapped. They will never have the opportunities they need, the resources, the support, or the luck. Today success is so narrowly defined and cultivated, that for many if you live outside of mainstream society and do not have the connections or education to progress and push your ideas, you may never be heard or seen. But just because you feel left out of the process and unable to push through to the front, success can be achieved in practically all areas overtime.
Simply start with a vision and truly think about how that vision can become real and truly positively impact society. Read articles, books, magazines, and other success stories that correlate with your vision. Then you must begin to write out those thoughts and ideas--mapping out the pros and cons, mission, vision, overall strategy for success, and any other details that come to mind. And most importantly talk to close friends and relatives that can provide encouragement and advice--the worse thing you can do is keep your vision bottled up. You may end up meeting someone who can move you further down the path to success. It is also vital that you believe in your vision--because people know when you truly believe in your passion and are more willing to join your cause. Lastly, take risks and do not give up. Nothing was ever started and completed without some form of risk taken--whether you need to take out loans to start a venture or work an extra 10 hours a week--whatever those risks are, ensure that they move you along in your quest for success and stay committed.
Success truly is what you make of it and how far you are willing to go. Through your success, I hope you find the most ultimate goal of all: Happiness.
We are the future leaders of this world and our decisions today will affect the standards, morals, and policies of this country and world. Either the world will look at us and say “wow, this future generation of leaders and American’s stood up for something, they fought for educational reform, helping those unfortunate, and they made a difference to make the world a better place” or they will see a generation that was apathetic to politics, apathetic to positive change and education, and apathetic to making a difference.
I know it is hard to imagine how we are supposed to take a stand, how we are suppose to initiate this change and revolution, but simply put we must ACT. We must act in the way of voting, debating, volunteering, recruiting, and taking a stand. And in order to act we must educate ourselves—educating ourselves on the issues, the candidates, policy, and how we can make a real difference. Knowledge is the most powerful weapon when it comes to debating and working for change. I believe that we are the next generation to bring about this peaceful revolution of ideas, excitement, involvement, and most importantly change.
To simply not act in this pivotal time would be equivalent to allowing a whole generation to simply erase itself from the history books. There are so many issues that are at a very important stage of change in our history—education reform, health care reform, social security, the future of our environment, and so forth. We have the opportunity to take charge of these issues and to shape them to fit the needs and wants of our generation. A generation that is idealistic, passionate, creative, and willing to take risks for a better tomorrow.
I challenge you to simply not fight for your own survival, but for our nation’s survival. No one is promised tomorrow, so we must live everyday as if it is our last. In the words of President John F. Kennedy, “A revolution is coming - a revolution which will be peaceful if we are wise enough; compassionate if we care enough; successful if we are fortunate enough - but a revolution which is coming whether we will it or not. We can affect its character; we cannot alter its inevitability.”
For centuries, many of our world’s greatest leaders, philosophers, entrepreneurs, and thinkers have lived by a simple, but yet provocative law. The Law of Attraction-which simply means believing in one’s own goals and self, will essentially create your destiny and life. Many of us wake up daily not without a positive attitude, and without a path to success. We simply go about our day not really giving much thought to the positive things around us and our own imaginations. Just think back when you were a child, always thinking of new games, ways to beat boredom, and you actually brought those creative ways of thinking to life. Yet as you got older, you simply let the problems of the world push you down and halt your thinking and imagination. You let the negative overtake the positive, and you simply lived day by day without giving any thought to what tomorrow held for you.
However, I have very good news for you; it is never too late to turn back the clock of negativity, sadness, hopelessness, and loss of imagination. Great people such as Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Einstein, Jesus, Henry Ford, Winston Churchill, I could go on and on lived by this law and this philosophy of life. As kids, growing up we read about them throughout our classes in amazement. We wondered how could these individuals invent such things, create such hope, and inspire so many people.
These great individuals followed their dreams, hopes, and aspirations without regard to the trials and tribulations they would face or the failures they incurred on their way to success. They believed in something, they put one foot out in front of the other, even when they did not have the answer and they made their imaginations come true. See, each and everyday we are all capable of doing great things, as well as bringing our hopes and dreams crashing down.
We can go about each and everyday complaining, moaning, and blaming everyone else for our problems in life. We can go to work not liking our job, we can stay in a relationship that just is not working, or we can bring about positive change in our lives and start over. You, all of us, have the power to essentially bring about a new and improved us, which in the end brings about a better world. What you think and believe is what will come about. So think positive, do positive things, give to others, work daily towards short and long-term goals, and most importantly never quit imagining. Look around you—your computer, phone, books, desk, etc. are all created items from the imagination and hands of man. Never forget that you to are capable of great things!
I challenge you to start that business idea you have always had, to finish the poem you never finished, and most importantly do not make excuses. What you have today is enough to bring about the imaginative and powerful change that we are all capable of doing. I find it very funny and interesting at the people who win the lottery. They always seem to be those who are less off, poor, but at the same time, they are happy, thoughtful, and they have played for years upon years always hoping, dreaming, and knowing that one day, they would win. In addition, when that day comes, we see them on the news and we ask ourselves, wow I wish that were I!
That is the attitude we cannot have. YOU can be and do anything you believe in. That does not mean it is going to happen overnight, but I guarantee you, what you imagine, can and will come true through positive thinking and dedication. Your life can start anew today—stop looking at those that have more than you with envy, why not look at those people for inspiration—for the drive to empower your own life to do great things. Remember that your thoughts of hope or failure are essentially, what you will get. So think and do on the hopeful side, because that is where greatness of life will show its amazing glory.
Recruiting Volunteers:
http://www.samhsa.gov/fbci/Volunteer_handbook.pdf
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/386781/volunteer_recruitment_and_retention.html
Branding non-profits/social change projects
http://www.iconocast.com/ZZZZZResearch_Files/Non_prof.pdf
http://www.thinkpersonality.com/think/pdfs/valueofbranding.pdf
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/05/branding-non-profits.php
http://www2.guidestar.org/rxa/news/articles/2004/nonprofit-branding-unveiling-the-essentials.aspx?articleId=833
http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/npodesign/npodesign.jhtml?id=37800053
Social Change/Entrepreneurs
http://www.ashoka.org/social_entrepreneur
http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/smsmallbiz/article194830.html
http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/whatis/
http://www.skollfoundation.org/aboutsocialentrepreneurship/whatis.asp
http://www.skollfoundation.org/media/skoll_docs/2007SP_feature_martinosberg.pdf
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