Dowser: How did your background lead you to developing programs for children?
Buchbinder: I worked in various camps growing up and always had a passion for children. I studied International Relations and realized that I was not interested in an exclusively government position. In 2007 I was one of eleven delegates to a program organized by the government of Japan called ‘Ship for World Youth,’ which aims to establish networks and activities for youth leaders across the world. There I met a Canadian woman named Dara Parker who was working on a program called ‘Sport in a Box,’ which introduces global themes through physical activities. I had always been a hyperactive girl involved in many sports and I was really excited by the opportunity to link themes this way.

How did you translate this idea to the Mexican context?
When I got back to Mexico I asked a fellow delegate if he would start a project like ‘Sport in a Box’ with me and try it out for a year. We worked together to adapt and ‘tropicalize’ the idea to Mexico and changed the games to be more identified with Mexico. We piloted one semester and we were amazed with the results.

How did and do you translate the UN’s broad goals into local ones?
The broad goal of the program is to invite children to be local change-makers, and to this end we emphasize five main values in all of our games – teamwork, fair play, respect, tolerance and gender equality. We have a huge obesity problem in Mexico, so we hope to also teach physical activity through these games. We train teachers to implement our activities in school and in indigenous shelters for underdeveloped municipalities so that a large diversity of students can get access to the program. We started in 2007 and ever since 80% of the students we work with are indigenous.

How do you help students to internalize these change-making goals?
The whole program is through games so that the kids are having fun while, say, realizing why it is important for them to treat others with respect. After each game – and at various points throughout the curriculum - students reflect on how they felt and how the games relate back to their own realities and personal values.

Where and how did you start the program? Was it adopted quickly by schools?
Our first year we ran semester-long programs and piloted them with zero pesos in our pockets. We started in a shelter in Chihuahua, and just started calling shelters and asking if we could come. We also piloted in two private schools in Mexico City, including Colegio Ciudad the Mexico, the one I’d attended. As we expand it’s been very important to us to maintain a diversity of public and private schools as well as indigenous shelters. It’s very difficult to add things to teachers’ jobs because they already have so much to get through, but with this program they seem to fall in love with it on their own. Teachers have said that just our three-day training has changed their whole perspective on teaching – made it more human, more motivating. To date we have had more than 30,000 participants.

How did you get connected and funded to work in schools? #

To see more stories from Latin America, click here.

How do you evaluate the results of the program? #

We measure qualitative results in terms of how much students’ self-perception changes and to what extent they begin to see themselves as change-makers with social capital. We measure quantitative results in three areas – students’ understanding of the Millennium Goals, how much they’ve adopted healthy lifestyles, and how much local community development is being enhanced through the program. #

Why do you think communities are so interested in adopting your program?
From the very beginning participating teachers told us in evaluations that they saw a huge change in children’s’ attitudes and parents reported that students were more cooperative and helpful at home. We always receive amazingly positive evaluations and have more applications for the program than we can handle. We’re looking to expand within the next five years to more area of Latin America, and ideally to migrant communities in the US. Alliances through Ashoka, the UN Network and the International Youth Foundation make this seem eventually possible! #

Photo: Deport-es para Compartir staff #]]> http://dowser.org/sports-to-share-an-interview-with-dina-buchbinder/feed/ 1 http://dowser.org/photographs-pencils-of-promise-leadership-institute/ http://dowser.org/photographs-pencils-of-promise-leadership-institute/#comments Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:51:53 +0000 Dowser http://dowser.org/?p=14766 Photographs by Oscar Pocasangre | Text by Blair Hickman #

It's run mainly by people under thirty. It occupies an office in the hip Lower East Side. They've snagged endorsement from Justin Bieber. #

In short: Pencils of Promise exists to empower youth. They call it "The 49%," the half of their mission devoted to fostering a generation of changemakers. The other 51% of their energy goes toward building schools in developing countries. #

But it's that 49% that we think sets PoP apart and may, as founder Adam Braun said in this Journey of Action video, make PoP the defining nonprofit of the Millenial generation. It's a ripple effect, spread with several strategies: junior boards scattered across the states, fundraising campaigns that target school-age kids and advocacy toolkits customized for a range of demographics. #

This summer, Pencils of Promise also hosted a series of free Leadership Institutes for high school students, held in New York City. By bringing in speakers like Warby Parker's Niel Blumenthal, each day-long event aimed to teach participants the essentials of changemaking leadership: public speaking, entrepreneurship, advocacy. The list goes on. #

Dowser attended the institute on July 27th. We live-blogged the event, which you can find here, and also compiled this photo essay to give you a better idea of what it's like. Check out the slideshow to see young changemakers in action: #

• "We wanted to have something to allow young people to participate and donate something other than money, like time, their voice, and also just a way for us to engage young people."- Jocelyn Kmet, PoP

   

  http://dowser.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PLI2.jpg

• "For Pencils of Promise it’s not just about having these schools all over the world be successful and sustainable, but for us to actually sustain the movement behind it." - Jocelyn Kmet

   

  http://dowser.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PLI3.jpg #

• "We numb ourselves with Facebook, the Internet, and gadgets so that we don't have to confront the pressing issues of the world we live in" - Koji Shiraki, musician/activist

   

  http://dowser.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PLI5.jpg #

• "At the end of the day, doing good is good business." - Neil Blumenthal from Warby Parker, reflecting on how for-profit businesses can also have a positive social impact.

   

  http://dowser.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PLI6.jpg #

• Lee Brenner strives to use his voice to make a difference in the world. This has taken him to start HyperVocal - described by Brenner as a mix of the Huffington Post and the Daily Show.

   

  http://dowser.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PLI8.jpg #

• Participants listen to Lee Brenner talk about how he combined his interests in international relations and journalism through social media.

   

  http://dowser.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PLI7.jpg #

• "Our main purpose is to help solve the global education crisis and that’s what we are trying to get these kids to become leaders in, and understanding what the global education crisis is is the first step to do that." - Jocelyn Kmet

   

  http://dowser.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PLI1.jpg #

• The ability to convert one's passion into action was one of the things that resonated the most among the participants of the Leadership Institute.

   

  http://dowser.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PLI10.jpg #

• Participants write down what they learned after the Leadership Institute talks.

   

  http://dowser.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/PLI4.jpg #

The event is part of their Pop Up Summer Series, an array of seminars taking place in New York City from July 19th to August 17th. Topics range from social media to female empowerment to public speaking, but the goal is the same: educate, inspire and motivate high school students to become community leaders.  PoP calls it their "49%"--the half of their mission that focuses on empowering a global generation of youth--and it is, in our opinion, the core of their ripple effect. #

In case you're not in New York, Dowser's own global Millenial, Oscar Pocasangre, will be live-blogging the event. He wants to be your eyes and ears, so send him comments. Ask him questions. Here's how to get in touch: #

#

• Email dowser@scribblelive.com
• Interact with the liveblog below or on our Facebook page.
• Send tweets with the hashtag #askdowser.

So watch, engage and share, and we'll see you on Wednesday. #

#]]> http://dowser.org/live-blog-pli/feed/ 0 http://dowser.org/on-starting-over-maria-springer-of-kito-international/ http://dowser.org/on-starting-over-maria-springer-of-kito-international/#comments Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:10:45 +0000 Dowser http://dowser.org/?p=8578 When a good idea is executed poorly, the smart social entrepreneur will often scrap the project and go back to the drawing board. In this series entrepreneurs talk about discarding what isn’t working and starting over in order to maximize social impact. #

Maria Springer is the co-founder of Kito International an organization that employs Kenyan street youth in BoP (Base of the Pyramid) businesses. #

Dowser: What's something concrete and tangible you've learned in the last three months?
Springer: I learned to listen to others, but then follow my own instincts. #

My partner at Kito International is Wiclif Otieno, a former street boy, who envisioned a new future for street youth everywhere. He wanted to create an organization to ensure that street youth were given the economic opportunity to get off the streets forever. After receiving funding through a corporate sponsor (Cold Open), I flew to Kenya to help Wiclif build his vision into a reality. #

When I told advisors and practitioners that Wiclif was the Country Director of Kito International, many 'experts' warned me that he didn’t have the experience or education to pull it off. They warned me that Kito might fail if such an inexperienced man led our efforts in Kenya. For a time I second-guessed myself, but I always had a strong feeling that they were wrong. Although development organizations are almost always led by the privileged and educated, I felt that inspiration, conviction and first-hand experience could trump any MBA or formal job experience. Who better to lead and inspire youth to work their way off the streets than someone who has done it themselves? #

Last month, Wiclif was invited to the Opportunity Collaboration in Ixtapa, Mexico as a Cordes Fellow. The youth in our program were thrilled. They pooled their money, threw him a surprise party and saw him off at the airport. It was the first time he had been on a plane, the first time he had visited a foreign country and the first time he’d spoken publicly at a formal event (in front of 400 people). Wiclif galvanized the crowd when he said, 'I never imagined that I, a former street boy, would travel across continents to represent the power of opportunity to this room.' He returned with advisors, contacts and funding. He inspires me every single day. And what is more important, he inspires our youth to believe that they are capable of making their dreams a reality. #

What is a mistake or mishap you've learned from?
In June of 2010, Kito launched its pilot. Three weeks later, we threw our model out the window. #

When Kito launched its pilot, we planned to train and employ street youth while we prepared them to start micro-enterprises. We were sure we knew what we were doing. We even developed the idea with groups of street youth. And then we launched the program. After about three weeks, the first seven people in our program told us the program could work better. They said: #

(1)  We want to have much more experience before we start a business. #

(2)   We don’t want to be alone. Kito is like our family, and when we start our own micro-enterprise (that we will run), we’ll be working alone. #

(3)   We don’t want to take out a loan with interest, and then fail. That will leave us worse off than we were already. We may even end up on the streets again. #

(4)   We want to work for a Kito business. Then, we can save up money in case we still want to start our own business. #

Wiclif and I were thrown into a panic. However, after a week of letting their points sink in, Wiclif and I knew that our Kito youth were on to something. First, they were actively committed to developing Kito in partnership with us. Secondly, we got honest feedback before investing additional monies into a program that wasn’t going to work. After brainstorming and conducting market research, we decided to launch a direct sales business that employs Kito youth to market and sell products in BoP (Base of the Pyramid) communities. #

Interview has been edited and condensed. #

Photos courtesy of Maria Springer #]]> http://dowser.org/on-starting-over-maria-springer-of-kito-international/feed/ 0 http://dowser.org/on-fundraising-kit-jenkins-of-raw-art-works/ http://dowser.org/on-fundraising-kit-jenkins-of-raw-art-works/#comments Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:26:46 +0000 Dowser http://dowser.org/?p=8518 The best social innovations can get stalled in the ideas-phase without funds to get started. In this series social entrepreneurs discuss fundraising: the strategies, pitfalls and sweat spent on the way to getting backing and raising money. #

Raw Art Works ignites the desire to create in underserved youth. For nearly twenty-five years, the organization has worked with at-risk youth in visual art and filmmaking, fostering a community where children and teens can develop their talents and explore artistic mediums.
#

Dowser: What's something concrete you've learned in the last three months?
Kit Jenkins: In a very busy workplace the demands are high, and the risk is high. Every year we have to rebuild our finances as a nonprofit. Very little revenue goes from year to year, so you get people who are good at what they do, like a grant writer. #

The value of getting one well-performing staff member into my office and close my door and for ten minutes say: this is what you bring and for that I appreciate you. Really specific praise and appreciation is important. The attitude of gratitude is important. #

What is a mistake or mishap you've learned from?
A big initiative by a major local funder had been rolled out nine months prior to submitting a proposal.  We went for the absolute top-dollar amount for the absolute longest period of time--$150,000/year for five years.We have a fabulous long-term relationship with the funder and have received accolades from them for years.  I didn't project the full $150,000 in my budgeting (proposal was submitted just before end of one fiscal year, with announcements coming out in first quarter of new year), but did put a very significant portion of that into our new fiscal year projections. #

The mistake that I made was that I didn’t monitor the results coming from the quarterly cycle funding decisions; there had been three by the time we submitted, and by the time we approved our budget.  Decisions were not nearly in line with the original proclamations, and had been diminishing over time.  I was too confident, which I rarely am.  I should have scanned the horizon, listened to the grapevine, much more closely.  We received just one third of the requested amount, so we have had to scramble since then in an unpredictable economy. #

Interview has been edited and condensed. #

Photo courtesy of Kit Jenkins #]]> http://dowser.org/on-fundraising-kit-jenkins-of-raw-art-works/feed/ 0 http://dowser.org/mini-case-study-how-to-resurrect-a-social-service-cut-by-tight-government-budgets/ http://dowser.org/mini-case-study-how-to-resurrect-a-social-service-cut-by-tight-government-budgets/#comments Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:00:20 +0000 Dowser http://dowser.org/?p=11990 PROBLEM:
In 2006, residents of Arlington, VA were close to losing an after-school program that taught kids how to fix bikes. Community Spokes, as the program was known then, recruited economically disadvantaged students to learn bicycle mechanics, at once offering an after-school activity and an employable trade. The program was run by an employee of Arlington County and funded by a federal grant. It wasn’t meeting certain federal criteria for attendance, so the program lost its funding. But Arlington residents didn't give up on the program so easily. #

RESPONSE:
A small group of residents and cycling enthusiasts had an alternative vision: they would re-open the shop as an independent nonprofit. Together, the group worked to open what would become Phoenix Bikes, named after the mythical bird that symbolizes rebirth. The group met many times with supporters at the Arlington County Board, who in the end let Phoenix continue to operate, for free, in the same spot as before – a squat concrete building that looks more like an oversized tool shed than a bike shop. The group also tried to persuade the county to support the program with an $8,000 annual grant. #

Phoenix’s founders needed more than money, though. In order to operate, they needed legal recognition as a corporation. That would take time. In order to get the re-imagined program up and running, the founders looked to the Greenbrier Learning Center, an after-school tutoring program in Arlington that, legally speaking, took Phoenix under its wing as Phoenix waited for formal incorporation. #

RESULTS:
The work seems to have paid off. The county, at least to this point, has continued funding Phoenix with the $8,000 grant. It has also allowed the nonprofit to stay in its concrete shanty, rent-free. Phoenix is also now an independent corporation. #

More important though is what Phoenix has grown into. #

Phoenix has had as many as 60 student volunteers each year, though Executive Director Kelly Auer says the numbers have dropped to a level the organization can realistically accommodate. One facet of Phoenix is the earn-a-bike program, in which students volunteer 25 hours of their time in exchange for a free bike. In those hours, they learn to identify the parts of a bike, how a bike operates, and basic bike repair skills. After this initial volunteering period, students, if still interested, can pursue one of three additional volunteer programs, including advanced bike mechanics. If they continue to volunteer, students are rewarded with store credit, which they can use to buy more bikes and bike parts. #

But where do all these bikes and parts come from? Residents from the region donate their bikes – in hoards, it turns out. Phoenix has so many donations, in fact, that the shop at night is filled almost to the entrance with bikes, which volunteers and staff then move out front in the morning. #

This bounty allows Phoenix to fix up and sell used bikes and parts to the public, all of which come at a highly discounted price. And because students work as volunteer mechanics in the shop, Phoenix can give tune-ups and other fixes at a bargain. The organization prides itself on not only providing this very valuable service to the thrifty bike shopper, but on teaching often-disadvantaged kids to be skilled entrepreneurs. And that service, according to Auer, heavily resonates with locals, who are happy to help a good cause by donating their bikes or time. #

“In the community it’s inspirational that we’re providing an outlet for kids,” she said. “We’re giving kids confidence that life isn’t so desperate.  I think it’s a community spirit, giving youth a chance.” #]]> http://dowser.org/mini-case-study-how-to-resurrect-a-social-service-cut-by-tight-government-budgets/feed/ 0 http://dowser.org/interview-eboo-patel-on-promoting-religious-plurality-in-america/ http://dowser.org/interview-eboo-patel-on-promoting-religious-plurality-in-america/#comments Mon, 14 Feb 2011 16:00:51 +0000 Dowser http://dowser.org/?p=5987 Growing up Muslim in Chicago, Eboo Patel was familiar with faith-based tension from an early age, and has watched as jihad entered the cultural lexicon and Islam became synonymous with terrorism. He longed to reconcile differences between religions as a means of creating a more just and peaceful world, and knew young adults would have to lead the charge. And so in 1998 Patel founded Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) to promote religious pluralism by bringing together college-age leaders from different faiths. In 2009, Patel was one of 25 advisors selected for President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. That same year, U.S. News & World Report named Patel one of America’s best leaders. Here Patel talks about how to build religious pluralism. #

Dowser: What urgent problem are you trying to solve?
Patel: I am trying to solve the problem of how religiously-diverse people around the world are going to engage each other. We live in a time when people of different religious backgrounds are interacting with greater frequency and intensity than ever before. And there are all these forces out there that are nurturing this interaction towards violence and extremism and we want to nurture that interaction towards cooperation and understanding. #

Is there a theory of change that guides your work?
Absolutely. The theory is that religious pluralism is going to be at the heart of peace and stability in world affairs and that young people’s leadership is absolutely central to building religious pluralism. #

What are the obstacles that stand in the way of IFYC achieving its goals?
I think that some people view an organization with a name like The Interfaith Youth Core as doing sweet things with kids, and their response to us is, 'You know, why don’t you just have a lemonade stand to raise your budget?' And my response to that is, 'Do you think Osama bin Laden built Al Qaeda on bake sales?' We are engaging in the same territory as religious extremists are, which is effectively how religious identity is going to play out in the 21^st century. This is an issue of the utmost importance in everything from domestic policy to foreign affairs and it should be taken very seriously. #

Were there any challenging times or experiences in your childhood that shaped your outlook on life and actions since then?
Growing up as an Indian Muslim kid in the western suburbs of Chicago, I had my share of challenges. One of the early questions I had to ask was how was I going to respond to that stuff? And you can either respond by acting destructive in the face of destructiveness or by trying to be constructive. The first few pages of every chapter of my life are filled with destructiveness, and then after that it’s figuring out how to be constructive within a challenging situation. #

This is in some ways what my book [Acts of Faith] is about: standing at the crossroads of inheritance and discovery, looking both ways at once. #

What are the strengths of your organization?
One of the biggest strengths is our excellent staff. I learned from Bill Drayton and the folks at Ashoka that if you are running a social entrepreneurship organization you have to hire social entrepreneurs. #

I also think that we are audacious here. When we found out in 2007 that Tony Blair was starting his Faith Foundation, our question was, ‘How do we build a partnership with those people?’ Well, you make the phone calls and send the emails and keep trying to make your pitch to those people. And you figure out whatever door or window you need to get inside that house. #

Can organizations get by on audacity alone?
Audacity will only take you to the doorstep of opportunity. Once you’re there, if you don’t deliver, then you are not going to get those opportunities any longer and, frankly, you shouldn’t. #

In Acts of Faith you mention the importance of finding a number two – who for you is April Kunze Mendez, vice president of programs at IFYC – that 'complements your skills and whom you would trust with your child.' How does that relationship work?
My wife says to me frequently, 'You know, you only do one thing well,' and that’s actually true. What I do well is communicate the idea and the urgency of the Interfaith Youth Core, and mostly I do everything else not that well. April does everything else: she hires good people, she’s a good manager, she puts together budgets. I think she understands that same thing that my wife understands about me, which is: Eboo does most things badly and one thing well so just have him do what he does well, and put him in a position where he can do that as much as possible. #

Part of what makes someone a social entrepreneur, I think, is they only do a couple things well but they are so focused on those things and they move the ball so far on those. That’s why they are who they are. #

Where do you envision your work in five or 10 years’ time?
I view the Interfaith Youth Core in some ways as being the Ashoka of a new movement – Ashoka being the first institution in the space of social entrepreneurship. We are, in many ways, the first institution in the space of interfaith youth engagement. What we would like to do is catalyze, resource and network a broader movement. In a similar way to how Ashoka networks the best social entrepreneurs, we want to network the best interfaith social entrepreneurs. #

Do you feel you have made sacrifices – financial or otherwise – to do this work?
I’m sure I have, but I don’t really think about it that way. Walking into work every day is almost like walking into a candy store because I basically do exactly what I want to do. The people I email and the people I call in my day-to-day work are the people I want to email and I want to call. But I also get to do it in the service of this really big idea that I believe in. Sometimes it feels like too much, when I’m going to Atlanta and having five meetings a day and then doing an evening talk. But I’d rather have too much of what I love than a whole lot of what I dislike or too little of what I love. #

What advice would you offer a person who aspires to a career of impact?
Find how what you love to do and how you can add value to the world – where those two lines intersect. Whatever it is, just figure out how to give that away. #

Also, remember this: The world is built by people who have crazy dreams and try to make them happen. #

This interview was edited and condensed. #

Photo: Nubar Alexanian #]]> http://dowser.org/interview-eboo-patel-on-promoting-religious-plurality-in-america/feed/ 2 http://dowser.org/interview-echoing-greens-lara-galinsky-on-trends-to-look-for-in-2011/ http://dowser.org/interview-echoing-greens-lara-galinsky-on-trends-to-look-for-in-2011/#comments Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:34:38 +0000 Dowser http://dowser.org/?p=10370 #

Echoing Green fellows participate in a Why Do You Do What You Do presentation at Duke University on July 24, 2008.

Dowser: Based on the most recent group of fellows you've selected at Echoing Green, where do you think the field of social entrepreneurship is going?
Galinsky: This year we received 2,854 applications, and that is a significant increase from the year before. I believe that's an indicator of growth in the sector and we are certainly getting more young people who are interested in working in social entrepreneurship and creating social change, so that's very exciting. I'd walk into a room even five years ago and ask people if they'd heard of the field of social entrepreneurship or Echoing Green, and only a few hands would go up. Now, it has completely flipped. There are even offshoot fields of social entrepreneurship now, the impact investing field for example. The fact that the head researcher for JP Morgan is calling impact investing a new asset class shows that this sector is gaining significant force. #

How do you think the field of social entrepreneurship has evolved in the last couple years?
Based on what I'm seeing now and in the past couple years, I think the field is just going to continue to grow. Some of the areas where I think the field is going to evolve, are we're going to have more universities offering masters in social enterprise, hopefully there will be more of a robust funding pipeline, and more organizations that can flesh out this pipeline so that social entrepreneurs are carried through to scale. I'm seeing more for-profits forming, so there might be more legislation or legal shifts to make it easier for social entrepreneurs to structure their organizations in a way that allows them to have the maximum impact on their constituency. #

As the social entrepreneurship movement gains force and more organizations offer support and investment, how do you think it will be defined on a global scale?
The field is not quite as robust as it needs to be yet because of the fact that there is still no definition for a social entrepreneur. It's easy for someone to say they are a social entrepreneur, but there also isn't any way to disprove it, except through these selection processes like the fellows at Echoing Green. If people are amplified by the title, I think that's a good thing and I'm not sure it makes sense to exclude certain people based on a definition. However, people are looking for hope and solutions, and social entrepreneurship has become a field that is based on solving problems; we aren't just treating symptoms anymore. This recognition of living a life of meaning is significant for the movement and what will ultimately shape the definition of social entrepreneurship. #

What are some of the most interesting ideas you've seen from fellows in the past year?
It's hard for me to answer that question because it's like asking who's your favorite child? But, our applicants are pioneering really interesting ideas and in terms of any trends developing, I'd say we're seeing people have more product-based ideas, and many of them are bottom of the pyramid products. For example, a low cost portable incubator for babies in the developing world. Incubators are not available in many countries, and so fellows are recognizing products as a social solution in particular settings. #

What's next for Echoing Green, and what goals do you have for the organization in the coming year?
We're producing our second book, which will be coming out in the spring, called Work on Purpose. The goal is to inspire more young people to join the movement of social entrepreneurs, and to help them live up to their highest potential as change-makers. We understand that not everyone has an idea for a social enterprise, but there are more and more young people out there who can dedicate their careers to being change makers by working on behalf of these movements. The book profiles five Echoing Green fellows on their journey to figuring out their best and highest purpose. We want to help others realize that they can make career decisions around change making too. #

This interview has been edited and condensed. #

Photo courtesy of Echoing Green #]]> http://dowser.org/interview-echoing-greens-lara-galinsky-on-trends-to-look-for-in-2011/feed/ 2 http://dowser.org/craig-kielburger-on-how-giving-young-activists-more-executive-power-motivates-them-to-stay-involved/ http://dowser.org/craig-kielburger-on-how-giving-young-activists-more-executive-power-motivates-them-to-stay-involved/#comments Mon, 13 Dec 2010 15:40:14 +0000 Dowser http://dowser.org/?p=5015

In 1995, 12-year-old Craig Kielburger was flipping through the Toronto Star looking for comics when he came across an article about the murder of Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani child labor activist who was also 12. Upset by this story, Kielburger gathered a small group of his seventh grade classmates to speak out against child labor, and the Canadian-based Free the Children was born. #

Free the Children focuses on training young changemakers in the U.S. and Canada, and putting that training into practice with a number of community development programs at home and abroad. The organization now operates in 45 countries, and has helped build more than 650 schools in places like Haiti and Sierra Leone. Kielburger’s enterprise was recently inducted into Oprah’s Angel Network for its commitment to liberating children from poverty and exploitation. #

In this interview, Kielburger talks about Free the Children’s peer-to-peer approach to youth activism. #

Dowser: Why are this generation’s young people more likely to carry out the work of Free the Children?
Kielburger: Each generation moves a little bit further to becoming global citizens, but I think this generation has done it by leaps and bounds. We’ve globalized technology in the sense that, say, you can offshore to India. We’ve globalized commerce; look at the financial crisis that’s taking place and how the flu in the United States financial system has spread around the world. #

The one thing we haven’t globalized yet is compassion. But because this generation has grown up as global citizens – with media technology and so much more at their fingertips – they’re breaking down the final barrier to globalization. #

Has technology impacted the work of Free the People?
I don’t think Free the Children would have been possible without the Internet.  I look at the way we started our organization [in 1995] and a few years later you suddenly had the Internet boom taking place, email in households across North America, young people able to connect online. #

Up until that point, maybe they had a local volunteer club, but you usually didn’t have elementary or middle school students protesting global issues, fundraising, and talking to their peers halfway around the world on a regular basis.  Suddenly, because of the technology, that became possible. #

What specific strategies do you use to help children channel their energy to take action?
We present simple and concrete ways that children can engage and help with overwhelming problems.  And if an 8-year-old or 10-year-old can understand it, then anyone can. #

We go into North American schools three times a year, work with the student leaders, do presentations in front of the entire student body, and train the teachers in how to create meaningful opportunities for students to get engaged. Instead of just working at some charity where you’re licking envelopes or moving boxes of canned food,  suddenly you’re in charge—it’s your initiative.  It’s a shift from just volunteerism to activism. #

Is there a make-or-break detail for Free the Children?
Youth engagement. What makes us unique is who we appeal to.  People under the age of 18 are responsible for 65% of all our money.  Car washes and bake sales.  All of our programs are aimed at young people. So what we are trying to do is create this generation of kids to be global citizens here in North America; to care in a very real and tangible way. #

What is an example of a core Free the Children project and how has it evolved?
The core of our model overseas is Adopt a Village.  We originally started building schools 13 years ago, and girls wouldn’t go.  They needed to walk far distances to get water, and during daylight because that was the safest time to do it, and they couldn’t go to school.  So we had to bring a water project to the school. #

What other changes have you implemented after listening to your Adopt a Village clients?
Once when we brought a water project to the school, they said, ‘Well, that’s great, but these kids are poor, they need to work.  If the children are not engaged in child labor, where’s the income coming from?’ So we set up microcredit cooperatives as an ongoing source of income à la Grameen Bank and Muhammad Yunus, whose daughter, Monica Yunus, is on our board.  And then we created healthcare, because kids who are sick can’t learn.  This whole model developed where the microcredit cooperatives provided [for] the ongoing operational costs, so everything is self-sustaining usually within five years of the initial investments in the community. #

You must have gone through different ideas before actually getting down to working.  Was there anything you tried initially that didn’t end up working out?
The greatest part about beginning as young as we were was that we knew we didn’t have the answers.  And we still have that same belief.  We call it the ‘drink tea’ philosophy in our organization: where you drink tea with a woman, you drink tea with a man, you drink tea with the religious leaders, and you drink tea and drink tea and drink tea, and ask even some of the most basic, simple questions.  I don’t think that a lot of adults appreciate that in kids there is a humbleness in curiosity. #

This interview was edited and condensed. #

Photo: Alison Herr #]]> http://dowser.org/craig-kielburger-on-how-giving-young-activists-more-executive-power-motivates-them-to-stay-involved/feed/ 0 http://dowser.org/interview-jamie-berger-of-the-thrive-project-on-helping-overlooked-young-adults-build-meaningful-careers/ http://dowser.org/interview-jamie-berger-of-the-thrive-project-on-helping-overlooked-young-adults-build-meaningful-careers/#comments Mon, 08 Nov 2010 15:23:49 +0000 Dowser http://dowser.org/?p=7385 #

Think of able-bodied young adults in beautiful leaf-peeping Western Massachusetts, and you don’t think of kids who’ve dropped out of high school or gotten stuck in dead-end jobs. But after living and writing in the historic mill town of Turners Falls for three years, Jamie Berger began to see that there were many youth in the area who lacked opportunities to fully explore their passions. Last spring, he started the Thrive Project to “help young adults go beyond merely surviving” by offering a center for tutoring, coaching and community engagement. We sat down with Berger to talk about why he decided to open Thrive and how he got it off the ground. #

Dowser: What is the founding story of Thrive? How did this idea emerge?
Berger: I moved to Turners Falls when I started my Master of Fine Arts degree in writing at the University of Massachusetts, mostly because I didn’t want to live in the college town. I eventually became part owner of the Rendezvous, a bar in town. As I was finishing up my degree last spring, I thought of starting a tutoring business, since I’d tutored for Princeton Review in the past. And I thought, what’s the goal?  To find people who already have all the help they need? I’ve pretty much always taken day jobs that are just jobs because supposedly writing is my main thing, but they’ve never been totally fulfilling. I was talking with my friend Liz Gardner, who wanted to start a more traditional youth and teen writing center, and I thought right away of all the younger adults I’d met through the bar -- who really just needed a little push to actually get their GED, actually catch a break, and actually get the opportunity to do something stimulating and fun. #

Thrive describes itself as helping young adults 'not just to survive, but to thrive.' How would you define the distinction between surviving and thriving in a community like Turners Falls?
In low-income rural communities, the guys washing the dishes or working the factory shift are taught they’re lucky to have any job. There are so many 18 to 30-year-olds around here who didn’t finish or barely finished high school, took the first job they could find, and now it’s ten years later and they’re stuck. Because of the SAT, by 18 it is defined whether you are going to go to college, or, say, lay bricks, and if you don’t hit it right then, you rarely get another chance at doing something you like with your days. If these young adults don’t get pregnant or in trouble with the law, there aren’t significant services to help them get an extra kick. #

In what ways does Thrive want to provide those second chances to these young adults?
It started last spring with two people who had been telling me for a year that they were going to get their GED, and I finally said, 'Let’s sit down with this book once a week and just do it.' I’ve been listening a lot to what young people want around here. Oftentimes, people in these towns don’t have cars or the resources to find out just what is across the river at Greenfield Community College, the best community college in Massachusetts. We want to refer them to what they need and to walk them through the bureaucracy to get them there. Then we want to offer cultural classes, book clubs, a DJing class, stand-up comedy, all to allow these young people a chance to do something they enjoy and see that as a possibility. #

Does Thrive’s model apply to other rural low-income communities around the country?
Absolutely. This could be a model for small towns everywhere. In big cities there are more avenues than there are here, but we’re trying to show young adults that there are options. We’ve just opened, and I’m already getting letters from people asking if Thrive is going to be in other counties and towns! #

It took about six months from conception to Thrive’s first open afternoon. Why did you open so quickly, and how did that initial start-up process work?
It is an unexplored concept to help rural young adults across this spectrum. When I started getting excited about the idea, I couldn’t find anything nationally that had the same angle. In order to get funding and to get people excited about the idea, we really had to open fast because there wasn’t a model to point to. We had literally a few thousand dollars in the bank, found this very cheap space and decided to rent it for the next four months. Last April I got a board together made up of people I knew from education and the arts – people who sat on the boards of nonprofits, and people who worked at area schools and colleges. Liz started to put together the curriculum and the programs, balancing between life skills and arts workshops. The first weekend of October we had our fundraising weekend, Thrive Fest, headed up by my friend the comedian, Eugene Mirman, who was able to bring great names up for a comedy show. #

What do you wish you had known when you began working on this project?
I’ve learned more and more about the challenge of pride in bringing young men in here. I was raised by a strong feminist and am not someone who thinks men don’t ask for help. It is hard to get men to come in here. Still, I think it will help that I’ve always been an in-between kind of person – What makes me good at this job is that I can connect both to people in authority and with youth, with the people we call Thrivers. #

What are the biggest obstacles Thrive is facing right now?
People don’t think about this particular sector of kids. The unemployment rate is high, as everyone knows, but this isn’t about being employed – it’s about the right to pursue happiness being denied to a lot of people at a very young age. Money is also of course an issue. We’re starting an organization that needs money in a place where there really isn’t any, so we need to learn how to relate to people in cities and places with money and get them to care. #

Another big thing for us and our Thrivers is breaking down that gap for them between what they are and what they think they aren’t – for example, ‘college kids’ are things they think they aren’t, but we can walk them through the milestones that could make them that.  Once we can get them to take the first step to come in here for a fun event, we can then say, 'Hey, didn’t you tell me that you don’t have a resume? Did you mention you wanted to go to Greenfield Community College?' The level of ignorance and anger in frustrated American adults can be helped by a little thing like this all over the country, an open space where people can do any number of things, work and play related, as adults. #

This interview has been edited and condensed. #

Photo: Paul Franz, the Greenfield Recorder #]]> http://dowser.org/interview-jamie-berger-of-the-thrive-project-on-helping-overlooked-young-adults-build-meaningful-careers/feed/ 20