What types of opportunities would one laptop per child in the world provide to those who couldn’t afford one otherwise? One laptop per child, access to the internet, healthy food and healthcare, combined with education is what everyone in this world needs. Nicholas Negroponte is plugging in one component that will allow all children and people to connect conversations and purposes with one another and begin to move the conversation of the world forward.
Take a look at Google’s philanthropic arm, google.org. A component of this arm is called Inform and Empower. Below is a description of the community engagement component the initiative:
Google.org supports efforts to generate accountability and “bottom up” citizen engagement to influence the quality of public services. We will support efforts to provide easily accessible information to people so that they can choose the best strategy for themselves and their community. We will use multiple modes of communication (such as media, mobile, e-kiosks and other technologies) to allow a broader range of people to access information and we will seek innovative methods for disseminating information. We’re focused on:
Informing individuals and communities of their rights, entitlements, choices, and quality of public services
Providing tools and information to increase access to and use of available services
Supporting civil society organizations that strengthen links between communities and policy makers.
Does information alone really have the ability to empower? How does information empower individuals and how do those individuals use that informationt to empower their communities? How can information best be used to empower individuals? What more can google.org do use information in a way that truly empowers people?
In this TED Talk by Andrew Mwenda gives us a new way of looking at delivering foreign aid to impoverished nations. The crux of his argument is that we must take an entrepeneureal perspective in delivering aid. He is arguing that what we must do for Africa is give them the tools and infrastructure to help themselves.
In his talk he asks the question, “how many people do you know who became successful by taking handouts from others?” It’s a great question. Do you know anyone who has become successful by being treated as a charity case?
Leadership – In order to create leaders we must empower people. People must have a vision and then act in fulfillment of that vision. This gives the leader the ability to create rather than innovate. Outcomes and deliverables give you innovation. Vision and commitments give you creation. We need leaders who have the ability to create.
This TED Talk is by a man named Patrick Awuah who started a school to train leaders in Africa.
For the next few posts I will be focusing on the headline Rethinking Poverty. My commitment to this world is to do everything within my power to end poverty on the planet. These may be high hopes but it’s what I feel I’ve been put here to do. If we are to really tackle poverty in an effective way we must first change the conversation and begin looking at it in different ways. It will not be one giant solution that eliminates poverty it will take all of the world’s creativity and innovation to really make the changes that are necessary. You may agree or disagree with the approaches of the folks in the next few posts, but one thing that is apparent with these individuals is that they are willing to be creative and innovative. These individuals are truly forwarding the collective conversation.
LISTENING!!! Listening is about asking questions! As our trainer always told us in Coro “questions are an invitation to possibility.”
This TED Talk is about capitalism and making it work for those who have nothing in the poorest regions of the world. This talk is about giving people the tools and “bootstraps” that will allow them to pull themselves up. This talk is by an incredible woman named Jacqueline Novogratz.
Here’s a question for all watching and reading. How are these ideas forwarding our collective conversation? What place does this conversation have in our local, national, and international dialogue?
In order for us to tackle the toughest problems in the world we need to start by making sure that there are open lines of communication. Communication and listening are two significant factor that will allow those in the United States (and around the world) to work with others nations to finally begin tackling issues like poverty in a wholistic way that creates local solutions. This TED Talk by Hector Ruiz opens up the discussion of connecting the entire world through the internet.
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