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Catalysts for Change

A Movement to Live Out the Talk

Discussion Topic

made by Charles Lee on Jul 3, 2007

Here is a group I would like to discuss for July... …

Here is a group I would like to discuss for July...

Charityis

Charity is a nonprofit organization stimulating greater global awareness about extreme poverty, educating the public, and provoking compassionate and intelligent giving.

charity: campaigns present issues like water and sanitation, hunger, AIDS, and preventable disease in compelling ways to promote higher understanding. Through field research and the use of new technology, charity: produces multimedia exhibitions, events, public service announcements, and grassroots activities. Through a strong web presence, charity: creates and empowers a growing community of compassionate citizens.

charity: seeks to spark giving by restoring faith in low-level donations. Campaign-related products are developed and sold. 100% of all proceeds directly fund humanitarian programs. In an age of billion-dollar philanthropy, charity: believes that even small gifts can have great impact when spent wisely in the developing world.

charity: proves the work done in the field, using Internet technology and volunteers with cameras to bring stories of transformed lives and communities back home. In real time, donors are able to see the difference their gifts have on those in need.

Their first campaign has to do with clean water. Several sources of research state that more than a billion people in the world do not have access to safe water. As stated on Charity's website: "Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation causes 80% of all sicknesses and disease, and kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war."

Charity has several innovative ideas (all well-presented on their website) to bring safe water to developing countries in Africa. These ideas are relatively easy to understand and implement at both a small or large scale.

Do you have any thoughts about Charityis.org?

Hoping to be the change...Charles

6 comments

Nathan R. Elson, Jul 4, 2007:

I have long held the belief that the first step to any lasting change is education. A cursory glance at history seems to suggest that those movements that produced lasting change (in general) focused on winning the battle of public acceptance, not necessarily a battle of might. The most powerful revolutions have not been revolutions for the sake of political freedom, but idealogical freedom. From the birth of the early Christian Church, to the Age of Enlightenment all the way through to the Civil Rights and Free Love movements of 60's and 70's America. Each of these social revolutions started with a group of people commitment to change and eventually the movement gained widespread acceptance and even gained the status of becoming the prominent ideology.

Groups like Charityis.org are, in my estimation, vital to bringing about change. The first step is to educate, without education there can be no acceptance, without acceptance there can be no change. The battle is here and the battle is now. How will we fight the images of the world, how do we begin to open the eyes of those around us?

Thank you for this group and this conversation. And to echo what Charles said...We MUST be the change.

Shalom - Nathan

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Charles Lee, Jul 4, 2007:

Thanks for your note Nathan. I agree with your notes on education and ideology. Awareness is so significant to these issues...it's the first and necessary step towards mobilization. I really like the way Charityis.org models for us how to take an ideology (in this case, the notion that every human being should have access to safe water) and then turn it into a movement that invites grassroots participation and long-lasting impact.

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Nathan R. Elson, Jul 5, 2007:

The real tragedy in grassroots movements is the lack of cohesion and cross pollination between movements with similar ideologies. There are a handful of organizations that I am aware of, including Ethos Water, whose purpose is to bring safe drinking water to everyone in the world. But there is a gap in how each of these organizations goes about trying to accomplish there goals. What do you think is the best way to bridge this communication/organizational gap?

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Charles Lee, Jul 7, 2007:

I agree with you...there is much struggle to collaborate. I think sometimes that the immediate efforts necessary for collaboration can become a deterrent for organizations... sometimes it's short-sightedness. Nevertheless, I am hopeful because there are organizations and agency who carry a strong ethos of working together. As for Ethos Water... I do like their efforts to bring safe water... I do wonder though why only 5 cents per bottle to towards the relief. Don't know the whole story. Just thoughts...

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Nathan R. Elson, Jul 7, 2007:

Here's hoping other's make there thoughts known about this issue. But here is something sobering about the cause of bringing safe water to the world's population - it is hard to find anything about it on the net (well, unless you are looking for the Clean Water Act of 1996). My point is, when I did a google search for safe water, clean water and others this was the first relevant site that came up:http://www.csdw.org/index.shtml.

Ethos Water aside (I used them as an example because they are pervasive in Starbuck's around the world and thus are an integral part of the pedogological process) there is not much awareness of this issue, or many other issues for that matter. So other than this conversation - what is our next step? How can we begin to give cohesion and "air-time" to issues like this one?

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Charles Lee, Jul 31, 2007:

Like the website...more importantly, their work. In regards to air-time, I wonder if something as simple as creating banners under our email signatures may be a starting point for meaningful conversation and action. Love to talk to you about cohesion.

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