Archive for June, 2009

Using Social Media to Further Your Service

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

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The other day I was struck by a tweet from Twitter phenom, http://www.twitter.com/amoyal.  This tweet said simply something to the effect of “remember that Twitter is great, but the point is to use it to make face-to-face relationships.”  I think that is something that is easily forgotten in the world of social media: that social media is a means to an end and not an end within itself.  Social media is there to help spread the word & inspire action.  When used appropriately, it can be an amazing, life-saving tool that can really help you do just that; you just have to be careful to use it correctly.

I was just recently asked by a new member of Enchanting Challenge how to most effectively use Twitter to further a service goal.  I sat down and brain-stormed, and this is what I came up with:

  1. Only follow those Twitter users that inspire you.  Don’t get side-tracked by celebrity gossip or people who utilize Twitter for meaningless chatter.  Stay focused.   Follow those who tweet messages that inspire you and get you excited. 
  2. Tweet with short, simple, get-to-the-point and personalized messages always with links that help shed light on your cause.  If you do this often, your Twitter personality will gain momentum, and those that follow you will soon have an idea of your theme & mission.
  3. Reply to like-minded followers with links they might specifically be interested in.  For example, for Enchanting Challenge, one of my duties is to circulate information regarding service trips.  If I tweet about a service trip that I know a specific organization or publication will be interested in, I always make the tweet a reply to that user.  For instance, I often make tweets such as “@Idealist, u would luv this service opp in Ecuador: http://www.abcd.org” or something like that.  If you do this often, those users will most likely reply to you, and you will begin to form a Twitter community.

I really believe in the power of social media to further service causes.  I am inspired and moved by organization’s like Ripon College’s R.I.P.E.N. local food program that has been widely expanded partially due to Twitter.  Such good news is amazing and we can learn from organizations like these to use social media correctly and productively.  I really believe in the advice I have given here about how to most-effectively utilize social media.  If you have any further questions, or advice you would like to share with me on this topic, please don’t hesitate to contact me at sarahannmaxwell@gmail.com or to comment on the blog!  I’ll be sure to get back to you asap!

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Service Trip to Africa–Humanitourism Call to Africa!

Thursday, June 11th, 2009

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Yesterday I introduced you to Zoe Katsulos from Inside/Out, the altruistic group that plans humanitourism missions all over the world.   Today I want to bring to your attention their up-and-coming voyage to Africa this August.  There are still some open spots available on this journey, and after reading a little about it, you very well might decide that it is the perfect service trip for you…

The Destination: Maasailand, between Tanzania and Kenya.

The Mission: Planting jatropha trees, which are used for biofuel.  You will work with the local Maasailand community.

Lodging: Participants will live with hosts in the local Maasailand community.

Unique Aspects of the Trip: After the jatropha-tree planting mission has been accomplished, the volunteers will be led on a climb up Mt. Kilimanjarao. Yep, you read that right: an ascent up MOUNT KILIMANJARO!  Followed by a safari in Amboseli National Park.  That sounds like an absolute dream to me…A true African dream…

The Dates: August 15th-29th.

The Cost: The total cost is $4495.  That’s a BIG number we know, but if this is the service endeavor of your dreams, like SalaamGarage, Inside/Out provides you the service opportunity, the cultural opportunity, the destination and activities in an all-in-one package that you would be hard-pressed to make happen without their guidance.  If you decide afterall that this just might be the trip with your name stamped on it, click here to learn more about registering.  If it sounds great, but you decide that you just can’t swing it financially but are interested in future trips, contact me at sarahannmaxwell@gmail.com so I can send you Inside/Out material on long-term advice for saving money for service journeys.  It really is great material and can really help in the long-run! insideout-africa21

 

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Posted in Community Volunteering, Service, Service Abroad, Summer Break | No Comments »

Inside/Out: Humanitourism Adventures

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009

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The other day I received a comment on the blog from Zoe Katsulos, the wonderful leader of Inside/Out, a program similar to SalaamGarage.  Like SalaamGarage, Inside/Out hosts organized trips throughout the year to various regions of the world.  During these voyages, the participating travelers work together on a collaborative service project that is particularly relevant to the region at hand.

Meet Zoe: zoe-katsulos

Here what Zoe says about Inside/Out’s mission:

inside/out provides life changing travel experiences for people who want to make a difference in the world. Our trips are designed around opportunities to do humanitarian volunteer work on meaningful international projects and are combined with sustainable eco-adventure travel in the local area of the project and people. These Humanitourism™ trips are designed to create longer-term relationships between communities and travelers.

I love how they sum up their mission, and I LOVE their term, Humanitourism.  It couldn’t be more spot-on! 

As we speak, Inside/Out is leading an animal welfare mission in Greece, where they are working with the local homeless dog population.  Some of their projects during this endeavor include installing permanent feeding stations for the animals, and also preparing some dogs to be adopted into homes.  They are very excited about this project (rightfully so! and so I’m sure are the dogs they are helping! :-) )greek-dogs

If this animal welfare mission is something that is right up your alley, don’t fret: they’ve had such great responses to this trip that they are planning another one for next year!!  So you can follow along with this year’s trip, learn all you can, get pumped up, and take part next year!  Pretty great, huh?  You can follow along with them on Twitter, Facebook, and by emailing Zoe to sign up for the Inside/Out newsletter (mail.insideout@gmail.com).

I get so excited learning about these various organizations that are out there, welcoming service as a part of travel, and am so happy that through Enchanting Challenge, we can help get the word out and connect volunteers to the service trip of their dreams…Tomorrow, there will be a post about Inside/Out’s summer trip to Africa, for which they are still openings!  Keep your eyes peeled! :-)

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Posted in Animals, Challenges, Children, Community Volunteering, Service, Service Abroad, socially responsible travel | No Comments »

Let’s Help Fellow SalaamGarage Volunteer, Simon Cordova!

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

Last week I blogged about SalaamGarage and their wonderfully altruistic voluntourism endeavors.  Well, they haven’t gotten out of my mind.  I’m infatuated with their organization!  And I want to do what I can to get the word out to help them with their endeavors.  (After all, that is the goal of Enchanting Challenge: to connect the volunteer dots across the universe!!)

I think one of the coolest things SalaamGarage does is offer advice about how to raise money for their adventures.  There are so many organizations out there that offer altruistic and exciting travel packages, but so often it seems impossible as to how one can afford such an under-taking.  SalaamGarage breaks it down and reminds you that you can raise money, a little bit from a lot of different sources, to help you get on your way. 

In my last post, I also mentioned Simon Cordova, a SalaamGarage volunteer who is taking part in their September 2009 voyage to India.  Simon has under-taken quite an endeavor: not only is he embarking upon the voyage to Rajasthan, India and taking a nose-dive into some serious service work there, but he is also taking on a MAJOR citizen journalist project once he returns home to Los Angeles…Let me explain the full monty here.

Meet Simon: simon

An LA resident and photography guru, Simon will be working with the KARUNA mobile education van this September in India through the Vatsalya nonprofit.  KARUNA is basically a school on wheels that drives to the slums in Jaipur, India to help educate children who are too poor to be sent to school.  KARUNA has the best intentions, but not the best funding, and thus it can only make this educational voyage once every five weeks.  Simon’s goal is to accompany the KARUNA operators on their voyage this fall, and to document their efforts.  He will use this documentary to raise money so that the van can make the trip more often than only once every five weeks; his goal is to get the van to the slums ONCE A WEEK.  It’s a big goal, but reachable with outside help.

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But, Simon is VERY ambitious and doesn’t plan on stopping hiw work when he leaves India.  Nope, he’s got more in mind: when he returns to Los Angeles, Simon plans to put his photography to work, to let the picture tell the story.  He is scheming to put on a photography exhibit of the photos he took while in Vatsalya to further spread the word and raise more money for the KARUNA van.  I think this is SUCH an amazing idea, and one that could turn his potential into reality.  BUT, he needs funds.  He says it best when says, “Though I have plenty of drive, and the desire to make an impact with the KARUNA effort, I lack the necessary funding to do so.”  So let’s get the word out there and help Simon however we can.  With a lot of helping hands, a little bit goes a long way.  Simon needs a total of $5000 to make this trip happen (flight, project amount and fee’s).  To carry this dream to fruition, he’s begun the penny collecting journey and is at $150 right now in donations.  To donate yourself, click here:  http://www.vatsalyaproject.com/donate/.  To spread the word to others who may be interested, you can read Simon’s words on his blog here, check out his photography here, or follow him Twitter here.  Volunteers like Simon bring such hope to the world, and that hope is contagious.  If we all help Simon a little bit, we can all be a part of his work, and the further work that his work creates, and help spread that wonderful feeling of hope…

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Posted in Children, Community Volunteering, Education, Interviews, Joy, Service, Service Abroad, Social entrepreneurism, socially responsible travel | 1 Comment »

SalaamGarage Service Opportunity in India this September

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

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Flashback to SalaamGarage…

The other day I posted about the lovely voluntourism organization, SalaamGarage.  Today I want to talk specifically about their upcoming service trip to India this September.  They have 3 spots left for this trip and I want to get the word out so that any of my loyal readers that are interested can have the opportunity to sign up! 

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The 411…

Here’s the low-down.  The SalaamGarage journey to India will voyage to Rajasthan, India from September 18-October 1.  In Rajasthan, volunteers will work with the Vatsalya Nongovernmental Organization, a really lovely & altruistic nonprofit that seeks to bring opportunity to the underprivileged people of their city.  Some of their endeavors include housing homeless women and children in a group home away from the city; orchestrating educational, mental, and physical support systems; teaching HIV/AIDS awareness programs; and coordinating internships and vocational training for impoverished city residents. 

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How to learn more, an insider’s story…

To learn more about the details of the service involved with this trip, you should check out Salaam volunteer Simon’s website.  Simon has talked in detail about the specific project he will be working on, helping to coordinate Vatsalya’s Educational Van that tours some of the city’s poorest areas to bring the education to the children.  He talks with wonderful passion about his wonderful ideas and plans.  You should check out his site asap for inspiration! :-)

The cost…And the reason to choose SalaamGarage

Okay now for the details that make everyone groan…The price.  The total cost of the trip is $3300, and that includes all housing, 2 meals a day, all transportation, translators, in-country guides, and museum entries.  Also, 10% of the profits go directly to Vatsalya to help them in their endeavors.  ALSO, if you refer a friend, you get a $200 discount! :-) So spread the word!!  Keep in mind that the prices does not include air fare, spending money, visas, vaccinations, laundry, tips, 3rd daily  meals, beverages, and the necessary travel & health insurance (this is a big must!).  It definitely sounds like a lot of money, but if this type of hands-on service in this region of the world is something you are looking for, SalaamGarage prepares it all for you at the lowest possible cost. 

How to pay for this…

SalaamGarage includes lots of ways that you can raise money to support such a venture.  For example, the aforementioned volunteer, Simon, has a donation tab up on his website that is helping his readers and supporters donate to his cause.  Many of the past volunteers have similar stories of raising all the money they needed for their trip by putting the word out about their endeavors and collecting a little money from a lot of different places.  Anything is possible if you want it enough.  Good luck, and Salaam! :-)

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Three Cups of Tea & The Central Asia Institute

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

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I just finished reading Three Cups of Tea, and my life is forever changed because of it.  This book is the amazing story of Greg Mortenson, a man who orchestrates the construction of dozens of schools, mostly for girls, in Pakistan & Afghanistan.  A mountain climber at heart, it all started when Greg began a journey to hike K2, the world’s second tallest mountain, deep in the trecherous terrain of the Pakistani Karakoram Mountains.  Due to complications and health/safety emergencies within his climbing team, Mortenson ultimately failed to summit the mountain.  But it was all meant to be: upon his descent, he stumbled upon a small mountain village, over-flowing with kindess, and in desperate need of a school.  Greg promised to return to the village and help his newly-found friends build a school.

He more than kept his promise.  He returned to the village a couple months later to begin the school’s construction.  And then he went to another village, and another village, and another and another.  Since the beginning of this journey in 1993, Greg and the foundation he founded, the Central Asia Institute, have built 78 schools, and they’re still going!

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This summary does not do Greg Mortenson’s work justice.  Every page of the 340-pages that make up Three Cups of Tea was moving.  If you take one iota of advice from this blog, let it be this: read Three Cups of Tea.  If you want to learn more right now, you should visit the Central Asia Institute’s website for information about its past, present, and future projects.

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The best thing about the book is that it is so inspiring, and it makes you realize that you really have the power to help, wherever you are and whoever you are.  At the end of the book, there is a list of ways you can help after reading the book, such as donating a copy of Three Cups of Tea to your local library.  And when you log onto the Central Asia Institute website, you can see that if you send a check for $20, you can buy enough school supplies for a student for an entire year.  Such simple ways to help out that really do help! 

Right now, this book has really hit home for me because everyday there have been stories in the news about the violence that people in Pakistan are currently suffering.  As we read the news about refugees fleeing the Swat valley, about suicide bombers attacking the normally-peaceful city of Lahore, violence ripping apart Peshawar, Greg Mortenson’s work stands apart as beacons of hope, as candles in the darkness.  He reminds us to not give up hope, that every place has the potential to be a center of peace, and that we can make that happen. 

I am lucky enough to have the most wonderful friend, Hira, an amazing young woman from Pakistan who will change the world with her goodness and her kindness.  When we were discussing Greg Mortenson and Three Cups of Tea, she left me with this beautiful quote from Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, that I want to share with you:

There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.
My message to you all is of hope, courage and confidence. Let us mobilize all our resources in a systematic and organized way and tackle the grave issues that confront us with grim determination and discipline worthy of a great nation.

Let’s listen to Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s message, and choose the power of the pen.  Let us embrace hope, courage, and confidence, and together bring peace to our personal corners of the world.

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