Category: Leadership

One Life Changed by Trust in Beth Kanter.

Leng is going to University after Beth Kanter raised the $1000 dollars it will cost in less than 24 hours. This worked simply because Beth knows how to use online tools like ChipIn, asks us to contribute to an individual and most importantly is known and trusted by hundreds of people.

If Beth tells me that a cause is worth $10 of my effort I don’t need to know much more (she’s also looking for help for Chanphearom). On top of that Beth offered a simple prize – a mention in her blog, which counnts for something in the blogosphere. It’s Beth making good use of her two most precious resources, trust and influence.

Here’s the list of those who responded within 24 hours – and good luck Leng:

Shirley Williams
Michael David Pick
Preetam Rai
Wiebke Herding
Peter Cranstone
Polly Thompson
Nick Booth
Fernanda Ibarra
Britt Bravo
Kelley-sue LeBlanc
Laura Whitehead
Allyson Lazar
CindyAE
Andrew Carothers
John Powers
Neesha Rahim
Anal Bhattacharya
Steve Bridger
Lloyd Davis
Donna Callejon
Chris Brogan
Anonymous
Joyce Bettencourt
Erin Vest
Philip C Campbell
Jane E Quigley
Steve Spalding
Amanda Mooney
Ann Miller
Donna Papacosta
Christopher Lester
Zena Weist
Connie Reece
Mary Reagan
michael dunn
Anne Boccio
S Michelle Wolverton
Israel Rosencrantz
Clint Smith
Stephen Keaveny
Scott Schablow
Justin Kownacki
Neha Yellurkar
Amie Gillingham
David Beaudouin
Edwin S Coyle III
Randy Stewart
Michelle Martin
Liz Perry
Haystack in A Needle
Ian Wilker
Jay Dedman
Amy Jussel
Roger Carr
Jesse Wiley

Free Rice – online edugaming for goodness sake.

freericeFree Rice is simple, doesn’t require you to login and does three good things: Improves English vocab; Is Fun (in a computery addictive sort of way); Helps with world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

It’s a game based on how good your vocab is. Every time you get a question right the advertisers donate 10 grains of rice and the next definition they ask you for is harder.

Should it stay this simple or evolve? A competition element could be added which would require you to login but also allows you to compete with friends on a social network. This may make your more valuable to the advertisers and hence help generate more free rice.
At the moment the advertising is low key and non of the companies worry or offend me. So could/should this be applied in our schools? Perhaps a chemistry free rice or history free rice?

Try it and tell me what you think.

Thanks to John, Steve and Jules for alerting me to this on Facebook.

Clean Medina – the Jihad on litter in Birmingham – a new podcast on Grassroots Channel

Omar Hassan from Clean Medina

Does it seem extreme to declare a Jihad on litter?

Not to a group in Small Heath in Birmingham. Clean Medina says that Muslim neighbourhoods in the city are far too messy and they want to change that. So they’ve launched a “struggle’ against rubbish and waste, and whilst they’re at it they also want to reclaim Jihad as a positive force. The campaign kicks off this weekend (23rd september 2007):

Inner city Muslims and friends will be taking to the streets of inner city Birmingham on 23rd September to launch a jihad (struggle) against waste. Rappers, drummers, flag wavers with litter pickers to hand will converge on Small Heath’s Somerville Road to clean up the district.

Tired of rubbish-strewn streets, Muslims have decided to clean up and recycle, going from mosque to mosque, starting with Noor ul Uloom mosque, Birmingham’s oldest. TheClean Medina Campaign will be launched with a big push, a shout (Allahu Akbar!) and a (movie) shoot (cast of thousands, mujahidin all). We’re also making a film: Smallywood Heath in Brum!

Listen to the podcast to hear rapper Omar Hassan (foregound in the picture), campaigner Assed Baig (behind Omar) and film maker Ayman Ahwal (see picture here) explain why they’re so fed up with the dirty streets that give Muslim neighbourhoods a bad reputation.

Better Schools for Birmingham? A new podcast on the Grassroots Channel

Naseem Akhtar is angry – quietly, productively, but all the same angry. She believes the families of Birmingham deserve better schools, schools which have greater aspirations for their pupils, schools which aim to do more than achieve an average outcome for children.

Last month she launched a city wide campaign on the quality of education in Birmingham. She wants to apply pressure from parents and professionals to help teachers, heads, school governors and politicians raise their game.

To find out more about Naseem and what motivates here, listen to the latest programme from the Grassroots Channel. Use the link to download notes from the launch of campaign group which set out problems and potential solutions.