Finding purpose, passion and prosperity

Ashoka has just realeased the selection of Senior Fellows... If you ever think the world is going backwards or sideways... you've got to know about these amazing folks!

http://www.ashoka.org/fellows



HUMAN RIGHTS
Alito Alessi, Mexico, Senior Fellow
Eliminating prejudices and misconceptions towards disabled people through mixed-abilities dance that enables expression for all people.

Tasneem Siddiqui, Pakistan, Senior Fellow
Overhauling the traditional housing scheme by granting former slumdwellers access to affordable and developed plots of land.

Asad Danish, Afghanistan, Fellow
Bringing harmony to war-torn Afghanistan and the Pushtoon tribal belt in Pakistan by encouraging a culture of reading and increasing the literacy rate.

Junior Smart, UK, Fellow
Providing new avenues of reintegration for prisoners through a peer mentoring system led by ex-offenders.

HEALTH
Sanjeev Arora, USA, Fellow
Spreading a new model to treat complex chronic diseases in rural and underserved areas by connecting urban healthcare specialists with rural providers through communication technology.

Albert Jovell, Spain, Fellow
Democratizing healthcare by giving patients a platform to play a more participatory role in decisions concerning their health.

Jorge Gronda, Argentina, Senior Fellow
Creating a self-sustaining, alternative healthcare system for bottom-of-the-pyramid patients.

Anna Alisjahbana, Indonesia, Senior Fellow
Combating high infant mortality rates and child development problems through a model that combines early monitoring and intervention and strong doctor-patient relationships.

Julia Borbolla, Mexico, Fellow
Transcending traditional methods of child psychology with new forms of multimedia treatment.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Pierre Rabhi, France, Senior Fellow
Offering an alternative to agricultural industrialization patterns by demonstrating technical and philosophical relationships between human beings, food production, nature, and modernity.

Ingrid Munro, Kenya, Senior Fellow
Providing urban poor and slum dwellers access to business and housing loans, health and life insurance, and business education through the largest microfinance institution in East Africa.

Zeinab Al-Momani, Jordan, Fellow
Empowering female farmers to organize unions and gain access to economic and social opportunities.

Lucie Chagnon, Canada, Fellow
Bringing a new solution to help employees manage their personal responsibilities through the first online provider of work-life balance services.

LEARNING/EDUCATION
Jean-Claude Decalonne, France, Fellow
Increasing the performance of at-risk youth by teaching them teamwork, discipline and self-esteem through participation in school orchestras.

Fairouz Omar, Egypt, Fellow
Normalizing the idea of counseling for all individuals through training in-school counselors in methodologies adapted to Egyptian culture.

Connie Siskowski, USA, Fellow
Bringing recognition and value to youth who have dual roles as students and caregivers for ill, frail or disabled family members.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
David Castro, USA, Fellow
Building the capacity of marginalized communities by identifying grassroots leaders and teaching them the life skills to be agents of change.

Manon Barbeau, Canada, Fellow
Restoring damaged aboriginal culture through a professional film-making process that connects indigenous communities internationally.

Olivier Gaillard, Belgium, Fellow
Transforming the youth years in Belgium by organizing teenagers as agents of social change.

Tom Steinberg, UK, Fellow
Demystifying politics and democracy through participatory internet technology interfaces.

Raziq Fahim, Pakistan, Fellow
Countering the recruitment of young people by militant and extremist groups by engaging youth in the development of their region.

ENVIRONMENT
Rob Hopkins, UK, Fellow
Providing a holistic, bottom-up solution to the problems of climate change and peak oil.

The Addiction Dance

My daughter sent me this amazing video...

Whilst studying the neuroscience of happiness for our new program, I read many experiments about addiction... as the dancers well and truly express, the mind of an addicted is captured in a prisson of pain and fear and the ilussion of scape, only to fall back into the trap...

The good news is that people do get out of addictions, but only if they want to.

Can't wait to read your comments...

The Social Good Conference!

The Social Good Conference, being held at the prestigious 92nd Street Y in New York City on August 28th, will be a one-day educational event celebrating the finale of the Summer of Social Good charitable campaign. The conference will feature presentations from well known and respected organizations and professionals within the space focused on the theme of “Social Media for Social Good”.

Thanks to the sponsors, Zappos and MailChimp, 100% of all ticket sales will go to our Summer of Social Good non-profit fund!

Find out more about them here: http://mashable.com/socialgood-conference/

Beyond our circumstances

I wonder if we are going to call this the F (for finger) generation... so many things are a finger click away, but that would probably be inconsiderate to people who don't have fingers.

I'm not joking, as two of the people I admire most in the world have no fingers (they are christians for those of you who need warning) Y

eap, Tony Melendez and Vic Vujicic... they both have fantastic videos youtube.com so, no F generation, but pure inspiration.

Tony Melendez is a singer and guitar player
here are some of his videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LFBqvvW-M
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=tony+melendez&search_type=&aq=f
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC60dBXTfvQ

Vic Vujicic is a motivational speaker
here are some of his videos


"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4uG2kSdd-4"
"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3LFBqvvW-M"

They are a clear example of how we are more than our circumstances. The world is better because they are here... What have they done differently? they looked beyond their circumstances and found a way to live their purpose.

I think that search is worth doing... what do you think?