Using change-making resources

Our final assignment is on David Bornstein's How to Change the World resource guide. Each one of us will choose a resource to look deeper into for personal benefit and then share it with everyone in the class. This way we can cover a lot of ground but also learn about and tap into resources we have yet to explore.

Now for an example to get us started:

- Resource: Idealist.org
- Area: Resources Seeking Job and Volunteer Opportunities
- Purpose: "Idealist is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives."
- Target Audience: People seeking to get involved and finding others who want to get involved in the non-profit sector, primarily in the US (but growing worldwide), either through volunteering or professional opportunities. Job hunters, networkers and non-profits with human resource needs.
- Value: You can create a profile that allows you to obtain email alerts to opportunities that match your interest, create listings for opportunities and network with potential employers and/or employees. You can find online discussion groups, potential speakers, as well as career or graduate school fairs. A little tricky to navigate but a very popular and powerful resource.
- Why: I am definitely going to be using this to find and connect with good people as well as job opportunities. I've heard a great deal about idealist from people everywhere in this field, and with over a million members it seems like a must do for anyone nowadays.
- Recommend: definitely, particularly for those graduating soon. A great way to get connected.

A Night With Betty (sounds scandalous but it really isn't)

Wow! How often does someone get the chance to meet with and eat dinner with a visionary, peacemaker from Uganda? Lucky for me, last Thursday I had the tremendous privilege of eating dinner with Betty Bigombe and then go and hear her lecture. Perhaps quite foolishly, I created an image of Betty in my mind that pretty much resembled a mix between a high on their horse queen-like person and an elegant Buddha-esque type. I was stunned to meet a normal-looking, down-to-earth person. She was funny, but at the same time a little reserved. She had no need to be the center of attention and was more than content letting others talk and just quietly sitting and observing. At dinner I sat right across the table from Betty and desperately tried to find some connection in which I could shove my foot through the door and remove the air of awkwardness. Finally, it happened. She was describing her flight into RDU and stated she had come from Rochester, NY (i.e. my hometown). Immediately I jumped in and told her that I was from there and she looked me straight in the eye and said, “Why is there, like a couple miles between each house?” We both laughed and talked about the rural nature of Upstate NY and then got to talking about my goal to work as an ambassador someday. Someone else at the table encouraged me to share my summer plans with Betty and so I went on to tell her of my plans to spend eight weeks living with the nomadic Massai tribe in northern Tanzania. She promptly (and rightly so) questioned my sanity. She was extremely interested in hearing about what I was doing and later in the night (after the lecture) pulled me aside and said how energized and inspired she was by the students at Carolina. She said she never would have guessed how passionate and involved college students are…I did let her know that Tar Heels are a bit of a different breed.
One thing that I really took away from her lecture was what she believed made a good peace negotiator. She said that patience was crucial. When I think of patience I think of a few hours or days at most…however, she explained how peace talks take months if not years to complete and without patience they will never be completed. She also described how she is at times a “human punching bag” just getting hit with accusations from both sides. I cannot imagine how she is able to be so involved in such a polarizing issue and yet be so removed in her effort for neutrality. She was incredibly modest for all of her accomplishments and stated that in order to negotiate peace you have to get rid of your ego. While she said this somewhat in passing, I really think that is the key to so many things in life.
She mentioned that ridding yourself of an ego is crucial in development. We will not be able to effectively minimize worldwide poverty unless we get rid of our egos. We have to realize that we have yet to find the perfect solution to poverty and if we don’t unite with the very people who are struggling in poverty, we will not be able to help them the most effectively.
Although I am embarrassed to have missed class, I don’t think I could have spent my time any better than listening and learning from Ms. Bigombe. Betty was an inspiration to me and according to her; we all were an inspiration to her. Way to go Tar Heels!