A twinge of emotion reading some of these posts.

I'm happy and priveleged to be here, part of NED.

I spent this morning doing what I do best - playing with a great big band - I am a jazz pianist first and foremost, but this doesn't pay the bills, so I've done a few other things in my time.

I ran a social enterprise in Birmingham UK for a number of years and early last year I decided to jack it in and go over to Nigeria, to help out an Ashoka fellow.

It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride and I feel we are on the brink of something special over there, but I'm not over that threshold yet and thinking how I can take the plunge. Also Kaduna is experiencing some unrest at the moment following some local elections, so I can't really travel over right now.

Linda N on NED has encouraged me to start reading and becoming more informed, not just someone who presents a case and can't argue it. I find intellectual reading very tough, but I can see my reading age increase day by day, as I click on the links from John P's posts (and others).

My focus is on developing social enterprise, wherever it may be, proving it by developing new enterprises in NGOs to assist their sustainability, currently in Africa, but perhaps in the future elsewhere too.

I believe that social enterprise is what will change the world, given time and I hope to play some small part in making it happen.

Oh, man, Ben. You make my day/week/month.....

Here I am teaching in a University and you are the first person I have inspired to read in - well, I can't remember when! I have almost given up on "inspiring" them to read. Here I haven't even figured out how to threaten them in order to get them to read.

Speaking of reading....we need to get Gayle hot on starting the discussion on "The White Man's Burden."

Ben, right this moment I'm caught up in the quite obvious observation that music is an extension of what makes community. Do you have a Web cam? Have you ever considered making a video of your playing and posting it to YouTube?

Wait, I know I'm just getting caught up in the moment thinking about the power of songs. I very much like performance, but don't make music. That's what I'm struck with right now, how important it is for me to participate in making music with others. The idea that when we sing together we make community. Can you help us to sing?

LOL maybe not something you're interested in at all. But surely many of us would love it if you shared your music making with us. Your making music is something powerfully good.

Actually, I'm not a singer, John, but I have inspired a lot of people, young and old, to sing, as I have been MD for 20+ amateur and semi-pro shows. A good pianist makes such a difference to the dynamism of a choir and a good musician makes rehearsal so much more useful.

I am actually doing a (modern jazz) demo recording in February (since I'm not going to Africa in Feb) for another band I play in and I know the plan for that is to put a couple of tracks up on the web, so we shall see - if they are good enough I may post a link:)

You know I have a web cam - see the Davos thread - but the lens cap is well and truly on at the moment!

Ben, its great to have you here. I have really enjoyed your posts from your grounded experience in Nigeria and elsewhere. Perhaps down the line you will meet Dominique, who I have come to like very much. He introduced me to the music of Antonio Beretsky, a "flamenco" pianist. I think it attaches to the Hungarian gypsy in me. I also love music; one of the ways some friends and I 'let of steam' - which I seem to have alot of these days - is to jam in his wood-burning-coal-stove-half-freezing-half-built studio-workshop-home. We wear lots of wool this time of year.

Anyway, enjoy NED - great people, great intentions, great work.

Ben wrote:

I have inspired a lot of people, young and old, to sing

Yes!! Encouragement is what we need.

It's happy to turn to music as a way to build community.

Sure John, You sound almost musical as you have demonstarated in the Kenyan thread.Thanks

It is so inspiring to read about all of you. This world has to become a better place because of your efforts. Each step each one of takes- no matter how small- moves us forward as a community trying to help. I am totally impressed by this ned community and look forward to staying involved. We will keep you posted as we develop the first steps to approach the development of a library/internet cafe in ghana.

Hi Lars,

Thanks for the warm welcome! Just stopped back in here to keep up on all the people saying hello -- what an amazing group -- and appreciated seeing your message.

I launched into microphilanthropy when someone sent me an online article about a boy in Nepal who'd been working full-time to support his family since he was 12 years old. So many people commented that they wished they could help him that I raised my hand to coordinate doing that. The story of what we put together -- and what continues to unfold -- is told at http://www.for-yubaraj.blogspot.com. Now some of the work I do includes creating GlobalGiving and GiveMeaning pages (i.e. http://www.globalgiving.com/ac/s pmtnfund1.html) for nonprofits who would benefit from those tools.

A question for you: Do you know of any groups here in Michigan that have held a Peace Tiles workshop? I'd love to encourage that by connecting with someone here who already knows about that or by making new connections...

Lars Hasselblad Torres said:

Welcome Christine! Tom M. has been a huge influence on my thinking over the last two years, since I met him in NYC and he invited me to check out O.net. Where can I learn more about your microphilanthropy efforts?

Hello everyone, I am Sherry Harbert and see Ned.com as a source of inspiration, encouragement and innovation. Although I will probably be in and out randomly, I am drawn to this great community. As for why the random visits, I am the Portland Coordinator for Amnesty International, Board member of the Interfaith Committee on Homelessness, member of the World Affairs Council, Center for Intercultural Organizing, Portland Area Global AIDS Coalition, Portland Coalition for Genocide Awareness, plus hold down a full-time job, part-time design job and trying desparately to revamp my website, Foreign Interest. The list denotes my passion for humanity, and hence my attraction and admiration for everyone here! Beyond all the intelligent conversation, committed work and inclusive nature, there is a strong thread of compassion that is truly wonderful. Thank you for that. Take care, Sherry

Hello everyone,

I am Clay Cooper a co-founder & the CEO of Speak Shop, http://www.speakshop.com

We created Speak Shop to help languge instructors work their way out of poverty. We currently have instructors in Antigua, Guatemala teaching Spanish online via videoconferencing. They use our online marketplace to establish their own microenterprise by setting their own hours and rates. The tutors currently charge $8 per hour which is 2-3 times more than what tutors typically earn when they teach in person. The instructors have taught over 5,000 lessons online since we started! We also plan to expand to other countries and languages.

If you are still interested, this two minute video does a much better job of describing us, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h 3lgWz6nh3E&feature=related

I'm excited to start participating in Ned. I've already started to learn about unique efforts and solutions to difficult problems. I hope that I will be able to contribute equivalent value to these discussions.

Best, Clay

Great to see you here Clay. I first met Clay and Cindy a couple years ago in Portland (after having met at o/net), when they had just returned from Guatemala. Also, just bumped into them at the Muhammad Yunus speaking/book event a couple weeks ago. Speak Shop is a tremendous organzation, and has accomplished quite a bit the past few years.

Speak Shop - fair trade spanish

I should also mention to that Moses Kariuki/Kenya and Chanbanditnant/Thailand are both going to start doing weekly interviews with various social entrepreneurs from around the world (starting sometime very soon). And Clay and Cindy have kindly agreed to be guinea pigs for the first trial run at this...

Clay Cooper said:

Hello everyone,

I am Clay Cooper a co-founder & the CEO of Speak Shop, http://www.speakshop.com

We created Speak Shop to help languge instructors work their way out of poverty. We currently have instructors in Antigua, Guatemala teaching Spanish online via videoconferencing. They use our online marketplace to establish their own microenterprise by setting their own hours and rates. The tutors currently charge $8 per hour which is 2-3 times more than what tutors typically earn when they teach in person. The instructors have taught over 5,000 lessons online since we started! We also plan to expand to other countries and languages.

If you are still interested, this two minute video does a much better job of describing us, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h 3lgWz6nh3E&feature=related

I'm excited to start participating in Ned. I've already started to learn about unique efforts and solutions to difficult problems. I hope that I will be able to contribute equivalent value to these discussions.

Best, Clay

Clay, what a great organization. I just shared the news on Good All Around.com and will be looking for opportunities to send students your way! -- Christine

http://goodallaround.wordpress.c om/2008/02/06/speak-shop-linking -spanish-tutors-in-guatemala-to- students-around-the-world/

New member Chris Binkowski mentioned a video above, and when I sent him some of the footage during last years i-ACT what he created was simply an amazing video, here it is...

Darfur and a Tshirt in Canada (6:07)

Please give Chris a warm welcome to Ned

Hi all! My name is Karmen and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to change the world. I'm finishing up my MBA in two weeks and I'm getting a little anxious about the impact I intend to make on society. Somebody help me find some direction!

My current interests are Microfinance, drastically decreasing poverty, drastically increasing education, and eliminating ignorance. My non-profit work began two years ago in Cambodia on a project that taught me what it truly means to be a servant to the world. My professional background is in Marketing and I have Web Development experience. I appreciate the opportunity to meet with like-minded folks and can't wait to start figuring out who I'm going to be when I grow up!

Karmen, welcome to Ned...great to have you here. There are many here looking at various ways to help change the world and make it a better place, you are in good company. Does the Cambodian NPO you worked with have a web site? We are going to have a first time microfinance face-to-face meeting later in February here in Portland with 6-12 Ned members if you are interesting in attending. Again, glad you are here.

edit: typo

Karmen Olson-Stevens said:

Hi all! My name is Karmen and I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to change the world. I'm finishing up my MBA in two weeks and I'm getting a little anxious about the impact I intend to make on society. Somebody help me find some direction!

Hi Karmen, there are many ways you can use your marketing and web skills within non profits to help them tell there story, and to help them expand their resources. There are also ways you can use these skills as an intermediary, to draw more attention and resoruces to organizations doing good work.

You can even do both. I created Cabrini Connections (http://www.cabriniconnections.ne t) in 1993 as a direct service tutor/mentor program, and use my advertising background and the skills of my volunteers to communicate the goals of the program to our youth and adult participants, and to draw volunteers and donors to the program on a continuous, year to year basis.

At the same time, I created the Tutor/Mentor Connection at http://www.tutormentorconnection.org to help every high poverty neighborhood in Chicago have great tutor/mentor programs. My strategy has been to learn who was already operating (via surveys) and to share this information in an advertising-like PR campaign, intended to help every program get attention and resources, not just my own. Today in the Chicago SunTimes the Editorial page encourages volunteerism, and points to my web site as a resource for volunteers finding tutor/mentor programs in Chicago. http://www.suntimes.com/news/com mentary/779262,CST-EDT-Edit06.ar ticle

With your marketing and web skills you could do this yourself, as can many others who also have similar skills. Perhaps you could adopt Ned, with a goal of increasing traffic to the site, or of increasing the number of social investors who come to the site to network with social entrepreneurs. Such an activity could have huge benefit to the community, its members, and the people we seek to help.

Thanks for the heads up Mark. I believe I actually made contact with you via Kivafriends to meet up at the Yunus speech a few weeks ago and I must have followed the links to get me here. Thank you for that.

I definitely want to check out the microfinance meeting in February and will stay tuned.

Thank you Dan! Actually, to hear you say that gives me some great perspective. At this point, I'm not sure my leadership strengths are best aligned with the development of NGOs like what I was trying to do. And what I've found in my involvement is that people are just mostly interested in hearing the story. I guess I never gave that enough credit.

I'll check out your sites and maybe it will enlighten me some more. Thanks so much for your feedback.

I was about to bug-out for a couple of days to catch up on work, sleep and really get some reading done for the other two projects I've got on simmer..... and then I thought I'd better just check on the new members thread again as it's been a few days. Oh my goodness!!

Firstly, from me - welcome to Ed, Sabine, Sherry, Clay and Karmen - WOW! You guys are so interesting and interested - you've definitely found the right place to be at Ned. It's fabulous to have you here.

And now for the ones who made me teary!!!!

George - you know I think you are fantastic. I love reading your posts and watching you participate more and more is great. :)

I don't know what to write about our Moses and Daniel - it feels like 5 minutes ago that most of Ned was in a total panic about your exact whereabouts and the safety and immediate future of you and all your Kenyan brothers and sisters. You are loved and cared for very much!!

Ben writing that he became a bit emotional reading the thread made me smile. The heart that beats under that often stoic exterior is an enormous, precious and grateful one. It was beautiful to see you publicly honour the tirelessly encouraging Miss Linda the way you did. (she deserves that in spades.)

And then - since the last time I had checked in here - 4 of the others did their thing yet again: David's gentle, thoughtful and inclusive welcomes, connectivity and sharing, Lars' enthusiastic, inquisitive and creative questions and engagement, John P's kind, excited & informative support - always just a little OT enough to make all of us always check his posts in case there's a cool link to follow-up and of course Mark's rapid fire, high-energy "link-em-up and see what percolates" style of heart-felt welcome.

There's a hundred ways of describing all this but I think the super kind and generous Jim Carroll did it best when he wrote:

I'm fascinated by the productivity that can happen when people discuss serious issues civilly... and it's really happening here! Personal connections are made, and overall understanding skyrockets!

Indeed! Welcome to Ned :)

Christine, thanks! I'll check up on those links. I understand via phone with Tom that we may get to meet this March at the microphilanthopy get together. that will be fun.

in terms of groups in michigan that have held peace tiles - yes, there are! the upper peninsula children's museum held early workshops that i didn't have much to do with - they were self organized by the ActALIVE network and quite successful. Here is a write-up by some of their youth; meanwhile I will PM you some contacts.

Yu'N'uS - the Peoples Entrepreneurial Revolution

I believe people are the last 5 years of being able to turn human sustainability around. Unfortunately, this is not a new belief but one that has 24 years of compound exponential models behind it mapped by my dad drawing on his lifelonmg career at The economist 1950s to 1980s http://www.normanmacrae.com/netf uture.html

The good news of every human crisis being root caused in the world's biggest maths mistake is that a true correction could start to turn round every sustainability crisis from its tipping point.

Its obvious if you spend some time meeting the 30000 networkers around Dr Yunus in Bangladesh or te thousand youth his new book packs into every public talk that his economics models are near enough. If they are near enough for Bill Gates, why do we take seriously and media or economics celebrity that continues to naysay them. How can we link around Yunus' new maps.

http://www.valuetrue.com/home/ga llery.cfm On Friday 15 in what was once a bastion of male chauvinism, Dr Yunus is helping 30 media and economics experts and students in St james London to set out a new course. We need as many SBAs (Yunus Uni) in every city as MBAs. I will try to report vack proceedings and ask co-workers like Sofia Bustamanate and Lilly Evans to bring a more feminine lens to this than I am capable of. Meanwhile the handout we will be distributing the next day to 800 memmbers of Yunus' public audeince in St james' premiers in our last sustainability luncheon handout. Ideally print this out double-sided and fold, or if you want me to snailmail it within USA I will be back in DC from Feb 17.

Big welcome to Todd Goldfarb - Ned's 600th member. (very cool!)

Hi everyone, I am Samuel Musyoka from Kenya and I am here to meet and discuss issues affecting humanity in general. My passion is to ease suffering due to poverty and child abuse.