FRANK's Social Innovation Blog

What's Your Sentence?

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 19:28:00 +0000

We all have something in common, whether we know it or not. We all live our lives with some kind of purpose. Some of us know that purpose and some of us (an awful lot of us) spend our entire lives trying to figure out what it is.

It is really hard to put something to words that has not yet been defined for us with a Eureka moment—that moment of truth when like a lightening bolt, we suddenly know what our mission is. Well, just because some of us have not been struck by a lightening bolt, or received a message from God, or a sign from the tea leaves, does not mean that we can not choose a mission or a purpose that helps us define if only for a moment (even if another, better purpose comes along) why we have been put on this planet and how we should dedicate our time, passion, enthusiasm and energy.

Daniel Pink, an author, big picture thinker, motivator and public speaker, has come up with an innovative idea that challenges us all to stop sitting around wondering who we are and what our life's purpose might be, and instead, forces us to stop, think and put it to a few words. Just one sentence to be exact. I think it is an excellent idea because nothing clarifies your purpose more than putting it to words and nothing makes people commit to something more than doing so in a public way. Here's what he is doing and it won't be hard to see why I think it is such a great idea...

Back in July he launched the "What's your sentence?" video project.

Drawing on an exercise in his book Drive, (The surprising truth about what motivates us) (see p. 154), he asked all of us to contribute a short video in which you are supposed to come up with and tell us all your sentence -- a single sentence that distills who you are and what you're about. He then proposed that he and his crew were going to make a short film compiling sentences that were submitted from around the world.

What an awesome idea. He received lots and lots of outstanding submissions -- some pretty extraordinary ones, actually. But as he looked them over, he realized that he could make this project even bigger and cooler -- and in the process create an ideavirus that could really spread.

So he has decided to extend the deadline for submissions until the end of this month to give you a chance to get in on the action. It really is a great opportunity and I hope that you give it a shot.

All you need to do is video yourself for about 15 seconds. Say your name, where you're from, and your sentence. This is an excellent opportunity to let the creative in you flow and a great chance to really let your passion and creativity shine. Break out the props, play some music, find an amazing setting, there is no right or wrong—whatever works for you. The more fun you have with it, the better (and more inspiring for the rest of us) the final result will be. Email the videoclip to Dan at dhp@danpink.com. (Alternatively, you can upload your video to YouTube and tag it with "mysentence". To make it easy, you can even record your video straight to YouTube with your webcam by clicking here.)

Everyone who sends in a clip will be entered into a random drawing to win a free book. Dan has purchased a few dozen copies of mhis favorite business books from the last year -- everything from Seth Godin's Linchpin to David Shenk's The Genius in All of Us to Tony Hsieh's Delivering Happiness.

Here is your big chance to not only to make a contribution to the world, but also to win a mind-altering book. If nothing else, you'll finally have a good answer when your friends ask you what you have been up to lately or when your parents ask "what are you going to do with your life?".

You can find a fuller explanation of what Daniel Pink is seeking and what he's doing in this this 2-minute video. And if you've forgotten what the whole sentence thing is, here's a video excerpt of Drive that can remind you.

Again, the project is all explained in this video. If you have questions, email Dan at dhp@danpink.com.

Good Luck. Now go find your sentence.

Get Involved : The social network for the socially conscious

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:45:00 +0000

Want to make an impact in your community?

Then GET Involved and make a commitment to making a difference in 2010.

Set a goal. Track your progress. Count your hours, or the hours of all the volunteers in your organization or group. Engage, motivate and inform your volunteers, staff, friends and family about all the ways you make a difference. Encourage others to add their hours by sharing your actions and progress with our community.

Power of the Hour is a fun, engaging tool for:

* Individuals & Families
* Businesses
* Charities and Non-profits
* Schools
* Community Groups

Create a Get Involved profile to find like-minded, passionate people & organizations that are changing the world.

Watch and hear about some some inspiring stories. Get acquainted with the organization and then make an offer or volunteer your time to the benefit of some amazing organizations like these listed below (and many more featured non profit organizations) who are committed to making a difference in the lives of others.

Inner City Angels artists in schools

Founded in 1969 by a group of educators and artists responding to a need for arts resource for inner city children, Inner City Angels is an arts education charity that engages Toronto's inner city and priority neighbourhood children in innovative and affordable creative arts experience guided by professional artists. We are inspired by the belief that the arts play an integral role in our personal growth and creative potential and that we all share in the responsibility of ensuring arts and learning for all children.

Kids Up Front Foundation
Kids Up Front is a Toronto-based organization that provides at-risk children and youth with access to sports, entertainment and cultural events through the distribution of unused tickets.

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is a not-for-profit, professional theatre company dedicated to the promotion of Queer Canadian Culture. We are dedicated to producing, developing, and supporting queer theatrical works.

Manifesto Community Projects
Manifesto Community Projects is a youth-led organization devoted to fostering collaboration in Toronto's artist community in order to provide powerful platforms and resources for growth and exposure. The focal point of its activities is the annual city-wide Manifesto Festival of Urban Music & Art, in addition to a variety of community initiatives including workshop programs, art exhibitions, and fundraising events.

Go ahead, Make a difference this year. GET Involved!

Time Raiser: A revolutionary way to have fun, get engaged, and make a difference in your community

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:58:00 +0000

Timeraiser-2010-Toronto-Richelle-Forsey

Without a lot of cash in their coffers, Volunteers are one of the most important resources that local community service agencies, non profit organizations and NGO's can tap into to deliver their vital programs services. By donating their time and getting involved, volunteers can make a huge difference in the lives of people both in their local communities and on the other side of the globe. Anyone who has volunteered can tell you, that volunteering in your community has to be one of the most profoundly rewarding experiences anyone can have.

If volunteering is so important, and so helpful and so rewarding then why don't more people do it?

• We aren't asked
• We feel like we don't have the time
• We don't know where to find meaningful opportunities

Introducing Timeraiser:
The single most innovative social purpose venture we have seen in a while.

Concept:
Attend a lively and entertaining event, socialize with your friends, bid on original art—and if you win, you pay with your time. The struggling artist gets paid real money and you, commit to spend a little quality time with a local community support organization. Everyone wins.

After the Timeraiser:
Create a plan and track hours at civicfootprint.ca.

The Timeraiser supports emerging and mid-career artists like few other community events do: artists are paid fair market value for their work instead of being asked to donate their creativity. The art is then auctioned off at the Timeraiser to raise volunteer hours for the community. To date, the Timeraiser has invested over $310,000 in the careers of more than 450 artists across the country.

Timeraiser was conceptualized in 2002 in response to a group of friends wondering how it could be easier to find meaningful, relevant volunteer opportunities. Now, 7 years and 10 Timeraisers later, it is amazing that this grass-roots initiative has flourished into a well-known, annual event that operates in 6 cities across Canada.

The Timeraiser helps nonprofit and voluntary organizations, large and small, connect with potential volunteers. Canadians in their 20s and 30s are one of the hardest demographics to reach. Timeraiser is an easy way to connect these organizations with skilled and energetic volunteers. Check out the timeraiser video:

The three main objectives of the Timeraiser are to:

•   Connect your organization to skilled and energetic volunteers
•   Raise awareness about your organization in the community
•   Bring together the arts and not-for-profit sectors to create community connections

To date the Timeraiser has worked with over 250 charitable organizations.

By the end of 2009 the Timeraiser will have:

Generated over 51,000 volunteer hours
Invested $300,000 in the careers of emerging artists
Engaged 5,000 Canadians to pick up a cause
Worked with 250+ charitable organizations.

Taking the total financial and social community impact into account, the program’s return on investment is estimated to approach 220%, generating nearly $2.20 in ‘social good’ for each dollar invested in programming.

Check out this brief Timeraiser agency workshop video to understand what is involved in becoming a Timeraiser agency. If you depend on volunteers to deliver your programs and services, maybe you should consider giving them a call.

If you have thought about or always wanted to volunteer some of your time to a worthy cause in your community, but were not sure how or where to begin, maybe you should check out the Timeraiser website: Find relevant and meaningful volunteer opportunities with Timeraiser, the single most innovative social purpose propagation idea we have seen in a while. Better still, attend a Timeraiser event near you.

Heartbeats for Africa - How two local community organizers in Toronto are working to raise much needed awareness and capital for the Stephen Lewis Foundation

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:42:00 +0000

"The AIDS virus has done terrible damage to entire communities and families. It continues to take a dreadful toll. But with Heartbeats for Africa you bring hope to scores of young children, women, and families - and hope is everything. What a wonderful contribution. We thank you a thousand fold!"

- Ilana Landsberg-Lewis, Executive Director, Stephen Lewis Foundation

Sisters, Alison and Kate Lawler-Dean, both work in the fashion PR and art consulting scene in Toronto. They were first inspired and motivated to fundraise for the Stephen Lewis Foundation after hearing about their grassroots approach to raising awareness and fighting for the cause of women and children living with Aids and HIV in Africa.

The sisters realized that every little bit we as individuals can do to help the people suffering in Africa can make an important difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS. After reading Stephanie Nolan’s book 28: Stories of AIDS in Africa, they were motivated to kick into gear and join the cause. Alison and Kate took on this challenge with energy and enthusiasm and in 2008 created Heartbeats for Africa to raise awareness and money for the women and children of Africa whose lives have been devastated by HIV/AIDS.

The first Heartbeats for Africa Art Show and Party was held in Toronto on a chilly evening in early February. Hundreds of guests packed a small gallery in Toronto’s Queen West West art district and playfully outbid each other on over 100 original paintings, photographs and sculptures while sipping on cocktails and dancing to two of Toronto’s hottest DJs. The party was a huge success and raised over $13,000 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Now, a second fundraising event is being held in Toronto on February 13, 2010.

If you can go, please do. Buy your tickets today.

If you can't make it, donate to the cause, buy a T-shirt, get involved with or donate directly to the Stephen Lewis Foundation or help Alison and Kate with their efforts to promote this outstanding event and most worthy cause.

All proceeds are donated to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Don't just sit there, buy a ticket, and a shirt, then spread the word throughout your network, by phone, SMS message, with Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin—with everything you've got!

Jack the Donkey and support your Favourite Charity...

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:21:00 +0000

Can time spent online translate into real world action? That’s the big idea behind JackTheDonkey.com.

Be you rich or poor—in good times and in bad, most of us care about and take up the fight for some kind of cause or another. Be it helping to raise money to assist the survivors in Haiti, raising awareness for the work of Hospice, supporting research to help children with cancer, fighting for the environment, or Aids in Africa, there's now a way to show it online... just by surfing the web and being social.

JackTheDonkey is a recently launched people powered charity enabling web site built to make supporting a cause - any cause - social, interactive, engaging, fun and most importantly, easy. Yes easy. Just by doing what you do online every single day - click, post, upload, and share with each other in social networks - millions can help raise much-needed funds for any organization they care about, to the tune of 1.1 cents each and every impression.

In development for just under a year, Katz has been actively talking and listening to the non-profit and corporate worlds as well to the broader public in terms of what will get people motivated to give a poop regularly, and what will help charities in what is clearly a time of need.

"Coming from a long family history of activism and volunteerism, I realized that Jack The Donkey is what I call my Grandfather's Legacy 2.0," says David Katz, Jack's proud creator and father. "My grandfather, Jonathan Miller, created one of the first "Fun Runs" in Toronto and spearheaded countless other community projects in his time. This is my way of turning a lifelong ambition of activism and outreach and putting it out there in a way myself and millions of others who spend their best hours online can relate to."

Do you care about the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Canada? Alex's Lemonade Stand? Best Friends Animal Society? or The New Orleans Area Habitat For Humanity?

Set up your own personal cause profile on JackTheDonkey.com and you're on your way to supporting the cause—just by being social. It's simple and effective.

Plug In America, The MS Society of Canada and The Ontario Special Olympics are just a few of the 2 dozen non-profits from Canada, The US and The UK now on Jack.

Intended as a general purpose social network, JackTheDonkey.com takes a soft sell approach to keeping the charities top of mind among existing supporters while trickling into the consciousness of potential supporters.

“The response from the public and non-profit sector has been tremendous. I am optimistic that once more people hear about what we’ve been launching, coupled with key components being rolled out in the New Year, that Jack's virtual world will drive the changes we hope to achieve in the real world," says Katz. "If Jack can get you to fall in love with these organizations and the people helping run them, my mission is accomplished."

For further information, visit JackTheDonkey.com,

We think this is a novel idea worth talking about. Cheers to David Katz, he is an emerging New Radical. What about you? Do you have any innovative ideas that if executed could help clean up the planet, tap into the power of Social Media to enable everyday people like you and me help people in your local community or in distant parts of the world who really need our help??

Let us know, we just might write about it here and tap into the powers that be and send the shout out.

Toronto breaks fundraising record for United Way. T.O. Ranked number one fundraiser in North America!

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:19:00 +0000

TORONTO — In a time of great uncertainty and heightened need, the people of Toronto have responded with a stunning demonstration of community commitment and compassion, United Way President and CEO Frances Lankin said tonight as the charity announced a record fundraising achievement of $109 Million.

Historic result surpasses United Way campaign goal by $1.5-million

United Way Toronto's 2009 Campaign surpassed the $107.5-million goal it set in the fall by $1.5-million. Lankin read out a letter from Brian Gallagher President and CEO of United Way Worldwide, congratulating United Way Toronto for having the largest campaign achievement in North America last year.

“With the city in recession last year and uncertain times ahead, the pressure on people and families is great. The community responded with compassion and unparalleled generosity helping United Way reach its highest achievement ever,” Lankin said. “We're here tonight to thank everyone who stood with us and stood with the community from the beginning,” she said.

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.”

Lankin was joined by United Way's Campaign Chair, Bill Downe, President and CEO BMO Financial Group.

“When people living in Toronto need help, more often than not, it's a United Way agency that gets the call. It takes a lot of money to fund these agencies — it also takes the dedication of many people and volunteers. They and the people they serve bring meaning to our campaign efforts” said Downe. “On behalf of the Campaign Cabinet, I would like to thank every donor – you have shown great kindness and given so much to help make the work of United Way agencies possible.”

Lankin noted that tonight's event was the capstone on a week of achievements for United Way. She pointed to significant progress in United Way's Building Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy with the opening of the first Community Hub in Eglinton East/Kennedy Park, the first of eight hubs planned for the priority neighbourhoods.

“This campaign reminded us that united we can make a difference in our city. But we most certainly can't do it alone,” said Lankin. “In 2009, we were reminded that tough times bring out the best in people, and the unwavering generosity and commitment of the thousands who worked so hard this year for their community will go a long way to strengthen the social fabric that unites us all.”

CBC Broadcaster and host of CBC Radio's Here and Now, Matt Galloway hosted the dinner held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

The money raised will provide stable funding to United Way's network of 200 health and social service agencies across Toronto that are providing the urgent services people need most during tough economic times. Funds from the 2009 campaign will also support United Way's long term efforts to strengthen the 13 priority neighbourhoods through its Building Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy.

Established in 1956, United Way Toronto is a charity working to advance the common good and create opportunities for a better life for everyone in our city. Working in partnership with others, we mobilize people and resources to address the root causes of social problems and to change community conditions for the better. United Way supports agencies that provide services to strengthen individuals, families, and communities.

We think it is fantastic that Toronto ranked so high on the North American scale of things. That says a lot about the character and dedication of Torontonians. What do you think?

Did you contribute to the United Way campaign or other community support organizations in 2009? Do you have any plans to set aside some money and or time to help out your local community in 2010?

At FRANK, we are passionate about great ideas that drive social purpose. We love breaking new ground, combining great ideation with innovative technology and using it all to leverage the power of social media to successfully drive these ideas forward. Do you have any great, unique or highly original fundraising ideas that tap into the power of the community to achieve wonderful things for the greater good?

Feel free to share with us your ideas and experiences. Currently we are working on some terrific mobile applications that for a very, very low cost will really help drive the efforts of the social purpose crowd. Maybe there is a way we can leverage some of those tools to help support you and your cause. Give us a call or send us an e-mail.

To find out more about the Building Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy, read the coverage the United Way received in last Saturday's Toronto Star:
http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/article/751444--13-neighbourhoods-in-need

-30-

Media contact:

Caitlin Stidwill
United Way Toronto
Desk - 416 777 1444 ex 396
Mobile - 416-525-5632
cstidwill@uwgt.org

Aviva Community Fund : Five days to go

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:23:00 +0000

Aviva Community Fund wants to support what's important to you by helping you make a positive change in your community. If you're interested in changing Canada for the better, you're in the right place.

How the Competition Works:

Create an idea that will have a positive impact in your community. Enter it in the Aviva Community Fund competition and get your friends, family and everyone you know to vote for it. The most popular ideas will have a chance to be funded with the $500,000 Aviva Community Fund

Ideas have come in that confront a variety of challenges.

Competition Timeline:

The voting is over now, but it is worth noting how the process went. Ideas came in and have already competed for a spot in the Semi-Finals over 3 rounds of voting that took place from October 13th and November 29th. During those rounds, Canadians voted to select the semi-finalists. The most popular ideas from these 3 rounds competed in a Semi-Final round run up until December 16th.

The top ideas, as selected by you and vetted through the judges, will receive funding through the Aviva Community Fund.

How will ideas be evaluated?

The Judging panel will evaluate the 25 finalist ideas based on these criteria:

Impact: How deeply are people impacted by this idea, and how urgent is the need? How many people will this idea benefit, and will it be compelling for a broad audience?
Likelihood of Success: Is there a high probability of speedy and successful execution of this idea?
Longevity & Sustainability: How long will the Idea's impact last? Will this Idea require regular funding beyond the initial request? If so, is there a plan to obtain additional funding? Note that regular funding beyond the initial request will result in lower scores unless there is a feasible plan to obtain ongoing funding from other sources.
Originality: How novel is the idea?
Submission Quality: How much effort went into the quality of the idea entry? Was it well thought through and clearly explained?

Winners will be announced on January 25th, 2010.

All of the ideas are wonderful, but only a handful can win. Our fingers are crossed for the Children's Storefront. The Children’s Storefront was originally conceived as a toy exchange and play centre and was Ontario's first Child-Parent Centre.

For over 35 years, it has distinguished itself as a space that brings parents and children together in a helpful and sustaining environment for them both. Since there were no scheduled programs and predictable daytime hours, families could come whenever they were able and stay for as long as they liked and needed to.

It was a vital community resource for families. Whether it was having somewhere to go on a rainy day that is free of charge to having a resource in the community that aids in preventing the isolation that many of us can feel - especially when our children are small. For parents and care givers, it was a place to find support, commiserate, socialize, share parenting ideas and stories, and hear each other’s strategies for raising our children.

On the morning of October 31st, fire broke out in the apartment building above The Children's Storefront, located at 1079 Bathurst Street in Toronto. As a result of structural damage caused by the blaze, the building was demolished. The Children's Storefront, which has provided much needed community support for families, children and care givers for over 30 years is now gone—forced to rebuild at another location or close its doors forever. This has been a devastating event for the whole community. It is our hope that this organization is one of the lucky ones selected by the jury for funding.

The Aviva Community Fund is an awesome and innovative use of social media and online community building tools employed to the benefit of a social purpose. Have you seen or do you know of any other novel and innovative ways that individuals, companies, community groups and not for profit organizations are harnessing the power of social media and technology to fund important projects in your community?

Tell us about it. If we report on your story, we'll give you full credit and post a link to your story.

The power of Design to inform, influence, pursuade and affect positive change

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:53:00 +0000

Design functions to organize, clarify, persuade, add dimension and depth to an otherwise ubiquitous idea. Good design will simplify and facilitate our everyday life, enable us to accomplish our tasks more effectively, and help us to enjoy the details along the way.

For the past two years, FRANK has participated in a wonderful program sponsored by the Design Exchange, the Ontario Arts Council and TD Bank Financial called Designers in the Classroom. Designers from across the city are dispatched by the design exchange to lead a class in a curriculum based project that centres around design.

Each participating designer leads the students through the program with the assistance of the classroom teacher and the Design Exchange. During the program, students learn about form and function, as well as the general principles of design. Each designer provides a context by presenting examples in art and design history as well as contemporary art and design works, and leads their students through a project. Each project follows the design process and includes the development of a portfolio of preliminary sketches and drawings leading to a final prototype.

The culmination of this program is an exhibition of the student-produced work at the Design Exchange. This exhibition also highlights the designers through a profile and photo of the work currently being produced in their practice. The exhibition is a great opportunity for all of the students and their families to see the work on display.

For the second consecutive year, FRANK sent Richard Carmichael out to a local public school in the Toronto Area, to engage with the community and participate the program. This year Richard lectured at Orde Street Public School in Toronto. He partnered up with Ms. Karen Hughes and lectured to her Grade 2/3 class about the evidence of design all around us. How it permeates our lives on every level. How it impacts us. He talked about its power to inform, to inspire, to influence and to affect positive change in an embattled world. How anybody, no matter how small, has the ability to take on a challenge and make a meaningful difference.

An essential part of this curriculum is media literacy which involves understanding graphic design, what forms it might might take, the language we use and where they might encounter examples of it: (um, its everywhere!) TV, video games, movie posters, movies, videos, billboards, transit shelters, bus and subway ads, newspapers, magazines, brochures, pamphlets, packaging, point of purchase display items, the internet and all of its myriad of channels—YouTube, Flickr, Facebook etc.

In an early lesson we discussed the components of a good public awareness campaign. We talked about TV, Radio, Advertising, posters, direct mail, print campaigns, online ads etc. We then narrowed the focus down to one item in a campaign, like an ad or a poster and explored the potential of this as a medium for delivering a message or influencing people and/or behaviors. We studied some examples together and then had the kids review some other examples in groups and present their thoughts to the class. Discussing all of the elements. Visual Image, overall message, headline, subheads and body or descriptive copy, logos etc.

Then we introduced the topic of our natural environment. Asking the students about all of the things that make up the environment we live in and why all living things around us are important. We talked a little bit about the forests, the trees, the oceans, lakes and rivers and natural habitats for wildlife. Then moved on to discuss wildlife, urban life and how the two have evolved over time and are now often in conflict with each other.

We talked about how the ever expanding civilization of the human race comes at the expense of the natural environment. How it has come so far that the health and safety of our environment, natural habitats and living things are being threatened by our own progress. We discussed some examples of that like how logging in the forests takes habitat away from animals, and the pollution of our oceans, lakes and waterways threatens not only our water supply but the very existence of the species that depend on it for survival. How years and years of polluting the air with carbon emissions from factories and cars is causing global warming, the melting of the polar ice caps and threatening the survival of entire species, like the Polar bear etc, etc.

We asked them to think about and talk about that. What it means to them and why.

The mission here was to inspire a sense of awe and appreciation over our natural world. To foster a sense of ownership and stewardship over all of these things and a sense of control, of hope and of possibility that each of us has the power to make the changes that are necessary to reverse the damage that has been done by man over time. That it is our job to let the world know that these things are important and that we need to do something, to act now if we are going to make a meaningful difference. That we as individuals can do things no matter how small that will contribute collectively to create positive change.

Next Class, we spent some time on what we all know about air and water and animals in the environment and contemplate our individual interests together to help each child focus on a topic that is important to them. We assigned a project that was to culminate in the end with a inique personal mission for each child and a campaign poster created by every student in the room.

Each student was to choose their own cause to take ownership of and was to make a poster to help support that cause in their local community. We asked the kids to take this idea home and think about it and come to class next week with their own personal cause in mind. We asked them to seek out and find sources of information related to the causes they are interested in and bring them in to class for next week. We also contacted some environmental support organizations like GreenPeace and the Wilderness Committee to request support collateral to help arm the kids with words and images to use in their effort. We are very grateful to them for their support.

Then of course there is the visual aspect of it—gathering the images and putting it all together. We spent one class looking at what people brought in to show us and discuss, then presented and passed around additional samples of marketing collateral as provided from a wide variety of environmental activists (World Wildlife Foundation, Greenpeace, Environmental Defence, Wildnerness Comittee etc). The kids were very busy cutting out pictures, headlines, subheads, body copy, and logos etc to come up with a unique and original mashup poster of their own. This was the primary activity for two or three consecutive weeks of classes.

It has been an incredible experience, both for the teachers and the students. This year, Richard is reporting back to review how the process went and to show you some examples of the work that was produced as a result. You will see the amazing work of some very bright and talented kids from Ms. Hughes class at Orde Street, plus that of all the other talented designers and classrooms participating in the program on display at the Design Exchange, but we will give you a sneak peek here as well.

In the end, each child has produced their own poster, which has been photographed and printed, mounted and put on display for your enjoyment over there at the Design Exchange. What you will see here in the DX Poject Gallery is the product of eight weeks of work by these very bright and talented kids. The originals will be posted on display at their school as a reminder to their family, friends and community to admire and respect the world we live in, take ownership of it and take care of it for future generations.

Jamie Oliver – 2010 TED Prize Winner

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:44:00 +0000

jamie oliver, originally uploaded by letthisgo.

Jamie Oliver: Chef, restaurateur and health activist (takes home the 2010 TED Prize. See post below for full details)...

“Every child should be taught to cook in school, not just talk about nutrition all day. Good food can be made in 15 minutes. This could be the first generation where the kids teach the parents.” – Jamie Oliver

Chef Jamie Oliver recognized by TED as a (Global) Social Innovator

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:43:00 +0000

Just announced!!!

JAMIE OLIVER, the chef who's transforming the way we feed our children, has become the 2010 winner of the TED Prize.

The TED prize grants him $100,000 and "a wish to change the world". Mr. Oliver will unveil his wish on February 10 at TED2010 and the TED community, will work together over the course of 2010 to make this wish come true.

Some of Jamie Oliver's key achievements:
- 12 television series, seen in 130 countries
- 10 cookbooks, translated into 29 languages, and sold almost 24 million copies in 56 countries
- His School Dinners/Feed me Better campaign pressured the UK government to invest $1 billion to overhaul school lunches.
- Founded the Fifteen Foundation, a social enterprise & chef apprenticeship for 18-24 yr olds. Based in London, it has been replicated through franchising in Amsterdam, Cornwall and Melbourne.
- A new TV series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution USA, is to air on ABC in 2010, bringing Jamie's unique vision to America.

At the heart of Oliver's work is an assault on the obesity epidemic:
The CDC states that one in four Americans are considered obese. It is estimated that 43 percent of Americans, or 103 million people, will be obese by 2018. The cost of this epidemic, anticipated to reach $344 billion per year. It currently accounts for almost 10 percent of the yearly US health care costs, and that rate will rise to 21 percent by 2018. WHO’s latest projections indicate that globally in 2005 approximately 1.6 billion adults were overweight and projects that by 2015, that figure will rise to 2.3 billion.

From the New York Times...
“…this British celebrity chef has made it his mission in recent years to break people’s dependence on fast food, believing that if they can learn to cook just a handful of dishes, they’ll get hooked on eating healthfully. The joy of a home-cooked meal, rudimentary as it sounds, has been at the core of his career from the start, and as he has matured, it has turned into a platform.”

Just one winner?

Those who've followed the TED Prize in recent years will know that in prior years TED announced three winners not just one. For 2010, the fifth year anniversary of the launch of the prize, they are doing things differently.

When they first created the prize, TED envisioned supporting projects that could be completed in 12 months. In actuality, TED winners have dreamed up wishes more powerful, more wonderful than ever could have been imagined, and they have found that they simply don't want to wrap up and close off the projects that fast. Members of the TED community are getting passionately engaged in these projects, and they're not shy about stating that changing the world can take more than a year... To effect real impact, it's right to stay involved and sustain the effort.

There are already 15 TED Prize projects, and at least half of them still require ongoing engagement. Adding too many to the workload risks dilution of effort.

For information on some of the other TED winners from previous years, please visit the TED Website, where you can find out about all about the various winners recognized over time and their respective wishes.

Read up on the inspirational stories of people like Bill Clinton and Bono, but also lesser known social innovators like Dave Eggers, author, philanthropist and literary entrepreneur, and his wish to inspire you, me and every creative person or organization to find a way to directly engage with a public school in your area, and that you’ll then tell the story of how you got involved so that within a year we will have 1,000 examples of innovative public-private partnerships.”

As an amateur chef and a social innovation evangelist, it's exciting to see Jamie Oliver join the line-up of innovative change makers at TED. It is truly wonderful to know that Jamie and the rest of the TED winners are going to stay at the heart of the TED community on an ongoing basis as they continue their ground breaking work and collaborative approach to realizing an inspirational vision for a better future.

Do you know anyone who you think deserves to be singled out for an outstanding contribution to your community and the world at large? Do you know someone engaged in social purpose work—a true social innovator that deserves recognition and assistance to help carry his or her vision forward? Let us know, maybe there is something we can do to help them carry their vision forward.

Volunteer for the homeless and win tickets to see Lady Gaga live in concert

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:19:00 +0000

Lady-gaga, originally uploaded by benyupp.

{This article includes some excerpt from an earlier submission posted on Flavorwire 1:07 pm Friday Dec 11, 2009 by Caroline Stanley} - Flavorwire is a beat of the Flavorpill community.

If you’re like us, then of late Lady Gaga has become more than just a ubiquitous pop star. She is a way of life. Her incredible stage shows and even more outrageous costumes have put her at a nexus of performance and pop-culture commentary. (If you don’t believe us, analyze “Bad Romance.” )

But, unless you were on this bandwagon early, there’s no way you’re scoring tickets to her sold-out Monster Ball Tour.

Enter Virgin Mobile's innovative volunteer program: Free VIP

Do something good, become part of something great.

Volunteer for the homeless, win free tickets to see Lady Gaga perform live.

Here's the scoop...

Over two million youth (between the ages of 12 and 24) will experience at least one episode of homelessness each year and over 100,000 youth sleep on the street for 6 months or more in America.

Youth homelessness is the result of other societal problems like poverty, drug abuse and addiction, homophobia, mental illness and domestic violence. Young people who've grown up homeless often spend much of their adult lives homeless.

The RE*Generation is Virgin Mobile's effort to empower a generation to help its own. We're bringing together organizations that care about homeless youth, and connecting them with young people who want to help.

You can donate your time and/or money. For every dollar that is collected, Lady Gaga will match it. Dollar for dollar, up to $25,000. Got some left over Holiday cash? Donate today.

Here is Lady Gaga herself to make the pitch on YouTube:

How can you get involved?

There are plenty of homeless youth agencies that need your help. In exchange for a few hours of your time, Virgin Mobile is offering select volunteers the opportunity to join them at one of Lady Gaga's upcoming shows during the Monster Ball Tour.

Select volunteers who sign up for a volunteer project AND complete the minimum required hours (or submit the minimum required number of Service Kits, as applicable) could earn a ticket, so be sure to sign up right away and show up for your activity! Ticket supplies are limited, and volunteer opportunities will fill up fast.

For more information on this innovative program, check out the FReeIP website.

Flavorpill, is an awesome online culture guide. These people are very well connected and will help you stay up to date on things going on, things being said, music, theatre, art, events and happenings around the world and especially in some of the coolest of cities. They have you covered in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami and London. Go have a look. Sign up for their newsblasts, you will thank me...

Social Innovation and the Collective Power of the Little Black Dress...

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 17:31:00 +0000

The MTO-W Pageant 2010, originally uploaded by roberrific.

This is a photo from the stage of the Miss Teen Ontario - World (MTO-W) pageant shot last Sunday in Toronto. The MTO-W pageant is a popular event and a prelude to The Search for Miss Teen Canada - World (MTC-W) in downtown Toronto in July 2010.

While the concept of the beauty pageant has a long and storied history, that nearly faded into obscurity thanks to Gloria Steinham and the women's rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s, in its revitalized format it is as popular as ever in certain circles.

And now, due to some innovative use of Social Media in Toronto, the beauty pageant is alive and well and thriving thanks to the MTC-W Contestant Blog Army. In the dog eat dog war of beauty pageantry, it takes an army to come out on top. Swap guns and ammunition for a little black dress and a keyboard and you can achieve great things with an army of bright, beautiful and energetic young women.

In an attempt to take their beauty pageant to the next level, the MTC-W organizers hired FRANK to devise a plan to tap into the power of social media to scan the nation for the country's brightest MTC-W hopefuls and to share the stories, the joys, the triumphs, the egos and the agonies with all who might care to be there.

Our electronic community showcases the trials and tribulations of the little girl from Smalltown, Alberta getting discovered by a big city beauty pagent, being flown in to Toronto to compete for fame and glory in pictures, video and real life stories. The genius of FRANK's innovative social media strategy lies in the boost in Page rank (search engine ranking popularity) generated by the competitive energy of fifty-four bright, young and beautiful bloggers. Essentially, our MTC-W blog army shares the experience better than the competition’s ad budgets and websites could ever hope to accomplish on their own. We have provided a hard working digital venue for photo, video and story telling—100 percent original content that you could never buy and the thirst for which never runs dry.

The 2009 Miss Teen Canada-World pageant came out on top of all others in Canada because of an intricate social media network of OnSugar blogs, photos and videos posted by the reigning beauty Queen, plus the 54 contestants in the pageant. In just ten days we signed up over 20,000 members to our VIP database and had over 10,000 votes cast in just a few days for the people's choice awards.

Its not all about swimsuits and glamorous dresses. What good would all of this attention be without harnessing it for the benefit of some kind of social cause thrown in for good measure? We all want to make the world a better place—right? Why not apply that thinking to everything we do? The Miss Teen Canada-World pageant is by nature an excellent draw and a model opportunity for pursuing commerce in aid of social purpose. In 2009, we set forth with a mission and a goal to raise $10,000 for Free the Children, an international charity that empowers children in North America to take action to improve the lives of fellow children overseas.

Through our combined efforts in 2009, the contestants collectively raised over $49,000.

Wow. Now that is something to be excited about.

Siera Bearchell, Miss Teen Canada-World 2009 is doing an outstanding job representing her title, getting out there and raising awareness for some excellent causes. In this me to we video, Siera steps up and speaks out on behalf of Me to We Style to promote the Challenge Your Style Competition—an effort to mobilize youth to help raise awareness and funds for causes of their own choosing. Way to go Siera. Awesome effort. Keep up the great work!

The moral of this story?

Never underestimate the power of social media and the little black dress.

We are back at it for 2010, with a whole array of innovative ideas and executions that we expect will deliver a breakthrough performance for the MTC-W pageant and its benefactors in the coming year.

What about you?

Do you have any stories you can share with us about how innovative uses of Social Media changed the landscape for people in need? Feel free to chime in here, share your stories, your dreams, your victories and your disappointments. Who knows, you just might help us help someone else make a difference in the lives of others less fortunate than we are.

Social Innovation in the Age of Convergence

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:58:00 +0000

It will not come as a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention to convergence and social media over the past couple of years, but even then, the numbers are pretty awesome to ponder...

This is another official update to the original "Shift Happens" video. This completely new Fall 2009 version includes facts and stats focusing on the changing media landscape, including convergence...

A really interesting study of the advance of technology and social innovation.

Thinking how you can adopt social innovation strategies into your marketing mix?

For advice and sage counsel on how to get started, you can spend 10,000 hours over several years getting acquinted with the ever evolving social media landscape or you can contact FRANK. We do the legwork on Social Media in Toronto and around the globe so that you don't have to.

Six Cities

noreply@blogger.com (JustbeFRANK) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 20:51:00 +0000

Welcome, and please join in...

In October 2009, some members of the Social Innovation Exchange (SIX) community sat around a virtual table at Cisco TelePresence offices around the world to explore the idea of social innovation in cities.

The Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto hosted a TelePresence session that explored how and to what extent cities can enhance and develop social innovation. Two main questions were asked:

1) How do cities foster social innovation through physical space/community events, etc.?

2) How do cities hinder social innovation through physical space/community events, etc.?

These questions assisted in a dynamic discussion on architecture, city planning, zoning, community events, movement of people and cars, and other ideas. The Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto hosted a TelePresence session that explored how and to what extent cities can enhance and develop social innovation.

Cities have become places that foster as well as hinder social innovation. To facilitate the discussion on cities and how to explore this topic further, the Social Innovation Exchange invites everyone in the SIX network to join the conversation and answer the two questions above.

They will be exploring the issue of social innovation in cities further, and potentially many ideas and themes can result out of this conversation. At the moment, don't know what the end result will be, but one thing is for certain: the next SIX summer school will definitely touch upon the themes and ideas that arise out of this interactive and incorporative discussion on this website. Please input your comments as well as photos to this discussion!

Please visit the SIX cities website. You will be able to acquaint yourself with the presentation that was given on creative and socially innovative cities, the discussion that was had by people in Toronto, London, Copenhagen, Singapore and New York, as well as directly feed your ideas and thoughts into the idea thread.

During the day, and sometimes in my sleep, I head up FRANK Ideas and Execution Inc., a no nonsense design and creative intelligence shop.

FRANK is a boutique creative agency that specializes in clean, modern design for print and web based marketing applications. We do a lot of interesting work for a variety of clients, and we are really interested in developing ideas and technologies around Social Innovation—helping organizations commercialize with a social purpose.

We do excellent work for a variety of corporate clients large and small. From high growth greentech startups to professional service firms (finance and legal), media companies, health care and government to academic institutions, retail and not for profit organizations.

More info about FRANK can be found on our website.

www.justbefrank.com