World Challenge 09 - Global Competition showcasing Enterprise and Innovation at Grassroots Level

Now in its fifth year, World Challenge 09 is a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. World Challenge 09 is brought to you by BBC World News and Newsweek, in association with Shell, and is about championing and rewarding projects and business which really make a difference.

Plan Bee won the World Challenge 08. The Pakistani project helps female beekeepers boost their income by selling high quality honey. The northern areas of Pakistan are among the poorest and most isolated regions in the country. Effective development assistance has yet to reach these hilly, remote areas and it is the women and children who are most affected. The only workable and sustainable solution is to capitalize on local resources, building on what is achievable as well as culturally acceptable.

Your chance to nominate a project
We are looking for your nominations for innovative projects or ideas that demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit working for the benefit of the community whilst adopting a responsible approach.

Nominations close at midnight (GMT) on the 22nd May 2009.

Nominate a project or small business for World Challenge 09

The Tech Awards Nominations are Open - Technology Benefiting Humanity

The Tech Award Laureates use technology to make the world safer and healthier, more prosperous and just.

Some of the earlier laureates include DESI Power from India and Digital StudyHall from Bangladesh and India. Read more about them.

Applications are open throughout the year.

SEE THE APPLICATION PROCESS HERE

Tech-related Education Scholarships for students from Developing Countries

The Youth Education Scheme (YES) is one of the cornerstones of the ITU-D “Children and Youth” Special Initiative, in support of needy and deserving young people, from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), developing countries and countries in transition who wish to complete their tertiary education in the information and communication technologies (ICTs) and related fields. The objective is to enable motivated young people to contribute to the development of their communities, country and region using their achieved ICT knowledge and skills.

The goal of the selection procedure is to identify talented young people who are unable to complete their studies in ICTs and related fields without financial support.

Following applications are encouraged:
1. Studies related to information and communication technology (ICT)
2. Students who wish to continue their studies in their own country or in a neighboring country
3. Applications from women
4. Applications from indigenous people
5. Applications from persons with disabilities


More Details and Application Details are here

Talks by TED Fellows Go Online

Two of the 40 amazing TED Fellows' talks have gone online. Check out more about them:

Erik Hersman: How texting and GoogleMaps helped Kenyans survive crisis
At TEDU 2009, Erik Hersman presents the remarkable story of Ushahidi, a GoogleMap mashup that allowed Kenyans to report and track violence via cell phone texts following the 2008 elections, and has evolved to continue saving lives in other countries.



Sean Gourley: The mathematics of war

By pulling raw data from the news and plotting it onto a graph, Sean Gourley and his team have come up with a stunning conclusion about the nature of modern war -- and perhaps a model for resolving conflicts.




Wanna be on the TED Stage ???
TED is looking out for 100 amazing fellows from all over the globe to be a part of its next conference in India. Apply for being a TED India Fellow here or email to fellows@ted.com.

The Girl Effect

Just saw an interesting video presented by the Nike Foundation and NoVo Foundation about the cycle of poverty in small villages and the impact one person can have in breaking that cycle. The concept is called the Girl Effect, and the idea behind it is that the life of one girl effects the lives of many others (her children, husband, brother, sister, mother, etc..). As an educated mother, citizen, entrepreneur and employee, she can make a difference.

Learn more about the Girl Effect.

Apply to become a Fellow at TEDIndia

TED has opened up its application procedure for finding 100 TED Fellows to attend TEDIndia in Mysore, held Nov. 4-7, 2009.

TED Fellows will attend TEDIndia, join a two-day Fellows pre-conference event before TED starts, and then take advantage of all that the TEDIndia conference has to offer -- amazing TED talks, performances and demos; conversation and connection with TED attendees and speakers; mind-expanding insight. It's an experience that may be life-changing ... see the TED Fellows blog for insights from current fellows.

TEDIndia Fellows will be drawn from many disciplines that reflect the diversity of TED's members: technology, entertainment, design, the sciences, the humanities, the arts, NGOs, business ... and we're especially looking for international applicants. Tell your friends!

Find out more about the TED Fellows program >>
Apply to become a TED Fellow at TEDIndia >>

Applications close June 15, 2009, at noon.

PS: Read our Facebook note full of tips for applying to become a TED Fellow >>

Dell Social Innovation Competetion shortlists projects

Out of the 527 ideas, Dell has selected 100 ideas to move forward and compete in the next round of the competition. Check out the semifinalists listed on the website. Really happy to see some interesting ideas to change the world.

More ideas on Dell Social Innovation Competition website.

Self Sustainable Apartments


Rural Research & Consultancy


Solarcycle


SWEET India: Safe Water for Everyone using Efficient Technology

Scholarships to 2009 Greener-by-Design Conference

Steelcase, the global manufacturer of office furnishings, has funded four student scholarships to the 2009 Greener by Design conference. The four lucky student winners of the Steelcase Sustainable Design Contest will receive full conference registration, as well as travel and lodging at the event, scheduled to take place May 19-20, in San Francisco, CA.

Entering is easy:

1) Write 500 words or less about your design—defined broadly as a product, service, or business venture—with an environmental/social benefit.

2) Briefly express—through the media of your choosing—how you view the intersection of design and corporate responsibility, and your perspective on how design can play a catalytic role improving people’s lives. You can submit a photo, a short statement, or even a youtube video.

3) Submit the above materials plus a brief application form to info@netimpact.org.

Applications will be judged by Net Impact, Steelcase, and GreenBiz.com. Please note that all applicants must be full-time students.

Hurry – the application deadline is Friday, April 24, 2009.

Learn more about the contest at http://www.netimpact.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=2711

Call for Nominations: 2009 Mario Savio Young Activist Award

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE MARIO SAVIO MEMORIAL LECTURE  & YOUNG ACTIVIST AWARD INVITES YOU TO NOMINATE A CANDIDATE FOR THE 12th ANNUAL YOUNG ACTIVIST AWARD.  THE AWARD THIS YEAR CARRIES A CASH PRIZE OF $6,000, DIVIDED EQUALLY BETWEEN THE PRIZE-WINNER AND HIS OR HER ORGANIZATION.

This award is presented to a young person (or persons) with a deep commitment to human rights and social justice and a proven ability to transform this commitment into effective action.  The nominees should have demonstrated leadership ability, creativity and integrity.

Specific eligibility requirements are:

  *  Under age 26 by 9/1/09;

  *  Engaged in activism for social change, promoting the values of peace, human rights, economic or social justice, or freedom of expression;

  *  Acting within the context of an organization, social movement, or larger community effort;

  *  Considered an inspirational leader or motivating force by others in that context;

  *  Work is centered in the United States;

  *  Able to attend award ceremony in Berkeley, CA (Oct.-Nov.; expenses paid).

 

Preference will be given to candidates who have not yet been widely recognized and who do not have personal privilege or a strong institutional base of support.

 

This award honors the late Mario Savio (1942-1996), who came to national prominence as a spokesperson for the Berkeley Free Speech Movement in 1964.  His moral clarity, his eloquence, and his democratic style of leadership impelled thousands of his fellow Berkeley students to struggle for, and win, more political freedom, inspiring a generation of student activism.  Savio remained a lifelong fighter for human rights and social justice. 

NOMINATIONS ARE DUE BY June 30, 2009.  Nomination forms and additional information are available at www.savio.org or e-mail: savio(at)sonic.net

Global Impact Corps: Volunteer Abroad Opportunities

Global Impact Corps: Innovative, Effective Volunteering Abroad

Be a Global Impact Fellow in Ghana, Honduras, or India
Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter Opportunities

http://www.uniteforsight.org/volunteer-abroad

Unite For Sight has been featured weekly on CNN International and in The New York Times

Unite For Sight is the world's leader in socially responsible, effective volunteering abroad. We engage, inspire, and train high-impact volunteers who support and assist eye clinics globally.Unite For Sight supports eye clinics worldwide by investing human and financial resources in their social ventures to eliminate patient barriers to eye care. With the assistance of volunteers like you, Unite For Sight has restored sight to 21,190 patients and provided eye care to more than 700,000.

All volunteers participating in Unite For Sight's international programs are Global Impact Fellows. Our goal is to build entrepreneurial leaders who gain skills in social change through Unite For Sight's immersive global health experience. Through hands-on, structured training, we instill in our Global Impact Fellows a thorough understanding of sustainable best practice principles in volunteerism, global health, and international development. Global Impact Fellows gain skills and are nurtured to become new leaders in global health.

Why Become A Global Impact Fellow?

• Experience the thrill of contributing to change on the highest level
• Be part of global problem solving
• Receive hands-on training in community-based program delivery
• Be immersed in effective global health and eye care programs
• Be inspired to become a leader in global health
• Join a movement of social innovators committed to global health and sustainable development
• Be engaged in ethical, high quality and high impact volunteerism
• Volunteers are encouraged to pursue entrepreneurial projects and research studies
• Become part of an alumni network that supports leaders in social change

Locations (volunteer for 10 days, 20 days, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, 8 weeks, 10 weeks, or more)

• Accra Region, Ghana
• Rural Villages, Ghana
• Tamale, Ghana
• Tegucigalpa, Honduras
• Bihar, India
• Chennai, India
• New Delhi, India
• Orissa, India

Complete Details:http://www.uniteforsight.org/volunteer-abroad

Build 50-watt Light Bulbs from 2-Liter Bottles

Talk about your village ingenuity. (And yes, clearly, it's only for indoor lighting during the day)

Check more discussions at Makezine

2 PhD scholarships on "Responsible Business in the Blogosphere"

At CBS Center for Corporate Social Responsibility (cbsCSR), Department of Intercultural Communication and Management, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark, two PhD positions are vacant to be occupied from 1 August 2009 till 31 July 2012.

Closing date for applications is 29 May 2009 at 12.00 noon.

The purpose of the 3-year research project on "Responsible Business in the Blogosphere" is to investigate how corporate reputations as "responsible business" are constructed and co-constructed on-line in virtual social networks.

The research project will analyse the socio-economic value of such virtual construction of "responsible business", i.e. perceptions of corporate economic, social and environmental responsibility – corporate social responsibility (CSR). The project will – in dialogue with international corporations - develop new measurement methods that take into account the creation and influence of collective on-line-user's opinions about companies that affects corporate value creation.

The PhDs will be part of an international and interdisciplinary research team consisting of senior researchers from Copenhagen Business School (CBS) and Denmark's Technical University (DTU) including 2 post docs and 4 PhD students starting on 1 August 2009.

This 3-year project is supported by a research grant from The Strategic Research Council under the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.

For more specific information on each position and the application process please visit the CBS job database at http://frontpage.cbs.dk/jobs/stil.pl?func=details&id=1274

Jonas Eder-Hansen
Research Director
CBS Center for Corporate Social Responsibility (cbsCSR)
Copenhagen Business School

e-mail: jonas.eder-hansen@cbs.dk

web: www.cbs.dk/cbscsr

Knight News Game Award Deadline - March 30

Just a reminder to everyone that the Knight News Game Award submission deadline is approaching fast.  If you are interested in being considered for the award please send in your submissions by March 30th.  Information about the award is below:

Our definition of a News Game - A digital game which is journalistic: it enhances people's ability to make decisions in a democracy

Games for Change is pleased to announce the Knight News Game Award at the 2009 Sixth Annual Games for Change Festival.  This year we will recognize the best news games from the past several years in an award ceremony at the Game Expo on May 28th, sponsored by the Knight Foundation.

For more information about the award, please see: http://www.gamesforchange.org/knightcontest

And for more information about the festival, please see: http://www.gamesforchange.org/fest2009

Ashoka and Staples Launch Annual Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition

Global Competition Will Recognize Entrepreneurial Youth Addressing Social Issues in their Communities

ARLINGTON, VA — March 25, 2009— Ashoka, the world’s community of leading social entrepreneurs, and Staples Foundation for Learning (SFFL), a private foundation created by Staples, Inc., announced today the launch of the third annual Staples/Ashoka Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition. The global competition is part of Ashoka’s Youth Venture, an initiative that SFFL has helped expand globally to seven countries in North America, South America and Europe. Youth Venture identifies and fosters young entrepreneurs all over the world who are identifying problems and creating Ventures to address social issues in their communities.

The competition asks Youth Venture teams, which are made up of students between the ages of 12-24, to explain what course of action they have taken to address a social issue affecting their community.

Nominations will be accepted through April 17, 2009. In May, an elite panel of judges will select five finalist Venture teams for their outstanding impact, innovation and potential. The Summit will provide youth with innovative workshops on skill-building, leadership and collaborative opportunities.

Prizes
- ALL EXPENSE PAID TRIP for up to two members of each of the Five Winning Teams to travel to Boston, MA, USA, to attend the Staples Ashoka Youth Social Entrepreneur Awards ceremony and much more!
- The Youth Social Entreprenur Excellence Award (1 Winner): US$5,000 Value
- The Youth Social Entrepreneur Achievement Award (4 Winners Selected): US$500
- FREE Attendance: Youth Venture National Summit in Boston, MA: (ALL 5 Winners)
- FREE Project Management Consultation: (ALL 5 Winners)

For additional information on the Staples/Ashoka Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition, please visit the competition web site at: www.GenV.net/StaplesYV


About Youth Venture
Ashoka’s Youth Venture® is a global movement of young changemakers. Youth Venture inspires and invests in teams of young people to start their own sustainable social Ventures and connects them into a powerful global network. Collectively, these young changemakers are redefining the youth years as a time of initiative and positive change. For more information, please visit www.genv.net.

About Ashoka
Ashoka is the world’s community of leading social entrepreneurs—individuals with innovative and practical ideas for addressing social needs. Working with these social entrepreneurs, Ashoka builds communities of innovators who work collectively to transform society and design new ways for the social sector to become more productive, entrepreneurial and globally integrated. For more information, please visit www.ashoka.org.

Earth Hour - Switch off your lights at this time

On March 28, 2009 at 8:30 p.m., hundreds of millions of people in more than 1000 cities in 80 countries around the world will come together once again to make a bold statement of concern about climate change.

Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp 2009 - Save the Date!

Save the date - June 20, 2009 Craigslist Foundation's 6th Annual Boot Camp Join us at the University of California, Berkeley for a full day packed with community building ideas, tools, and networking, followed by happy hours at local pubs and restaurants. In the spirit of true community , please tell us your ideas for Boot Camp Workshops by taking our very short survey:  Boot Camp Workshop Survey More information and online registration available soon... -The Craigslist Foundation Team P.S. Make the Bay Area your 'Destination for Service' this June - even if you live here!   Consider joining the Corporation for National & Community Service and Bay Area organizations for the 2009 National Conference on Volunteering & Service from June 22nd - 24th in San Francisco.

Top 50 Social Entrepreneur Blogs To Watch In 2009

Evancarmichael.com - The newest breed of superheroes are not on the big screen, but in the small business community! People have long been awaiting for a “hero” or social entrepreneur to arrive with the special ability to recognize society’s problems and bring about global changes. Entrepreneurs who have the burning desire to create “social value” and develop long-term solutions are real life Supermen/Wonderwomen. So if you wish to help the disadvantaged by empowering them with tools for success, check out EvanCarmichael.com’s “The Top 50 Social Entrepreneur Blogs To Watch in 2009” to start improving the lives of others right now.

Check out The Top 50 Social Entrepreneur Blogs To Watch In 2009

Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) 2009 Online Webcast

For those who missed out attending the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) last month in Texas, check out the webcast of the Plenary Session.

Watch webcasts of the CGI U Meeting sessions, held at the University of Texas at Austin. This year’s program participants include President Bill Clinton, Natalie Portman, Matthew McConaughey, Paul Begala, and Luke Russert.

What's Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U)?
Each year, CGI U hosts a meeting for students, national youth organizations, and university officials to discuss solutions to pressing global issues. The second CGI U Meeting was held at The University of Texas at Austin from February 13-15, 2009. Nearly one thousand students came together to make a difference in CGI U’s five focus areas: Education, Energy & Climate Change, Global Health, Peace & Human rights, and Poverty Alleviation. To learn more about the CGI U, click here.

TED coming to India in Nov'09.. Look Out!

News is out that TED would be coming to India from Nov 4-7, 2009 in Mysore. Lakshmi Pratury (TED India Director) also announced about the India conference at the TED 2009 Long Beach. I hope more details would be released very soon.

Also, while attending TED 2009 at Long Beach, we got to know about an amazing new program called TED Translated. TED along with support from Nokia will roll out a Translation platform that will enable all its talks to be translated into various languages (Hindi and Tamil included too). Each of the talks would be having subtitles that can be enabled within their website. The platform would also enable users from across the globe to translate the TED Talks into any language and share it within their community. Now this is what will help disseminate the "Ideas worth Spreading" :)

I found a raw video of the TED Translated program:


Another new program to look out for is the TED Fellows program that I was privileged to be a part of this year. The fellows program brings together world-changing innovators from around the globe to become a part of the TED community and, with its help, amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities.

The best thing is application process is currently OPEN for the next TED Global Conference in UK and TED is looking out for approximately 25 Fellows to TEDGlobal in Oxford, and 100 fellows to TEDIndia in Mysore.

Applications for TEDGlobal Fellows
Open: March 6, 2009
Due: April 3, 2009

Applications for TEDIndia Fellows
Open: April 20, 2009
Due: June 15, 2009

You can read about the current TED fellows here and APPLY to be considered for the fellowship program.

Free video lectures from the world's top scholars

Thousands of video lectures from the world's top scholars. Some of the subjects included are Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, English, Entrepreneurship, History, Law, Mathematics, Medicine, Philosophy, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, and Religion.

And you can download them too. Check out http://academicearth.org

Here is one of the interesting ones I found on this website:

The World is Flat 3.0 - Thomas Friedman