civic geek

Make A Diference In A Life

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After watching people slog through the Great Recession and the not-quite recovery, and being a bit concerned about 2017, I’d like to share some important advice about helping people survive and prosper. Or at least survive.

It’s something I can some up simply: Make A Difference In A Life

Right now you’ve got people you know that just need a bit of help. Right now you’ve got people who need a break just to make it. Some people you know just need one hand up to get their life not only in order, but to be a success. Others may just need help getting along in life until things settle down and stabilize.

Find these people and, when you can, be the one that Makes The Difference. One helping hand, one outreach, one loan is what they need – so go do it. Life is tough enough as it is, the world economy has problems, many governments don’t need the needs of the people, so make a difference.

Repeat – make a difference. Think about what you’re doing and how it will be making a serious difference in a life.

Not sure what to do? Well here’s a list to try:

GIVE A “LOAN”: A lot of your friends and family probably just need some money to make rent before a new job starts, get some training, etc. Send them the money – but make sure it’s money you can afford to loose. Removing that pressure is important – because money can ruin a friendship.

CRASH SPACE: If you’re in an area with great economic opportunities, let someone you know move in with you and look for work – and don’t charge them rent. A good job search can usually pay off in 1-3 months, and then they either move out, you get a bigger place, or they start paying rent. Everyone wins.

TOUR SPACE: Similar to Crash Space, if someone is thinking about moving to your area, let them stay with you for awhile to scope it out.

SEND A GIFT: There’s lots of ways to give people a boost in life with just the right book, piece of software, etc. So, send it to them – do it on Christmas or on a Birthday if you’re worried they’ll feel guilty.

USE THAT DISCOUNT: Related to sending a gift, chances are that your company, professional association, etc. gives you breaks on certain purchases. Use that to make a difference – some even encourage it.

MAKE INTRODUCTIONS: I harp on this constantly, and it’s not stopping – introduce people to each other to Make A Difference. That writer needs an editor – so introduce them to your friend the editor. Someone at your job needs a tech writer, so send them the resumes of a friend. Always look for this opportunity.

HANDOFF: You’ve probably got books, computers, training manuals, software that you don’t need – so give it to somehow who will get use out of it. Everyone wins.

SKILLS WITHOUT BILLS: You can probably help someone out by giving them some free time with whatever you’re good at. Maybe you do their accounting to help resolve a shortfall, help with their resume, etc. The right bit of help at the right time can make a huge difference.

GIVE THEM A BREAK: Everyone needs a little cheering up. A gift, dropping by, etc. could be what they need to snap out of a funk – THEN you can introduce one of the other ides above.

A suggestion – try and do at least one of these in the next year.  Find at least one life to change in whatever way you can.

Then try again.

I wish things were easier.  Yes, we should all be voting, calling our representatives, donating to the right causes, and more – we need more from our governments and our societies.  But while you do that – work on Making A Difference in one life as well.

  • Steve

Activities For The Civic Geek: Promote Literacy

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Share the love of literacy by getting involved with organizations that promote it.

Litearcy is power. It lets us learn, lets us connect, it lets us communicate. To be illiterate or poorly literate is to be at a horrible disadvantage. If you’ve ever seen the impact of illiteracy or poor literacy on people’s lives, you know how awful it can be.  If you’ve not simply imagine your life if you couldn’t read.

If you want to help promote literacy – which fits we pro-literature geeks –  there’s a variety of literacy initiatives you can get involved in.

  • Personally, you can teach and instruct people.
  • You can get your friends, your gaming group, our club involved in literacy programs – more people, more power.
  • You can raise money through your convention, event, or drives for litearcy programs.

Nothing is more geeky than literacy, so why not help promote it.

There’s also an enormous amount of pro-literacy groups to get involved in. There’s something for every geekery, every inclination, and every location.

Best of all, imagine combining this with other pro-reading initiatives . . .

Resources

There’s a large amount of literacy programs, from global initiatives to local towns and cities.  Here’s just a few places to get involved in or take inspiration from.  This list could be (and may become) much larger.

  • Alaska Literacy Program – An Alaska-based literacy charity with an emphasis on training and certifying teachers and tutors to impart reading, writing, and speaking skills.
  • Behind The Book – New York Based organization that focuses on literacy programs and access to authors for underserved schools.
  • Believe In Books – Supports literacy programs, scholarships, grants, and book distributions in northern New Hampshire and western Mane.
  • Book Ends – A nonprofit focusing on empowering children through literacy and a focus on leadership in communities.
  • Bring Me A Book – Serving underserved communities with portable libraries, teaching read-aloud skills, and more.
  • Family Reading Partners – A coalition of people and organizations that promotes literacy via family reading practices.
  • Florida Literacy Coalition – Florida-focused group that supports adult education, adult literacy, and family literacy throughout the state. Many opportunities to get involved
  • International Book Project – Uses sustainable programs and partnerships to combat illiteracy on a global scale – with the goal of ending it.
  • Literacy Kansas City – A Kansas community-based literacy effort that uses research to ensure their programs are maximally effective.
  • LitWorld – A global nonprofit that does on-the-ground solutions to address literacy.
  • Lullalee – Lullalee promotes reading, literacy, and social change, including the use of e-learning and technology.
  • Might Writers – A Philadelphia organization that supports writing and literacy by providing free classes and teaching.
  • ProLiteracy – Focuses in safe, strong, sustainable socieities by building literacy around the globe with a variety of initiatives.
  • Raising Readers in Wyoming – A wyoming-based organization that provides children with books, and parents with ‘prescriptions’ for reading, to promote literacy.
  • Reach Out And Read – A nonprofit organization of medical providers who promote literacy and school readiness in pediatric care with parental advice.
  • Read Indeed – A nonprofit literacy organization, inspired by Maria Keller, that collects and distributes books to children.
  • Reading Is Fundamental – The largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the United States, working with kids, parents, and community to bring the benefits of reading to children.
  • Reading Partners – Promotes literacy via one-on-one coaching and a structured curriculum
  • Room To Read – Focuses on literacy and gender equality around the world, working with local communities and governments.
  • Stan Lee Foundation – An organization that builds alliances among various groups to promote literacy.
  • The Reading Tub – A volunteer-run nonprofit promitng family literacy.
  • Tracy and Clerenda McGrady Foundation – Founded by the NBA All-Star and his wife, the foundation focuses on multiple, world-wide literacy projects.

Activities For The Civic Geek: Little Free Libraries

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Start a Little Free Library at your club, local comic shop, game store, or elsewhere.

You love books and want to get them out there and into people’s hands. Great comics, amazing job advice, helpful manuals on programming – whatever you love, you want it out there. You also know that reading is best when shared, as part of a group, and it can change people’s lives.

Consider making a Little Free Library at your geeky establishment of choice. Little Free Libraries are small containers, some quite artistically designed, where people play by the take-a-book-leave-a-book rule. Little Free Libraries encourage craftsmanship (to make), socialization (giving people a place to gather and interact), and of course reading because they involve books.

A few suggestions:

  • Have a portable Little Free Library that travels from convention to convention.
  • Have a themed Little Free Library at a comic store, game store, or so on that focuses on given product.
  • Have a themed Little Free Library for a book club dedicated to fantasy, SF, etc.

Resources:

Respectfully,

– Steven Savage
http://www.informotron.com/
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/