@UniversalGiving
Filed under: Social Change | Tags: habitat for humanity, homeless, housing, job search, life transformation, Social Change
Today’s guest post is from Catie Keeler.
Most of us will never know what it means to be homeless. To lose everything you own and to have no sense of what the future holds. To live every day in desperation and terror of sinking further.
Most of us assure ourselves that we will never face such circumstances so long as we work hard and make good decisions for ourselves. Yet many people who made the same assumptions found themselves suddenly out of options after losing a job, or suffering a serious injury, or getting a divorce, or any number of other circumstances.
Many programs are available to help the homeless, yet the ones that make the most impact for many are the ones that remove the very status of “homeless” with a singular act: These are the programs that provide new homes for the homeless.
Programs such as Habitat for Humanity and others provide housing for homeless people to give them a fresh start in life. This one act can make all the difference for these people, inspiring positive change in a number of ways.
Providing a Foundation
Think of your own home: What feelings does it bring to mind? You might think of it as your safe place. It is the place you return every night, the place where you can be yourself, the place where you can create a life. Now think about how you would feel if you didn’t have that place in your life. You might feel adrift. Lost. Unsure of yourself. Insecure about your future.
A house provides a person who was homeless a safe place — a foundation for building a life. No longer does that person have to worry about where he or she will sleep that night, whether it will be a safe place, whether it will be protected from the elements, and whether they will have to endure that worry night after night.
Instilling a Sense of Ownership
Homeless people have had to face one disappointment after another. Over time, those disappointments can feel like personal failures — like a reflection of personal worth. No matter what may have cause that person’s homelessness — even if they were uncontrollable circumstances — that person will feel responsible.
Providing a homeless person a home gives him or her a sense of ownership, which fosters confidence and pride. Those feelings help to cut off feelings of defeat and despair, helping that person to heal.
A Real Start for a Job Search
Many people cruelly assume that the homeless don’t want to work and that’s why they are homeless. Yet many homeless people wind up that way through circumstances beyond their control. Then when they are homeless, the odds are stacked even higher against them because they don’t have the things they need to conduct a proper job search — like clean clothes and an address and phone number at which to be contacted.
Providing a home to a homeless person gives him or her the chance to really start the job search again. They have an address to put on their resume. They have a place to install a phone to reach out to potential employers. They have a real chance to be taken seriously as a professional and to expand their opportunities.
Restoring Pride
One of the most profound ways programs that provide housing to the homeless help to transform these people’s lives is by restoring a sense of pride. These people can start to feel “normal” again — to have a shared experience with those in their community. They don’t have to feel like outcasts and rejects.
Programs that provide housing to the homeless also show them that other people care, and that helps them maintain a sense of hope and optimism. It also inspires a sense of philanthropy, encouraging those who have received help to reach out to others and help, as well.
The next time you consider what volunteer activities you’d like to be involved in, consider volunteering for a program such as Habitat for Humanity or another that provides housing for the homeless. You will be changing a life for the better, and your actions will have immediate and profound results.
Catie Keeler is the primary researcher and writer for mortgagerates.info. Her most recent accomplishments include graduating from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill with a degree in business and communications. Her current focus for the site involves mortgage insurance rates and mortgage rates california.
Filed under: Inspiring Young People, Social Change | Tags: Jeff Rosenthal, Malaika Ramachandran, Sarah Felleman, Sarah Keyston, Social Change, Stanley Quan, take action, Tizoc Velasco
by Anis Salvesen (featuring Stanley Quan, Sarah Felleman, Sarah Keyston, Malaika Ramachandran, Tizoc Velasco)
Did you catch Jeff Rosenthal’s article featured on the Huffington Post titled Products With Purpose Will Change the World? Jeff is a Founding partner and Chief Community Builder, Sherpa, and Ninja of Summit Series, the most incredible grouping of young movers and shakers in the world (members include the founders of Facebook, Twitter and Zappos).
Here is an excerpt from Jeff’s article:
For young adults, charity is generally viewed as an invisible act, something you might do but not want to advertise. We don’t tweet about our charitable donations, and you wouldn’t wear your Susan B. Komen 5K Turkey Trot T-shirt out with friends at a bar at night.
Charities, however, are beginning to grasp the new movement that has sprung up among young adults who want to define themselves and their future through associations with the brands they wear or possess.
We featured a blog post on Jeff’s article earlier this week, and he commented,
“I think that these ‘products for purpose’ are also a reflection of the young adults today who are already more conscious of their ability to impact their community and the environment; I am excited to see what the Universal Giving community has to say!”
Some very bright, amazing young people responded. Here is what they had to say:
“I have a feeling that doing social good will not just be another hip fad, but will be the new benchmark. Don’t expect this wave to ease up anytime soon either. It will continue to grow as this generation of young people matures.
Everyone has the potential to change the world. Young people are the ones who have the spirit to pursue it.”
-STANLEY QUAN, UC BERKELEY, HAAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, CLASS OF 2011; Living and Learning
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“I am a young teenager in Palo Alto, CA, and “going green” is the cool thing to do. Anything that promotes awareness to a cause is a tempting purchase to any student at my school. I agree that most people at my school might not just give large donations of money, but most girls take pleasure in the fact that they can buy items for themselves and help someone at the same time. Owning a product that, “has a purpose” is the new designer, especially because they can even be the same price. These products are changing the way young adults spend their money, and the way they perceive charity. It is no longer some hard to do act of goodness, but an accessible and popular way to spend your money. Now everyone is purchasing and broadcasting his or her good heart by walking around with new products supporting various causes. This is, as said by Jess Rosenthal, going to change the world as my generation grows up and further develops this trend.
-SARAH FELLEMAN, CASTILLEJA SCHOOL FRESHMAN & ACTIVE MEMBER OF Peace Dot, STANFORD UNIVERSITY PERSUASIVE TECHNOLOGY LAB
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As a young college student, I was incredibly interested to read Jeff
Rosenthal’s article about the role of my peers in changing the world through the products we purchase. I remember when the Livestrong trend hit back in middle school–everyone who was anyone had one of those yellow bands. Soon, other causes (I have a pink one to support Breast Cancer Awareness and a red one to fight Child Abuse) picked up on this trend, and for a while, it was “cool” to cover your entire arm with these colorful bands. My fellow middle schoolers and I probably cared more about the colors than the causes the bands represented, yet we were doing our part to fundraise for many important organizations.
Nowadays, this product trend has continued, though I think the fundraising aspect has become even more subtle. My roommate has a few pairs of TOMS shoes, and I would never have known about their cause-related background without asking her about them. If a marketing representative from a company like TOMS shoes can get the product to catch on and become “trendy,” celebrities (closely followed by college students) will raise significant money for charity just by trying to stay on top of fashion trends. Although I would like to say this behavior is driven by a desire to help others, I hardly believe this is the case. It is merely a convenient byproduct of modeling the latest trends.
-SARAH KEYSTON, UCLA FRESHMAN & TRIATHELETE-IN-TRAINING
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I am a huge fan of the concept of selling products for a charitable purpose. I think it’s great, it’s a give a little, take a little system that people love. I also think it’s a great way to raise awareness, especially for young people today. When I am buying something, I love seeing that the money I spend is going towards a charitable cause, and in fact, like many, this makes me want to spend more.
- MALAIKA RAMACHANDRAN, CASTILLEJA SCHOOL SOPHOMORE & ACTIVE MEMBER OF Peace Dot, STANFORD UNIVERSITY PERSUASIVE TECHNOLOGY LAB
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Most people like the idea of changing the world for the better and in a time when things seem to be spiraling out of control, these businesses take some of the power back and put it in the hands of the masses.
Rosenthal makes an excellent point that if not for these opportunities for young people to participate, most would otherwise never donate. Trying to effect change through educated consumerism (not supporting brands that perform animal testing for instance) has in the past been difficult but with the advent of these new businesses, it’s a lot easier and more fun because you also get a cool t-shirt for your efforts.
- TIZOC VELASCO, UCSB THIRD YEAR & FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL INNOVATOR
Filed under: Social Change | Tags: change, Jeff Rosenthal, Social Change, take action
by Anis Salvesen
The Huffington Post featured a fascinating article for anyone who has ever even considered buying a product that some way changes the world for the better. If you’re part of the 2.56% * of American consumers who have never even contemplated buying a product that gives something back, you too will find this article thought-provoking.
Here is an excerpt of that article, Products With Purpose Will Change the World, written by Jeff Rosenthal, Founding partner and Chief Community Builder, Sherpa, and Ninja of Summit Series.
For young adults, charity is generally viewed as an invisible act, something you might do but not want to advertise. We don’t tweet about our charitable donations, and you wouldn’t wear your Susan B. Komen 5K Turkey Trot T-shirt out with friends at a bar at night.
Charities, however, are beginning to grasp the new movement that has sprung up among young adults who want to define themselves and their future through associations with the brands they wear or possess.
Instead of buying a Fendi bag, brand-savvy consumers might purchase FEED bags, which feed one child in Africa for a year with each bag sold. ..This is just one example of a product related to a charitable cause that is gaining market share by telling a cool, compelling story. By contrast, the old nonprofit model is based upon guilt, shaming the consumer into donating to the cause.
Traditional for-profit brands have long ago understood the power of brand associations. Take Nike, for instance. Nike has drenched themselves in Michael Jordan since the late 1980s…..This notion of brand appropriation is why I don’t mind “greenwashing”, that is, when companies heavily promote in their core marketing message small acts that are supposed to be saving the planet.
Sure… I am aware that Starbucks goes through roughly 2.3 billion paper cups a year and advertises its national award for using cups made of 10 percent recycled material. The sleeves on the cups even plead, “Help us help the planet.” But what demographic, who are active consumers of the message “Green Is Good,” might miss the hypocrisy of these claims? Young people. Young people who begin recycling. Young people who make their parents turn the lights off when leaving the house and conserve water. And as these consumers age, they may well become more demanding of the products they consume, collectively pushing the bar higher for personal and corporate responsibility.
..It may be a dream to imagine that a business would prefer a slightly smaller profit margin in favor of having a higher purpose, creating a great product, taking care of one’s employees, and positively impacting the planet. But why not take positive steps to champion these nonprofit and benevolent businesses? This is the birth of a new world, where your dollars can act as catalysts to accomplish the change that we want to see in the world. This is the birth of a marketplace where the brands we support will be in line with the values we advocate.
..This is a symphony, that begins with strings. Slowly building: FEED Projects. Invisible Children. Livestrong. Falling Whistles. Charity:Water. To Write Love on Her Arms. Method Cleaning Products. GreenLaces. Toms Shoes. One Mango Tree. The Holster Project. Nau. PACT.
This is only the beginning. Let’s blast off into a new paradigm of what it means to be cool, a world where the highest consumer value is inseparable from the highest social good.
It is hard to do Jeff’s article justice with excerpts, so you should definitely read the article on the Huffington Post! Comment there, and share your thoughts with us. We would love to hear from everyone, but especially from high school and college students.
Next week we will publish the most compelling comments as a blog post. I can’t wait to see what you brilliant young people have to say!
*this is an estimated figure
