In celebration of Day 3 of National Volunteer Week, I’m hoping you’ll find in the list of ten below, an opportunity that’s perfect for you. Just click on the title of a particular opportunity that interests you, and you’ll be able to view the detailed role description from Idealist.org:

#1 Creative Project Manager: For artists & creative types like Amanda

Amanda May is our newest creative project manager. She has a background in photography and graphic design, and currently works as a fashion photo retoucher in New York City. While searching for info about Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, she found Oprah’s site which links to VolunteerMatch, where she just happened to find us. Coincidence? I think not. Right now, she’s working on several amazingly creative ideas to transform the stories of children in Tanzania into interesting products that you’re going to crave.

#2 Accountant/Auditor: For human calculators

#3 Social Media Strategist, #4 Social Networkers & Web 2.0 Fiends or #5 Web 2.0 Designer: For web 2.0 junkies

#6 Local Chapter Heads: For social fireflies like Emily

Emily Morrow-Fick is one of our chapter heads in Canada. She is currently a student and previously volunteered with Sanjay and Stacey in Tanzania in 2007. In her own words, “I had the pleasure of working with Sanjay and Stacey in Tanzania. [Gee, thanks, Emily!] Their enthusiasm has been contagious and now I am so excited to be working with Epic Change here in Canada. As a student, there are so many opportunities open to me to make change happen. Epic Change is doing great things in Africa right now, and I’m proud to be a part of that. I can’t wait to go back to Tanzania and see all the amazing changes that Epic Change has been able to fund at Shepherd’s Junior.” Emily’s currently working on planning a huge sale of consignment clothes, a poker tournament and a band performance at a local club. Like them, she rocks!

#7 Kids to Create Epic Change: For kids like Zoe

Zoe’s a third grader who’s leading the kid-powered revolution at Epic Change. Already, she’s personally raised hundreds of dollars with her lemonade stand and at her birthday party, which she threw in honor of her new friends in Tanzania. She’s also You can read more about her efforts and, if you’re a kid, learn more about how you can get involved at http://www.EpicChange.org/kids.

#8 International Volunteers: For adventurers like Eoin

Eoin’s a photographer and graphic designer who traveled to Tanzania last year and, during his trip, taught a photography class to some of the children at Shepherds Junior. He also donated two digital cameras and a solar charger that the children are now using to take photos that will be used for greeting cards and postcards. Later this year, Eoin plans to publish a book of his photos from his trip to Arusha and a portion of the proceeds will be dedicated to Epic Change.

#9 PR & Marketing God(dess): For spin doctors

#10 10-Minute Volunteers: For those with more passion than time

Even if you’ve only got 10 minutes a week, I’m hoping you’ll commit to volunteer them with Epic Change. Just leave a comment below, email me at stacey@epicchange.org or call my cell (415.630.0631) with the role in which you’re interested - or pass this post to a friend who might be looking for a way to make a difference. Of course, if you’re the type who prefers to color outside the lines (aren’t we all, really?), and you’ve got a great idea for how to use your unique talents in support of Epic Change, let us know; we love new ideas!

Just yesterday, a musician named Lauren Hayworth reached out to me with an offer to write music for our YouTube videos, a need which we had, but certainly hadn’t conceptualized. Her effervescent song of hope & optimism, Look Up, is already featured on our video of Gideon. You can check out the video here, and, if you’re in the mood to feel totally inspired, listen to Lauren’s song:

In short, we need YOU, in whatever brilliant capacity you’re able, to contribute the most valuable thing you have to offer - your time - to this effort. I so look forward to working with you!

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PS: For those of you who may have missed it, this week Epic Change is participating in National Volunteer Week by asking each of our supporters to volunteer 5-10 minutes each day this week to Epic Change. If you’re just starting, you all you need to do is read and comment on this blog entry or this Youtube video and answer a couple of these 20 questions to catch up!

Posted: April 30th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 3

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, this week is National Volunteer Week. At Epic Change, we believe that anyone can make a difference in just a few minutes a day, so every day this week, we’re posting a 5-10 minute volunteer opportunity in which we hope you’ll participate.

Today, we present a game of 20 questions. Epic Change is your organization, and your ideas and collaboration are the keys to its success. Here we’ve posted 20 questions on which we’d like your input. While we certainly don’t expect you to answer all of them, we hope you’ll take a few minutes to scan the list and choose one or a few that are particularly relevant or interesting to you. All you need to do is post your responses as a comment to this post, and refer to the number of the question you’re answering.

Here’s our questions:

About You

1. What about you makes you the type of person that supports an effort like Epic Change? Where would we look to find more people like you?
2. If you could ask one question of the children, teachers or parents in Tanzania (or of us!) what would you ask?
3. What are the top 3 reasons that you personally support and/or are interested in Epic Change?
4. What other causes do you support? Why & how?
5. Have you asked anyone to get involved with Epic Change or donate funds? If so, share your experience. If not, why not?

Your Great Ideas

6. If you could offer one piece of advice or feedback to Epic Change, what would it be?
7. Do you have a great idea for a product - that you would personally buy - that could be designed based on the stories and/or artwork of children in Tanzania?
8. What ideas do you have for spreading the word about Epic Change?
9. Do you have an interesting idea for a fundraiser?
10. What could we do to make you feel even more connected to the school you’re supporting in Tanzania? What could you do?
11. We’ve currently got 18 great computers waiting for shipment to Tanzania. Do you know of any inexpensive (or free!) alternatives for shipping, or do you know someone in the cargo/shipping business that might be able to help?

Our Online Presence

12. Which blog posts have you found most/least interesting? Why?
13. Which Youtube video has been most/least interesting to you personally? Why? (You can check out all of our YouTube videos here.)
14. What improvements would you suggest to our website or blog?
15. Do you have a question or topic that you’d like us to cover in a future blog post?
16. If we set up a “twitter” account for the children in Tanzania, would you follow their conversation? Why or why not?

For the Nerds

17. I’ve read about a tweeter recently who had problems setting up twitter on his cell phone in Delhi. What will be the challenges of setting up twitter on cell phones in Tanzania? How can I avoid complications?
18. I’d like to get several cell phones that would work in Tanzania for the children to use for tweeting. Do you know of anywhere I could get free or cheap cell phones that would work (or could be easily adapted to work) in Tanzania?

For Everyone

19. Do you have a question that you’d like to ask fellow supporters and followers of Epic Change?
20. If you’ve suggested an idea for Epic Change to implement, would you personally be willing to participate in its implementation? Alternatively, has anyone else contributed a great idea with which you’d like to help?

Don’t forget, too, If you missed Monday’s 5-minute opportunity, it’s simple to catch up: just check out one of our recent blog entries about Gideon, a fourth grader at Shepherds Junior, and his dad Gidori, post your personal response as a comment, and, if you haven’t already, subscribe to our blog via email or RSS.

I look forward to hearing from you - and am excited to hear all your great ideas. Don’t forget to check back tomorrow for another quick opportunity to create Epic Change!

Posted: April 29th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 7

You are amazing.

You can’t imagine how many people told me it would be impossible to build a school in Africa in three months. Apparently, they didn’t know about you. They said I needed to get someone rich or famous involved, that they’re the ones with the power to make a real difference. Apparently, they didn’t realize just how much power you have when you’re passionate about something. Maybe you’re not Angelina Jolie, perhaps you’re not Bono or Bill Gates. But you have power beyond measure; just look at what you’ve accomplished.

Admittedly, we’ve only just begun - but what a beginning: 6 months. 350 people mobilized. Nearly $40,000 raised. $1000 grant awarded. 4 classrooms constructed & open. 200 smiling faces.

Now, though, we face the challenges of the road ahead. Over the next 3-4 years, we’ll need to raise over $200,000 to complete the school with more classrooms, its first library, cafeteria, solar power, flushable toilets, a playground and a school bus. Concurrently, we’ll be developing products based on the stories of the children at the school in an effort to successfully prototype our unique approach to story-based pay-it-forward social innovation. These will be no small feats. Having seen what you’ve accomplished already, though, I’m not worried a bit, just excited to see where this journey will lead.

Serendipitously, this week is National Volunteer Week. Since you’ve demonstrated so clearly what you can accomplish when you work together, I’m asking you, this week, to expand your collaboration. Each day this week, I’ll be posting to the blog a 5-10 minute volunteer opportunity. I believe that if we each continue to do a little, together, we have the power to create truly EPIC Change in Tanzania and, after this project is complete, in many other hopeful communities across the globe.

Today’s activity is simple: Immerse yourself in the story. Not only is today the beginning of National Volunteer Week, it’s also “Reading & Commenting Day” in the blogosphere, so today’s effort is about participating in the story that’s unfolding on our blog. Here’s all you need to do:

• Check out our blog. Learn more about this incredible story in which you’re participating by reading a few blog posts. Most recently, we’ve posted this story about Gideon, a student at the school, and this truly compelling video interview with his Dad. Get to know their story, so you can pass it on.
• Post a comment. We’d love your ideas, input, feedback & suggestions, and since our friends in Tanzania keep track of the blog too, they’d love to hear from you. Make yourself heard.
• Subscribe to the blog. If you haven’t already, you can have each blog entry come straight to your email by entering your email here or, if you prefer an RSS feed, subscribe to ours here. This will enable you to easily provide input on an ongoing basis, communicate with those you’re helping in Tanzania and follow the story you’re helping to write.

If you’re not a techie & this doesn’t make sense, or is confusing, please don’t opt out. We can’t do this without you. Just call my cell at 415.630.0631 or call Sanjay at 415.748.2152. We’d be more than glad to walk you through the process personally.

In the spirit of National Volunteer Week, we’ll of course be publishing some great opportunities this week to get even more involved in Epic Change, if you’re interested and able to make the time.

For now, though, I’m asking for ten minutes every day this week, less than one hour.

Are you in?

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PS: If you’ve got extra time today (or are in a long, boring meeting), here’s some extra credit:

• Stumble us. Register for StumbleUpon, and stumble the posts you read; a link appears at the bottom of each post. You only need to register once, and then each time you find an interesting story on our blog, stumble it. By doing so, you publicize our blog, and get more people interested in our story.
• Share our blog. If you’ve got a blog, post a link to our blog (http://www.EpicChange.org/blog). If you don’t have a blog of your own, find a post you really like on the Epic Change blog and forward it to your friends. Let them know that you’re participating - and why.

If you do the extra credit, and you let me know by posting a response on our blog, I shall find some sort of prize for you. It will be good.

Again, don’t hesitate to call with questions!!! 415.630.0631 or 415.748.2152.

Posted: April 28th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 2

Perhaps one of the most interesting people we met during our last visit to Tanzania was Gideon’s Dad, Gidori. The video below captures our conversation which begins with him pondering the color of God’s skin and ends with his hopes for his son, his country and his continent.

If your feed doesn’t show the video, click here to go directly to YouTube. You can also hear from & about Gidori’s 10-year-old son Gideon here.

Posted: April 27th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 3

Close your eyes and picture an African child.

What do you see? Likely a child hungry, impoverished, orphaned, weak, dirty, sad, diseased, in need.

Before I went to Africa the first time, I had an image in my mind of the people, and especially the children, I would meet. I’d seen them on the news and late-night infomercials for my entire life. Growing up in Catholic school, I remember their images from the milk cartons in which we collected change for them during Lenten appeals. I’d seen their huts, their sickness, their war-torn villages. I’d stood with Hands Across America, and my little brother even sang We are the World in our school talent show. I knew, and had a deeply felt sympathy for, African children. Empathy was impossible, though, because their situation was simply too foreign for me to truly grasp.

But somehow, in all that I’d seen over a lifetime of learning, and multiple degrees, I’d never, ever seen Gideon. Not on the news, not in a book, not on a commercial. Never. Not once. Believe me, I’d have remembered, because he would have so profoundly stood apart from the stereotypes and categories I’d formulated in which he should fit as a child of Africa.

Gideon is a 10-year-old boy, a fourth grader at Shepherds Junior. First and foremost, he’s a child. He’s got an infectious giggle and an imagination that is ignited by my incessant questioning. When I asked him to draw a picture of what makes him happy, he drew himself playing in the rain, and on Thanksgiving, when I asked what he was thankful for, he cheerfully exclaimed that he was grateful “because Christmas is coming and I’m going to eat!” He’s just a kid, not at all unlike those you’d find on any playground in your own neighborhood.

He’s got an innate curiosity. Recently, one evening after dark shortly before the new school was opened, Gideon snuck off to investigate the new classrooms, while his worried parents wondered where he’d wandered. He came home, excited and out of breath, with the good news. “Daddy, the school is so wonderful!…The classrooms are big enough, there is enough light and air because the windows are big.” Gideon’s father, a welder who donated his own time to fashion those windows in his own workshop, quickly forgot his worry and celebrated with his son.

His dad also told me he has to watch carefully to make sure Gideon does his math homework at night, like I watched my niece do her long division before dinner last night. Gideon’s a little boy, like some you may know, who dreams of becoming a rocket ship pilot when he grows up, though he’s never even stepped foot on an airplane. His Dad wants him to be an engineer. He recently played one of the lead roles in the school’s play about the woman’s role in Tanzanian society. He’s a budding photographer and loves elephants.

If you asked me to describe Gideon, his poverty wouldn’t rank anywhere in the top 10 adjectives I’d use. Admittedly, he lives in one of the most impoverished countries on Earth. Admittedly, on more than one occasion I witnessed him lovingly wrap leftover fruit, chicken or potatoes to bring home to his family for whom these items are likely expensive luxuries. He is, by our standards, undeniably poor. But he is not defined by his poverty.

All too often, our portrayals of African children focus on their lack, and implicitly convey that their poverty is somehow their core attribute, their essence. Not only is our portrait radically incomplete, it is, perhaps worst of all, self-perpetuating. After all, as Gideon’s father so eloquently told me, “if you tell a man he is weak, he will be weak; if you tell a man he is poor, he will be poor.” Like many children of Africa, Gideon is not the fragile child of our uninformed stereotypes. It’s not that simple.

He’s just a kid. A bright, strong, playful, funny, hopeful, sometimes mischievous, 10-year-old boy.

While his poverty has absorbed our attention, it’s actually his potential that’s far more interesting, and in which we’re investing at Epic Change.

We’re not supporting Shepherds Junior because it is a school that serves poor children. We’re partnering with this school because it’s a place that empowers all its students, regardless of their economic status, with the education they need to become leaders in their country, and to overcome their poverty. We’re supporting it because it provides these children with role models, in Mama Lucy, the teachers and the parents’ committee, of strong local leaders who are intent on improving their own lives and their own community. We’ve chosen Shepherds Junior not because it has so little, but because they do so much with the little they have.

We are investing in Shepherds Junior not out of pity, but out of incredible respect, awe at their potential and a shared hope for the future of children like Gideon and the beautiful country they call home.

Posted: April 26th, 2008 under The Foundry, Story Spot.
Comments: 8

I’m a twitter addict. Just two days with my new personal account and I’m a total fiend for the twitterverse where free-wheeling idea brokers convene to brainstorm, share epiphanies and connect. If you’re not on yet, what are you waiting for? You can follow me at @StaceyMonk, Sanjay at @SanjayPatel and get Epic updates at @EpicChange. Even better, after joining us, search for other people with your interests on TweetScan or Summize, and leap into the twitter idea pool, like a child at the park fearlessly playing with other fun, interesting kids you meet. Tweet, email or call me on my cell (415.630.0631) and I’d be glad to show you the ropes.

Anyway, I started there because I’m grateful to ubiquitous blogger Chris Brogan for snapping me out of my Twitter trance with his tweet that simply said “Facilitating conversations and seeking opinions fosters engagement. Don’t you think?” I certainly do, and the question reminded me that I still needed to synthesize all the input I’ve received on the topic of engaging storytelling. So here goes . . .

After I finish up my taxes, I’ll be working to launch our monthly series of stories about a a few of the children in Tanzania, and I want to be careful to do so with respect, tenderness and authenticity. So, as I mentioned here a few weeks ago, I’ve been assembling a list of guiding principles for sharing their stories in ways that are worthy of their characters and content. I asked Linkedin users to expand the list, and was amazed to find compelling answers from journalists, screenwriters and nonprofit leaders, which you can read in their entirety on LinkedIn. I’ve summarized my thinking and their invaluable advice into the list of storytellers’ “rules of engagement” below:

1. Get out of the way. Avoid mediation and, as writer and editor Joan Trossman Bien suggested, “Just let them talk and reveal themselves.”
2. Write about your audience. Great stories are about their readers, and great storytellers don’t allow us to be idle bystanders. We see ourselves somewhere in the story. They make us think about ourselves perhaps even more than the characters. As creative director David Wilson wrote, “Invite the reader to imagine themselves.”
3. Make people think for themselves. Many stories are told to elicit a very particular reaction like sadness, fear, guilt or happiness. They proscribe to the audience exactly what to feel like a Sally Struthers video carefully concocted to manufacture pity. Reality, though, is rarely summarized in a single predictable emotion; it is more nuanced. The best stories require our independent consideration and inspire a myriad of subtle responses that are influenced not only by the story but by our unique personal experiences.
4. Imperative + Optimism = Action. Financial planner Richard Krasney and others suggested a useful 3-step approach that includes explaining the need, inspiring hope, and requesting impactful action. To establish an imperative, Keyvan Gilbert from Union Gospel Mission suggests “don’t be afraid to emphasize the problems that exist,” but he emphasized, “make sure the stories can also be seen as motivating and hopeful.” I couldn’t agree more. Personally, I think far too many non-profits use messages of fear, pity and guilt rather than hope and inspiration.
5. Don’t miss the humor. “Humor allows us to face the worst possible scenario without aversion, and experience a true, deeply felt emotional response in a positive and memorable way,” wrote David Wilson.
6. Narrow the frame. Magazine writer and editor Elaine Appleton Grant passed along this advice she received from “Tom French, an award-winning narrative journalist for The St. Petersburg Times. He says: “Narrow the frame.” The longer the story, the MORE focused on a single character it should be. As others have written here, people have a hard time relating to the 30,000-foot view, but we all love characters.” I agree, amalgamation & summarization feel contrived. People can identify with an individual, but not with an entire population. As Paul Slovic, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon pointed out in a 2007 article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy, “We cannot wrap our minds around two people as well as around one.” Research from Wharton Professor Deborah Small also suggests that “statistics can actually blunt [our] emotional response,” which can “suppress giving” and decrease our likelihood of taking action.
7. Be concise. In the best stories, every word is essential. I’ll leave it at that. (Yes, I do catch the irony of including this rule in a blog post this long.)
8. Invite participation. As Chris Brogan tweeted, “facilitating conversations & seeking opinions fosters engagement.” I need your participation, questions, feedback, suggestions to make sure that the stories we’re sharing are compelling to you, our audience. I look forward to providing opportunities, like our Flickr and YouTube groups for kids, for everyone to get involved - not only in hearing the story, but in sharing it, which brings me to my final rule . . .
9. Let others speak for you. Leyla, a commenter at the Nonprofit Marketing Guide, made perhaps my favorite suggestion: “another great way to tell great stories is to let your supporters tell them for you.”

This is my fondest hope. I hope you’ll share the stories of children like Glory, so my next blog post will be the first in a regular series of stories about a few of the children at Shepherds Junior. I promise, they’re some of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet, and, by sharing videos and art, I’ll try to let them share as much of their own stories as possible, without me getting in the way.

Stay tuned. And let me know when I’m breaking my own rules, or if you have others. After all, this list of 9 just begs for a #10. Perhaps it should be “Don’t finish: Write stories that beg for your audience to write their own ending.”

P.S. For those of you who may be looking, here are a few other great links for storytellers:

• Andy Goodman, nonprofit storyteller extraordinaire
• The Nieman Narrative Digest at Harvard, which runs an annual conference on narrative journalism
• A great story from Heifer International
• The Story Handbook by The Trust for Public Land
• A list of other nonprofit storytelling links from the Nonprofit Marketing Guide

Posted: April 14th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 2

My little brother Josh had called me at work. I’d told him I’d call back and didn’t which, in retrospect, makes me the worst big sister of all time.

Joshua died a few days later and, as I cleaned out his apartment, I found a thank-you card that would have been sent to me, if I’d bothered to call back with my address. I know his drug overdose was not my fault, but I still wonder if I could have made a difference.

Yesterday, April 7th, marked the fifth anniversary of Joshua’s death, and the unwitting genesis of the hopeful seed that would become Epic Change.

If I let myself, which I rarely do, I can remember the morning of his death with vivid precision. I remember taking photographs in my brain, a vain effort to preserve my life as it was, knowing that it would never be the same. One of those photos was taken as we flew over the the Rocky mountains in Colorado. As we did, I realized my brother had probably never seen them.

I thought how tragic it was that he was looking for happiness from a substance when there’s so much beauty to be found in this world. It probably sounds all Pollyanna now, but I actually was so furious at the time that I used the f-word from the altar during my eulogy at his funeral, much to my own shock and the chagrin of the priest who was saying his funeral mass. I was just so mad at him for missing out on all the incredible beauty that life has to offer.

I think I travel so much now because I want to take him to all those amazing places that he missed. People often ask me why I went to Africa. I think I went to take Josh.

Or, perhaps, he was taking me.

In either case, Joshua somehow led me to Mama Lucy. I am eternally grateful, and I’m hoping that my work with Epic Change can pay some small tribute his memory. I wish I could tell you more about him, but the grief regulator in my head kicks in after a few minutes, and I can only go so far. If I did, I would tell you he was 6′7, a giant with an even bigger heart. He made me feel safe, protected and more beautiful than anyone else ever has. He was an incredible Daddy his little girl, Zoe, who’s now 9 years old and whose name, surely not coincidentally, means “life.” He loved music, and imparted his love to her; they share a favorite song that he used to play for her as she fell asleep, Israel Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of Somewhere over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World.

At Josh’s wake, my family saw two rainbows in the sky and, while I don’t remember ever having encountered that phenomenon before, I now notice it all the time, and almost wherever I travel. This photo is from my visit to Victoria Falls.

These rainbows serve as constant reminders of the promise that lies behind even the darkest corners, and of the beginnings that lie at every end - if we just keep going.

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PS: The random song generator in my brain continues. I’m pretty sure it’s the symptom of an illness I’m fighting. As I wrote that last line, I was reminded of a performance by Up with People that I saw when I was probably in elementary school. We lived in a VERY small town at the time called Waynesboro in Pennsylvania, and we hosted a few of the performers at my house; I remember a photo of me and my brother with them. He was probably a kindergartner at the time, the year he sang We are the World in our school’s talent show. Anyway, at the Up With People performance in Waynesboro, they sang a song called a Let the River Flow and, despite it’s total cheesliciousness, it’s a really pretty song. The lyrics go something like:

It’s the power to keep going, the power to to turn around;
It’s the power to keep growing, to see the light in the darkest night;
Let the river flow.

Unbelievably, I found the song on YouTube here, and even a performance from Waynesboro here. Note the incredible sound and video quality, and check out the dramatic crescendo at the end :)

The universe is a very strange and wonderful place.

Posted: April 9th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: 2

Yesterday I found myself singing in the car. It’s not that rare; fortunately, mine is a life filled with music. But yesterday was different, because the song came mysteriously from the recesses of my brain. Actually, from a Rankin-Bass holiday special that first aired in the year of my birth, called ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. I probably last saw it in elementary school. And for some reason, yesterday, I started humming this little ditty called Even a Miracle Needs a Hand:

The song, in its utter simplicity, communicates so clearly what Epic Change is all about. It’s not a profound quote from Gandhi or Mandela, but it’s true just the same: miracles do need our help, which is why we’re looking for help everywhere we can (including from you!!!), while in Tanzania, the leaders, parents, teachers and students of Shepherds Junior are busy helping this miracle in so many ways, most recently by raising nearly $1500 at their first-ever end-of-term auction. I received some photos of the event this weekend from Mama Lucy’s amazing son, William. He’s perhaps the most incredible teenager I’ve ever met, courteous and intensely hard working, just like his mom! Here’s some of the great pics he took of the auction:

No one is sitting around waiting for this miracle to happen!

Other great news too: after months of patient waiting for bureaucratic delays, and polite assertion from Mama Lucy on several 9-hour crowded bus trips to visit government officials, this week Mama Lucy obtained her registration as a non-governmental organization in Tanzania. It’s an amazing accomplishment, and one that’s taken alot of work by Mama Lucy. So congratulations to her!

If you’d like to give this miracle a hand:

• Donate!
• Join Us in Tanzania this summer!
• Get your children involved in the kid-powered revolution!
• Join our Facebook Cause!
• Volunteer as a social networker, creative project manager or local chapter head!

Just last week we started our first chapter in Canada, under the leadership of Emily, a college student we met while volunteering in Africa last year. Already, she’s planning a few poker games in Calgary, some consignment sales of donated clothes and a performance by local bands in her town! We could really use a few more energetic fire starters like her across the globe, so email me at stacey@epicchange.org if you’re interested!

Let’s all try to help a little ’cause even a miracle needs a hand!

Posted: April 7th, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: none

We just received this email from Mama Lucy and wanted to share it with you. This past weekend, Shepherds Junior School held an auction to raise funds for the school and celebrate the end of the term. Epic Change had asked Mama Lucy to hold a fundraising event as part of our original loan disbursement terms and needless to say, all of our expectations were surpassed! Read on:

On Saturday 29th March 2008, the pupils of Shepherds Junior School proved that they can fundraise for their school too!!! The function started around 10:15am. Earlier in the day, the children brought different things from their parents/guardians like: sets of glasses, flower vessels, a Bible, a thermos, a cake with the name of school, khangas, vitenges, batiks, hens, etc.

We invited all of the parents, local leaders of the Moivaro village, the Ward Educational Officer, villagers and friends.

The children know that before anyone can put his/her hand in their pocket to give you money, you must show that you deserve to be given. So, the children prepared different things for the pre-auction performance to show their ability in various subjects.

The children performed:

1. Three songs from the lower classes (Baby, Intermediate and Pre-unit classes).
2. Academic activities from the primary classes (standards 1 - 4). Below is what they presented to amuse the guests:
• Math (Class 4) - Glory Abraham and Gideon Gidori solved different types of mathematical problems and showed how they got the answer.
• History (Class 4) - “Evolution in Mankind,” with an explanation from the first stage to the last stage, as presented by Leah Albert.
• Science (Class 3) - “Germination in Plants,” with an explanation given by Linner George and a practical demonstration by Amani Herman.
• Arts (Class 2) - Lourine Paul and Luta performed an experiment mixing two different primary colours to get secondary colours.

After each of their presentations, they invited questions from the audience. You can’t believe how confidently and correctly they answered those questions! This shows that the subject was well understood by the students. Everyone was so impressed! Then followed the auction.

Wow! As everyone was so excited with the performance, the auction was so successful. We were able to raise cash Tshs. 487,000 and other things were bought on credit, worth Tshs. 1,180,000 (a total of nearly $1,500 USD). Those who bought on credit promised to pay no later than early May; when we’ll begin the next term. We’ll reopen the school on the 5th of May 2008.

Since the children brought so many items, time was inadequate. So some of the leftover items, like 36 pairs of khangas and vitenges, were left to be auctioned in the next term.

We do hope that those parents who bought on credit will pay within a timely manner so that we can complete the work of fencing the school.

The function ended around 5.00 pm and the school was closed happily until the next term!

More good news is about the photocopy machine we’ve wanted! At our last Parents Meeting, I informed the parents about the necessity of having a photocopy machine, and they agreed to contribute money to purchase one. They contributed, and on March 8th, we finally got our own photocopy machine and we started using it immediately. We even used it to copy the March exams!

I’m sure you’re as happy as we are!!! Cheka kubwa (Big smile)!!!!

Yes Mama Lucy, we are ecstatic about your successful fundraising event! I can truly say that this is an fantastic accomplishment, and congratulations to all of the students for doing a wonderful job. It’s so good too for the children to learn that, even though they’re little, they have the power to make a real difference. It’s an incredibly powerful lesson for them to learn at such a young age.

Have a nice end-of-term break, you deserve it!

Posted: April 1st, 2008 under The Foundry, Updates from Mama.
Comments: 2

Epic Change believes everyone has the capacity to change the world.

Kids are especially great innovators because they’re fearless and they’ve got great imaginations. So we’re looking for children across the globe to help us start a kid-powered revolution.

From the US to Tanzania, children are participating in raising funds and awareness for Epic Change by holding lemonade stands, collecting change, writing penpal letters and, in Africa, by designing postcards, greeting cards, art and jewelry for sale to help raise money for their school. Just this weekend, the children in Tanzania raised nearly $1500 by donating small items from their homes - from khangas (local attire) to chickens - to auction off to raise money for their school. Now, that’s kid power! Check out the note Mama Lucy sent us today here to learn more about this amazing accomplishment.

Our biggest little Epic Changemaker so far in the US has been my niece Zoe; she’s only 9, but she’s making a huge difference. Check out what the little redhead and her friends have been up to in her video:

On Zoe’s new Kid-Powered Revolution page at www.epicchange.org/kids, we’ve provided five ideas for how children can get involved in our efforts - and have fun - all at the same time. On the site, we’ve also introduced our “story sandbox,” which includes our new Flickr and YouTube groups for kids, where children can contribute their own artwork and video stories to share with students in Tanzania, and see what other young people have submitted so far. It’s really interesting to hear from the kids, so even if you’re only young at heart, take a look at www.epicchange.org/kids to see what they’re up to!

Whether they’re budding artists or entrepreneurs, we hope your kids, their friends and all the children you love will participate in our kid-powered revolution. Please pass this along to other parents and educators you know who may be interested in innovative ways to encourage children to make a difference.

PS: If you’re a grown-up, we’ve recently published a new way for you to get involved as well: join us on a trip to Tanzania this summer. We’ve posted all the details here on our blog, so check it out. I can assure you it will be the experience of a lifetime.

Posted: April 1st, 2008 under The Foundry.
Comments: none