Blue Sweater Giveaway Competition Projects

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Permalink Reply by Rachel Gordon on December 6, 2010 at 11:04am

ThinkImpact, a Washington, DC-based organization, builds social businesses in rural Africa, with the aim of simultaneously ending poverty and addressing urgent social challenges.

We host a 10-week Innovation Institute Scholars Program in rural Kenya and South Africa, taking America's brightest young social entrepreneurs to live and work with community entrepreneurs on identifying and developing social innovations. Our scholars learn through an asset-based community development curriculum, and unleash the potential at the base of the pyramid creating jobs, products and services that change lives. Scholars are invited each year to compete for the ThinkImpact Fellowship through a social business plan competition. Selected fellows receive mentoring and support through our 9-month Impact Incubator, along with a fully-funded fellowship to return to the community for 1 year to build the social business together with a community entrepreneur.

Prior to leaving for the summer, scholars receive certain books and articles that we feel will help prepare and inspire them, as they embark on their journey. In this vein, we’ll be distributing our copies of “The Blue Sweater” to scholars, who will then engage in group discussions surrounding the important issues raised in the book.

Please see http://vimeo.com/14459972 to learn more about ThinkImpact. Of course, you can also visit www.thinkimpact.org.

Permalink Reply by Monique Schmidt on December 8, 2010 at 11:19pm

At the Akilah Institute for Women in Kigali, Rwanda, we will use The Blue Sweater as a guide and a step to empowering our young women to believe in themselves and their ability to change their worlds for the better.

Jacqueline Novogratz starts Chapter Four with a quote from Marian Wright Eldeman who says, “If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time.” We at Akilah firmly believe that statement, and we teach our students to believe it as well. In Leadership class our students create and prepare public service workshops which tackle tough societal issues present in Rwanda. We then look for opportunities in our communities to present these workshops in order to start discussions which may create avenues for social change. At Akilah, starting in February 2011, we will use The Blue Sweater in our English classes where our students will read the book and discuss the ideas presented. Then, based on the reading and discussions, the Leadership class instructor will guide our young women in creating workshops to present to the community. We feel that using The Blue Sweater is a special opportunity for us: since the content is Rwanda focused, it will deeply resonate with our students.

Permalink Reply by Heidi Klomp on December 9, 2010 at 12:03pm

I'm the team lead for an internship group at Brigham Young University. Our team wanted to use our books to create something that had the greatest potential to affect the greatest amount of people. The idea we developed will have a “snowball” effect, where it is able to become ever larger and therefore touch as many people as possible.

The vast majority of books are read once and put on a shelf only to collect dust even though the words that they contain could be influencing the lives of countless others. We wanted to combine the potential of libraries with social media and word-of- mouth advertising. We also wanted to create something that could expand and become larger and yet be self-sufficient. Our idea was to have a type of pay-it-forward system where we gave books away to people who were interested in reading them.

However, we needed a system that would encourage accountability for keeping the books in circulation. So, we created the "Where's Your Sweater?" challenge.
The challenge is to:
1. Read the book
2. Share ideas you have for social change on our website
3. Give your book to someone else who accepts the challenge

Each of our books now has a tracking number with it. As people take the challenge, they enter their tracking number onto our website and can see where their book has been. On our website, people also have the opportunity to write about their experience with the book. What ideas did they gain from reading the book? What are their plans for making a difference?

If you're interested in taking our challenge or learning more, visit our website:
http://www.wix.com/wheresyoursweater/challenge

You can also add your own books into circulation with our website. If you email us at the address on the website, we can give you instructions on how to get a tracking number and put a short insert with directions about the challenge on the inside cover of the book. So, if you are done with your books, you can look at our online wait list and send your books to someone who is interested in reading them or choose someone in your own community to take the challenge!

Permalink Reply by Owen Cortner on December 12, 2010 at 12:58pm

Music for Life, a non-profit organization operating in Kenya and Uganda, and a group of students at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, have partnered together to use The Blue Sweater to connect young leaders in the United States and in Africa and encourage critical discussion of international development issues.

 

Music For Life sponsors vulnerable children in seven different Sub-Saharan African Countries.  After sponsorship at school level we continue to assist and support our students through tertiary education and into working life. One of the major challenges faced by Music For Life alumni is access to and barriers within employment. In The Blue Sweater, Novogratz talks about grassroots development, the need to encourage small businesses and an inclusive style of development - beliefs shared by Music For Life.

The books that we have won will be distributed among students and young adults  in Kenya and Uganda. Some books are going to young adults who are attempting to start up their own small businesses and have been given some training and loans to facilitate this process. Others will be used in 2011 for students attending a Relief and Development program, training and teaching skills in community development. The books will form a part of class discussion and debate between African and Western students, provoking discussions and challenging people’s perceptions of what development is and how it should look. Of particular interest will be the different perceptions from Western and African students and we anticipate that the book can be used as part of the core course text in this respect.  The course is due to start in June 2011.

 

At NMSU, the project will be driven by critical discussions, international social networking, and media components including a TED talk and possibly other films about international development, Blue Sweater NMSU will culminate in a collaborative video production with the group in East Africa that will be highlighted on the Acumen Fund website.

 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=110298705689366

Permalink Reply by Diana L T Morris on December 13, 2010 at 7:11am

Hello! My name is Diana Morris and it is such a privilege to be a part of the Blue Sweater Giveaway Project. I am a professional in financial management, working hard to transition into microfinance.

It's been almost two months since the Blue Sweater Project was started here in Lafayette, Indiana. The first step was to gather a group of women who wanted to collaborate in developing the project and making it a reality. Each of these women have been instrumental in thinking through possible partnerships and opportunities. Our goal is simple: establish several book studies in collaboration with local shelters/community organizations. The method: Develop a 6-week curriculum that includes topical discussions, as well as relevant workshops/learning piece. Each participant will be "loaned" a book for the study, along with a workbook that they will use to take notes, write ideas and use for future reference. The outcome: sharing stories of hope, with practical applications to improve participants lives and the community.

We have approached five different organizations, two have shown immediate interest - to start some time in January. Once we get these going, I'd like to send a letter to a larger group of organizations, inviting them to host a book study. We can use feedback from the first groups to improve the workshop/learning piece to make sure it is practical and applicable to the participants.

Here are some of the workshops being considered:

Effective Listening & Communication, Cultural Diversity, Discovering Your Strengths, Self-Assessments, Turning a Hobby into a source of income, Panel from local Cottage/Garage business success stories, Self-Sufficiency/Planning for emergencies.

Any other ideas/suggestions are welcome.

Permalink Reply by Wei Wei Hsing on December 13, 2010 at 9:27am

This is fantastic Diana - thank you for sharing. To answer your question, other groups haven't put together workbooks for the book - you are the first! One resource that might help is our Blue Sweater teaching guide, which I've attached here. Let me know if you want me to take a look at a draft or initial outline for the workbook...would love to help!

Diana L T Morris said:

Hello! My name is Diana Morris and it is such a privilege to be a part of the Blue Sweater Giveaway Project. I am a professional in financial management, working hard to transition into microfinance.

It's been almost two months since the Blue Sweater Project was started here in Lafayette, Indiana. The first step was to gather a group of women who wanted to collaborate in developing the project and making it a reality. Each of these women have been instrumental in thinking through possible partnerships and opportunities. Our goal is simple: establish several book studies in collaboration with local shelters/community organizations. The method: Develop a 6-week curriculum that includes topical discussions, as well as relevant workshops/learning piece. Each participant will be "loaned" a book for the study, along with a workbook that they will use to take notes, write ideas and use for future reference. The outcome: sharing stories of hope, with practical applications to improve participants lives and the community.

We have approached five different organizations, two have shown immediate interest - to start some time in January. Once we get these going, I'd like to send a letter to a larger group of organizations, inviting them to host a book study. We can use feedback from the first groups to improve the workshop/learning piece to make sure it is practical and applicable to the participants.

Here are some of the workshops being considered:

Effective Listening & Communication, Cultural Diversity, Discovering Your Strengths, Self-Assessments, Turning a Hobby into a source of income, Panel from local Cottage/Garage business success stories, Self-Sufficiency/Planning for emergencies.

Any other ideas/suggestions are welcome.

Attachments:

• Blue Sweater Teaching Guide.pdf, 812 KB

Permalink Reply by Sarah Ryan on December 13, 2010 at 3:44pm

At The University of Texas at El Paso, we’re using our Blue Sweater books to create a dialogue among women’s activists in three nations. We’ve begun in the heart of El Paso del Norte with mini book clubs held at coffee shops a stone’s throw from Cuidad Juárez, home to many UTEP students. From Paisano Drive to Calle Placido, book club participants are making connections between the first half of Jacqueline Novogratz’s book and their own experiences with local women’s organizations such as Avance and the Frontera Women's Foundation.

 

Meeting at Kinley’s Tea House on Mesa Street, Luis Rubio read a poignant passage aloud. His club debated the question: “Where should activists try to contribute?” Living on the border, book club participant Alba Dominguez faces a choice between serving the needy in El Paso or the much needier in a sister city torn apart by drug violence. Still, Alba thinks that community organizers do their best work in their own communities. But she’s keeping an open mind… So too is Ana Camargo. She was surprised by the level of suspicion and distrust Novogratz faced in Rwanda. It made sense, she felt. But she also wondered if it meant that outsiders had no role in peacebuilding. Soon Alba, Ana, and the rest of UTEP’s Blue Sweater Club will pose these questions to female agronomy students at The National University of Rwanda…

 

The books have been on their way to Butare since early November! “Expedited” shipping is taking longer than expected, and the El Paso and Juárez students are eager to engage with their counterparts in Central Africa. At the first large group meeting in October, Dr. Sarah Ryan, co-advisor of the program with Associate Provost Dr. Donna Ekal, showed pictures from her 2008, 2009, and 2010 trips to Rwanda. Since then, the Blue Sweater Club students have continually asked: “have the books arrived yet?” Any day now, Dr. Laetitia Nyinawamwiza, Chair of Animal Production at The National University of Rwanda, will receive and distribute the books to her women’s agronomy student group. What will they think of The Blue Sweater? And living near the Rwanda-Burundi border, how will they relate to their colleagues on the U.S.-Mexico border? In 2011, we will finish the book and begin to answer these questions!

Attachments:

• BSC Luis.JPG, 734 KB

Permalink Reply by Haroun on December 13, 2010 at 9:56pm

How do you green a school?  Provide access to books and literacy?  Introduce elementary school students to the arts?  Ensure access to affordable medicines and healthcare?  These and other solutions to community and global social problems are in the hands of the next generation of social entrepreneurs. Greater youth involvement and commitment to social entrepreneurship is needed to drive further innovation and create a new generation of entrepreneurs focused on addressing the world’s greatest challenges.  The Blue Sweater should serve to inspire, educate and empower the next generation of social entrepreneurs to tackle global problems like global poverty with the enthusiasm, spirit of adventure, and commitment to human dignity that Jacqueline exemplifies in the book.

 

LearnServe International equips high school students with the tools of business planning, innovative problem-solving and cross-cultural fluency and challenges them to lead and join community-based social change efforts across the Washington, D.C. area and the world. On December 9, 2010, the 4th Annual LearnServe Innovators Coffee House was held, in which a dynamic group of LearnServe Fellows debuted their venture ideas — the projects they will launch next semester in their schools and communities! Thus, my plan for using the copies of The Blue Sweater are to provide them with the book and have them incorporate some aspect of what they learn from the book into their social entrepreneurial projects. The result of my gift of books will encourage these youth to be global citizens and change makers, driven to address the myriad of problems around the world.

 

I’ve exchanged many emails with Scott Rechler, Founder of LearnServe, and plan on meeting with him and other LearnServe staff to develop a plan to incorporate The Blue Sweater into their curriculum for next semester!

 

Permalink Reply by Adam Winski on December 14, 2010 at 11:49am

I'm incredibly excited to share The Blue Sweater along with the message and work of Acumen Fund with my organization, Tagai.  Our mentorship program engages a very global group of students from countries as diverse as Yemen, Mali, Philippines, Honduras, and many others.  We try our best to promote international acceptance and dignity for all.  

 

To me, nothing embodies these ideals more than Acumen Fund.  As our students are exposed to the incredible array of work with which Acumen is involved, it is my hope that some students might be as inspired as I have been and further explore the social enterprise world.  

 

Many students hope to return to their home countries one day but feel there is no opportunity.  I think this book could expand their perception of what is possible and instilling within them the confidence to follow their dreams. The Blue Sweater showcases the amazing work being done around the globe and lets our students know that they can bring this same work to their countries.

 

As part of our Tagai Leadership Series, I hope to bring in a small team from Acumen Fund to help answer any questions and further inspire our students to pursue their goals.

 

Permalink Reply by Jackie Rotman on December 21, 2010 at 3:59pm

Educate! is a non-profit organization based in Uganda that aims to educate and empower the next generation of socially responsible leaders in Africa.  Educate! offers a new, innovative model of education which includes: 1. A two year social entrepreneurship course, 2. Long term mentoring from a highly qualified Ugandan mentor (who also teaches the course), 3. An alumni program for continued mentoring, social change resources, and support, and 4. Support for students to actually create a business or community initiative. In 2009, Educate! launched the Educate! Experience at 24 partner schools across Uganda, and the organization currently works with 830 students.

 

Educate! will distribute 100 copies of The Blue Sweater to Educate! Scholars, Mentors, and affiliate groups, and will encourage discussion about the concepts learned from The Blue Sweater.  A few of the Educate! groups receiving copies of the book include:

 

• The founders of Angels Finance Corporation, a start-up recently created by Educate! graduates from Uganda’s top secondary school, SMACK. AFC aims to encourage and support a culture of entrepreneurship throughout Africa.  Similar to Acumen Fund’s model but on a smaller scale, AFC provides loans/investments and ongoing support to young people age 17-24 to start profitable and socially impactful businesses.  Starting this winter, AFC will also hold entrepreneurship workshops for recent secondary school graduates.  AFC’s founders have already read and been deeply inspired by The Blue Sweater, and they plan to integrate the lessons learned and distribute more copies of the book through their entrepreneurship workshops for other students.

 

• The community-based organization, COBURWAS, which was created 7 years ago by refugees who used their educations – made possible by scholarships from Educate! – to help their communities. Run entirely by young people, COBURWAS unites, transforms and develops communities in Africa through education, social entrepreneurship, volunteerism and humanitarianism.  COBURWAS has created education programs including a primary school and a secondary school currently being built, a hostile for students to attend secondary school in a city 2 hours from their refugee settlement, a scholarship program, and various community-building, gender, agriculture, and health initiatives.  Students will be able to read The Blue Sweater through a library that a COBURWAS leader and former Educate! Scholar is creating, and we hope that the book can spark creative dialogue among refugee students about innovative models for social change.

 

We look forward to The Blue Sweater continuing to inspire and spark the creativity of young leaders and social entrepreneurs in Uganda!  We are very appreciative of Jacqueline Novograz and the Acumen Fund for creating The Blue Sweater, as we have seen firsthand how the book has the potential to truly change people’s lives and communities.

Permalink Reply by Diana L T Morris on January 11, 2011 at 2:11pm

UPDATE: I had a great meeting today with LARA (Lafayette Adult Resource Academy) here in Lafayette, Indiana. We will be facilitating * 2 * book clubs starting in February!!! I am so excited! One group will be high school students and the other will be adults in the English Conversation class.

Permalink Reply by Wei Wei Hsing on January 11, 2011 at 2:21pm

That's fantastic news!! Let me know if I can do anything to help!

Diana L T Morris said:

UPDATE: I had a great meeting today with LARA (Lafayette Adult Resource Academy) here in Lafayette, Indiana. We will be facilitating * 2 * book clubs starting in February!!! I am so excited! One group will be high school students and the other will be adults in the English Conversation class.