Jack Frerer and Bradley Kent both in year 11 at Redlands School, Sydney needed to raise $750 each to travel to Cambodia on an annual school expedition to help build houses for underprivileged families.
During the July school holidays the two Redlands music students grabbed a guitar a microphone and computer and sat and wrote some lyrics and some tunes about PROBLEMS people are facing today. Not third world problems but FIRST world problems!
Hmm are we all guilty of it. Running out of milk and the corner store is already shut, or the electricity is turned off for a day and you cannot send that urgent email. AAAH these petty frustrations. When others are facing REAL problems everyday. Adequate food, shelter, education, rape, clean water just to name a few.
Jack and Bradley talk about our cell phone batteries going flat, the plane getting delayed by 15mins and other comical FIRST WORLD problems.
This song was aired on 702/ABC radio with the boys being interviewed about their creation of this song.
They successfully raised $1500 through the sale of a CD with 8 songs on it to their families, supporters and friends.
If you LOVE communicating about inspirational, FUN, EMPOWERING, topics through technology, facebook, pinterest, twitter and have a passion for helping communities globally live the best life they can.
We are looking for your fun and enthusiasm to join our team as a social media intern.
Here's the job description:
GoodieDo is comprised of a fun team of 3 girls passionate about helping others live a better life through fairtrade, sustainable, eco friendly and ethically made products. We also donate 30% of sales to GOOD causes on our fundraising platform.
GoodieDo is currently seeing interns to join our team for a 3 Month Internship (which can be externded to one year) in Marketing and Social Media.
The internship is non-paid and is suitable for University students studying social media, commerce, psychology, business, teaching, design, fashion, literature, communications, technology, environmental studies and sustainability, health or science. It is also suitable for non university students if you are simply passionate about helping others and have some key skills in the above areas.
Job Specification
The Social Media Intern will love being part of online communities and wants to be involved in helping to make the world a better place. You will create bog content about Good people Doing Good Things, develop brant/product awareness with our online community and implement a regular social media strategy. This role coordinates with our team in Australia and America, and communicates with a global audience. This role can be carried out in your own personal work space- as it is an online role.
Responsibilities
Create and implement a social media roadmap, coordinating with the GoodieDo team.
Write weekly blog posts about Good People Doing Good things on topics that you are passionate about with suggestions and guidance from the GoodieDo team.
Manage presence for all Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest) and be the voice of GoodieDo online.
Promote Product of the Week, manage product giveaways campaigns and post Fundraiser Tips on a weekly basis throughout our Social Media accounts.
Manage social media campaigns and day-to-day activities. Duties include online advocacy, writing editorial, community-outreach efforts, promotions of new product.
Become an advocate of GoodieDo in social media spaces, engaging in dialogues and answering questions where appropriate.
Regularly provide feedback and insights gained from social media monitoring tot he GoodieDo team, to help us evolve our social media strategies with the trends.
Watch and join in marketing wevbnars that are recommended to you and be up to date with social media trends and development.
Requirements
To deliver the social media content as outlined in our strategy on a weekly basis. (Approximately 4-5hrs work a week- more may be required at times)
Be willing to take on tasks as required with and enthusiastic happy attitude.
Strong writing skills
Passionate voice about social issues and a desire to be a part of the solution to challenges in the world and your local community.
Good organizational, communication and teamwork skills
Ability to communicate with, inspire and build an online community
In-depth knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and their respective participants (Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Flickr, Pinterest etc.) and how they can be used effectively
A keen knowledge and interest in social topics and inspirational news.
Ability to effectively communicate information and ideas in written and verbal format, and build and maintain relationships both via email, Skype, Facebook and in person.
Good technical understanding and can pick up new tools quickly
an interest in organic, fair trade, ethically made, sustainable products
A love of travel, cultures, community involvement, fashion, nature and helping others.
Motivated to complete tasks on time, while working individually and at other times as a part of a team.
Social Media skills, Public relations, Marketing, Sales, community Management experience, a plus
Bonuses
Working with a small FUN, entrepreneurial and passionate international team!
Train you in relevant subject areas and provide online training courses for you such as effective copywriting, training on content management systems of a website, direct you to online marketing webinars and seminars.
Opportunity to try new things, be creative and learn while making a positive impact on communities everywhere.
For fabulous performance you will be rewarded with GoodieDo gift vouchers.
For the right team member there is the possibility of joining our company as a vested partner.
If you believe this internship is for you then please email us your resume with a personal statement on why you are the right person for this position.
Please send applications by the 20th of December, 2012
My family and I just moved to the US from Hong Kong at the end of last year. In fact it was 3 days after Christmas that our movers came and we said goodbye to our home of almost 10 years. We spent Christmas with our then 2 year old daughter among boxes, sitting on the floor instead of a sofa and making coffee every morning by boiling water with our camp stove. We had very few presents and very little waste and over consumption, but it was certainly memorable and is a sweet memory for us.
This year we are going to try to do the same but this time in the midst of US holiday shopping madness. We must admit to splurging a little over the Black Friday weekend, but that was mostly on things we needed for our new home and were unavoidable (mostly...).
Given we have no Christmas decorations, I decided that I would enjoy crafting our Christmas with Zoe, our now 3 year old daughter, and my mother, who moved with my father from the sunny desert of Arizona to support us in our new home in rainy Seattle.
My first project was completed last week with Zoe on a seriously rainy day that left most Seattle basements very wet. We huddled up inside and made a colorful holiday wreath out of old sweaters. We are both pretty proud of the final result. Its colorful and celebrates spending time together and the love of the season. I am also proud of my daughter who most of the time can barely sit still (and if she does normally something is still twitching) for sticking with it for hours until the final product was complete.
Here's what we did:
Step 1. Procure some old sweaters from your closet that you no longer wear, from friends or from the Goodwill or Salvation Army. I had a few that had shrunk in the wash and we bought another from the Goodwill because I wanted one more color.
Step 2. Cut the sweater into 2in x 2in pieces. Zoe helped with this part with my guidance.
Step 3. Take an old hanger and reshape and bind it into a circle and cut off the top so its a nice continuous circle.
Step 4. Thread the sweater pieces in a pattern of your design. We had to cut small holes into some of the sweaters because they did not have enough space for the hanger. Zoe also helped with this part. It was a great moment to spend time talking about colors, counting and having her guess the pattern, e.g. "What color comes next?"
Viola you have a very inexpensive, but beautiful homemade holiday wreath.
Here is a (somewhat fuzzy) photo of the final product on our front door!
Do you have other great holiday crafts that you enjoy doing with your kids?
There is a beautiful article in new-billionaires.com titled 'Why do kids dream big & adults dream small?'
I have two beautiful children Chloe and Jude and we are often going on safari in a helicopter or airplane through Africa to see wild animals and waterfalls and rainbows and even sometimes to help sick animals or simply to say 'hi!' to friends. This action packed safari might only take ten minutes BUT we do go often! As it is taking place in our amazing and wondrous imaginations in the safety of Chloe or Judes room.
We often jump off chairs as we jump into the pristine waterfalls, or jump out of flying aircraft to land amid savannahs of grazing zebras. Life is AMAZING, fun and adventurous!
When and why should this ever change? Keril Sawyerr and Eric. K . Lewis say it beautifully "The reason kids dreams are bigger than adults is simple; kids don't have the self limiting subconscious beliefs that adults have" Does this sound familiar? "My dream was to X, Y, Z but because"....." Any sentence that includes BUT or BECAUSE is an excuse better known as a mental obstacle.
The GoodieDo team are so HAPPY to have joined with award winning Novelist Richie Frieman the author of Terple: Always Dream BIGGER!
About a turtle who never gives up and always dreams BIGGER.
This book is for every parent who wants to keep those amazing imaginations flowing throughout life; who would love to see their kids achieve their wildest and BIGGEST dreams and to be reminded of them each night at bedtime together.
I have purchased 3 copies to date, so Chloe's and Jude's friends can also be a part of and relish in their BIGGER dreams.
You know how fabulous they are from previous posts!
ARE sharing the LOVE and helping so many others live a happier healthier life.
How are they doing it THIS time?
By providing loans for seeds so women can plant their own crops, tend and care for them then repay the loaned seeds from the yield of her very own crop. Women just like Joanie and Salina pictured here become empowered when supported by systems that work and systems that hold them accountable.
Love Mercy's 'Cents for Seeds' project provides education, agricultural training and support for the women of Uganda who choose to take on a 'seed' loan.
How can I support this project?
By buying your gifts or personal REWARDS through Love Mercy's new fundraising campaign.
A $25 DONATION will purchase 15kgs of A grade seeds. Producing approximately 100kgs of food!
You already know GoodieDo products meet our DO GOOD criterea. Good for the earth, good for women, good for communities, good for cultural preservation or good for giving.
mouse, key board, monitor, speakers, watch, printer, sports balls, milk crate, paper holder, pens, cotton reel, balloon, heater, folders/binders, cd covers, fire hydrant handle, power cords, amplifier, ball, WOWY!!! I can see 20 Plastic items without moving from my seat or even opening a drawer.
I am constantly dismayed that my super large recycling bin is FULL to the brim on a biweekly basis. The amount of plastic packaging we accept as normal these days is increasing more and more. If it is recyclable we often say 'hey this is ok' but seriously is it really. Does anyone know exactly what is happening with your 'RECYCLABLE' products after they leave your home or office?
A good friend of ours Douglas Woodring co founder of Project Kaisei is doing something inspirational to help people 'understand the impact of waste in the ocean and to rethink our use of materials that end up as debris'.
A few plastic facts:
Did you know there is a plastic vortex the size of Texas gathering plastics in the northern Pacific Ocean?
100million tonnes of plastics are produced each year, of which 10% end up in our oceans
These plastics act as a toxic chemical sponge. Fish and ocean wildlife eat them and they end up in our food chain
There is an estimated 6 kilos of plastic for every kilo of natural plankton
Some of these plastics will not biodegrade for 400 years
Of a 3500km surface trawl plastic was found in every water sample
50% of annual plastic production makes light weight durable products like knives, forks, plates, pens, bags etc.... Ask yourself how many are you using daily?
27% of plastics are actually recycled and 73% ends up in landfill or the oceans (see facts)
Here Doug shares some interesting findings from Project Kaisei's 2nd expedition to the North Pacific Gyre about the impact of plastics on the marine environment.
Doug and his team from Ocean Recovery Alliance and Project Kaisei are initiating some great new awareness projects that we can all partake in:
1. The Global Ocean Alert Program ( a website in which the public can indicate where there is a rubbish hotspot in their local aquatic environment - rivers, lakes, creeks, or beaches)
2. The Plastic Disclosure Project (where individuals and industry can work out their plastic footprint and take action to reduce it)
3. Ocean Recovery Alliance (which brings together new ways of thinking, technologies, creativity and collaborations bringing us innovative projects and initiatives to improve our ocean environment)
E.g 8 schools in Hong Kong putting together their recyclable plastics to produce diesel which powered their boat to see the endangered pick dolphins.
Tell us what are you doing to reduce your plastic consumption?
e.g. I refuse to buy packaged coconut water, when the natural thing comes in its own perfectly biodegradable package.
This blog post is about people doing GOOD things for communities and the earth
AIM: To raise awareness and start conversations about the benefits of economies based on sharing.
Post Growth Institute an international network that explores and inspires alternative paths to global prosperity came up with this great idea.
Global prosperity without economic growth....hmmmm sound interesting?
How Free Money Day works:
People from around the globe take any amount out of their pockets and give it to a complete stranger; on the street, in the park, in a cafe,supermarket, on the bus or on a plane.
The only instruction is for that person to then share HALF of the amount to another person.
"One of the biggest myths that we believe is that there is not enough to go around", says co- founder Dr Donnie Maclurcan.
The 2nd international Free Money Day was hosted on September 15th across 6 continents.
Post Growth Institute are all about the end of BIGGER things for the start of better things.
When I buy new things I try to buy good quality items that last a long time
Buying local with seasonal eating
Here is a short clip about Free Money Day. Even though this years official date has passed Free Money Day can really be any day.
If you are feeling like you need a boost of GIVING antioxidants. You know that feel good ZING you get from putting a smile on someone's face?
Then give a few coins from your pocket to a stranger and tell them to give half to someone else then tell us about it below.
Here's to creating a better quality way of living for ALL!!!
An Auction for a date with a SINGLE GOOD LOOKING SURFER. How much would you offer? $1000...more???
With the highest bidder enjoying a paid dinner, a tandem bicycle ride, a free haircut and predinner drinks on date night. The deal gets sweeter....
The money raised goes to SurfAid, a not for profit humanitarian organization with the aim to improve the health, well being and self reliance of people living the Mentawai and Nias islands of Indonesia and Sumatra.
Saltmotion in Manly organized this FUN fundraising night with 6 of Sydney's hottest surfers donating themselves for the Auction.
A whole lot of fun for a serious cause. A whopping $6405aud was raised in one night!!!!
That is more than $1000 per auction 'item' on average!!
In terms of saving lives this amount will be spent on '492 mosquito nets which will provide protective 'insecticide halo's' around villages which will assist to disrupt the parasite cycle of infection and reinfection' says saltmotion. See fun pics of the night here.
I hear you asking to tell you more about SurfAid.
In 1999 Physician and surfer Dr Dave Jenkins went to the Mentawai Islands to find the perfect wave. The surf proved to be everything he hoped for BUT he was astonished by the needless suffering and preventable deaths in this region. He had to do something! Hence his involvement in establishing SurfAid in 2000.
Did you know?
Indonesia is an archipelago consisting of 17 000 islands
The Indonesian population is the 4th largest in the world with a total of 240 million inhabitants
With approx 19 million people trying to survive on less than $1US a day and 120 million people surviving on less than $2US a day
The poorest areas of Indonesia are the remote islands where people cannot access basic public services (education, healthcare, work )
In the Mentawai Islands this results in unecessary deaths. Especially among pregnant women and children under 5. With unacceptably high levels of malnutrition, diarrhea, malaria, acute respiratory infections and inadequate maternal health care.
Rather than just giving the hardware to provide a short term solution SurfAid tackle these problems from a community development philosophy. Providing education and ensuring communities and local governments commit to improving their situations together in a hands on approach. They believe 'Huge possibility lies within each and every one of us, no matter how isolated our community might be, or how little formal education we might have received'.
SurfAid cover a range of Programs including: (They have some great videos of their work for each program)
Malaria
Community based Health
Water + Sanitation
Emergency preparedness
Emergency Response
Schools
Here is a great example of two complementary organizations coming together to DO GOOD! Surf Aid and Saltmotion for the benefit of many.
What are you passionate enough about to fundraise for?
Do yourself a favor and LIKE Saltmotion and SurfAid's facebook pages to hear more FUN and inspirational surf stories helping communities at home and abroad.
This blogpost is about GOOD people doing GOOD things
I understand that Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge
I put team work and comraderie before my course time
I do not whine- kids whine
I help my fellow Mudders complete the course
I overcome all fears
We are talking mud, fire, ice-water and 10,000 volts of electricity as a few of the obstacles to get though on this grueling course. Tough Mudder's are team players who make sure no one gets left behind. Through this course participants gain a massive sense of accomplishment and camaraderie which is 'experienced all too rarely these days'
This world class event is to be staged next in Sydney on the 22nd and 23rd of September. You can still sign up.
I write about it because my husband Adam is training to participate in this event. And tough Mudder has raised a whopping $3.4million for the Wounded Warrior Project. A project which helps to support thousands of warriors returning from the battlefields. Every dollar raised helps to provide:
Combat stress recovery programs
Adaptive sports programs
Benefits counseling
Employment services and more
A team of wounded Warriors is hosted in every event. They carry a Wounded Warrior Project flag.
Here's what ex service men and women say about the course.
SUPPORTERS of all participants can buy your spectator ticket here prior to the day to save 50% on your spectator ticket.
Wishing all of the Sydney Tough Mudders a fun challenge together and may you all grow through this event beyond your wildest expectations! And meet many great comrades(friends) in the process!
Can't wait til this exciting event in only 3 weeks time!!!
This blog post is about GOOD people doing GOOD things for communities and giving.
This time the cheer is coming from Hohoe Charity School in Ghana, West Africa. GoodieDo's newest fundraiser!
When you meet a fully realized, inspired human who is in their own right doing amazing things for humanity; with great stories of their travels their loves, their triumphs and their difficulties you feel like there is a silver lining in each cloud. Situations can be changed, the future is as bright as we choose to make it!
Lindy Adam the Administrator of Hohoe Charity School is one of those people. I had the good fortune of meeting Lindy on her most recent trip to her home town, Sydney.
With a passion to help kids get an education to make better choices for their future lifting them out of the poverty cycle Lindy relocated to Ghana in 2007 and has been the driving force in setting up Hohoe Charity School. A free boarding school for the children of Hohoe. The school currently houses 17 boarders (with capacity for 50) and educates 180 children from the surrounding area. From 4 -14 years at Primary School level. The school's motto is 'moving forward with the joy of knowledge'
Educating children is one thing. Determined Lindy has taken empowerment of this region to the next level! Creating purposeful jobs for the children's mothers. Hence the birth of the Mama Asiwome Project.
This EMPOWERED Project:
Teaches mothers of the children attending Hohoe Charity School school sewing skills to make iPhone, iPod, and iPad bags in locally sourced, traditionally printed material.
Pays them a fair wage with the aim to achieve a regular income to support their families.
Teaches quality control
Provides financial management skills
Provides meaningful employment
These bags make a BOLD statement in covering the latest technology. They provide a service to those WITH and those WITHOUT!
Kids iPod bag (above) $10 aud iPad bag $20aud and iPod/iPhone carriers $15aud(assorted colors avail)
There are SO many ways YOU can support or become involved with this project:
1. Buy a bag through Lindy's fundraising page and 90% of proceeds go to Hohoe Charity School.
2. Share Hohoe Charity Schools fundraising page with friends and family on facebook or leave Lindy a note of encouragement at the bottom of her page in the Share with Friends section.
3. Volunteer to help at Hohoe Charity School in Ghana. The price of this program is SO cheap for the life experience you will GAIN. $150aud a week full board!!! All contributions go directly to the schools operation.
Your ACTION = Educating kids in Ghana Your ACTION = changing lives forever through education!
This blog post is about GOOD people doing GOOD things for Communities, Cultures, Women and Giving.
Bonuses
Love Mercy's 'Cents for Seeds' project provides education, agricultural training and support for the women of Uganda who choose to take on a 'seed' loan.
How Free Money Day works:
Lindy Adam the Administrator of Hohoe Charity School is one of those 
