Author: Gregg Potter

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Announcement: Official Launch in Madison

For Immediate Release

Social Change Firm Launches in Madison

Project Kinect will make its official home Madison, Wisconsin

Madison, WI, January 12th, 2015: Project Kinect will be officially launching in Madison, WI Monday, February 23rd. The week will be filled with events, Meet Ups, and community engagement activities. The culmination of the week will be the first annual Social Change Forum that will be held Thursday, February 26th, at the Goodman Community Foundation.

The Social Change Forum’s theme this year is ‘Using Privilege to Become More Inclusive’. The goal is to better develop advocacy skills to make room for everyone’s voice and bring a more inclusive community to the table when planning and developing. This one day event will bring together interested parties in Madison to openly discuss and articulate how we can empower people citywide, thus creating the most impactful community possible. Both organizers and participants will leave energized, connected, and knowledgeable with action items to continue the conversation after the forum. The forum will cost $25 per participant and will begin at 8:30 am. Tickets for the forum can be purchased at EventBrite.

Following the forum, the first quarterly Social Change Happy Hour will take place at Ale Asylum at 6pm. Food will be provided and drinks will have special discounted prices. Social Change Happy Hours are open to the public.

Project Kinect is a firm that connects resources and tools to people and groups seeking to accomplish their own positive social change endeavors. Project Kinect can be contracted for single task objectives or can work as a project manager and assist in entire projects. Currently partnerships have been made with Let’s Eat Out, MadCity Bazaar, Goodman Community Center, 100 State, and many more. For more information about Project Kinect and the official launch week, check out Projectkinect.com.

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Letters From A Change Agent #selfforgiveness

Happy New Year! Time for a new calendar and new beginnings. Reflecting on the new changes can bring guilt about what we failed to change in the past. The past is a weight that we can rid ourselves of with little energy. Unfortunately we don’t. In any new cycle, we must reset our integrity from what we were unsuccessful at. This reset process is a way to forgive ourselves for what we did not accomplish.

Forgiving ourselves allows us to put to rest our anxiety about not doing what we said we would. Maybe it was about losing twenty pounds, becoming a more engaged employee, or making better communication in your marriage. For me, I have told myself I’m going to create better ways to stay connected to my loved ones I don’t see or connect with as often as I would like. This goal has been on my “resolution list” for many years. I work on it, but fail to meet the expectations I set for myself.

Any new change forces us to handle emotions with the same process. We acknowledge a new change we want to make in our lives and we then remember what we said we would do prior. We often have guilt over what we were not successful at. We must learn to replace guilt with a slight acknowledgement and say, “I take ownership for not doing _________. I will instead now do _____________.” That new declaration is now the concern. We can find a way to hold ourselves accountable for the new claim, celebrate our success, and take responsibility if we fail. Whether we succeed or fail, we will follow the result with a new claim.

It is only us putting the pressure on ourselves. If the goal or task is important, then it should have a higher level of accountability. If it is not, then we cannot torture ourselves. I often feel that my goals, tasks, and ambitions are the makeup of this line of living life. They aren’t always straight forward, and often blur our ability to really live life, or stay on the line, but with personal forgiveness, we can more quickly get back to living life on the line. That is the main goal of us all, to live the fullest and most impactful lives we can. Start with forgiving yourself and make room for the new year.

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Tools We Love: Fundraising Tips

How does an organization ask for funds when they have no data from a prior year to base the appeal off of?  This is a tricky situation. Many funders will not look twice. There are alternatives to going directly to a bank of foundation, but sometimes the quickest way are those routes.  Social Change Consulting provided a great article on Writing Fundraising Appeals Without Data From Your Prior Year.

The article narrows it down to three methods:

  • Storytelling

  • Use Future Goals

  • Share Highlights Segmented by Audience 

Check out the full article for great details and a great list of resources.

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Orgs We Love: Sunlight Foundation (And CAH)

A few years ago, a card game came out of nowhere on the internet. This game, played similar to Apples to Apples, could only be printed off the internet.  For a weekend at a cabin, I printed the game on card stock and made it the most formal possible. Cards Against Humanity is now one of the most popular game among adults.  It can be purchased online and in stores.  The beauty of this game is that it uses humor to create an un-politically correct space where we, no matter who we are, can be on the same level and relate to one another.

A few days ago, How Is Cards Against Humanity Bribing Public Officials With Your Money came out.  This extremely humorous and honest blog post is brilliant. It makes some terrific references to some of our voted officials. One about Ted Cruz and net neutrality.  If you are not sure what net neutrality is, here is an article from the Hill better describing the current situation about net neutrality.

To see how this all leads to the Sunlight Foundation, you have to read the article.  It’s worth it.

Happy Holidays!!!

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Letters From a Change Agent: #Authenticity

“Right now, these moments are not stories. This is happening. I am here… I can see it. This one moment when you know you are not a sad story. You are alive. And you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder; and you’re listening to that song on that drive with the people you love most in this world. And in this moment, I swear, we are infinite.” This is the final line of the movie adaptation to The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. There are no translations to when we feel authentic. We are authentic when we feel most alive. That is it. Whether it is having a conversation with a stranger in the most wonderful of circumstances, or giving your condolences at a funeral; when we feel alive, we are being authentic.

Often authenticity is paired with happiness. This is not true. I associate authenticity with honesty to ourselves. Until I was honest with myself and came out as a gay man in 2001, I was not living. Before, I had true-life moments of happiness that were authentic, but honesty is where the root lies. I also feel authentic when I am completely selfless. I suppose, to be honest with that statement, I am not completely selfless. I love being useful to others because that is when I am most alive. Fortunately, I found a way to live and travel doing that.

Authenticity is not only about us being authentic in our lives and actions; it is also about society being authentic.   We must be able to identify when unjust and inauthentic actions are taken. This is a muscle we learn how to flex and with time, we become more aware of these moments. Currently, injustice and inauthenticity monopolize our lives.

The verdict for the murder of Eric Garner is not authentic. However, the outcry for justice across the country is. We saw what happened very clearly on video. There were not conflicting witness reports as in the Michael Brown case. Not indicting Officer Pantaleo is not authentic because authenticity requires personal honesty and truth, of that, the grand jury in Staten Island obviously lacked.

Today the jobs report came out. Every pundit and many government heads are celebrating this fact. Why? This metric is not authentic. It comes to us during the busiest and most profitable month in the corporate world. Most of these jobs only pay minimum wage and will be cut January 3rd. There is no real comfort from this number in December. The number that should be reported is how many of these jobs will last for at least six months and offer a livable wage to people living at or below the poverty line. That is the authentic number I want to hear.

I can only leave you with this. Fight when you can against the injustices, and hold those accountable when opportunity arises. The real and authentic struggle is just beginning. It is the holidays so take care of you and your loved ones. Live in that authentic space. We need strength, support, and clear minds to bring positive social change where it is needed.

Happy Holidays! #WAAI

Sending all my love,

Gregg

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Letters From A Change Agent: #Empathy

Many studies would have us believe that empathy needs to be taught. I believe the contrary. I feel we are given the power of empathy in early development. It is in our DNA to care and feel what other people are feeling. Empathy often empowers us to react for the good. I see it in my nephew all of the time. When another kid doesn’t have a toy or someone else to play with, he takes responsibility for making that child feel better with a toy or his companionship. He is four. He doesn’t know the word empathy but he feels it.

As we mature and society beats us up, we lose track of that feeling.   We aren’t aware of when our empathy is telling us to take action. Therefore, we have to learn how to access it. Because it is so hard for our post modern, technology filled society to genuinely reveal our empathy, organizations and campaigns must be extra witty and cunning to use our empathy to take action. Too many resources are spent doing this. We shouldn’t have to be tricked into acting and doing good because we feel someone else’s pain; that action should come naturally.

To thicken the wall between our actions and ability to naturally access our empathy, corporations advertise products to be intermingled with our emotions. That is f***ed up! When did heightened emotional stimulation become the new version of the bandwagon technique? My favorite current example is an American Eagle Outfitters commercial. We are told to cherish our imperfections. Be proud of our imperfection but also buy these clothes. I get it, there are imperfections in the clothes but that does not bring me security.

All the corporations do it. From Coke to Verizon, our positive emotions are being triggered and paired with certain products. Advertisers are so good at it that often, we don’t’ recognize it’s happening. We must be able to consciously say, “that is not really how I will feel with this product” along with, “this is causing me to be less empathetic.” I included a commercial I saw last summer in South Africa. It displays my point perfectly; a corporation that has nothing to do with the inspiration it’s igniting in the commercial.

We are entering the season when our empathy is the main tool for driving sales. As change agents, we must be strong and ask if the empathy and action being produced is authentic? Or, is it being stimulated by some corporation that desires you to leave your family on Thanksgiving to beat the Black Friday traffic? Please be mindful of what is being asked of you this month. We have individual power to take action. This agency can be combined with other people’s free will and real action will happen. We are all positive change agents and no one controls us or our empathy.

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Project Kinect at Work: Norm:al Africa

Norm:al Africa and Project Kinect are teaming up on a t-shirt campaign in the United States to bring awareness of the injustices happening to the LGBTI community East Africa . The goal is 10,000 t-shirts to be sold. All LGBT allies, advocates, centers, and related organizations are encouraged to participate in this campaign.

Norm:al Africa is a t-shirt brand started by Uwase Nusher, a 25 year old LGBTI activist. She grew up in Rwanda and Uganda as a LGBTI person and has lived through the harsh reality of hatred against LGBTI people in this region. The last couple of years in Uganda has revolved around the anti-gay controversy and resulted in murders, assaults and a fueled hatred. The recent annulment of the law does not change the fact that it is still illegal (the old law is still there) and the fact that mob justice commonly replaces legal justice in this region. Norm:al Africa intends to not only create awareness but also to channel 50% of the profits to two local LGBTI Associations, with the aim of reaching out to LGBTI people in Uganda and Rwanda.

 

You can learn more at Norm:al’s website and like the Facebook Page.

Normal Africa

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Letters From a Change Agent: #BeBetter

Recently two very close friends have had some rough life obstacles. One dealt with work place drama at a large social change scale. She ended up leaving her job but took every opportunity she had her last few days to create constructive conversations about this topic where the drama sat. Her ability to handle herself composed and genuine through such a hot topic issue inspires me.

The other friend continues to inspire me through her kindness that most people would not see at skin level. She has been next to me since age 16 and I know her to be one of the most kind people I know. She recently revealed plans to me about combining her love and compassion with her amazing talents at large-scale operations. She constantly demonstrates great acts of kindness that more than not, goes unnoticed. These two women act in the realm of doing better.

I sit in a constant space of “trying to live better”. Often, I fail. A couple weeks ago I was driving on a country highway when I came upon an SUV flashing its emergency lights. As I approached it, I saw sparkles on the pavement, slowed down, passed the vehicle, saw a deer on the side of the road, and then seconds later, realized that the car had hit the deer. I was already 100 yards beyond the SUV and thought, “I should turn around.” My hesitation allowed for the next person behind me to stop and assist.

That is an opportunity where I could have been better. I am not sure that I would have turned around if the car hadn’t stopped. I like to think I would have. I’m a doer and a helper, so most likely yes, but I didn’t. That is the point. My “be better” muscle is not trained well enough to always act immediately.

We all need to be better; no matter who we are or what level of life we are living. Positive Social Change only happens when we are all better for a greater good. Any reaction of, “I already do so much!” or “What can I do?” needs to be removed from our rhetoric. We are crumbling as a species quickly and we all have to take responsibility, at any level we are capable. As my mom always said; “We all have to do things we don’t want to do!” I feel this fits in here on some scale

Do not misunderstand me. This is a change of habit, not a change of lifestyle. I do not mean lose ourselves and commit all our energy to being the best change agents we can. If you can do that, please show me how. I mean be vulnerable to those moments where it is obvious we can be better. Each one of us has the power to be better; thus, adding to the success of the whole.

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Sites We Love: Tickld

Tickld has been self proclaimed “the ultimate procrastination” website.  It can be that but the creators James and Kyle started something more than that; they organized an outlet for humor of all shapes and intentions.  Humor brings us together and gets the proper chemicals flowing in our body.  The most recent post on Tickld that brought me closer to people was titled, WTF is Wrong With Americans? This Guy Nails it. 

The post looks at a very simple explanation of how we funnel money into other avenues and not into our schools.  It is entertaining, satyrical, and gets to the point in a humorous way.

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Video of the Week

Currently we all need to just be better. We must be better in order to establish sustainability for humankind as well as all living things on this planet.  We have to give a shit. This Alanis Morissette song from the 90’s does a great job of describing the same frustrations that we are currently dealing with.

Two articles have come up recently that support my thought process.  One is “The Day a Dozen Parents and Children Killed a Baby Shark for a Selfie“. The other was a recent blog post by the Huffington Post entitled, “Ferguson is All of Us“. Both do a great job of sharing how we all, no matter what we already currently do, can do better.

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