Author: Admin

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Tools We Love: Satire

It is difficult to dispute that majority of our media is not objective and does not report the news.  It is skewed, often has an agenda or is just commentary about what other commentators are saying about the “news”. Someone who we enjoy though is Chris Hayes. Some time ago, he shared a satirical story about white mob crime in efforts to demonstrate how different black and white people are portrayed in the media.  Then, one of Project Kinect’s favorite voices, Franchesca Ramsey, wrote an article about it on UpWorthy. Please check out her article.  This link will provide a bit more about her if you would like to check it out.

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Tools We Love: Public Speaking Tips

Recently we came across an older article in Entrepreneur about the gifted Simon Sinek and his public speaking ability. The author, Kim Lachance Shandrow, put together these 7 Powerful Public Speaking Tips From One of the Most-Watched Ted Talk Speakers.  Its a nice little article to read through if you are still a nervous public speaker or want to develop more as you work on your presence before crowds.  Here are a couple of Shandrow’s tips.  Check out the article for the entire list.

Enjoy!

1. Don’t talk right away.

Sinek says you should never talk as you walk out on stage. “A lot of people start talking right away, and it’s out of nerves,” Sinek says. “That communicates a little bit of insecurity and fear.”

Instead, quietly walk out on stage. Then take a deep breath, find your place, wait a few seconds and begin. “I know it sounds long and tedious and it feels excruciatingly awkward when you do it,” Sinek says, “but it shows the audience you’re totally confident and in charge of the situation.”

4. Speak unusually slowly.

When you get nervous, it’s not just your heart beat that quickens. Your words also tend to speed up. Luckily Sinek says audiences are more patient and forgiving than we know.

“They want you to succeed up there, but the more you rush, the more you turn them off,” he says. “If you just go quiet for a moment and take a long, deep breath, they’ll wait for you. It’s kind of amazing.”

 

Here is another Project Kinect article on Simon Sinek.

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Causes We Love: Race Together

Yesterday, March 16th, Starbucks announced that they have invited their partners (employees) to begin inviting customers to have conversations about race.  We think this is awesome and is a fantastic step towards getting our entire country to actually identify that an inequity and prejudice exists in America between races.  We must discuss these issues if we are to overcome them and become a better society. We here at Project Kinect could continue to discuss this historical decision by Starbucks, but everyone else already is.

Below are some great references if you want to know more about exactly what Starbucks is doing:

First, check out the Starbucks Website:

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Think Progress put it most perfectly:

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Orgs We Love: The Giving Net

Storytelling is still so important for cultural context and conveying messages to diverse groups.  The Giving Net‘s success is partially because they foster space for people to convene and tell their stories.  Through story telling, people learn, find common ground, are empowered, and social change can be created.

The Giving Net, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, was founded by Arkansas native, Andrea Price, in 2013. After growing up in the Delta, working throughout the South on community-based initiatives and on community development projects, she saw a great need for an organization that focuses on empowering citizens to have a voice in their neighborhoods, communities, state, nation and world. Thus, The Giving Net was born. The power to strengthen our communities lies within people who are connected to each other, informed about the issues that affect them and are willing to use their strengths for good. The Giving Net works to empower people and ultimately strengthen communities.

The Giving Net’s “doing” is designed to encourage citizens, of all ages, to give their time, talent and other resources to causes that strengthen communities. The Giving Net hosts a Radio Show where guests from around the world share their personal stories of service and civic action.

 The Giving Net designs and facilitates conversations and action based planning sessions for

  • Local governments
  • Faith-based institutions
  • Educational institutions
  • Political candidates
  • or others seeking to use collective, citizen power for change.

The Giving Net shares information, ideas and stories about civic engagement via our Blog. The Giving Net host and co-host public programs related to civic life, philanthropy, justice and social change.

 Listen to Gregg Potter, Project Kinect’s Founder, on The Giving Net’s radio show.

Check Out Lifestyle Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with The Giving Net Radio on BlogTalkRadio
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Projects We Love: Subway Cake

Let’s say you get on a Subway and some woman is frosting a cake next to you. What do you do? Probably take a picture and share it on social media. Do you ask her what she is doing?

Bettina Behjat Benayan got on a train, frosted  a cake, and then shared it with the riders beside her.  That is awesome in our book.  She mentions that people in New York are always in each other’s personal space but don’t recognize one another.  This experiment, or activity, breaks down those barriers.  We especially love it because it is connecting to the people taking up the same space as we are. We challenge everyone to work harder to make connections to those around you; even if it is just one person.

In addition to her website, here is a connection to Bettina’s Youtube.

Enjoy!

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Projects We Love: Food on the Move

Project Kinect is working on a food access initiative in Madison, WI.  We have a lot moving in the right direction but we have a ways to go.  Tulsa, OK on the other hand is already succeeding at this type of initiative. They have the Food on the Move Initiative that is kicking butt with using mobil food trucks and mobil grocery stores. The Food On The Move, mobile food initiative, is a collaboration of food and health experts and community partners to mobilize good quality food into hard to reach economically challenged areas, helping combat hunger in Tulsa and Oklahoma in a new way.  What they’re doing should be, and can be replicated through out the country.  Great job Tulsa!

 

Check out the Food on the Move website to see a great video about what is happening.

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Project Kinect at work: Peacework

One of our current projects is with Peacework.  We are in Orange Walk, Belize working with a group from Gateway Technical college.  This group is composed of six faculty members and 26 students working in five disciplines.  The disciplines include IT, nursing, human services, early childhood education, physical therapy, and horticulture. They have been active on a blog that is terrific and definitely interesting. The blog demonstrates how their service learning is exemplifying an intersection of knowledge by both the Gateway students and the Belizeans.

The goal of Peacework is to connect and convene American groups with international service work that relates to the American’s interests or professions.  In this work, participants better identify what social change is and how they themselves are agents of change.  The largest aspect of this work is to acknowledge and expose how both participants and community partners benefit from this work leaving the experience to resonate in the communities of all involved.  For more information, check out peacwork.org.

Check out all of our work with Peacework! 

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Voices We Love: Spectra

A few weeks ago, the award winning Nigerian writer and activist, Spectra, wrote an article, Dear White People: Stop Unfriending Other White People Over Ferguson.  At first, it is unclear how this article is going to frame the situation, but quickly we it is only with love that describes the unique position white people have.  These posts are an opportunity to create dialogue and become better allies by effectively communicating the facts to those who see the situation differently.  Spectra says it better:

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Spectra’s Blog has a lot more to read. Take some time to get to know her.  She aims to do activism differently, to awaken within herself and others, the courage, vulnerability, empathy, self-awareness, and unrelenting commitment to personal growth required to heal and transform each other- and the world- for the better.

You can also follow her on Facebook.

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Organizations We Love: Rescue SCG

Rescue Social Change Group has been working towards creating positive social change since 2001.  Based out of San Diego, they have done amazing work in focusing on major public health issues affecting young people.  The reason Rescue SCG has been so successful is because they do not work like most marketing firms, Rescue SCG focuses on changing behaviors. By changing the behavior of young people, Rescue SCG can make the world better.  This is the realm of Project Kinect and we are so happy to be sharing the same space with Rescue SCG.  For more, watch the videos below, check out their blog, and their Facebook.

Here are two campaigns that Rescue SCG created.

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Tools We love: Being an Ally (We also love Chescaleigh)

Recently Franchesca Ramsey released the video below, 5 Tips For Being An Ally.  It is so important to continuously be mindful of how to be a better ally.  We need to know how to act in any moment of injustice as an ally, even if it is subtle.  As the sign in the cover phote on Franchesca’s Facebook page says, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” In this picture, she tags the Urban Bush Babes who also rock.

The video from Franchesca, or really Chescaleigh how she is known by her fans, identifies 5 steps we can all use to become a better ally. This video also references all of her resources and added resources from people who have watched the video.  She uses a metaphor of building a house which is extremely relatable. Her 5 tips are:

  1. Understand your privilege. 
  2. Listen and do your homework.
  3. Speak Up, NOT OVER. 
  4. You’ll make Mistakes. Apologize when you do. 
  5. Ally is a VERB. 

For more about Franchesca Ramsey, check out her website and fall in love with her like we have.

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