12 posts tagged “npsl”
Inspired graphing breakout!
www.aplacefordreams.com continues to build toward our pilot project with the Transitions project in the Phoenix, AZ area.
Help us find programmers and curriculum development support as we grow a groundbreaking new set of tools for anyone in transition.
Right now we need support in:
* Finding new and donated computers, software, peripherals
* Programmers willing to work with Google and OpenSocial tools
* CSS and web development specialist volunteer
* Students and faculty at ASU to build interest in this program
* Grantwriting and editing our upcoming applications
* Curriculum development for enterprise, virtual worlds, communications
* Pilot program ideas including innovative uses of XO/OLPC, green wifi at community level, donations of cell phones and digital media tools for those building new businesses out of transition
WHY?
- Anyone can find emergency food, shelter and medical services in their local area with one click.
- Creative and talented entrepreneurs can find support to train and start new businesses.
- Service learning opportunities between college students, social media leaders and those transitioning
- Removing the stigma of homelessness by providing remote work opportunities available from any location
This article today from the LA Times sums it up:
Number of elderly homeless in L.A. is growing
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-homeless20mar20,1,5549955.story
March 20, 2008
The nonprofit Shelter Partnership spent the last two years studying the plight of Los Angeles County's homeless elderly -- a population, it concluded, of 3,000 to 4,000. The study, which is being released today, marks the first time that the region's elderly homeless population has been studied.
Their conclusion: Homeless adults 62 and older are among the fastest-growing and most vulnerable homeless populations in Los Angeles County -- and that while a host of programs serve homeless families and individuals, there are few programs specifically for the elderly.
"We have seen this anecdotally," said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Jan Perry, who chairs the council's Ad-Hoc Committee on Homelessness. "But this puts it down in hard-core words that can't be ignored."
The elderly homeless, according to the study, are a disparate group. At least a third, and perhaps as many as half, are considered chronically homeless -- who officials have traditionally had a hard time getting off the streets.
Among the study's other findings:
* More than two-thirds of Los Angeles County's homeless older adults are male.
* 28% reported prior military service -- a number that is twice as high as the general homeless population.
* 62% reported having a physical and/or mental disability.
* Almost two-thirds of adults living on the streets are receiving some income, either from Social Security or Supplemental Security Income.
The Shelter Partnership survey makes many recommendations about how Los Angeles can best serve the elderly homeless.
Chief among those, said Shelter Partnership Executive Director Ruth Schwartz, is to concentrate on establishing a body that would focus on creating permanent, supportive housing options for them -- similar to what cities such as Boston and San Diego have done. Perry suggested that the city could "include a percentage of whatever we gather for the housing trust fund to set aside specifically for older adults, because of their unique needs."
Recent estimates place the total number of homeless at around 65,000.
That number, said Schwartz, "is huge. Three to four thousand is not huge. It's manageable. It's what people have in most communities."
From Ozma Malibu and the Transitions team creating powerful new web tools:
Ok. Let's rock the vote!
- If you have not already done so, please register and log in to the NetSquared site.
- Registration
has been automated for the duration of the voting process. If you did
not receive a confirmation email, please check your junk mail.
- Click the "Projects"link to review project proposals.
Take a quick tour of the LEGEND in our Voter Guide.pdf. - You must choose at least 5 (and up to 10) of your favorite projects.
- To vote for a project, click on the voting badge or "Add Project to Ballot" link at the top of the page.
- You may only vote once for a project. Yes, that includes your own! [Note. Hopefully you'll vote for Transitions!]
-
If you change your mind on a project, click the "Remove Project from Ballot" and the project will be removed.
- Once you have chosen the projects you want to vote for, please review your selection.
- Submit your ballot to cast your final votes. Once you SUBMIT, that's it!
- If you want to see the projects you've just voted for, go to My Ballot page.
You're done.
So why vote?
With as little as 100 votes we can be in the running for $100,000 in development assistance and grants from the nonprofit technology community to build out A PLACE FOR DREAMS, a bridgebuilding search resource on the web for the displaced and homeless worldwide.
Your two minutes can help us impact thousands. This is an easy one to do, we just need the hackers and help that will come with your votes. So get out there, take a moment and share your vote and thoughts with the Transitions team!You can read more about Transitions here, but I'd like to ask you one favor as you read.
Please take a moment to register as a Netsquared participant and vote for our team! Go on right now, sign up (takes just a second) then stop back by and vote for Transitions before Monday!
OPEN DOORS FOR THOSE WITHOUT HOMES
Together we are providing free voicemail/phone, email and resume assistance, lifeskills training and opportunities to build virtual businesses in Second Life with real world mentors around the world.
The MASHUP tool is key, bringing together service providers in an easy to use search....the goal being a very simple search applet for websites where anyone in transition can find services (food, shelter, medical care) in any area or zip code without searching the web for 15 minutes. We aim to close the gap between those in need and those who can provide new opportunities.
This is A PLACE FOR DREAMS. We want to help others build new lives, imagine their potential from virtual worlds back to their everyday lives. I am one of the lucky ones who has built an amazing new life based on virtual dreams....I know it can be done.
Will you help us win thousands in free services, hacking and technical assistance? We need your support now to make this project possible!
Stop by Transitions today.
As many of you know parts of my job include creating new media shorts and immersion experiences for large and small audiences. Some of my work is very much designed for a niche audience, in this case those interested in philanthropy, law and the unique community-building challenges that entangle our digital lives. This emerging field of study has been led by USC, MacArthur and others as we try to chart a productive course through the etheric digital universe.
While some wrestle with the relevance of these spaces I am always encouraged to see 100+ leaders gather together for honest dialogue without the cost of travel or carbon in the air. We can do far better and we will continue to learn how to maximize these experiences for the masses. I for one need to learn how to buy new hard drives faster to keep up with the machinima documentary flubug that keeps infecting my mouse trigger key....lost the bulk of the footage today to a full disk!
Sorry for the late notice....it's been a busy few weeks in the studio!
I am speaking tonight for an event at Boston Court in Pasadena for SKIN.
http://www.bostoncourt.com/Skin.htm
This event looks at Avatars, the Internet and Identity as seen through the eyes of Dark Play, we will be on stage at 9:30PM after the play itself. Contact www.bostoncourt.com in Pasadena for directions and tickets.
Next week you can share with us at the California Association of Nonprofits if you happen to be of the nonprofit variety and near California. If not, well, you can go in Second Life and chat with us anyway, we'll be live in both worlds next Thursday 10/25 at 10AM with a workshop happening live in Los Angeles from 10:15 - 11:45 with Jeska Linden, Susan @ NPC/TechSoup and Beth Kanter, bloggess.
Sharing a press bulletin for an upcoming event in Second Life: get out your ballgowns and dancing shoes!
Nonprofits celebrate new home in Second Life!
San Francisco Meets the Metaverse: 32 Nonprofits and their supporters will host a grand opening celebration Tuesday, August 14, 2007 at 5:30 p.m. in their new locations at the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life.
Generously donated by the world's first virtual millionaire, Anshe Chung, this nonprofits-only space, managed by TechSoup, creates and houses a community of nonprofits in the online virtual world of Second Life. This community of practice is entirely volunteer-run and hosts organizations from across the globe. To date, they have created a community blog and a resource-rich wiki, and have held mixed-reality events, workshops, and regular weekly town hall meetings.
This “sim,” or virtual acre of land, was designed as a pilot project to lower the barriers of access to Second Life, and to create a community of practice for nonprofits to explore and learn about the virtual world. The Nonprofit Commons provides free office space to qualifying groups to meet and collaborate, create a cooperative learning environment, and foster outreach, education and fundraising all in a virtual space.
“We believe that Second Life provides a unique platform to collaborate, educate, inspire, and build awareness. In the Nonprofit Commons, our goal is to assist our community members achieve their dreams in this exciting new technology that we see as the future of the Web. We welcome all who wish to join us as partners or supporters,” said Glitteractica Cookie, avatar for Susan Tenby, Senior Manager of Community Development, TechSoup Network.
“Building vibrant communities starts with great events that bring organizations together for dialogue and exchange,” notes In Kenzo (Evonne Heyning), Creative Director at Amoration.org. “For nonprofits joining the virtual world for the first time, the Nonprofit Commons offers a free place to connect with other leaders.”
The Gala event will be a mixed-reality launch party, complete with networking, a panel of speakers (feature Susan Tenby and Jeska Dzwigalski in the real world and Anshe Chung in Second Life) and audio/video interaction between the real world and the virtual world.
Audience members in the Second Life portion of the event are expected to include nonprofit commons residents and their invited guests, media representatives and journalists, Linden Lab staff, and those interested in nonprofits and philanthropy. Guests are also welcome to join us in the live-event in San Francisco, with streaming audio and video content between the two worlds.
The NetSquared NetTuesday Gala event’s activities include:
5:30 p.m.: Meet and greet
6:00 p.m.: Speakers and event
7:00 p.m.: Tours
of the Nonprofit Commons
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Plush%20Nonprofit%20Commons/130/125/22/?title=Ampitheater%20in%20NPC
Information and Inquiries: This event is free of charge, but space is limited, so please RSVP via email to Susan Tenby (susan@techsoup.org) for in-world attendance to this event or IM Glitteractica Cookie in Second Life. Join the TechSoup group, in-world in Second Life to receive announcements about this event and future nonprofit events in Second Life.
Attire: Avatar fabulous, if possible dress as your avatar or
your favorite avatar.
RSVP on the San Francisco NetSquared Meetup site (http://netsquared.meetup.com/1/) for
attendance to the live, real-world event.
Contact: Susan Tenby, susan@techsoup.org
Phone: (415) 633-9333
SL avatar: Glitteractica Cookie
http://www.nonprofitcommons.org
_____________________________________________________
Rik Riel at Yehoodi is also hosting a swing dance party inworld after the NPC events along with gatherings throughout the day for those in other time zones. International Humanities Center also has office #27 at NPC, a flooded shelter....
Sponsor me as a speaker for a nice birthday gift?
SL Euro Conference September 16-18th in Berlin, Germany
Got a sweet note from Ubuntu Greg, our French Camp Darfur correspondent. He says they're looking for inspiring nonprofit content to grow on in Berlin if you have any suggestions for vibrant NGOs into Second Life. Glitteractica Cookie of the Nonprofit Commons will be sharing the stage with me in October in Los Angeles for the California Association of Nonprofits in a panel similar to the one we shared with Beth Kavka and Jeska Linden last month at Games4Change. Every event makes me feel more strange and comfortable in avatar skin, no longer surprised when people know my avatar even though we've never met.
At NTEN months ago it shocked me when people came up to hug me and said thanks to In Kenzo! The name in human form, words and sound still seem so unfamiliar. Zen ink strokes tell me more about the pressure and subtlety of touch; your words to me over the last year have been like breathing in air on a new planet, full of strange ethers never encountered before, dreams and intonations. It is not easy for green fairies to incarnate and the poof! nature to fly away is still strong.
Come to a Friday morning meeting on Plush Nonprofit Commons to see this world from the inside.
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