I want to tell you about a project that has me excited. Too excited to keep quiet!
You see, there are some Vancouverites doing some good for others in a really interesting way. I'd like to introduce you to Adam and Chloe - 2 Canadians who are embarking on (what is likely to be a life-changing) trip called Imagine Ethiopia 2010.
Imagine Ethiopia is hosted by imagine1day, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing children in Ethiopia with primary education. One school at a time, imagine1day is working towards their goal that all children in Ethiopia will have primary education by 2020. Prior to departure this September, Adam and Chloe, with 16 others, are invested in raising $100,000 to build a school in Ethiopia.
The logistics? $100K sustainably completes a school project in Ethiopia and ensures that the community is set up to maintain the school so that no return work is necessary: the community is empowered to look after their own school.
What's interesting about imagine1day is how it empowers its volunteers and allows them to create their own contribution. Called a creatribution, imagine1day asks its volunteers to get down to the core of what makes them excited, what they are passionate about and to design a project that combines their talents and passions, and enriches their own community. (Sounds pretty great, doesn't it?)
Adam and Chloe? They're excited about inspiring and leading others; about helping you find the best you. (And don't we all want to be the best us?) And their creatributions, Vancouver area events POP and SHIFTED, certainly reflect this.
POP is a series of events that empowers people to create an ideal vision for their lives and support that vision through solid short and long term goal setting. In the same amount of time that people usually reserve for a trip to the movies, participants will learn how to powerfully design the next ten years of their lives.
SHIFTED, stories of challenge and choice, is an event where 5 successful speakers will share their stories - their entire stories, good and bad. With a mission to inspire, SHIFTED wants you to leave armed with the knowledge that the challenges you face just might be the pathway to success. Learn about the speakers here.
I asked Adam why he was inspired to get involved with Imagine Ethiopia 2010. Here's what he said:
My initial attraction to imagine1day was its model. I loved that people could find individual projects that they believed in and could tangibly choose what they were going to invest in to support. imagine1day's website is broken down so that you can invest in pieces of a school (doors, roof trusses, concrete) and then the organization loops you in on the progress of the project from the perspective of being an investor.
An endowment established by lululemon's Chip and Shannon Wilson in 2007 to cover all overhead and administration costs at imagine1day ensures that all funds donated to the organization go directly to the components that investors donate to projects being completed on the ground in Ethiopia.
So this Back to School season, as we bundle our children off to their (clean, safe, often high-tech) schools, why not help provide Ethiopian children with education too. Here are a few ways to get involved:
In the Vancouver area, attend Shifted or one of the POP events.
- SHIFTED is September 9th at 6 pm. Buy tickets here.
- Follow @createPOP on Twitter or check out the POP facebook page for more details on upcoming POP events.
Visit the imagine1day site and you can donate to Adam and Chloe's goal by investing in a door, roof or floor for the school being built in Tigray, Ethiopia. Or simply choose a dollar donation you're comfortable with. Once you invest in the school, imagine1day will keep you updated on the progress of the school and the students - you will see the changes made possible by your investment.
Want to develop your own creatribution? Click here and read about other creatributions and how you too can get involved.
Looking for a little bit of daily inspiration? Chloe writes a lovely - and brave - blog about life and learning. Check out her Goals section and you'll be wanting your own 10 year vision too!
Have an interesting project you support? We'd love to hear about it! Leave a comment or send us an email.
