Thursday, December 27, 2012

Appreciate the life you live and help others to be able to do the same

Free education. Food on the table. The right to speak your mind. Outside the United States, some countries view these things Americans take for granted as luxuries. Those that are courageous enough to fight for these basic freedoms put themselves in danger to advance social progress.

Source: Reuters
A young woman from rural Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai, chooses to face such threats from the Taliban. At a mere fifteen years old, she fell into the public eye in October when a Taliban gunman shot her in the head for "promoting secularism." Her noted efforts begin as early as eleven years old, when she wrote an anonymous blog on BBC criticizing the fundamentalist group for their repressive authority. She follows in the steps of her father, who was an education activist, as she advocates for women's education as well. Both Yousafzais have been targeted by militants and live in constant danger, yet Malala has a maturity and tenacity beyond her years stating "Even if they come to kill me,...education is our basic right."

Illiteracy should be a pressing concern in Pakistan. Statistics from the Federal Education Ministry of Pakistan show that the country's overall literacy rate is 46 percent, and for women, just 26 percent. Part of the problem is widespread poverty, which forces millions of Pakistani children to enter the workforce to help support their families.

Amnesty International is a nonprofit organization that works to promote human rights and expose injustices. They address censorship issues, children's rights, and women's rights - Malala's chosen cause - among others. Their many victories include releasing tens of thousands of 'prisoners of conscience' from unjust detention and garnering support for the establishment of an International Criminal Court. My college even had a hand in mobilizing grassroots power through our campus chapter, which participates in the annual letter-writing marathon for prisoners of conscience and human rights defenders. To find out more information on how you can help, click here.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Facebook: Tech Influence of 2012




Of the many tech services that have gained popularity this year and consumed roughly 13 hours each week of the average American's time on the internet in 2012, Facebook tops the list as most influential.

The social networking site is used as a means for networking and self-promotion as well as advertising for companies - big and small. The platform has also been a place where people can associate for a common cause and plan social movements.

Austin Lee, a 17-year-old who advocated for a skate park in St. Cloud, MN realized Facebook was more than a site to connect with friends, but an opportunity to reach users in the community, and if need be, 350 million other users worldwide. The VP of the City Council said he has never gotten so many e-mails and phone calls from constituents about a single issue in his four years on the Council. As a result of Lee's community outreach efforts, a $500,000 skate plaza was approved.

The 'To Write Love on Her Arms' campaign may sound more familiar. It provides hope for people dealing with addiction or depression by presenting a platform for victims to voice their stories and relate to one another. The nonprofit's Facebook page now has 1.34 million likes and received global support - evidence that the world truly is shrinking. Instead of '6 degrees of separation', Facebook brings us closer to a mere 4.74 acquaintances apart from the next connection.

Studies stated that Facebook played a big role in getting voters to the polls this past presidential election as well. Users who saw their close friends click the 'I Voted' button were 0.244% more likely to vote and indirectly accounted for 280,000 additional votes - a definite game changer in the modern political environment.

While Facebook has become one of the leading social networking sites on the web, it has also been surrounded by privacy concerns and the company's IPO had a rocky execution. So protect your identity if you plan to jump on the bandwagon. It will most likely be a good marketing strategy for the new year.

About


This blog – Sweet Impetus – documents the “sweet” stories of people with entrepreneurial spirits and their inspirational projects in the hopes of serving as an “impetus” for readers to act on their ingenious ideas and advance the world one innovation at a time.