More Social Change & Positivity Ideas

  1. Stories of hope.com. A website where people can leave audio, text, or video short stories of real people that provide hope to others. Daily "Story of Hope" downloadable to computer or mobile device. (August 16, 2006)
  2. Social networking for community building. Builds off of Paulo Friere’s work on Conscientization and Communidades de Base to build robust networks of learning, sharing, interdependence and community building. (august 30, 2006)
  3. Bovie. A book that is displayed graphically like a movie, and replaces the text format of books as we know them. Each book becomes a story, complete with graphics/audio, real or virtual actors, and links to related items of interest – all viewed on a Bovie player (a kind of eBook). Allows books to finally come alive, and is helpful, in particular, for people with low literacy levels or with visual disabilities.
  4. Newstory: An audio reading of your average daily news item, elaborated on and made into a mixed fictional and non fictional accounting of an event. Allows a bland news story to come alive and create genuine interest. Also meant to revive the lost are of storytelling. (November 23, 2006)
  5. KidKorps: a volunteer organization for young children, to learn the importance of volunteerism and giving back at a young age (December 1, 2006)
  6. Identity Mapping: “Reputation.com”A way to map the reputation and identify of people to determine their relationship with a particular item. Example, if a reporter writes a story on a an issue with a certain point of view, his/her reputation can be mapped to determine a particular bias, etc. Also, if a blogger or politician takes a certain position, their affiliations can be reavealed to create a more accurate picture of their interests. (December 17, 2006)
  7. Moratorium on Media violence. Movie studios and TV Networks agree on a moratorium on producing and showing violent films for 6 months. A direct and serious contribution to reducing violence and crime in America. (September 12, 2007)
  8. Online, direct support for specific clients of nonprofit organizations. For example, like www.kiva.org does for microenterprise in the developing world, low income individuals in training programs or in school could be supported in their tuition payments directly by individuals. The $ goes directly to the school or organization, and the donor gets periodic updates from the students themselves. (September 12, 2007)
  9. Storytelling Hologram: a hologram on a street corner that could tell a story, offer advice, proseltize or raise money (you could donate by pointing your cell phone at that image). (September 20, 2007)
  10. Virtual therapist: an “embedded” online counselor that could sense your mood and stress levels through sensors attached to your person – triggering a a choice of options and real time  connection with a real world therapist or crisis  counseloer. (September 20, 2007)
  11. Virtual cell mate: prisoners “bunk” with a positive virtual role model that acted as his/her friend and counselor. (September 20, 2007)
  12. Family consumption meter: A household (family) calorie counter and “waste recorder” that shows us how much we are consuming and how much we are individually contributing to emissions, global warming, etc? (September 20, 2007)
  13. Experience Simulator: What if we could have every child “experience” war or prison through a virtual simulation to act as a deterrent against the real thing?
  14. "Kindness Meter" that measure and shared our acts of kindness and goodwill toward others? (September 20, 2007)
  15. KidKorps: a volunteer program for young children to teach them about volunteerism and the value of giving back at an early age
  16. Peace documentary: Instead of a War documentary how about a series of documentaries on how peace has been “waged” successfully and unsuccessfully at different times and in different places. (Nov. 10, 2007)
  17. Global remittances bank and development cooperative: An international bank that handles only international remittances between migrant workers and their families/communites. A small transaction fee is used to pay for international development projects that bank users vote on and advocate for. Handles most if not all of the $300 billion in remittances that flow from the global north to global south each year. (Nov. 18 2007)
  18. Nonprofit/NGO TV or Internet show. Tracks the lives and work of folks working for the social good, part reality show and part drama and comedy. NOT too serious, but more entertaining and fun with an important underlying message. (Dec. 2 2007)
  19. Postivity Coach: provides positive input and chearleading for people to help them stay centered, positive, and moving forward in their lives. NOT a therapist or life/career coach, but someone who simply infuses greater postivity and good energy into a person’s life (Jan. 15 2008)
  20. A list of the poorest of the poor (instead of the Forbes’s billionaire listing). (March 7, 2008)
  21. A contest for businesses and the private sector to develop a sustainable business model for XYZ nonprofit (March 6, 2008)
  22. A book about how to find work/life balance and achieve great results as a nonprofit leader. The “4 day workweek” for the social sector. (April 2, 2008)
  23. Third Way Consultancy: For profit that designs new modules and incubates new trends in solving social challenges. NOT to help nonprofits re-design their current operations, but to create new nonprofits and for profits (May 4, 2008)
  24. Happiness Train: A national tour of inspirational speakers, self help experts, scientists, and policy experts – talking to real people about happiness and creating specific policy recommendations (around a national happiness policy/index – like what was done in Bhutan and an accompanying book/movie for global distribution). (July 19, 2008)
  25. Crowdsourced nonprofit. Instead of the usual top down creation of nonprofits and nonprofit programs, how about a bottom up approach influenced by the “wisdom of crowds”? End users of a particular social need define and design the provision of services. (July 20, 2008)
  26. Consumer Eco-Sport Devices: Attachments for a bicycle (stationary or regular) which generate and store electricity which you can plug into your home electricity grid. The devices measure both the electricity generated and money saved – adding this as an incentive during exercise. Other devices can be adopted for running and other sports. Ultimately creating sports with an “eco objective” and measurable energy generation as part of the competitive equation (A kind of Tour De Watt) could create popular interest in eco competition as sport and thus make saving the planet (how about a Race to Save the Globe?) a popular sport. Maybe even an eco-olympics where countries & corporations compete to win the greatest eco savings? (July 26, 2008)
  27. Change your name, change a life: An opportunity to change your name for one week, pairing you to someone in need (a poor person, addict, prison inmate, HIV victim, etc.) as a way to create greater human connections and foster kindness. (July 26, 2008)
  28. A Fraternity/Sorority dedicated to new age learning, meditiation, and practicing interdenominational spirituality and peace. The members are committed to spiritual growth and positive learning. (August 9, 2008)
  29. Mind Olympics. Bring together monks and people with incredible mind skills (Qi Gong, Telepathy, mind reading, etc.) to compete and demonstrate the power of the mind versus the physical. Purpose is to popularize the importance of improving one’s mental/spiritual self over one’s physical and material self.(September 2008).
  30. Investors club for low income youth. An investors training program (part financial literacy, part professional day trader training, part life/professional skills program. Each participant is carefully screened (must be 18) and then put through a rigorous training program with the intention of making them financially secure and independent. Includes an up front investment in the trainees, with a percentage of all returns going back to the club, an investment in the local community, and mentoring/outreach to others. May also lead to the development of new financial and investment institutions for the communities served. November 30, 2008.
  31. Daily positivity videos. One inspiring, heartwarming, or thought provoking one minute video moment (using YouTube’s partner program?) available to anyone online. Broadcast each day. (December 14, 2008)
  32. The Year of Living Givingly: A tool to track ongoing donations of time and money for individuals, which coincides with the receipt of a monthly and annual “social credit card” statement. (December 31, 2008).
  33. Good Signage”. What if billboards and major roadside signage was positive messaging that reinforced hope, opportunity, sharing, and goodness? It might change the way people feel about themselves and the world? Companies could compete to sponsor good messaging, and that is how it could be sustained.(March 3, 2009)
  34. Song recognition revenue sharing. As the iPhone and other portable devices offer the ability to recognize songs on the go (i.e., Shazam, etc.), might it be possible to share revenue with the radio station or location where the song was heard. A way to save radio? (April, 2009)
  35. Time parsing: Re-ordering a 24 hour day into segments the represent “days” in a way that match our vibrational energies and natural cycles. For example, my day could be officially “over” at noon, at which point my work energy has faded and I am in need of relaxation or entertainment. If we were to restructure our work/play/family time to match our individual cycles, it might make for a more productive and better use of our time? (June 29, 2009)
  36. “ What I know” Family Anthology. Instead of historical documentation about what people did or where they worked, a chronicling of what people thought, felt, or valued during their lifetime, including family members from all ages.(August 9, 2009)
  37. Spiritwatch: A watch you wear around your wrist which reminds you of the unimportance of time, and other spiritually enriching reminders & quotes each time you look at it. Needless to say, it does NOT tell the time! (Sept. 2009)
  38. News Actions: Links in newspaper articles that allow us to actually take actions on items covered (volunteer, donate $, advocate, etc.). (Jan. 3, 2010)
  39. Laughter documentary: A video composed only of diverse people of all ages, races, and geographies laughing happily and hysterically. It’s meant to both get people to laugh, but more importantly to share the message that laughter is something we all share and has the power to bring us together.(January 12, 2010)
  40. Pay it Forward sticky notes: Customized or blank sticky notes filled with positive messages, kind words, and suggested actions to “pay it forward”. Unlike ugly graffiti, good vibes sticky notes are easily removable and can be placed in public bathroom mirrors or anywhere – including at home. (Feb. 1, 2010)
  41. Bathroom Grafitti Board. Avoid the challenge of cleaning bathroom stall graffiti by posting a board for this purpose with a pen that doesn’t write on the other surfaces. Encourage contests for the best poems, doodles, etc that can be transmitted electronically to a bathroomgraffitistar.com website.(July 18, 2009)
  42. Intergenerational Activism Mentoring Program: A mentoring program that matches older, experienced activists with younger ones. The elders teach street-based organizing strategies and lessons learned, while the younger teach about online and mobile organizing tools. (February 2010)