Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category

2 Feb

We Should Talk About Bruno (and Volunteering in Colombia)

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration, Vacation Ideas, volunteer. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

(animation images possibly subject to Disney or other copyright)

I know, I know. I’ve now incurred your wrath just with a title alone and the earworm that is now bopping in your head. Again. That dang Lin-Manuel Miranda-penned tune that is sweeping charts and living rooms and computers (OK, maybe, ideally, NOT on Spotify…but that’s another issue) and boring into your head in pernicious ways we haven’t seen or heard since “Let It Go” or the Macarena.

The big ol’ honking hit Disney film Encanto takes place at the Madrigal family’s home in the real-life (IRL) Valle de Cocora in Andean Colombia. Living in the walls of the casita for a decade, ostracized Bruno stays close by because he knows, despite his reputation as a bad luck beacon, he truly can contribute to his family’s happiness. Main character Mirabel also knows/discovers that her magic is in love and being there for others.

Wanna be Mirabelesque or Bruno-like and commit to making a difference in the lives of others…in Colombia?

Here are some fantastic volunteer opportunities to explore as you dream about a trip to Bogotà or Medellin or the Andean mountains, Amazon river, and more.

To volunteer and partner with local Colombian non-profits and NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) you will need to get a temporary visa of a cooperator (more information at this Colombian government link) processed at consulate offices at home, or in Bogotà. You’ll need your valid passport, two passport-type photos, a letter signed by the non-profit confirming your activities planned, and more. Explore the requirement carefully. Many international organizations arranging volunteer travel will handle some or all of this for your trip, but don’t plan on showing up without this important pre-travel step finalized.

Giving Way focuses on animal care programs, childcare, teaching, and conservation work, connecting you directly to NGO partners in communities. They value connection to the local villages and are often established in decentralized remote locations. https://www.givingway.com/volunteer-opportunities/colombia

International Volunteer HQ has Colombia programs year-round with projects ranging from one week to two-year stints based in Bogotà or Cartagena (you can also sign up for Spanish lessons to improve your communication skills). Projects focus on areas of teaching, childcare, food programs, construction/renovation, and sports programs. You’ll live in a volunteer house or apartment with other participants. https://www.volunteerhq.org/destinations/colombia/

Medicancer is a Bogotà-based NGO where you will assist patients and their loved ones navigating the medical system, appointments, enrichment and support services, and more in their journey with cancer. http://www.medicancer.org/

Medellin’s Proyecto Florecer empowers Colombian women to social leadership via grassroots projects, fighting cycles of poverty, under-employment, sex trafficking, discrimination, drug abuse, abusive relationships, and more. Volunteers currently focus on communication and community growth to support projects creating the next generation of strong women leaders. https://proyectoflorecer.org/volunteer/

Techo is a youth-led volunteer organization with projects around the world to fight poverty through many paths, including “Techo Troopers”—volunteers building homes, community centers, bathrooms, and infrastructure working side-by-side with locals in community-generated solutions. https://colombia.techo.org/

Volunteer Latin America helps you arrange low-cost service trips like teaching in Santa Marta, “Sport for Peace” programs, jaguar conservation at a biological reserve, park ranger programs, indigenous legal advocacy, abandoned animal rescue, community construction worksites, ethical mining initiatives, eco lodges, and burgeoning business support programs. Each program is different in respect to lodging provided free, food, fees, airport transfers, etc so research carefully to find your perfect match. https://www.volunteerlatinamerica.com/volunteer-abroad/colombia

Workaway connects you to local projects/hosts who have put the call out for volunteers, asking for your help. In Colombia, projects range from creating permaculture projects and organic farmwork to language exchange, building an eco-lodge, and supporting a dance school. Projects change often and past participant ratings are high. Similar to the WWOOF international programs (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms: https://wwoof.net/) , you will work in exchange for room and board. https://www.workaway.info/en/destination/southamerica/co

Try not to let it grind you down like super-strong sister Luisa in Encanto, who sings, “Under the surface, I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service,” but finding specific ways both large AND the little things to help, even when you travel, enriches everyone’s life.

25 Jan

Revitalizing Resolutions—Making a Commitment to Others

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Act Now, Inspiration, volunteer. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

As we close in on the end of January…how are those resolutions going for you?

I don’t want to come from the jaded, pessimistic place of “Done and dusted—resolutions don’t work” that informs so many memes and conversations, but history and culture-following science and surveys show that by week three or four of January, most have fallen off the resolution wagon.

I can point you toward hundreds of coaches who will each tell you ways to stick to it and truly commit to yourself…but that’s not why we’re here together.

I would, however, like you to consider adding a resolution and re-committing to this one over and over.

In 2022, the TOP TEN NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS were:

  1. Exercise more
  2. Lose weight
  3. Get organized
  4. Learn a new skill or hobby
  5. Live life to the fullest
  6. Save more money/spend less money
  7. Quit smoking
  8. Spend more time with family and friends
  9. Travel more
  10. Read more

I love these—what amazing goals and intentions.

If you are recognizing yourself in one or more of these, congratulations on your engagement and commitment to improvement. I think it’s safe to say any one of these is worthy of your energy and attention and follow through.

I’d like to suggest we add an eleventh “TOP” resolution to the list (OK, I’ll admit, if we’re ranking, I’d like to push it to the number one spot on the list):

BE OF SERVICE

I like how Justice Sonia Sotomayor, when speaking of her new children’s picture book (Just Help! How to Build a Better World) says, “Every day, you can make a difference by helping someone. Each time you do, you become part of something bigger than yourself.”

This doesn’t have to be an earth-shifting change. You don’t need to sacrifice comfort or happiness or ease—just give up a slice of selfishness (and we are all selfish on several levels—not casting aspersions). OK, slight correction, because, in some ways, our selfishness does provide us comfort. So, you don’t need to shed it all, just commit a slice to someone or many others outside yourself.

We have concentric circles.

  • Self
  • Family
  • Home
  • Work and co-workers
  • Neighborhood
  • Community of place or activities (might also include spirituality and politics)
  • Those who share our identity definitions
  • National identity
  • And we can go on and on…species, resident of the planet, part of the galaxy, universe, etc.

Within those circles, it doesn’t take much to find someone to help. To show kindness. To connect. To be inspired by and to comfort. And, we all know, the person being of service ALWAYS gets more out of the exchange than the person being served.

There is so much to discover about claiming and fueling your power when you are of service. Each day, just finding a way. Asking yourself, “How and who can I help today?”

Hold a door. Tell someone you’re thinking of them. Give a compliment. Express gratitude. Make a choice or a change for the planet. Sign up for a volunteer gig. Mentor. Donate to a cause. Encourage someone. Pick up trash. Over-deliver what someone is expecting from you at work or home. Think added value. Say “I love you” first.

At the end of the day, being able to say, “Because of me…this, and I added more to the world than I took” is an incredible feeling.

We all want that. Each night. That.

11 Jan

The New Maya Angelou Coin and Her Charities

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration, Opportunities, Support, volunteer. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

New Year. New Currency. New Inspiration.

Today begins the wide circulation of the first of the new U.S. Mint American Women Quarters Program with the new Maya Angelou 25-cent piece. With arms outstretched in front of an uncaged, soaring bird and rays of the sun, the coin honors the legacy of Angelou. The image was designed by Emily Damstra and sculpted by Craig Campbell.

The flipside of the quarter is George Washington in a beefier version than we’ve seen before, designed by Laura Gardin Fraser.

On this day, I thought it would be interesting to poke around and find out more about the charitable work of Ms. Angelou.

“What I would really like said about me is that I dared to love. By love I mean that condition in the human spirit so profound it encourages us to develop courage and build bridges, and then to trust those bridges and cross the bridges in attempts to reach other human beings.” ~Maya Angelou

The Dr. Maya Angelou Foundation shares the mission, “…to improve the quality fo life for all human beings” and the vision, “to sup[port educational excellence and healthcare equity initiatives for all.” Much of the foundation’s impact is based on scholarships to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) as well as through healthcare education efforts and a Women’s Health and Wellness Center. Your charitable donations (link here) help to support these vital programs.

In addition to the foundation, other organizations and foundations carry Dr. Anegelou’s name, including The Maya Angelou Young Adult Learning Center, a program of the See Forever Foundation Maya Angelou Schools. Here is a link to explore getting involved as a volunteer in Washington D.C. mainly in the areas of mentoring and tutoring—check it out.

Oakland, California’s Maya Angelou Library and Literacy Center has volunteer opportunities to help guarantee the community has access to opportunities to train and learn and open use of resources and technology. Explore volunteer opportunities at this link.

From Baltimore M.D. Hopkins University
© copyright John Mathew Smith 2001

Even if not directly working with one of the projects in her name, perhaps today is a perfect day to honor your own spirit of connection and humanity by honoring Maya Angelou with your search for ways to be of service. Flip a shiny new quarter and call it in the air. Heads, you win, tails, you win.

“The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise.”

~Maya Angelou

5 Jan

Insta-Motivation and Why We Do What We Do

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Act Now, Inspiration, volunteer. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Like the adage about a tree falling in the forest…if we do something kind or philanthropic and don’t get the selfie, does it still count?

With Instagram and every other image-driven platform, there has been a huge rise in performative charity. You know, the buying a meal for a homeless person only after you’ve got your camera set up or friend recording from across the street…or giving a huge tip to a server to change their life as you zoom in on their emotional reaction. How many cameras get trained on the parked car before a rescuer saves the terrified dog cowering underneath?

So, the question remains, if there is no glory, will we still be kind?

I know the shortcut and instinctive answer is “Yes. Of course,” and we quickly dismiss those attention seekers as shallow and unlike us…but is that the case? It’s not a bad thing necessarily—we can want the photo—perhaps not for social media clicks and follows, but to share an amazing story with loved ones, or as a reminder and motivator to ourselves of a special, and genuinely valuable, time and experience.

There’s some new science about this, comparing “opportunistic” do-gooders (those doing it for the posts and attention) vs. those who commit acts of kindness driven by compassion (when no one is necessarily watching). I’d venture most of us are somewhere on the spectrum between.

Data from 12,259 respondents who took an Emotional Intelligence Test with PsychTests found some differences in altruism based on motivation. For instance: 62% of opportunistic do-gooders believe the statement “the end justifies the means” (compared to 30% from the “genuine” crowd). 46% feel that you NEED to step on a few toes to get ahead while only 13% of the genuinely motivated agree. 54% of those seeking the praise of others would rather live a life of success than a life according to their own values (22% of the genuine folks) and a dispiriting 37% would encourage a depressed person to “toughen up.”

Some other things learned might increase some sense of compassion for the identified “posers” as we learn that 39% are uncomfortable actually consoling others, 50% say they lack a purpose and feel directionless, 31% feel like imposters and that they don’t deserve the success they have, 46% do not experience a sense of satisfaction after an achievement unless there is praise attached, and 43% will change themselves (beliefs, opinions, appearance, behavior) in order to please others.

I won’t suggest any motivation that gets us in action for others ought to be labeled bad or negative…just interesting. I am still happy to put all the weight behind the concept of a net gain, and that a meal served is a meal served no matter how it got to a hungry person. I don’t think we need a purity test for good deeds, but I am a fan of introspection and checking in with ourselves in every area of life. This is perhaps an invitation to gaze inward for a second, take stock, and then go out and redouble our efforts to have the positive impact we know we are supposed to have, with or without our cameras.

Hoping this finds you well, moving quickly through the sticky parts, and affirming great ways you’re going to rock our world.

20 Oct

Celebrating National Youth Confidence Day

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration, Support, youth. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

How are you feeling today?

Is it a BONES DAY or a NO BONES DAY?

Now, how are the young people around you feeling? Strong, prepared, confident, centered, inspired? Hoping ALL of those are reflective of how the young people in your life are feeling because today is National Youth Confidence Day. (October 20)

Are you parenting, grandparenting, aunt&uncling, teaching, coaching, mentoring, caring in general about kids? This is a day to ramp it up a bit more. Make an extra effort on top of your already Herculean strides to support the success of youth.

Can you do an extra reach out to check in on someone who has been having a rough go of it lately? An action-step email to the group or class to carpe their diems? A simple note or conversation that says, “I see you and I am better for having you in my world”? Just sit quietly next to someone who needs your presence if not your input? You can hold a huge space for another from afar to let them know, in no uncertain terms, that how they are feeling right now is exactly right and OK and, if change is desired, evolve-able.

Acknowledge the heck out of everyone you see today, taking extra care to stoke the coals of youth. It is an investment in the workability of the world for all of us.

Happy National Youth Confidence Day!

How will you celebrate? (I’d love it if you dropped a comment to share ideas).

4 May

#GivingTuesdayNow – We Had to Add Another Holiday!

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration, Support. Tagged: , , , , .

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Together We Give

Social Distance cannot get in the way of our social connections, and our communities are growing connective tissue under this stress like we never knew we could. Athletes know that muscle is built when we break it down, and similarly, this time, my friends, is making us stronger than we could imagine.

In the spirit of that strength, tomorrow, Tuesday May 5, 2020 is a newly-minted global day of giving and unity.

#GivingTuesday has, for years, been a day in December among the hustle and bustle of shopping and spending with Black Friday and sales and storming the malls, to give us an opportunity to support the non-profits and causes we care for most deeply.

This year, we’re adding #GivingTuesdayNow – it is an emergency response to COVID-19 and the decimating effect it has had on people and good works. Take the day as an occasion to show your full-throated support for healthcare workers and first responders. Stand strong with teachers and grocery and delivery and food service industries. Help support small businesses and purchase some gift cards as an investment in their, and your, future.

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GIVE to the charitable organizations you love most—their need has not diminished but their financial standing has. Fundraisers have been canceled, giving has dwindled to nearly dry, events have been postponed, but the non-profits you have always known make the world turn are STILL serving the communities and individuals they have always served.

The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation (AARBF.org) that I have volunteered with for quite a few years, now, is still doing everything for burn survivors. People have not stopped getting burned—in fact, with shelter-in-place situations, more fire and burn accidents are happening with people spending so much more time at home, more time cooking and baking, more time in small spaces together, more bored teens and kids creating fire accidents (or weird “challenges”). Burn units in hospitals are not empty—and so our work has not slowed…but the financial support, unfortunately, has.

If you can see a way to it, consider supporting our AARBF online fundraiser here.

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And while you are at supporting WHATEVER cause matters to you most, check in on your friends and family. Reach out with a call or ZOOM or facetime or any means of connection you can forge. Even in crowded houses, people are feeling alone.

Your generosity of dollars and of spirit are EVERYTHING this Giving Tuesday, and every single day. The need for you, and all you have to bless with your presence, your voice, your energy, and your healing heart, has never been greater.

I cannot thank you enough for what you give.

I love you.

17 Mar

Volunteering from Home When You’re Isolated but Still Want to Give

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration, One click helping, Opportunities, volunteer. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

mimi-thian-BYGLQ32Wjx8-unsplashLike most of us, you and yours are probably spending much more time within your own walls these days. While your employer may expect you to be online and available during business hours while you work from home, you have also gained some extra time you once spent commuting, or going out to grab lunch, when you can be volunteering and making a meaningful difference from your own home, on your own schedule.

I promise it will fill your heart and mind much more proactively than the screaming panic on social media!

Check out this list of possible ways to add to the common good by way of your computer, tablet, or phone.

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Crisis Text Line

When people need to reach out in times of crisis – online counselors are available 24/7 so there is someone on the other end of a lifeline. You commit to at least 4 hours per week and get deep training in active listening, collaborative problem solving, and safety planning. This is hotline work and profoundly meaningful intervention training, and you can do it from your couch on your own schedule (the most pressing need is for overnight crisis counselors). https://www.crisistextline.org/volunteer/ And to be sure EVERYONE knows of this resource, if you yourself or anyone you know need help or are considering self-harm, text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained volunteer counselor any time of the day or night.

United Nations Volunteers

UNV programs contribute to peace and development through internet connections worldwide. They make grateful use of volunteers in areas of need like: writing & editing, translation, research, outreach & advocacy, teaching & training, technology development, art & design, community organizing, and more. 187 countries are involved with the corps of volunteers and their hard work from home. https://www.onlinevolunteering.org/en

Catchafire

You offer your expertise to non-profits and NGOs on projects ranging from website development to team communications, marketing to database work. Over 100 areas of need are available for you to engage your computer savvy, and do it all from home. https://www.catchafire.org/

Amnesty Decoders

Amnesty International Decoders utilizes volunteers around the world to use your computer or phone to help researchers sift through pictures, information, and documents. Join the global network and volunteer from anywhere you can be online, on your own schedule. https://decoders.amnesty.org/

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Operation Warm

Start an online fundraiser to get new coats to kids in need and books to local libraries. Discover the details of how you can make a difference in the lives of many young people from the comfort of your home. https://www.operationwarm.org/get-involved/

Smithsonian

Become a Smithsonian Digital Volunteer and help transcribe historical documents and make biodiversity data more accessible. You can add to the official records and collections of field notes, diaries, ledgers, photo albums, manuscripts, specimen labels, and more. Dozens of projects can be searched by theme so your interest is engaged as well as your computer. https://transcription.si.edu/

Chemo Angels

Become a pen pal from home for a patient undergoing chemotherapy. Traditional “Angels” and “Card Angels” send cards, notes, letters, and small gifts each week to an assigned patient for the duration of their treatment. Be the strength and encouragement for someone through their toughest times without ever needing to leave your home. https://www.chemoangels.com/angel-pre-app

Project Implicit

Help Harvard researchers explore and understand associations our culture makes about race, gender, sexual orientation, alcohol & drug use, exercise, anxiety, eating, and other topics by simply taking polls and tests from your home computer. https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

Zooniverse

People-powered research projects rely on volunteers like you who help classify data, beta test digital projects, or moderate existing projects. You help the scientific community with a huge array of data projects from nature tracking to diabetes diagnosis tools, weather mapping to transcribing military records of African American Civil War soldiers, classifying infant speech sounds to discerning asteroids in images from the Hubble telescope! You can find something to get passionate about here, and work as much or as little as you’d like. https://www.zooniverse.org/get-involved

17 Oct

Your Kids Are (Probably) Not Too Young to Volunteer!

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration, volunteer. Tagged: , , , , .

preschool kidsSure, if still toddling or in diapers, maybe they are more of a ride-along while you get engaged in service, however, if your kids are the age where following directions is a thing, then volunteering can be a thing, too!

While many organizations don’t start making formal use of energetic volunteers until age 8 or older, you can always search for “family-friendly” opportunities to get involved together. Here are a few places to start an online search for just the right project for you and yours.

Children and education, kids and girls reading book in park

  • All for Good (allforgood.org) is a digital hub for volunteerism and community engagement. Find youth-engaging projects in your area by zip code.
  • Do Something (dosomething.org) will get kids involved with other kids making a difference—millions of young people in a global movement for good.
  • Generation On (generationon.org) provides programs, tools, and resources to engage kids and teens in service and volunteering.
  • One More Generation (onemoregeneration.org) was created by kids for kids to get kids involved in conservation and endangered species projects.
  • Volunteer.gov (www.volunteer.gov) is the federal program for volunteers to find ways to work on cultural and environmental resource projects. Use the “Family” filter in your search.
  • VolunteerMatch (volunteermatch.org) is the largest network in the non-profit world. Search for volunteer opportunities by zip code, kind of work, and add the filter “Kids” or “Teens” to get everyone involved.

26 Sep

Royal Watching for Inspiration

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Inspiration, Opportunities. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

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I’m always fascinated by the frenzy of following every movement or breath of famous folks.

Royal Watching has become quite the national and international pastime, and ramps up to a frenzy when the family members of Britain’s Queen get married or bring a new baby into the world.

We tune in or pick up the grocery store checkout line mags to assess (criticize?) dresses and clothes and baby pictures and pronouncements. Are we comparing ourselves? Fantasizing what it must be like to be royalty? Waiting for some weird schadenfreude moment when someone trips and falls?

I am Royal Watching right now for another reason—I’m looking for inspiration. Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are in South Africa with their young son, Archie, touring and meeting folks and visiting some fantastic social good causes and NGOs.

That’s the kind of discovery travel I love.

Harry and Meghan have been heart-driven since before they were together, and at their wedding, this benevolence was made manifest with their request that gifts be made as donations to charities. Here is my first look to these particular royals for inspiration.

The Royal Wedding charities they listed were (click the links to find our more about each cause):

CHIVA (Children’s HIV Association), working to ensure young people living with HIV have the treatment and care, knowledge, understanding, skills, and wider support to live well and achieve their greatest potential.

Crisis, the UK’s national charity for homeless people helping people directly out of homelessness, working side-by-side in housing, employment, education, and advice services.

The Myna Mahila Foundation empowers women in the urban slums of Mumbai, India, employing women to manufacture and sell affordable sanitary pads back into their communities to improve menstrual hygiene, provide stable employment, and build a trusted network.

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Scotty’s Little Soldiers is dedicated to supporting children and young people who have lost a parent while serving in the Armed Forces.

Street Games uses sport to change lives for healthier, safer, more successful communities.

Surfers Against Sewage inspires communities to protect oceans, beaches, waves, and wildlife.

The Wilderness Foundation UK harnesses the power of the wilderness to transform vulnerable lives and empowers people to conserve nature.

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In addition to those charities chosen by the Royal Couple for wedding gift support, they co-lead The Royal Foundation (alongside Prince William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge). This foundation has multiple initiatives in several areas: mental health and removing its stigma, conservation of endangered species and wildlands, military service & veteran support, programs for young people, early education, and empowering communities.

Vintage world map Africa

While they are in Africa they are visiting several projects, one I particularly sparked to, The Justice Desk, which operates in South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, empowering local people to understand and defend their human rights in order to build safer communities for all. They educate and equip, train and advocate for youth and vulnerable groups for justice and equality.

16 Jul

Mandela Day 2019 – #ActionAgainstPoverty

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Act Now, Inspiration.

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July 18, is Mandela Day, a cause for celebration and gratitude. A day for looking for connection with others, not distance or difference. A day to honor and touch others.

Especially now. Especially in days so dark in so many parts of the world. A day we ALL need, desperately, with an eye toward building bridges between people, beliefs, parties, and privileges.

July 18 is the birthday of Nelson Mandela, “Madiba” as a name of respect from his clan heritage. The official Mandela Day recognition is now a decade old, since launching in 2009. In celebration of a decade, the next chapter (next ten years) are to be focused on five areas: education & literacy, food & nutrition, shelter, sanitation, and active citizenship.

For individuals and communities, it is a perfect day to look at how we respond to crisis, to disagreement, to discord. A shining opportunity to look at how we do for others and how we might do one thing more. A stunning day to look at how we sometimes retreat when chaos is too strong for us to navigate…when the exact opposite is the answer…to go forward and to reach out and do something for someone.

Mandela Day is a global call to action. Each of us has the power to change the world for the better. Each of us can make an impact on how we, as a global community, embrace peace, a shared sense of community, liberty, quality of life, and assured safety. Each of us can.

Human rights for every human, no one more than another–that is when we know we did it. We have a lot, still, to do. Many minds must open. Many hearts must open. Many conversations must open. Many hands must open.

Find listings of actions and activities and ways to get involved around the world here. Mandela worked for peace for 67 years–Mandela Day’s request is that we each start with just 67 minutes, especially in taking action against poverty. Got an hour for the rest of us? If not today, use this special date to commit yourself to doing something soon.

How will you open hand and heart today, to touch another? For Madiba? For yourself? For all of us?

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