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.

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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.

21 Aug

National Parks are Free on Sunday (and You can Volunteer, too)

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

gert-boers-qQC8tyG_JVA-unsplashWhatcha doin’ this weekend? If it’s your last weekend before school, or your kids already have a couple weeks of Academia under their belts, or kids have nothing to do with it, getting outside is always a good option.

Sunday, August 25, is the 103rdbirthday of the National Park Service, and to celebrate, admission to all National Parks is free.

What an idyllic time to explore and enjoy our countrywide system of great green and urban spaces …and maybe give back a little while you’re at it.

I tend to forget, in my hurried day-to-day life, that the wondrous wild places I so fondly remember visiting (and look forward to many more visits) on family vacations and cross-country drives, are more than just stunning vacation spots–they are smoothly-run enterprises of commitment to community, culture, and the environment…AND…they have extensive volunteer programs.

As a National Parks volunteer, you can pop in for a one-shot deal to help with a program, or if you’re lucky enough to live near such sacred spots, there are ongoing opportunities. Kids, families, individuals…all will find rewarding service work in the parks.

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If you’re super motivated, and volunteer 250 hours of service to the parks and/or other federal agencies that participate, you can be eligible for the Annual Volunteer Pass. This pass is your cost-free ticket to more than 2,000 federal recreation sites. Each pass covers entrance fees at national parks and national wildlife refuges as well as standard amenity fees at national forests and grasslands, and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.

To find your V.I.P. (Volunteers in Parks) opportunity, from Yellowstone to the Statue of Liberty, the Everglades to Mount Rainier, you can search by park, state, or zip code. Many of the needs are seasonal, but some are year-round, and while a certain level of fitness or endurance may be required for some gigs, there is plenty to volunteer for that requires less energy as well. Visit the Park Service website and look around a bit, get re-inspired for some next visit plans, and find a way to be one of the boots on the ground folks who keep the parks the treasures that they are.

Don’t miss out take a picnic lunch at the Grand Canyon or search family names at Ellis Island. There are more national parks than states in the country of ours – find one near you or near where your next travel plans will lead. (Find Your Park link)

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Later this year, there are a couple more free days at the parks, September 28 and November 11. Make them all red-letter dates in your calendar.

8 Aug

Lion’s Gate Portal – Volunteering With Lions

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

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Today, August 8 is 8/8, an auspicious day on many calendars, in metaphysical communities, and for astrology buffs. Called the Lion’s Gate Portal, this day has been celebrated since the time of the Mayan empire with ceremonies and rituals. In numerology, the number 8 represents power, prosperity, sovereignty, and the flow of energy.

In a lovely convergence of themes, today is also International Cat Day.

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In the spirit of the King of the Forest (and the much harder-working, more bad-ass female lioness, the Queen of the forest), here are a few volunteer opportunities around the world where you can work with lions!

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LEO Africa has a Big 5 Wildlife Monitoring and Conservation volunteer program in South Africa’s Marakele National Park. You’ll monitor predator numbers and behaviors and get deeply involved in conservation policies and practices of South Africa. Volunteers are a vital part of ongoing research. www.leoafrica.org

Wildlife ACT’s Fair Trade Tourism-certified wildlife volunteering includes an opportunity in Zululand, South Africa. Conservation volunteers work across five unique national parks and reserves where you’ll monitor lions and other endangered species, mapping their movement behaviors in morning and evening observational game tracking drives. Some programs also include darting and trapping animals for radio collaring to help with protection research. www.wildlifeact.com

Go ECO has volunteer programs at a Big Cat Refuge in South Africa as well as a Lion and Wildlife Conservation program in Kenya’s Maasai Mara. You’ll be deeply embedded in local cultures and help bridge understanding and protection of species in conflict with humans based on diminishing habitats. www.goeco.org

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Priderock Wildlife Refuge in Terrell, Texas needs volunteers to help provide an ideal enviroenment for their big cats. Groundskeeping, maintenance & repair, food prep as well as fundraising and development work are some areas you can work supporting and caring for confiscated and surrendered exotic cats. www.priderock.org

Conservation Africa has a Lion Conservation Experience in Kruger National Park in South Africa, working to reverse human injustices like captivity, canned lion hunts, cub cuddling for tourists, and farming lions for the bone trade. Discover more at www.conservationafrica.net

29 Jul

SLOW DOWN!!! Earth Overshoot Day

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Act Now, Environment. Tagged: , , , .

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This red-letter day each year comes around on a different date…and I am bummed it is so early in 2019…July 29! In this case, RED letter is bad news.

Today is Earth Overshoot Day—the day the scales tip OUT of our favor. This is the day that humans have used up the maximum resources that the earth can replenish in a year. Starting tomorrow, we are digging too deeply, past what can be renewed. This day is creeping up earlier every year—just a few years ago we hit this point in mid-October. Now it is in July.

Ouch

We keep getting more efficient at screwing ourselves up!

Most often, in life, it is beneficial to be ahead of schedule for things — better than the alternative, being late. Well, when it comes to annually using up our world’s resources, the early bird doesn’t get the worm…the early bird probably only gets hungry, and thirsty, and hot…

…very hot.

Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity has exhausted nature’s budget for the year. The Global Footprint Network measures humanity’s demand for, and supply of, natural resources and ecological services, and at some point on the calendar, we get to the point where we are in a deficit compared to what can be provided, so we are technically chipping away resources, increasing tonnage of waste, exhausting the supply of potable water and fertile land, and accumulating carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In banking terms, we are drawing down the earth’s principal rather than responsibly living off the interest.

Ecological overshoot is a non-sustainable way of life and possible for only a limited period of time before we degrade the system so far that we end up with water shortages, desertification, soil erosion, reduced cropland activity, overgrazing, rapid species extinction, collapse of fisheries, and increased carbon concentration…sound familiar?

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Our global overshoot has more than doubled since 1961. According to Global Footprint Network, we are now living large, literally, as it would take much more than our single Earth to actually support our current consumption, and predictions state we would require two entire planets to support our usage trends by mid-century. Use THIS TOOL to calculate your own personal ecological footprint, and see, if everyone lived like YOU, how many Earths we would need to support that kind of life. It can be shocking.

Only 14% of our world lives in countries with more biocapacity than usage footprint, including Australia, Canada, Finland, Chile, and Brazil. The United States is squarely in the not-so-happy red zone, using more natural resources than we can possibly provide.

TAKE ACTION:

Here are some ideas to #MoveTheDate (trying to push the date we move into the red zone LATER on the calendar)

THAT would be progress, and YOU can definitely play a large part!

23 Jul

1 Year Until Tokyo Olympic Games – Are You Volunteering Yet?

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

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A year from now, all eyes will be on Tokyo for the Olympics, July 24 – August 9, 2020.

Volunteer application opportunities have closed for those who want to work at the Olympic Games and/or the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020 (last date to apply was in December 2018) but these links will give you information about opportunities and the process if you want to throw your (*official Olympic Games merchandise) hat in the ring for the next round.

Get a head start on planning for the next chance — 2022 Winter Olympics are in Beijing.

It takes thousands of dedicated volunteer souls to make Olympic magic happen.

Olympic Volunteers are used for myriad roles, including Ceremonies Production, Customer Service, Health Services, Operational Support, Press & Communication, Protocol and Languages, Sports, Technology, and Transport. The volunteer squad will number about 80,000 individuals!

It’s kind of a big deal, with many steps and interviews and training along the way, but what a hoot to be able to say at your next get together with friends that YOU are going to be helping make the Olympics happen. They even use volunteers to be in the “cast” of performers/dancers/marchers/etc for the opening ceremonies and medal ceremonies!

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These are the Tokyo Games mascots, “Miraitowa” and “Someity”

There is online training, then later, in-person training, and you get a full uniform specific to your volunteer placement, certificate of appreciation, local transportation, meals on days you work, exclusive gifts, and a whole slew of international friends and colleagues. You must be 18 years oldvand be available for ten days during the Olympic or Paralympic Games.

You are responsible for your own travel and housing during your stay, so start your planning early…like today! Full information and Frequently Asked Questions here.

The Paralympic Games are in Tokyo, following the Olympics, August 25 – September 6. There are 22 sports in the Paralympics for athletes with impairment (of muscle power, range of motion, limb deficiency/difference, leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia (muscle tension/inability to stretch due to neurological condition), ataxia (lack of coordination due to neurological condition), athetosis (involuntary movement), visual impairment, intellectual impairment.

Paralympics volunteers take on roles similar to those of the Olympic Games — spectator guidance, competition operation, and media. Again, set your sites on Beijing for Winter Games 2022.

I’m a big giant fan of the Special Olympics organization (find your nearest Special Olympics office here and become a volunteer here) so the Paralympic Games are really special to me.

Inclusion is everything.

The city to Tokyo is also engaging 30,000 city volunteers to provide tourism and transport information (must be conversant in Japanese and have permission to reside in Japan for 5 or more days during the period of service).

Transform lives, including your own, by volunteering in programs like these.

20 Jul

Volunteering Out of This World – Inspired by Lunar and Space Exploration

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

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When was the last time you went outside and stared up at the night sky? Did you wish upon a star, hang your dreams on the moon, ponder your place in the universe?

50 years ago the entire nation was looking toward the heavens with awe, pride, disbelief, and wonder as our first astronauts visited and stepped foot on the moon. It was too audacious to want, but we did. It was too far out to be realistic, yet it was.

Anyplace in your world where you hold a vision of yourself that your ego tells you is too far out, too audacious, that a wise person would tuck that dream away and never speak its name…? Wouldn’t it be FUN to fly in the face of such…reasonableness?

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Can you tip your chin toward the night sky and imagine yourself in an unfamiliar place, doing unfamiliar things, to help unfamiliar people or animals or communities or places?

Here are a few Apollo/Lunar-inspired volunteer opportunities—maybe one is for you:

NASA – offers unpaid training opportunities to high school and college students to explore career options in the federal agency. Most internships last three to four months and can be done during the academic year or summer. Here’s the info to explore more.

The Lunar and Planetary Institute – is a division of the Universities Space Research Association, established during the Apollo missions to foster international collaboration and gather information about the space program. The LPI in Houston, TX has a summer program for undergraduate students to work with planetary scientists for 10 weeks embedded in cutting edge research and one-on-one work with leading researchers. Find out more here.

The Space Station Museum – In Novato, California, volunteers help bring space education to the Bay Area working as museum volunteers and docents, leading tours, answering questions, and occasionally hanging out with astronauts. No experience is required. Apply here.

The International Dark-Sky Association – works to protect the night skies from light pollution and keep some of the zones of our world pristine enough to see the galaxy and beyond. Volunteers advocate in their local communities, give public presentations/talks, do public outreach at local events, become citizen scientists to measure and study light pollution, and more. Find opportunities to get involved at this link.

The Moon Society – is run entirely by volunteers. The organization seeks to inspire and involve people all over the world in study and exploration of the moon with an eye toward eventual civilian settlements and pioneering. Volunteers are chapter coordinators, publications director, communications and social media, technical writers, project managers, fundraisers and grant-writers, event organizers, and more. Check out their site and available positions here.

The Space Foundation – in Colorado Springs inspires, educates, connects, and advocates on behalf of the global space community. Long-term and short-term volunteers are needed to assist with operations, teaching, development, communications, and marketing as well as helping at the annual Space Symposium. Sign up to volunteer here.

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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?

8 Jul

Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter’s Anniversary – 73 Years in Service

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

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President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter have been married 73 years today. That’s a big long run, and a testament to willingness to discover fresh opportunities together.

Since his presidency, Carter has flourished for many years as a statesman and powerhouse in the charitable world. If you were so inclined, you could get involved in some volunteer opportunities driven by Carter.

Most of us have heard of Habitat for Humanity, the non-profit home building organization founded in 1976 and now working in all 50 states as well as more than 70 other countries, helping more than 22 million people so far. Jimmy and Rosalynn got involved early and rocketed awareness of Habitat with their ongoing work swinging hammers and building homes. Together with legions of volunteers (not requiring special skills, so any of us can get involved), they help families achieve strength, stability, and independence through safe, decent, and affordable shelter. Pop in your zip code to find your local Habitat here. You’ll find travel and build opportunities if you want to get busy on a volunteer vacation, women build options, programs specific to veterans, youth programs, college challenges, and emergency programs in disaster areas. At the end of a day volunteering, raising a wall on a new home or handing over the keys where a family can now make memories is the kind of payback we all crave.

Another of Carter’s major organizations is The Elders.

This auspicious group has been working since 2007 — a group of global leaders, brought together originally by Nelson Mandela, to offer their influence and wisdom to the process of peace building and to address human suffering. In addition to Jimmy Carter, Ban Ki-moon, Graca Machel, Desmond Tutu, and Mary Robinson are a few others of the elders. The group was gathered and launched by Sir Richard Branson and Peter Gabriel.

There are so few cultures that still revere the wisdom that comes with age, the life spirit and lessons passed down through generations–it’s almost as if we move too quickly and are so desperate to reinvent and improve that we end up re-inventing the wheel instead of building upon the knowledge of those who have gone before us. What a loss.

The Elders focus on international rights issues and take on new challenges as they arise. Their collective plate is currently full with initiatives focused on: ethical leadership and multilateral cooperation; climate change, universal health, access to justice, conflict countries and regions, and refugees and migration.

Big, heady issues. Big heads taking them on. When was the last time you reached out to the generation before yours for guidance? Your parents, aunts and uncles, neighbors, family friends, business mentors, or anyone older needn’t be a world leader to have incredible gifts of wisdom that are yours for the asking.

What Would Jimmy Do?

5 Jul

Happy Birthday Dalai Lama — Volunteer to Celebrate

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

Dalai Lama quoteJuly 6, is the 84th birthday of His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.

To celebrate, practice what HE preaches and find new ways to express compassion and connection in your world. One of his more famous quotes: “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can’t help them, at least don’t hurt them.“

If you’re particularly inspired by him, here are a couple of Dalai Lama-specific volunteer opportunities to check out.

The Dalai Lama Center for Peace + Education, in Vancouver, seeks volunteers for all of its expanding programs, including their renowned “Educating the Heart” program. Find out more here.

Traveling to India? (Lucky you!) The Dalai Lama Institute for Higher Education in Bangalore welcomes volunteers who, in return for their service, are able to learn the Tibetan language, Buddhist philosophy, and receive room and board while volunteering. Check out their needs and opportunities at this link.

Dalai Lama Fellows is a global program authorized by him, working with social innovators and those working toward worldwide peace, justice, and ecology. Several fellows of the program have developed and launched programs around the world that need dedicated volunteers. Find your perfect match here.

2 Jul

Comfort and Joy for the Fourth of July

Posted by Andrew Mersmann in Helping Animals, volunteer. Tagged: , , .

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If you have pets or have ever lived with household animals, you already know the terror that neighborhood fireworks instill in the hearts of dogs and cats. With no way for us to explain our pyrotechnic traditions, and their heightened, excellent hearing, how could they imagine anything other than the end of the world? It is the number one day for runaways, and breaking down fences and leaping over gates that the rest of the year prove secure borders is not uncommon.

Think, now, of the huge numbers of dogs and cats in animal shelters around the country. Most don’t have overnight staff. Come the night of July Fourth, explosions rock the neighborhoods where they are kenneled, already stressed out by the living conditions, and you’ve got a recipe for true misery.

If you’ve got the night off and don’t have plans to be at someone’s barbecue, or spreading your picnic blanket on the golf course to watch fireworks…if you are more likely to be home…AND you don’t have your own animals that you have to comfort as they quake, consider volunteering at your local animal shelter to comfort some pups. Several facilities have programs for this particular night, “Calm the Canines” initiatives just for the peak hours of most municipal fireworks shows (dusk until 10:00pm or so). Check with your local shelter. (Try an internet search for “Fourth of July Animal Shelter Volunteer” or “Volunteer with dogs July 4” or similar–loads of results will pop up)

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They might be playing soft music, volunteers may be talking and cooing, sitting on the floor, reading softly, distracting animals with special treats, and giving tons fo pets and cuddles. Some shelters will even have programs set up for one-night fostering of a dog, taking it asa guest pet to your own home to calm and comfort it during this night of decibels and terror.

Of course, if you fall in love with the adoptable pet you’ve been petting through its panic–all the better–adopting a rescue is a brilliant outcome! Another win/win situation is if you come away from your one-night volunteer gig impressed enough to offer volunteer help other times throughout the year. The animals need you.

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