The Extraordinaries

How YOU Could Use The Extraordinaries -- Post #11 -- Quest Bridge

Quest Bridge

What They Do

Located in Palo Alto, California, Quest Bridge's mission is to create a "singular place where exceptionally talented low-income students can navigate educational and life opportunities."  They do this through recruiting, developing, and supporting outstanding low-income students beginning in high school, and helping them to be successful in college, graduate school, and post-college employment.  Quest Bridge has partnered with a number of top universities, and works to ensure these motivated students go on to succeed in college and in life. 

How Quest Bridge can "Be Extraordinary!"

Quest Bridge does a great job in helping outstanding students succeed despite significant life obstacles.  But, what if they could provide even more support to these students in achieving their dreams?  The Extraordinaries volunteers could reach out and help guide these students as they navigate the complicated world of college and job applications.  Students could anonymously submit their personal statements for their college applications and receive feedback from Extraordinaries volunteers from their phones.  Students with an interest in a specific career field could indicate so, and submit a series of questions about what that a certain job entails and how to break-in to that career.  Extraordinaries volunteers with knowledge of these sectors could respond -- either through typing answers on their phone, or through actually calling these students directly -- and provide guidance and mentorship. 

Help with college applications, and career advising are things many take for granted; but for motivated, low-income students, such as those in Quest Bridge, this type of help -- all of which could be done through a mobile phone -- has the chance to significantly impact the lives of this country's brightest talent. 

Want to Learn More?

http://www.questbridge.org/

What Do You Think?

How could YOU use your phone to reach out to these bright, motivated students?  Is there another way you could think of supporting Quest Bridge's mission through The Extraordinaries' application? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Alex Budak is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at Georgetown University, with a focus on Technology and Social Entrepreneurship.  He is joining The Extraordinaries this summer as a Research Fellow.

How YOU Could Use The Extraordinaries -- Post #10 -- Hooked on Nature

Hooked On Nature

What They Do

Hooked on Nature, located in San Jose, California seeks to change the current mindset that separates people from the natural world.  Through a three phase plan of shifting this mindset -- raising awareness, engaging in meaningful action, and supporting cultural change -- they believe the cultural mindset can in fact be transformed.  They site other campaigns such as "bringing bags to the grocery store, recycling, reducing sugar snacks for children and not smoking in public places," as similar paradigmatic shifts. They believe that "the idea of developing a loving relationship with the natural world has the potential to usher in a new era - an era of restoration for humanity and the Earth."

How Hooked on Nature can "Be Extraordinary!"

Hooked on Nature has a number of ambitious programs designed to engage people with the natural world.  Their blog, 52 Ways to Fall in Love with the Earth provides poignant anecdotes, as well tangible steps people can take to better connect.  Hooked on Nature could tap into Extraordinaries volunteers to do much of the work for them!  Through the mobile-web interface, volunteers could record a dynamic audio clip on why nature matters to them.  They could use video recording capabilities to capture and tell their story -- and upload it to the blog, even while they are still in nature, thanks to ubiquitous internet access.  They could take photos, and thanks to the phone's GPS capabilities, could tell people where their special natural world discovery is, and why they should visit it.

Want to Learn More?

http://www.hookedonnature.org/

What Do You Think?

Can technology actually bring people closer to nature?  How might YOU use the Extraordinaries application to share your environmental story?  We welcome your comments. 

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Alex Budak is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at Georgetown University , with a focus on Technology and Social Entrepreneurship.  He is joining The Extraordinaries this summer as a Research Fellow.

How YOU Could Use The Extraordinaries -- Post #9 -- The Digital Study Hall

The Digital Study Hall: A People's Database of Everything:

What They Do:

Every so often you come across and idea that is exhilarating in terms of the scope of the project, and the possible impact it could have for the world.  The Digital Study Hall, located in Mountain View, CA, is such a project.  The group seeks to improve the education of poor and rural children in slum schools in India.  They seek to do so by harnessing the power of community participation in amassing a database of videotaped lessons that will then be distributed to these schools where video is so important given the high illiteracy rates.  According to their website, they  "envision building a database that contains all subjects, encompassing all grades, spoken in all local languages, covering all state and national boards. This is a database that every child (and adult, for that matter) should have access to...(which) will have profound implications for liberating knowledge, democratizing learning, and revolutionizing education."

How Digital Study Hall could "Be Extraordinary!"

While the project is currently focused solely on pedagogical lessons from select instructors, eventually, in growing the database of video, the Digital Study Hall will need to tap into the power of the crowd.  Every single volunteer with the Extraordinaries has something they can teach -- some unique ability or area of expertise which could then be shared throughout the world.  Imagine contributing to the building of this database of human knowledge all from your mobile phone, thanks to its recording capabilities.  Imagine taking 15 minutes to record a lesson, only to have it show up halfway around the world in an Indian classroom.  Volunteers unsure of what lesson to teach could still participate by tagging and transcribing videos so that this incredible collection of knowledge is more easily shared and accessed.

Want to Learn More?

http://dsh.cs.washington.edu/

What Do You Think?

How can the Extraordinaries help to revolutionize knowledge distribution around the world?  Please share your thoughts in our comments section below.

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Alex Budak is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at Georgetown University , with a focus on Technology and Social Entrepreneurship.  He is joining The Extraordinaries this summer as a Research Fellow.

How YOU Could Use The Extraordinaries -- Post #7 -- Books Aloud

Books Aloud

What They Do:

Located in San Jose, Books Aloud mission is to "to improve the quality of life for people unable to benefit directly from the printed page by providing a service to stimulate minds, stir emotions and foster independence through a 'reading by listening' program."  The group provides recorded audio versions of myriad reading materials for a wide-range of audiences.  This allows people such as those with blindness, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, cataracts, or failing vision, among others, to enjoy all the benefits of reading.

How Books Aloud could "Be Extraordinary!"

Right now, Books Aloud features about 5,000 titles for listening.  But, what if Books Aloud could leverage a ready and able volunteer base, and crowdsource the recording of printed materials into entertaining audio formats?  Volunteers would launch the Extraordinaries' application on their phone, and be presented with their choice of printed material.  They could select one, and utilizing the phone's recording capability, begin reading aloud the text on their phone which would be steamed to Books Aloud's headquarters to be saved and archived. 

Huge barriers to getting lots of dynamic, broad, and far-reaching content recorded exist in the form of cost (buying expensive audio-books) and in limited time for people to volunteer to record content.  The Extraordinaries addresses both, and would allow those with a few free minutes to make written stories and articles accessible to everyone.

Want to Learn More?

http://www.booksaloud.org

What do you think? 

Could The Extraordinaries' volunteers make a difference in making this content more accessible?  We'd love to hear your thoughts in our comments section.

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Alex Budak is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at Georgetown University , with a focus on Technology and Social Entrepreneurship.  He is joining The Extraordinaries this summer as a Research Fellow.

How YOU Could Use The Extraordinaries -- Post #6 -- Save the Bay

Save The Bay

What They Do:

Save the Bay, founded in 1961, is "the oldest and largest organization working exclusively to protect, restore and celebrate San Francisco Bay."  Through a number of different projects, advocacy campaigns, and educational outreach, the group seeks to make the bay "cleaner and healthier" for both people and the life in and around it. 

How Save the Bay could "Be Extraordinary!"

The concerns of the environment have often fallen behind those of people, businesses, and development -- and a big reason why is that "nature" can't speak up for itself.  What if volunteers, using their mobile phones and The Extraordinaries' application could speak up for it?  Volunteers could tap in to the rich audio-recording capabilities of their phones to record personal messages about what the SF Bay means to them -- personal anecdotes, and individualized messages.  These recordings could then automatically be fed into the Save the Bay website for use in campaigns, as well as to encourage the protection of the Bay by others. 

Further, the group has a number of advocacy campaigns -- for example, a current one for enforcing the labeling of "salmon hazard" warnings on the sale of pesticides in hardware stores.  Save the Bay could utilize volunteers with a few minutes of spare time that care about this cause to provide them with the numbers for hardware stores in their area (based on their phone's GPS), give them a few talking points, and ask them to make calls on Save the Bay's behalf to make sure these important labels are being posted.

Want to Learn More?

http://www.savesfbay.org

What do you think? 

Do you see a natural partnership between Save the Bay and The Extraordinaries?  How could Extraordinaries volunteers help heal and protect the bay from their mobile phone?  We'd love to hear your thoughts in our comments section. 

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Alex Budak is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at Georgetown University , with a focus on Technology and Social Entrepreneurship.  He is joining The Extraordinaries this summer as a Research Fellow.

How YOU Could Use The Extraordinaries -- Post #5 -- The Commonwealth Club

The Commonwealth Club

What They Do:

The Commonwealth Club, headquartered in San Jose and San Francisco, California, seeks "to be the leading national forum open to all for the impartial discussion of public issues important to the membership, community and nation."  The group, funded through membership fees and donations, boasts an extraordinary list of speakers and events, most of which is made available through audio and video recordings.

How The Commonwealth Club could "Be Extraordinary!"

The Commonwealth Club hosts an impressive array of important newsmakers, politicians, analysts, and business leaders for discussions in-person with its members.  However, given its goal of being a national leader in connecting these important people with all Americans, The Commonwealth Club could utilize The Extraordinaries to overcome Geographic barriers and make their content readily accessible to the entire world. 

Taking advantage of the ability to watch video and listen to audio through the Extraordinaries' mobile phone application, volunteers could take the time to make this media more available to the public.  At a basic level, volunteers could provide tags for the content -- so that those looking to listen to or watch these important speakers have a sense of what messages contained in the media are.  More ambitiously, the content could also be transcribed, so that in addition to an audio feed, searchable text from these speeches could be made available to the public -- benefitting journalists, policy-makers, and informed citizens not just in the Bay Area, but throughout the world.

Want to Learn More?

http://www.commonwealthclub.org

What do you think? 

Do you see a natural partnership between the Commonwealth Club and The Extraordinaries?  How could volunteers make their content more accessible to the world?  We'd love to hear your thoughts in our comments section. 

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Alex Budak is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at Georgetown University , with a focus on Technology and Social Entrepreneurship.  He is joining The Extraordinaries this summer as a Research Fellow.

How YOU Could Use The Extraordinaries -- Post #4 -- LinkTV

Link TV

What They Do:

LinkTV seeks to bring a new perspective to news in the US, through coverage of international events, diverse cultures, and other topics not often covered by the US media.  They seek to "expose...(the) audience to people they would never meet, to cultures they might never understand and to issues they have yet to consider."  Beyond broadening the perspective of Americans, LinkTV seeks to give a voice to "people without a voice," and encourage action from the viewer and collaboration with partner organizations.

How LinkTV could "Be Extraordinary!"

Video on mobile devices is a burgeoning field, and the Extraordinaries is poised to take advantage of this in creative ways.  Through a partnership with The Extraordinaries, LinkTV could take their video coverage and allow Extraordinaries volunteers to interact with the content.  A huge problem with the proliferation of video content is making it indexible and searchable; Extraordinaries volunteers could tag, or even transcribe the content of the video to make them Google-able, and more accessible.  LinkTV could even make available raw footage of interviews and first-hand reports that volunteers could then translate into English for future use in stories.  Further, with LinkTV's goal of encouraging interaction following learning about events throughout the world, the Extraordinaries' platform can be leveraged to allow volunteers to make phone calls to polic-ymakers, and related organizations with the press of a button. 

Want to learn more?

http://www.linktv.org/

What do you think?

How do you envision a partnership between LinkTV and The Extraordinaries?  Are there other ways they could utilize our platform?  Better ways for volunteers to interact with -- and improve -- their video content?  We'd love to hear your thoughts in our comments section. 

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Alex Budak is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at Georgetown University , with a focus on Technology and Social Entrepreneurship.  He is joining The Extraordinaries this summer as a Research Fellow.

How YOU Could Use The Extraordinaries -- Post #3 -- A New America

A New America

Who They Are

A New America, headquartered in the Bay Area, has a mission to "promote the long-term economic empowerment of new Americans - new citizens, immigrants, and refugees - and to encourage their full participation in the political, social and cultural growth of America."  They do this through a three-year program for those recently arriving in the US, called the Virtual Business Incubator, which assists them in establishing micro-business opportunities, and ensuring the sustainability of their families and communities.

How A New America could "Be Extraordinary!"

We've all felt the disorienting feeling of arriving in a new country -- unsure of the customs, rules, and bureaucracy we are about to face.  Imagine how great it would be to have a partner waiting there to help you along the way.  Now, imagine all the ways that a few minutes of free time could be transformed to help inspired, driven immigrants as they forge ahead with new businesses and opportunities.  Utilizing The Extraordinaries and the mobile-phone tie-in, volunteers could speak with A New America participants for ten minutes, and help them with understanding American business customs, providing feedback on business ideas, or even just informally helping them learn the nuances of the American language.  A few minutes volunteering speaking with these participants -- through The Extraordinaries app on a volunteer's phone -- could help provide a hand-up to helping these new Americans achieve their American dreams. 

Want to learn more? 

http://www.anewamerica.org/

What do you think? 

Do you see a natural partnership between A New America and The Extraordinaries?  Are there other ways A New America could utilize our platform?  We'd love to hear your thoughts in our comments section. 

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Alex Budak is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at Georgetown University , with a focus on Technology and Social Entrepreneurship.  He is joining The Extraordinaries this summer as a Research Fellow.

How YOU Could Use The Extraordinaries -- Post #2 -- The Save Darfur Coalition

Save Darfur

Who They Are:

The Save Darfur Coalition is a an alliance of almost 200 humanitarian organizations and advocacy groups that come together to raise public awareness about the genocide occurring in Sudan. Their work focuses on three overarching goals:

• Protection of civilians from violence, starvation and disease;

• Sustainable peace for all of Sudan;

• Justice for victims and accountability for perpetrators of the genocide;

Their Online Presence:

The Save Darfur Coalition has built an impressive coalition of partners both on, and offline.  Their website is a gathering point for keeping up with the latest news on the atrocities occurring in Sudan, and learning about ways in which individuals can collaborate to make a difference.  They've organized a number of online campaigns -- from "Dollars for Darfur" which specifically targets school-aged children to become involved, to "Justice for Darfur," which publicizes the war-crimes occurring and calls on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take action.

They've also reached out successfully through other forms of new media -- including Facebook, where their group has over $1,000,000 members who, collectively, have donated over $85,000 to the organization. 

 

How They Could "Be Extraordinary!"

Save Darfur clearly recognizes the importance of building a broad-base of support across age, race, geographic and other variables.  Utilizing The Extraordinaries' platform would allow Save Darfur to tap into a vibrant community that can put its talents to use in bringing about change in Darfur.  For example, adding a "Be a Voice for Darfur" section could provide ready-made contact forms for sending messages to those in power -- President Obama, their member of Congress, the ICC, and UN Leaders -- telling them why it's so important to take action.

Using The Extraordinaries would also allow Save Darfur to tap into a uniquely talented pool for crowdsourcing important activities.  The documented atrocities of the victims of the Genocide could be translated from Arabic to English (or many other languages for that matter), to better share first-hand accounts of what is occurring on-the-ground.  Users could watch and document high-quality videos, noting the promises that have been made by elected officials with regards to Darfur, so that we can all hold them more accountable. 

And, all of this could be done by volunteers as they wait for a doctor's appointment, or their kid's swim lesson to finish. 

 

Want to learn more? 

http://www.savedarfur.org/

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Alex Budak is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at Georgetown University , with a focus on Technology and Social Entrepreneurship.  He is joining The Extraordinaries this summer as a Research Fellow. 

How YOU Could Use The Extraordinaries -- Post #1 -- Alliance for Climate Change

The Alliance for Climate Protection

Who They Are:

Led by former Vice President Al Gore, and a bi-partisan board of directors, the Alliance for Climate Change seeks to “persuade the American people—and people elsewhere in the world—of the importance and urgency of adopting and implementing effective and comprehensive solutions for the climate crisis.”  They pursue these goals through three main projects:

• “We Can Solve It,” which focuses on solar energy;

• “This is Reality,” which shines light on myths of coal as an energy source, and encourages a shift  towards alternatives.
• “Repower America,” which seeks to transition America’s electricity to 100% clean electricity in 10 years;

Their mission revolves around promoting global climate change awareness, and empowering people to get involved in the green movement.

Their Online Presence:

A remarkably tech-savvy organization, the Alliance for Climate Protection has ambitiously utilized new media in numerous ways.  They’ve created a “Facebook Causes” page, which has attracted over 2.7 million members and has raised over $32,000 so far.  Their website has attracted about 2.2 million members itself, allows those with similar goals of improving our environment to interact in new collaborative ways.

How they could “Be Extraordinary!”

Global Warming is a 21st century issue – one that transcends governments and borders.  The Alliance for Climate Change could take advantage of the crowdsourcing that The Extraordinaries offers by putting up important documents, fact-sheets, and project-proposals for translation.  Then, when a volunteer has a few minutes waiting in line at the DMV, they can translate these facts about the Coal Industry into Korean, Estonian, or Arabic.  Utilizing the ready and able volunteers’ free time to translate allows people to take advantage of their comparative advantage in language skills (rather than rely upon those awkward Google Translate results), to help spread an environmental education throughout the world through a message that affects the entire global community.

The Alliance also has a great feature called “Voices for Repower America” ( which allows people to tell their story, and why and how they plan to support the shift to clean electricity.  But what if they could make these stories more dynamic?  The Extraordinaries application would allow people to share their dreams and their anecdotes through recording and quickly uploading an audio recording of what they are doing, or perhaps a photo showing the contribution they, personally, are making to this global goal.  Leveraging the Extraordinaries’ platform would allow this great community-building feature to become more robust, more personal, and more vibrant, without placing any additional burden on those volunteers that want to share their experiences. 

Want to learn more?

http://www.climateprotect.org/

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Alex Budak is a recent graduate of UCLA and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Public Policy at Georgetown University, with a focus on Technology and Social Entrepreneurship.  He is joining The Extraordinaries this summer as a Research Fellow.