Time for my full declaration. I’m on the Board of Directors of the Aids Committee of York Region.

That said, let me share news about an exciting fundraising event sponsored by this wonderful organization. Their web site’s – About Us page has full descriptions of their programming and values.

Since 1993, the ACYR has been working to improve the quality of life in York Region by raising awareness through community education, and by providing support and access to dignified care for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. All services are free of charge, confidential and anonymous.

The AIDS Committee of York Region will launch their new CD Solstice, on Friday, November 13, at Aurora United Church with a Benefit Concert. Come listen to the great sounds of Soul Influence, Glenn Marais, Jamie Miller, Dani Strong, The Beautiful Groove and Joe Crone, all of whom have shared a song on Solstice.

The CD also includes the glorious voices and sounds of local choirs and school bands including the Aurora United Choir, Bogart Public School Choir, Pickering College Jazz Band, and Lisa Freemantle Catholic School Choir.

Come to experience an evening of music and celebrate a journey of sharing. Tickets are $20.00/seat.

To purchase tickets, contact:

Jacqui Locke

Coordinator of Events and Volunteer Programs

905-953-0248

volcoordacyr@bellnet.ca.

Brent Uncategorized

Howard Rheingold is a famous man. His CV is long and deep. Those that are interested can see his many accomplishments at his About page on his web site. Trust, me has quite a story to tell.

Howard’s interview with J.D. Lasika (Socialmedia.biz) at Kings College, London England really got my attention because I’m interested in helping groups and people bridge the digital divide.  Specifically, this interview helped me understand how I can better assist non profits, communities or individuals engage in developing their skills and personal learning via the social web.

I’m involved with several local education focused committees that are interested in addressing students learning needs by utilizing online technologies and social web tools. With so many students leaving school before graduation, creating more opportunities for youth to apply their creativity online and become more engaged in civic life via the social web just makes sense.

I  think this interview is especially insightful for educators who are looking ahead and seeing the need to shape the school system around 21st century media skills. Here’s a quote from Howard’s interview.

“Increasingly I think the digital divide is less about access to technology and more about the difference between those who know how and those who don’t know how. The ability to know has suddenly become the ability to search and the ability to sift and discern.”

21st century media literacies from JD Lasica on Vimeo.

Brent Education, Learning Community, Services, purpose

“A vicious cycle is leaving nonprofits so hungry for decent infrastructure that they can barely function as organizations—let alone serve their beneficiaries. The cycle starts with funders’ unrealistic expectations about how much running a nonprofit costs, and results in nonprofits’ misrepresenting their costs while skimping on vital systems—acts that feed funders’ skewed beliefs”.

I found this article, titled “The Non Profit Starvation Cycle” – Sanford Social Innovation Review on the Ontario Non Profit Network Site.

What an eye opening and revealing paper. The research report is called, Nonprofit Overhead Cost Study, a five year research project conducted by the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics and the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University.

The article provoked quite a reaction in me. I’ve worked as a senior manager in the non profit sector for quite a few years and felt those starvation pangs on a regular basis.

Read more…

Brent Learning Community, Research, networks expectations, funder, Research

I’m fortunate to be a participant in a number of York Region social change initiatives. These groups plan and implement projects that strive to make a difference in our York Region community.

This post is about the shared journey that these groups are following and the interconnectedness of these diverse yet complementary initiatives.

From my vantage point I recognize how these unique programs, working towards a common purpose of a stronger, healthier, inclusive York Region, are implementing their projects with values sets that are very similar or at the least overlapping.

I thought it would an interesting reflection exercise to map out these initiatives with their diverse, yet shared value sets. Firing up my Mindmeister collaboration mapping software (free) I began adding the names of these initiatives and what I believed were the predominant supporting values that guided activities within the initiatives.

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Brent Learning Community, networks networks valuesets lens