Thoughts on all these NPOs, NGOs and bleeding-heart-Os

We Need Another Organization

There are a lot of non-profit organizations, non-governmental organizations, official societies with a mission for change, even church groups focused on global justice.  It is sometimes overwhelming to be in the world of global uplifting and see organizations that, on the outside, look rather repetitive in their missions and geo-focus. It seems redundant. But only for a moment.  It quickly becomes inspiring.

There are reportedly 27 million modern day slaves in the world today. That is 27 million stories that deserve attention. 27 million people that need legal help. 27 million beds in safe houses. More then 27 million counselling sessions to bring peace. 27 million hearts that need tending. 54 million hands that need holding.

Each victim requires a team of people that are dedicated to their freedom. From investigators of their case, to judges and lawyers; from a home to sleep in with people who care and are trained to help victims of trauma process and heal, to writers and artists that will bring attention to their needs; lobbyists, doctors, friends, family . . . the list could go on. Each of the 27 million modern day slaves need support.

Let’s say it takes an average of 11 people to help one victim (that is really low, but includes 1 judge, 1 lawyer, 2 investigators, 2 family members, 2 friends, 1 doctor, 1 lobbyist, and 1 communicator) 27 million modern day slaves with 11 people on their teams means 297 million people are now involved in directly assisting a victim. The population of the US is 307 million. That is a lot of people. There is room for everyone to get involved.

That means that every NPO, NGO, good citizen organization is needed in the fight against human trafficking.  Plus some.  When we add refugees, victims of preventable disease, gender injustice, education – the numbers sky-rocket.

We Need to Connect our Organizations

If organization A is working with homelessness on 12th street in your city, and organization B is working with homelessness on 14th street, they can also work together – Ideas exchanged, support and encouragement, directly sharing resources and reaching great depth together. That means the organizations, 1. Need to be made aware of each other, 2. Need to be willing to work together (even with motivational differences), and 3. Will reach their goals more successfully if 1 and 2 happen.

I love finding people that are dedicated to changing the world. Even if their mantra sounds eerily like my mantra, we are in this together. Working together will be better for everyone. Sharing the load will strengthen everyone.

I hesitated this week about putting up another story about a film concerning human trafficking. We publish a lot about human trafficking, especially lately. But, when I paused to think about it, I realized that that film will reach someone that wasn’t reached through the other mediums of communication. Maybe that one person will be a loud voice against injustice. Maybe they will be a witness, and since they knew what to look for, they will know what to do.

I am honored to be connected with so many great people: abolitionists, writers, speakers, volunteers, directors, advocates, innovators… They inspire me. They challenge me. They uphold me. With more like them, we could make more of an impact. Let us not shut each other down, but build each other up, find ways to serve and magnify the difference we all can make.

 

Pain and Beauty

Journey to Justice, Six Small Steps into Big Issues   An unintentional theme has been stewing – one of turning the page to see the other side of the story.  These moments of allowing my heart to wake up, my …

From Bleeding-Heart Sap to Bleeding-Heart Smarty-Pants

The world of communication is difficult to understand. Diving deep into causes, changes, and who listens to what is a tougher process than I expected – one I am going through right now at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

I was invited into an Independent Study under the School of Journalism and Mass Communication’s DeCastro Chair. My Professor has been studying communications and the process of analyzing communication effectiveness for her entire adult life. She has taught at Stanford and Michigan State. She has worked overseas, in villages, with NASA and satellites. She is repeatedly published and considered an expert worth interviewing in her field. She is intimidating. Why in the world do I sit in her office once a week and discuss “International Media and it’s use in Global Change” until my brain shuts down? Because I truly want to be effective in my life goal of bringing the world into a better condition.

And I want to do it damn well.

If I spend  90 years on this earth and never study the people that know what they are doing, never look at the numbers and the facts, but just wing it and hope for the best, I have wasted 90 years. The studies that have been done are amazingly enlightening. Why do we throw them out with the idea that we know better? Why do we submit ourselves to unnecessary trial and error when the answer could be at our fingertips as we stand on the shoulders of giants?

This wasn’t always my philosophy. I love to jump in, travel, get my hands dirty, and have spent the previous 5 years doing just that. Traveling around Asia and Africa helped me see what the need was out there and come to agreement with my own desires, gifts and talents. Now these two things are merging and I have opportunity staring me in the face . . . down the road.  These things take time.

The wait is painful. But the possibility of true success is lightening the load – as is the possibility of reaching a little further then my own meager mind can take me.

I accept the steps of someone that has gone before instead of reinventing the system and repeating the mistakes.