COMPETITION ALERT! Global Partnership for Social Accountability – First Call for Proposals

A grant opportunity from the World Bank:

Global Partnership for Social Accountability – First Call for Proposals

Deadline: March 14, 2013 (11:59:59 EDT)

The Global Partnership for Social Accountability (GPSA) is pleased to announce its first call for proposals. The call for proposals is open to civil society organizations (CSOs) and CSO networks based and operating in one of the 12 countries that have opted-in to the GPSA. The GPSA will fund:

• Social accountability initiatives and programs;
• CSO's institutional strengthening that will result in stronger institutional capacity to implement social accountability activities;
• Mentoring and capacity-building of less experienced CSOs, including on-granting.

For more information, visit the competition page here.

Social Good Summit 2012 Highlights

The Social Good Summit Goal - Daring to spark a global conversation.

Never mind that they already planned a jam-packed 3-day summit full of some of the most high profile speakers you could gather into one conference room. This conference room was just the conversation starter. The real audience was the rest of the connected world.

On the website of the Social Good Summit, you see a call to join the global conversation surrounding the hashtag #SGSGlobal. The goal was to create "one of the biggest, most global and most powerful conversations the world has ever seen."

So how did it go?

Well, just check out the report from UN Foundation:

This year’s Social Good Summit sparked a record-setting global conversation on using social media and technology for good. The Summit united people participating online and in-person in nearly 300 cities, including New York, Beijing, and Nairobi, around one goal: unlocking the potential of social media and technology to make the world a better place. The gathering took place as world leaders gathered to kick-off the UN General Assembly, opening the dialogue about world issues and challenges to a global constituency. According to RecordSetter, on Monday, September 24th, 2012, the Social Good Summit set the record for the largest global conversation on one topic to take place in a single day.

Highlights of the Summit’s reach:

• Nearly 300 cities across the world gathered for meet ups (ranging in size from small groups to gatherings of hundreds) to discuss and share ways that new technology and social media can tackle problems in individual communities.   
• The Twitter hashtag #SGSGlobal trended locally, nationally, and globally during the course of the summit and has been used over 60,000 times to date.
• The livestream of the summit was translated in real-time in seven languages including all six official UN languages, making the proceedings available to people around the world, free of charge via the internet. 
• The Social Good Summit content has been viewed in more than 150 countries sparking conversations in more than 50 different languages.  

You can read the full UN Foundation press release here. But there are lots of pretty good summaries and resources available online. I recommend checking out:

• Global Conversations summarized on tumblr:
  http://theglobalconversation.tumblr.com/
• Meetups:
  http://www.meetup.com/Mashable/
• Livestreamed videos:
  http://new.livestream.com/Mashable/SGS
• Photos on Flickr:
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/unfoundation/sets/72157631628427258/
• Agenda, list of speakers and all other details:
  http://mashable.com/sgs/

That's a lot of online talk going on. Is that it?

Definitely not. And I like the way the Social Good Summit team summarized it in an email they sent out:

So what does this all mean?  It means its more than just online traffic, its real life impact.  We came together from every part of the world around a single theme - the power of social media and technology to change the way we solve our toughest development challenges – and we made people listen.

U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, summed this up perfectly when she kicked of the New York event of the Summit, “We are living at a moment when anyone can be a diplomat.  All you have to do is hit send.”  Thanks to your efforts, we can wake up today knowing this is true, that your voice can be heard and that you have a role to play.

Personal conference highs

So that's what everyone else is saying. As for my personal conference highlights? Well, those three days were so full, I'm sure I cannot remember all of the brilliant things that came up. But for the ones that I do recall, let me talk about them in three main sets:

Food for thought:
Some new ideas and insights that I enjoyed thinking about
(or not so new ideas, but I liked their articulation of it)

Unleashing the Power of Open Innovation in Government

Todd Park, Chief Technology Officer of the United States (@todd_park)

One of my favorite speakers was Todd Park, Chief Technology Officer of the United States Government. As an ideas and data person myself, I appreciated how Todd clearly saw his role as the builder of bridges between data and data interpreters, data apply-ers, and eventually the consumer/end user. This is one tech guy who is not stuck in his end of the process where it's just about the tech itself.

The Thinking:
As the Chief Technology Officer, he saw his work as being the "incubator inside the US government not birthing companies but rather projects and initiatives to apply the power of data and technology to help advance the president's priorities."

That also means he saw the government's role differently. Rather than this big top-down type of government, what he saw was the potential for government to be a platform for open innovation. The formula: tax payers' money is already used to gather lots of data so it's just a matter of making that data available to people who know how to understand that data and, to use his own words, "jiu-jitsu it, and turn it into awesomeness." Awesomeness here means a wide range of apps and programs that have real and revolutionary applications in people's lives.

The Projects:
Open Data Initiatives

safety.data.gov

energy.data.gov

Jan Karski’s Legacy: Preventing Genocide in the Digital Age

Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz, Former Prime Minister of Poland (@Jan_Karski); Rabbi David Kalb, 92nd Street Y (@rabbidavidkalb); Eva Wierzynska, Leader, Jan Karski Legacy Program and Wanda Urbanska, Director, U.S. Jan Karski U.S. Centennial Campaign

The Thinking:
What if social media were around at the time of the holocaust? What if citizen journalists spoke up about the atrocities happening that the media in free countries refused to talk about? What if the world had twitter and social media in 1939, would the holocaust have happened?

Interesting points to think about.

Digital Disaster Relief

Wendy Harman, Director of Social Strategy, American Red Cross (@wharman); David Kobia, Director of Technology Development, Ushahidi (@dkobia/) and Samantha Murphy, Mashable (@MurphySamanthaJ)

What they do:

The American Red Cross is mentioned 4,000 times a day on social media on a normal day; the number spikes up during times of crises. They're already aggregating data to report trends / topline concerns, and building volunteer taskforces.

Ushahidi aggregated stories of violence reported on various social media platforms and aggregated it on a visual map.  In doing so, they closed the loop between the people reporting information and the people who respond to disaster and crisis. In other words, they made information actionable.

The challenges of making social web data actionable:

At the beginning, it's a trickle of information. Later on, it becomes a flood of information. Things like rumors reverberate throughout the system. How do you put verification tools in place to make sure these are true, and how do you find that one important information in this flood of data?

Live it:
Apps and programs that can change the way we live or work

How Google Earth is Changing the World

Rebecca Moore, Engineering Manager, Google Earth Outreach (@rebeccatmoore)

"What happens when you put in the hands of the world for free the most accurate, comprehensive, detailed, realistic replica of the planet that has ever existed?"Rebecca Moore of Google Earth Outreach gives demos on how different advocacy projects and groups can use Google Maps and Google Earth to make more powerful arguments for their causes: from wildlife habitat changes to landmines to calculating the value of nature in certain localities and mapping the effects of mining activities in a region. 

Drones, Digitals and #OWS

Tim Pool, Independent Journalist (@timcast) and Zoe Fox, Mashable (@zoebfox)

Digital Tracking for Human Trafficking

Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. State Department (@JTIP_State); Alison Friedman, Senior Coordinator for Public Engagement, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. State Deptartment and Justin Dillon, Executive Directory, Slavery Footprint (@slave_footprint)

Fan girl moments

Of course one of the benefits of going to these conferences is the fact that you get to see some of your heroes in person. Here are some of mine:

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is my microfinance rockstar. He pretty much talked about the same thing you can find in his books but it was a treat to meet him in person and snap a photo with him.

Social Entrepreneurism

Muhammad Yunus, Founder, Grameen Bank and Nobel Peace Prize Winner (https://twitter.com/Yunus_Centre) and Stacy Green, Mashable (@stacygreen)

Jane Goodall has done amazing work as a primatologist but the first time I met her was an event in Beijing back in 2007 where she talked about the Roots & Shoots program in China. I loved the concept and eventually volunteered for them while I was living in Beijing. I already thought it was great to hear her speak again after so long, but as an added treat, they involved her in a little musical number! So the video below isn't of her talk. Just check it out to see the surprise ;p

Musical Performance with Dame Jane Goodall
DBE, primatologist, anthropologist, activist and U.N. Messenger for Peace (https:// twitter.com/JaneGoodallInst)

Two steps forward for public service in the Philippines?

This week, I got two pieces of good news in my inbox which made me happy to see steps in the right direction for better public service in the Philippines. (It also made me wonder if we're at the beginning of a wave of public service improvements and innovation. However, two is not enough to make us say that a wave if forthcoming. But it is enough to make optimists like me hope.)

Contact Center ng Bayan

The first piece of good news I got was about the Contact Center ng Bayan (CCB). CCB is "conceived to be the Philippine Government’s main helpdesk where citizens, civil society organizations and other entities can voice their complaints and concerns with government agencies and gain access to information."

This site is powered by Teleserv and was developed in partnership with the Civil Service Commission, National Computer Center, Bureau of Internal Revenue, PhilHealth, and the Department of Health and the Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines. 

The email they sent out included an at-a-glance run down of a citizen's rights as protected by RA 9485: The Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007. Very helpful in making you know what you have the right to complain about to the CCB.

What gets me excited about this development is the fact that I've too often heard the criticism that the Philippines has a lot of good laws in place but no government willpower to implement them. So the presence of such a website, in my opinion, is an act of the government that says to the public "I'm listening to you and I am ready to be held accountable."

A quick read of the "10 Things You Should Know about the Anti-Red Tape Act" article on their website informs you that RA 9485 requires each government offices to draw up a "citizen's charter" that identifies the correct services, procedures, fees, and etc. that you should expect. The site then has a tab for each partner government agency. Browsing through the tabs, the only Citizen's Charter that's easy to find is the BIR Citizen's Charter.  Also, it's not very easy to find the right part of the site to go to if you do have a complaint to report.

So while the presence of the site itself puts me in high hopes today, whether or not it actually works and if they are able to respond to the complaints sent their way remains to be proven. I would love to hear the stories of those of you back home if you ever do try it out.

To learn more about this, check out the following links: 

 

CCB website
Find the on Facebook
Find them on Twitter
RA 9485: Ten Things You Should Know about the Anti-Red Tape Act (ARTA)

Meralco MOVE

The second piece of good news I got in my inbox was the announcement of Meralco's new smartphone and tablet app, MeralcO Virtual Engine (MOVE). It's now available for download at the Apple AppStore, Google Play, and Blackberry App World.

It supposedly packs 6 useful services into one app, as the email outlines:

Apps that offer location help
   a. Meralco Office Directory: You can find the nearest Meralco office in your area
   b. Bayad Center: Find out where you can conveniently pay your Meralco bill

Apps for consumption control
   a. Meralco Appliance Calculator: Easily compute the amount of electricity an appliance                         consumes
   b. Bright Ideas: Learn better ways to use and save on electricity

Apps that help in planning ahead
   a. Power Maintenance Schedule: Stay up to date on the power maintenance schedule in
                your area
   b. E-Meralco bill: View your latest bill even when you’re on the go

I have been following Meralco on Twitter for a few years now and am quite happy with the fact that they knew how to use this social media tool to give up-to-the-minute news about which areas will have power outages, changes in power rotation schedules whenever Manila's hit with big storms. It would be interesting to see how they would fare in the app world as well.

I like the fact that they have two services in the app that deals with consumption control. The Meralco Appliance Calculator is nothing new. This helpful tool has been around for a while, displayed at a computer terminal in Meralco payment centers, and hiding somewhere in their website. I'm not so sure how many people are aware of it, and how many actually use it. I think that placing this in people's mobile devices is a great way to get more people to start using it and hopefully integrating it into their lifestyles. (Using this tool helps you see the difference it makes when you switch to energy efficient appliances!)

The Bright Ideas tool is a great complement to the appliance calculator. Once you gain a better picture of your consumption (and identify the culprits), you then become more open to suggestions about how to lessen consumption and consequently, your electric bill.

Again, if any of you end up downloading it, let me know how it works for you!

To learn more about this, check out the following links:  

 

MeralcO Virtual Engine page
MOVE in the App Store
MOVE in Google Play
MOVE in Blackberry App World

The Switch - Peace Cereal

 

Earlier I blogged about my new experiment called "The Switch" which is an effort to switch, one item at a time, to more sustainable and environment-friendly products. Ever since I moved from Manila to NYC, my access to socially and environmentally conscious brands has multiplied. But so has my skepticism. How can so many brands be really this conscious and? Well, it's going to be fun finding out as I continue with my The Switch series of blogposts.

 

 The Packaging Claims

One of the things that caught my attention was Peace Cereal. Other than the unique flavor combinations (Goji Berry, Raspberry Ginger, Walnut Spice), what catches your interest is a pledge at the bottom that says "A contribution will be made to non-profit causes for every Peace Cereal product sold."

What's more, the side panel of the box features "The Peace Pledge" which says the company is committed to ensuring that their products:

• Use only the finest all natural ingredients without compromise
• All ingredients are grown and made without GMOs
• Continually minimize our environmental impact through eco-friendly operations and packaging
• Support our communities through ongoing giving
• deliver nutritious food that tastes great

And they go on to substantiate those claims on the back panel with details of their partner organizations and recycling information. They feature four of their partners: Rolling Dog Farm, Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, National Park Foundation and The Breast Cancer Deadline 2020, plus a link to more information about the causes that are supported with each purchase of a Peace Cereal product. They also declare that the packaging is made of 100% recycled paper, 60% of which is post-consumer waste. Printing is also done with environmentally-friendly vegetable-based inks. Lastly, external endorsements are a plus for me because that means they're not the only ones talking about how great they are. Peace Cereal has two stamps of approval on its box: the Non-GMO Project and the Whole Grains Council's "whole grain stamp".

"The Non-GMO Project is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and building sources of non-GMO products, educating consumers, and providing verified non-GMO choices." More about them at: http://www.nongmoproject.org/about/

The Whole Grain stamp was created by the Whole Grains Council to help consumers identify what truly qualifies as a whole grain product. While this stamp is only found in products sold in stores, the Whole Grains Council also has lists of restaurants, food service outlets that offer whole grain options. Learn more about them at http://wholegrainscouncil.org/find-whole-grain.

Product Test Run

No doubt about it, I love the cereal. I'm already at my third box and I loved all of them - Raspberry and Ginger, Goji Berry, and Vanilla Almond. It's healthy in the sense that it uses a blend of whole grains (oats, barley, spelt, amaranth, quinoa), rice flour, brown rice.. but I can't help but notice that the second ingredient in the list is milled cane sugar, of which I assume means that it has a substantial amount.

The Verdict

Definitely a win. It's the kind of product I probably would buy because of the quality, even if it weren't carrying a conscience message. All the things about giving back, recycling, and being non-GMO was just a plus.

Stalk Them

Facebook.com/peacecereal Twitter.com/peacecereal

Social Good Summit 2012 (New York City)

Mashable is one of social media authorities that I've relied on to keep me updated on not only the latest trends but also how non-profits can make use of them. So imagine how excited I was to find out that on UN Week, Mashable is co-hosting the Social Good Summit here in New York City.

What's the summit about?

The Social Good Summit is a three-day conference where big ideas meet new media to create innovative solutions. Held during UN Week from September 22-24, the Social Good Summit unites a dynamic community of global leaders to discuss a big idea: the power of innovative thinking and technology to solve our greatest challenges. The most innovative technologists, influential minds and passionate activists will come together with one shared goal: to unlock the potential of new media and technology to make the world a better place, and then to translate that potential into action.

What if you're not in New York?

Join the summit in other cities

Good news for my friends back home in Asia! They're taking the summit to Beijing on September 24th! They'll be in Kenya, too, on the same day.

Join a meetup

Several meetups have been planned in multiple cities around the globe. Check out their site for the full list. Not to be left out, Manila has one on September 22nd at the Asian Institute of Management. You will need to register in advance to attend, get more information here, and be sure to follow @TweetupMNL to stay updated.

Join us online

They'll be livestreaming the summit online, and anyone talking about the conference will be using the hashtag #SGSglobal. (I'll most probably be live tweeting so be sure to follow @emilydy).

Can't wait for the weekend!