The fierce urgency of Now
I'm at work today (as usual on Monday holidays), but I should have known about this website and promoted it sooner, like, a week ago:
USA Service.org
I heard President-elect Obama tout the site today (Michelle gently and casually corrected him when he initially said "www-dot-service-org" -- how I love their mutually edifying rapport), but I didn't realize that it was an official part of Obama's web portal. What a fantastic resource, a centralized (and beautifully laid out) search engine dedicated to community service, organized by location and service type (e.g. blood drives, shelters, food banks). It's another example of how this new administration harnesses modern technology and a national platform to mobilize personal, local efforts on the ground. It's transparent, user-driven (apparently individuals and organizations registered their service events beforehand to make them searchable) and user-friendly. I love the interactivity -- the ability to call in and listen to people's stories of serving today, the word cloud (generated by Wordle -- I don't even know what that is!), and the good-natured "contest" whereby you text about what you're doing and see your "state star" grow on the live mobile map.
It feels like the beginning of a real utopia -- not an Eden where there are no problems, but a working civilization where inevitable ills are combated by collective efforts.
Apparently MLK Day was declared a national day of community service over a decade ago, but I don't remember ever hearing such an emphasis on service until now (it's possible I've spent much of my life being oblivious and/or apathetic). Here's hoping this (re-)focus will continue as a true, new American tradition.
USA Service.org
I heard President-elect Obama tout the site today (Michelle gently and casually corrected him when he initially said "www-dot-service-org" -- how I love their mutually edifying rapport), but I didn't realize that it was an official part of Obama's web portal. What a fantastic resource, a centralized (and beautifully laid out) search engine dedicated to community service, organized by location and service type (e.g. blood drives, shelters, food banks). It's another example of how this new administration harnesses modern technology and a national platform to mobilize personal, local efforts on the ground. It's transparent, user-driven (apparently individuals and organizations registered their service events beforehand to make them searchable) and user-friendly. I love the interactivity -- the ability to call in and listen to people's stories of serving today, the word cloud (generated by Wordle -- I don't even know what that is!), and the good-natured "contest" whereby you text about what you're doing and see your "state star" grow on the live mobile map.
It feels like the beginning of a real utopia -- not an Eden where there are no problems, but a working civilization where inevitable ills are combated by collective efforts.
Apparently MLK Day was declared a national day of community service over a decade ago, but I don't remember ever hearing such an emphasis on service until now (it's possible I've spent much of my life being oblivious and/or apathetic). Here's hoping this (re-)focus will continue as a true, new American tradition.