I have great news to share – I’m thrilled to have been accepted into a weekend event called Social StartUp 48. In their own words:
‘SS48 is a 48 hour gathering of amazing minds. You will spend a weekend building the model for an innovative business that creates social impact. You will be guided by specialist mentors and inspirational speakers, and you will pitch your idea to a panel of judges’.
WOW!!
Essentially the weekend brings together motivated people who are passionate about positive change and using business principles and know-how to create social enterprises that address a need.
This is really up my alley and just at the right time it seems. I have been attending a lot of different talks and forums lately and reading about inspiring initiatives and people, all of which has opened up a part inside me that I’ve not known what to do with. I’ve been wondering what my potential is to contribute in some way – what purpose can I serve? What can I do with this passion and intention I have? Sometimes when you wonder long enough the universe opens up an opportunity.
I saw SS48 advertised somewhere and off I applied. We had to propose an idea for a social start-up so I wracked my brain. There are a number of different causes that pull at my conscience. Sustainability. Society’s caregivers and their families – sibling support in particular. The plight of the homeless. Community. I didn’t have any major brainwaves – only one idea which extended on the many variations in the ‘random acts of kindness’ movement. I have long appreciated the efforts of WakeUp Sydney, where people perform random acts of kindness accompanied with a kindness card. The act is anonymous and the card is only left in order to urge the recipient to pay it forward. I love the anonymity factor and I have often pondered over the chain effect. The beauty of a link of kindness extending from one person to another to another to another. I thought about younger generations growing up in a world of less anonymity, but increased detachment. My idea was born.
I proposed the idea of trackable kindness cards, cards that still retained the anonymity of the kindness giver but tracked the link of kindness itself. Perhaps even allowing organisations or communities to start a kindness campaign and track the ripple. I think the idea could easily be built on, if it gets short listed anyway.
The weekend is happening on 4-6 May. I’m not too sure what to expect but I’m looking forward to uniting with other enthusiastic, compassionate and creative people. I hope there is real scope to expand a great idea and develop the strategic framework to make it happen. To end with a defined vision, strategy and a plan-of-action to continue building on would be ideal. We will see!
