How will you make a difference?



Photo courtesy of Unicef.org


"I have learned how to live…how to be in the world and of the world,
and not just to stand aside and watch."
- Audrey Hepburn

2011 hasn't skipped a beat since January 1st and most of us started out the year jotting down a well intentioned list of resolutions. Of course by now, many of us have also likely already forgotten or tossed out this well intentioned list of feel-good goals. Of all the things that people generally add to the list - lose weight, eat healthy, go to the gym, save money, pay off debt, travel more, find love, find a better job, etc. etc. etc...volunteering and giving back also comes up on many lists year after year. And with April's National Volunteer Week behind us and the birthday of the iconic and inspirational Audrey Hepburn coming up next week on May 4th, I thought it would be fitting to share some resources that can help you fulfill at least one of your resolutions this year.

Volunteer Locally - If you aren't sure where to start and don't know who, what, when, where and how to connect with your local nonprofits, try these 3 national volunteer search sites that can help you identify volunteer opportunities in your city based on your interests and availability:

• HandsOn Network
• Volunteer Match
• One Brick

There are also many international volunteer organizations with local chapters like Rotary International and the Association of Junior Leagues International that organizes opportunities to volunteer locally and globally.

Volunteer Abroad - For those of us who possess a travel bug and love to explore new cultures, "voluntourism" or volunteering abroad is a great way to learn about new countries, volunteer with local nonprofits or non-governmental organizations (NGO) and meet new people who share your love for travel and volunteerism. Cross Cultural Solutions is a fantastic organization that provides the expertise and resources to help you volunteer abroad in over 9 countries spread throughout the world. You might even catch yours truly on one of these trips before the year ends!

Do It While You're Young is an amazing site overflowing with resources for you to peruse for traveling, working and volunteering abroad.

If you're not convinced that volunteering is your 'thing', here are a few things to consider if doing good for the sake of doing good and the personal feel-good factor isn't enough. So here's what's in it for you and your career:

1) Gain new skills that can be applied at the workplace. Practice management and leadership skills you'd like to strengthen like team building, time management, coaching and mentoring, and interpersonal relations.

2) Currently out of a job? Volunteering is not only a noble way to spend your time in between jobs, but it is also a great way to keep your skills polished and shows potential employers you are actively applying your professional skills, and for social benefit which will help you stand out among other candidates! If you are currently employed and have a strong desire to offer your professional business skills to a nonprofit as a Pro Bono Consultant, visit Taproot Foundation and find out how you can make an invaluable contribution to a nonprofit in your community.

3) Volunteering is the new golf game. Many a business deals have been made on on the golf course, but as more and more corporations invest in social impact programs, smart businesses are finding ways to partner with key clients to build deeper rapport and relationships through mutual volunteerism projects and major community investments.

Now, get out there and 'be the change you wish to see in the world' - anyone and everyone has the ability to make a difference!

Respect Is More Than Just A Song...



Courtesy of the World Wide Web

 Aretha Franklin will be the first to tell you all about R-E-S-P-E-C-T and we will proudly sing along with her at the top our lungs, just loud enough for our neighbors to wish they could tune us out. Yet most of us will likely have a somewhat diluted insight into what it really means to respect yourself and others. So let's take a quick peek at the good ol' trusty Webster's Dictionary to find out what respect means. "To consider worthy of high regard...a high or special regard...the quality or state of being..." Synonyms include "reference, regard, appreciate, consider, admire."

I don't know about you but I'm no more clearer about what respect means by those definitions than I am about seeing my own reflection in the mud. This singular definition says respect is for those who have somehow earned a certain level of achievement or regard or only reserved for those of high profile and stature. But what about everyone else? What about everyday encounters, everyday interactions between people in the various relationships we maintain? What does respect look like in those situations?

Let me take a step back and give you some background on why this topic of respect. Recently I joined a founding board of a new nonprofit called The Respect Institute headquartered in the Silicon Valley. I gravitated towards this work for several reasons, one of which I have eluded to in a prior posting. The lengths at which children and adults will go to make others feel bad for the sake of popularity, advancement or just sport is heartwrenching and painful to encounter; both as the person being picked on and also as the bystander who wants to do something but is too afraid to step up in fear of becoming another target for the terrorizer(s). In elementary and jr high school, for years I endured being told I was ugly, flat chested, flat nosed, short, and made fun for the clothes I wore because they weren't brand names. Some days I would open my backpack to find the remains of everyone's lunches from the garbage can. Another time someone stole my purse and dumped all its contents all over the girls' bathroom. Once a girl nearly drowned me in a swimming pool and laughed the entire time while I screamed bloody murder for what felt like hours before her older brother heard me and tore out of the house to pull me out. And then there were the non-stop constant crank calls at all hours of the night every night which affected my entire family.

Tell Your Truth. Know You're Valuable. Follow Your Passions. Trust Your Gut. Set Boundaries - Speak Up. Be Compassionate - Listen. Get Help. Spread Respect. These are the Respect Basics principles that The Respect Institute provides to youth, parents, educators, policymakers and organizations through their vision, tools and research. They equip individuals and organziations with the skills necessary to develop self-respect and spread respect to stop bullying, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, and discrimination and to promote healthy relationships, communication, peace and collective collaboration towards a more humane and compassionate society.

So how can you make Respect more than just a song? Make a commitment to live out and explore the Respect Basics in your own life. You can also become a Respect Ambassador and support our work by making a donation: www.therespectinstitute.org

Respect Institute's work matters because children and adults should not be treated any less than with compassion, kindness, care and respect. We need to make this a practice that occurs everyday in every interaction we have with every person we encounter, even with those who do not hold the same values or intentions we do. Hate makes our world a very ugly place but I am certain that respect and compassion will prevail.