Monday Motivation 28th February 2011

The future is your most valuable currency. How will you spend yours? (Twitter @chrisguillebeau via @SallyHogshead)

Gutted over Christchurch

Taken in happier times, at the top of the Cathedral spire

The last time I was in Christchurch, New Zealand,  I climbed to the top of the Cathedral spire and gazed at the view before me (below right).

As I came down the 134 steps (see below left), I asked the Cathedral staff:  "what would happen if there had been an earthquake". They assured me that it has been all retrofitted.

The spire where I was standing is now rubble in a wrecked square. The 26 storey hotel around the corner that I stayed in many times is rumored to be collapsing. All because of a few seconds of quaking 10km ( 6miles), southeast of the city. Have a look at this very honest human video of one man's experiences after the earthquake.

I am gutted at the sights of the gutted city (see pics).  I am gutted over those who have been killed, injured, shocked and trapped in this 6.3 sized earthquake so close to the centre of New Zealand's second largest city. New Zealand has declared a National State of Emergency, its first ever. 75 fatalities and 100s missing.

Like many across the world, I love Christchurch and feel so so sad. In fact, at one time, I considered moving to the city.

Handling the Situation (advice gleaned from various sources). You can comment on this blog post below. Comments welcomed.

View from the top of the Cathedral Spire

1. Pray for the City
2. Donate to NZ Red Cross directly  or via  the GrabOne website which is  operating an emergency donation system for Red Cross. NZRC is not currently  accepting donations of goods or volunteers.
3. Watch Prime Minister's Press Conference on this "ruthless act of nature" where he reminds us that "People are irreplaceable" and promises us rebuilding: "Christchurch will rise again"
4. Stay away from the City 
5. Avoid movement in Christchurch. Don't sightsee. Don't go to work unless in a food related service industry or medical/emergency role- all schools are closed. 
6. Do not overload phone lines with non-emergency calls.
7. Need a bed or got a bed?
8. Free ads on Trade Me for offers of help with Emergency accommodation, Transport, Lost & found pets and Volunteer labour
9. Healthline 24 hours service is staffed by registered nurses who can assess your health needs, and give advice on the best level of care on 0800 611 116.
10. Expect aftershocks, continue to Drop, Cover & Hold when they happen
11. Welfare related enquiries help line: 0800 7799977
12. Looking for family - try Google friend finder or please call the NZ Red Cross National Enquiry Centre on 0800 REDCROSS (0800 733 276) (note this line may be overloaded) International calls can be made to +64 7 8502199 or tweet #eqnzContact and "they'll do their best"
13. Do not use any lifts anywhere in Christchurch.
14. Water is in short supply- boil water - check NZHerald website for location of water distribution points
15. Skylight have great resources on dealing with the trauma and grief linked to the earthquake- lots for kids too- call 0800 299 100
16. Agencies will need help with rebuilding efforts so connect with Volunteering Canterbury to volunteer or ask for volunteers. 
17. Plan a holiday there in a few months to put money into the economy

More pictures from happier days in Christchurch:

Monday Motivation 21st Feb 2011- International Mother Language Day

Here are three challenging quotes for UNESCO's International Mother Language Day:

Those who know nothing of foreign languages,knows nothing of their own. ~

    Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

To have another language is to possess a second soul. 

    Charlemagne

Learn a new language and get a new soul.  

    Czech Proverb

Monday Motivation 21 Feb 2011

What do you think about this?

Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.

Joseph Addison

Training in a Sauna

Today I presented some training in Perth. For  some reason the air con in the building didnt work and Perth is very, very hot.
mY training style means I am quite active!
i felt sweat pouring off me
Thanks to the attendees -and thanks for staying awake and alert through the day! Seemed to go well apart from the heat!

Volunteer Week design

Keeping my unofficial survey from last week's post about the Australia Volunteer Week Poster design. Keep the comments and the survey replies coming - I love them!

Weekly Motivation 15 Feb 2011

A quote influenced Valentines Day and the recent events in Egypt:


At the risk of sounding ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by feelings of love.

Ernesto 'Che' Guevara

Whats a Social Media Expert?

This is a follow on from a December blog post: Completely Unqualified Trainer -Youre Hired where I complained about a Social Media Trainer who I believed had no qualifications to train on the subject. She is not the only one. I have been to a few conferences and seen lots of "so called" Social Media "experts" featured on the program.

I am rewriting my training notes for Social Media today (fourth major rewrite in 18 months- field moves quickly!). As I did so, I found a great quiz  which sorts out what to look for in a Social Media expert. It is very funny but makes some good posts.

I finished the Quiz did it and I am pleased to say I would have no trouble walking (see Question 7). In fact, I can hold my head up respectably! I am also excited to say in the third month of The Cowling Report, we have seen the number of people connecting with my posts rising dramatically! Thank you!

Friday Facts: Uk Big Society is imploding

It started as a great scheme! The new UK Government aiming to get people involved in their communities with national citizen service, less  central control, more volunteering and more co-ops, mutuals, charities and social enterprises. The Prime Minister David Cameron (pictured left) said "groups should be able to run post offices, libraries, transport services and shape housing projects."


Rolled out to great fanfare it now seems to be moving from big to bogged.  In fact, the situation in the UK now seems to be getting out of control:


First up as I blogged last week, Lord Nat Wei of Shoreditch hired to be one of the main advisers for the Program reduced his time because he found out after his appointment that it was a voluntary role and he could not afford the time or money to volunteer. 


Secondly, this week   Liverpool Council one of the four cities involved in the Pilot project pulled out  after "the council learned in December that it would lose £100m in specialist grants from the government, many of which were allocated to charities and community groups tackling welfare issues, from worklessness to family breakdown.  The Prime Minister of England continued to defend Big Society as he attacked Liverpool Council.

Thirdly Charity leaders are starting to speak out against the scheme. Dame Elizabeth Hoodless, a formidable figure in UK volunteering ha weighted in saying that the Government cuts are destroying the Big Society. She was backed up by others including Sir Stephen Bubb, head of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations, who said Big Society "more soundbite than programme", causing "a tide of cynicism" and said it was "hitting the buffers".


Eight concerns I have about Big Society:

1. do vast numbers of British people want to overnight suddenly start running, for no pay, services in their areas that for decades have been run for them? e.g. their libraries
2. do we really want everyone to volunteer? There are some I don't believe should volunteer.  
3. a lot of people are no longer connected to one local area in today's modern world
4. Cameron has said: "“I don’t believe that civil society springs up of its own accord” yet has massively cut so much infrastructure  and support for volunteer management e.g. Volunteering England 
5. it means replacing paid staff  with volunteers -morally dubious
6. it ignores the huge numbers of volunteers already out there- will they be expected to volunteer more or will others really join them
7. most telling was that a number of Politicians when asked how they volunteer cold not tell people (ala the cartoon below!)
8. Big Society sounds awfully like the 21st Century version of Thatcher's Privatisation in disguise. A program detested by some Britons and welcomed as salvation by others

In the 70s and 80s there were many TV shows that imagined a future Britain in a state of collapse and bereft of services (The Guardians, The Changes, Noah's Castle).  If they are not careful Big Society may actually hasten that in and not prevent it.

"To tell you the truth Volunteering Sucks"

How would your charity feel if one of your volunteers posted the above comment on a public blog  following a call by your charity for people to volunteer? What would you do?

Here's the full post.

"I already volunteer 3 times a week just to get back on my feet after long illness, and to tell you the truth it sucks. The permanent staff think nothing of you, you get asked to take on their workload and all for nothing, trouble is i cannot find any work out there so the volunteering keeps me going."

This message on an article response on 1 February 2011 @ 9:19PM is now in cyberspace ...forever. It can be searched-and found. It can be forwarded. It can be agreed with. It can be copied and pasted. It can be read by several million people including potential volunteers, donors and sponsors of that agency.

There are two issues here:


1. The Volunteer Feeling
 How many of your volunteers would feel this? Would you know how many feel this way? Have you asked them? What can you do to overcome a situation where your paid staff were perceived to be treating volunteers in this way? How can you repair the damage done to that volunteer?

2. Agency Reputation
A lot of people dismiss the damage that a comment like this could do to your agency.  If the writer had said: I already volunteer 3 times a week for (insert your charity name) and to tell you the truth it sucks, you could probably handle it one way and many readers would dismiss it as one person venting. If other volunteers forwarded it and/or added their agreement to it, then you have a real problem online. Would you know how to handle it?

I am going to do a blatant plug here. This didn't start as a marketing post for me but now its going to be! I run two relevant workshops. One is for volunteer managers on working with employees and the other is a Social Media workshop. Both have had rave reviews from participants and I would love to share them with you or your colleagues or anyone you think might need them. More information is at: http://www.pfts.com.au/training.htm

Okay, blatant plug over-Love your comments on how would you deal with this situation?