Since the founding of TakingITGlobal in 1999, I have been incredibly inspired by my interactions with thousands of young change makers from all around the world. Through my Masters Research on youth-led action in an international context along with exposure to other studies and international conferences examining the role of today's generation of youth as change agents, I have gained an important observation. My observation is that I have seen the emergence of Six Archetypes of Youth Change Makers, which provide a glance at the roles young people are taking on in the process of creating change.
The Dreamer
The Dreamer is the driver behind new ideas. Dreamers are often the first to articulate a long-term vision for the future and think big. It is the sense of aspiration, optimism and imagination of dreamers that drive progress, innovation and change.
The Megaphone
The Megaphone is a vocal advocate for change. Megaphones are very focused on delivering the message and will campaign tirelessly and work hard to lobby for a message to be heard. They inspire action through their words and help to shift priorities on the agenda.
The Spark Plug
The Spark Plug is a catalyst and has a gift for networking and connecting people. The Spark Plug is able to foster collaborations and bring many different organizations and individuals together in dialogue, convincing diverse interest groups to come together for a common goal.
The Task Master
The Task Master is often behind the scenes making things happen and is sometimes the under-rated player within a group or organization. Often, it is the Task Master who literally keeps things together by turning ideas into manageable tasks with actionable timelines. Task Masters are practical, objective-oriented individuals.
The Sherpa
The Sherpa serves as a guide who provides mentorship, insight and training through peer education. Sherpas are natural educators with a strong interest in learning and sharing knowledge. Sherpas value hands on experiences and are able to draw upon the expertise and resources of those they encounter.
The Storyteller
The Storyteller is often the documenter of an organization and its projects, preparing short stories, interviews, blogs, webcasts newsletters and more. Storytellers become a vehicle for spreading inspiration and sharing of best practices through identifying patterns and strengthening movements through recognizing exceptional individuals.
I'd like to share a note of thanks to all of you who have been part of TakingITGlobal's V6 celebration of our online community relaunch!!
The event on Tuesday December 16th was a hit and attracted many members, partners, friends, staff, board members and supporters who shared in the spirit of celebrating our success! The theme of our event was “How do thriving communities form, grow, influence and sustain?"
Guests were invited to share their reflections of the theme on the wall. During my brief remarks, I shared my own inputs on how this question about thriving communities is what heavily influenced our decisions in the process of imagining and creating the new version of our website, and that it remains relevant as we move forward.
Tonight I joined a dynamic discussion about how to make TheStoreFront Community project self-sustaining...and I couldn’t help but flash back into the early days of when TakingITGlobal was founded and we had our discussions on what future directions we would take and how our ideals and dreams could be transformed into actionable plans. Of course, even after 9 years of having the ‘idea’ of TIG, the essence of having challenging strategic conversations still remains part of my current reality – however the energy in the room this evening reconnected me to the Fall of 2000, when we hosted meetings with invitations sent out to friends, organizations and those who joined our website from Toronto.
The dynamics of the room jolted from cohesive and interconnected to somewhat tense given the financial realities of the project. Earlier this year, a 1000 square foot store front space was established in order to serve as a support and communication network in the context of an urban village. Starting in January, the costs of rent will be doubled and the project in its current state does not generate enough revenue to afford costs of rent or administration. That said, an exciting range of events have taken place in recent months including a documentary with interviews of people in the neighbourhood, the inaugural BIG on Bloor Festival (bigonbloor.com/festival), the “b-l-o-o-o-o-r” design campaign including sales of well designed American Apparel t-shirts and bags, the “Everything Local” silent auction event and hosting of meetings, events and exhibits including the Afri Village Fest front window presence & photo documentation.
The project was made possible through a partnership between ThinkTankToronto, Business Improvement Area Office, and a group of students and faculty at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD).
A key driver and designer of the initiative is a former TakingITGlobal staff member, Ghazaleh Etezal who is currently 21 and worked with us as a graphic designer in 2006. As I connected with Ghazaleh this evening, it was amazing to see her in action in her role as one of the connectors and in hearing people reference her contributions of design, research and coordination for TheStoreFront. It was also great to chat with Ghazaleh this evening and hear her attribute TakingITGlobal as part of her inspiration for the project.
In many ways, the place based goals of creating community for TheStoreFront initiative are aligned with the global online community objectives for TIG. As explained on the website, TheStoreFront aims to be “the common space between two separate disconnected worlds of youth, institutions, neighbourhood NGOs, programs and services available within the BloorCourt and BloorDale Villages (Christie to Lansdowne on Bloor West).” On a conceptual level, it is intriguing for me to observe and be part of a conversation about how to grow and sustain a space that supports vibrant community engagement.
Some of the ideas shared this evening that are most interesting to me include:
- Having a paid membership fee (i.e. $10/month)
- Hosting regular meetings (weekly or monthly) for ‘members’ to attend which would serve as a social space, with topics of discussion
- Utilizing the space to feature the products of local artists (i.e. clothes, jewlery, artwork)
- Having a cafe space with organic chocolate & other organic snacks sold
- Renting out the space to community organizations for events/meetings
- Offering workshops to help meet needs of community members (i.e. English as a second language, or focusing on a particular craft/skill with guest speakers etc).
- Establishing a core base of volunteers (i.e. a partnership with the neighbouring Working Women Community Centre), to offer an experience for newcomers to Canada living in the neighbourhood which would help to ensure that core responsibilities are fulfilled (i.e. keyholders with people who are responsible for opening & closing up the space)
One concern that emerged from the discussions was the issue of timing and how challenging it will be to raise sufficient funds in time for the end of the year. There was some discussion on what the concept or project would be if it did not live in the specific space at 957 Bloor W – however most of the ideas generated were aimed at trying to keep the space alive.
If it ends up not being feasible to maintain the 957 Bloor W StoreFront space due to costs, my recommendation is to develop stronger partnerships with existing places designed for the community (i.e. local community centres, employment centres, libraries etc) and try to help revitalize existing spaces that are supported by the government and that have a history of serving the community. While I love the idea of transforming commercial spaces into being community driven and serving, it may be too challenging to develop a financially sustainable model at this current time due to current economic realities.
On a final note...I do hope that the financial challenges can be overcome and that a proven model can be developed, shared and scaled with other communities!
Here's a list of who came:
Night at the Indies / Meow Films: Gurbeen
Community Arts Collective / Daily Bread Food Bank: Jim
BIG and BIG Festival: Ann
People Plan Toronto: Ann
DIG IN: Donna / Ann
Torontopedia: Himy
Working Women: Diana / Jessica
BloorCourt BIA: Shelley
IF Theatre: Sara
Supportive, active, creative, engaged dedicated locals: Ryan / Michelle / Phil / Darcy / Leah / Leigh / Chatherine S / Craig / Camilo
Delaware Residents (Street Festival): Rosalie
Delaware Open Space: Darcy
Humanist Movement: Nick / Roberto
Sistering (past Chair): France
Green Party: Steve
Annex Lions Club: Monica
Wireless Toronto: Gabe
Concord Café: Genoveva
Christie Ossington Neighbourhood Centre: Tim
Dufferin Grove Residents Association: / Rob
Anarchist U: Christian / Maggie
Laidlaw Foundation: Ana
Globe & Mail: Nadja
Property Owner 957: Robert Markovits
Chemistry Branding (consultant and partner): Will
Jim Allen Photo: Jim
TakingITGlobal: Jennifer
[unconfirmed]
Freedom Clothing: Amanda
Parkdale Liberty: Jennifer
ArchiTEXT: Zahra
Long & McQuade: Jon
Toronto Poets: Jason / Hajile
Linux Caffé: David
Art for me
is a journey
into the unspoken, unknown, unwanted and unheard
realities of our shadows
and of our hopes.
We are suspended in time
glimpsing in the mirror
of our future and our past
They flash before us and cause a jolt
of hope, of fear, of want, of release.
Our senses on overload
we admire and adore
our object of fascination
representing the idol we love
and demon we hate.
we forgive
we empathize
we heal
we bathe
in beauty
and bliss.
Congratulations to Mali Bickley, Grade 5 teacher at W. H. Day Elementary School, Bradford, Ontario who wins over $10,000 in classroom technology and thanks for the mention of TakingITGlobal in your video! We are so thrilled that you are using TIGed.org in your classroom.
In a day and age when most do not agree on anything, from east and west, to conservative and liberal politics, to issues of race and geography, and amongst differing religions and faiths, I believe, along with the founders of Global Dignity, that dignity is the one thing that everyone in the world wants equally. Dignity can be the unifying force that brings us all together at a time when the world needs this more than ever.
On Monday, October 20th 2008, I, in concert with the co-founders of Global Dignity (www.globaldignity.org), His Royal Highness Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Professor Pekka Himanen and John Hope Bryant, and several other Young Global Leaders (as associated with the World Economic Forum) conducted our first ever GLOBAL DIGNITY DAY 2008 in 30 countries, inclusive of every continent.
In this blog, I am sharing an update on Global Dignity Day in Canada. I have taken part in other Dignity Day events including one in Vancouver and another in Jordan that involved Her Majesty Queen Rania in Jordan. I am pleased to report back on Global Dignity Day in Toronto, Canada on October 20th, 2008! We reached 40 grade 9 students (14 years old) in a Leadership Course at Greenwood College (http://www.greenwoodcollege.com/)
I had about an hour to deliver the course for each of the two classes. We kicked off with having the students write what Dignity means to them on a sheet of paper that I handed out, and then it led into a group discussion and a brief presentation on the Dignity Principles. I found that most of the initial definitions people wrote down on defining dignity related to self-respect. My co-facilitator was a grade 11 student (Celine Caira) from the school who helped me to prepare for the event. Celine shared a story about what dignity means to her based on a recent encounter with a 14 year old girl that she met in a recent trip to India with her family. I shared a few personal stories and gave context on the work of TakingITGlobal.org and how we are growing a global community of youth making a difference. I connected the mandate of our website to the dignity principles. In helping the students further understand the meaning of dignity, I asked them to share their own examples of increasing or even decreasing the dignity of others. They were able to generate many strong examples of what dignity is NOT - which actually transformed the energy in the room to be more supportive (for example after talking about the negative impact of making fun of someone for who they are).
As a process note, it was very helpful to have the students read each of the dignity principles out loud and talk about what that particular principle means to them. There were certain words that they did not understand - such as interdependent - so I took time to explain the meaning behind the word.
The bulk of the interactive time was when I had the students break out into groups of 4-5 and develop their own ABC’s of Dignity. They had about 6-7 minutes and I was amazed to see how our their depth of understanding about dignity had significantly increased since I first entered the class. At first, in doing the ABCs, we started out as a full class discussion, but I quickly realized that it would be better to have them work in teams - and this was a very smart decision. Each of the group then had a representative read out their ABCs of Dignity to the class and they were all eager to hear about the different impressions and interpretations.
At the end of the class, I unveiled the ‘Dignity Flag’ which I prepared (a huge canvas with bright colours) with Celine and Caitlin (another student) prior to Dignity Day. The Flag stated ‘We Pledge to DIGNITY’ and the students were invited to put their name on the flag, along with a word that relates to dignity starting with the first letter of their name (i.e. Jennifer - Justice). They were eager to make their pledge and I noted that many of the words were difficult for the students to spell (which could lead to future vocabulary activities in their studies). The Dignity Flag is now being hung in the school and I am hoping that at the next school wide assembly, it will be shared by some student representatives with the entire school!
Thanks for the opportunity to work together!
Special appreciation goes out to Kim Samuel-Johnson who is part of the World Economic Forum community and was a former Global Leader for Tomorrow. Kim helped bridge the connection with Greenwood College and hosted the Dignity Day planning meetings. I would also like to thank Caitlin Samuel-Johnson and Celine Caira, who are the Grade 11 students that helped me in preparing for Dignity Day. Here is our team photo taken at one of our planning sessions! Also, closing reflection from Celine, “Seeing the way Greenwood students responded to Dignity Day gives me hope that one day we will live peacefully with global dignity”.
I am incredibly energized from my experience at World Blu Live in New York last week – what a dynamic group of thinkers and leaders in the area of organizational democracy.
While at the conference, I delivered a presentation in the section on ‘NEXT’ – where I was asked to share examples of democratic and inclusive practices at TakingITGlobal. After providing an overview of the mission, vision and programs our organization offers, I talked about the value of the WorldBlu Scorecard process and how it has provided an opportunity for our core team to improve our internal communications and processes as a result of the feedback from the surveys. TakingITGlobal has been recognized in both 2007 and 2008 on the WorldBlu list of Most Democratic Workplaces. Here are a few quotes from staff members who completed the scorecard:
• “TakingITGlobal is a unique organization not only in the work it does that inspires, informs and involves members, but in the way the organization functions, which is equally inspiring for its team.”
• “This is a genuinely democratic organization with an informal yet effective management system in place. Hierarchy is virtually non-existent. It is idea driven and riding the very crest of the tech-wave. Intellectual blossoming is only one of the benefits of working here”
In my presentation, I talked about how we have created evolving visualizations of or organizational model including an earlier version of a tree. For those interested in understanding this model, here is a description that I wrote in 2003 as part of a mid-term paper that I wrote as part of my Masters course on Management in Turbulent Times. Through the roots, the organization is grounded in its core vision and values. The trunk is where much of the administrative support and technology development occurs, which all helps to nurture the growth and development of TakingITGlobal’s key program areas which are depicted through the fruit. In the diagram, the red fruit symbolize the core areas of engagement which address the various key gaps. These areas focus on engaging key stakeholders that work to support youth such as international and youth-led organizations, educators, local communities etc. The online community which is placed at the centre of the organizations activities and focus, highlights the nature of its core program. The yellow circles which connect to the online community are nodes which are drawn in a way that illustrates each of the various online community components (Action, Community, Opportunities, Expression, Voice), and how they are organized in a way that transcends the notion of a tree/organism. The research and sourced projects are ‘low-hanging fruit’ which provide support for other program areas. The overall framework is best explained in the context of a living system because it is one that needs to be able to respond and adapt to changes in external environments. In contrast to the purpose of most organizational charts, this structure does not exist to support people at the top of a hierarchy, but rather, to serve and support the growth and development of key program areas (‘fruit’) which are supported, nurtured and grounded in the shared vision (roots). The issue of survival is one of great importance to living systems, as it is to TakingITGlobal. In order for organizational objectives and ideals to be achieved, a sustainable and healthy ‘system’ must be maintained.
Another important part of our organizational culture includes teambuilding activities which have ranged from bowling and indoor beach volleyball, to taking part in a ropes course. One of the challenges for our organization is the difficulty in having teambuilding activities that are inclusive our staff and volunteers who are based in different parts of the world and often in different time zones. When Philip Rosedale, Founder and Chairman of Linden Lab, spoke at the conference, he talked about how they utilize Second Life to conduct meetings. Here is a photo of their board room and the various personalities that emerge through the avatars developed! Organizational practices that have been inspired by discussions with other WorldBlu Democratic Companies include the As and Os weekly emails that all staff send out to an 'As and Os' mailing list - each focused on objectives for the upcoming week and accomplishments from the past week. Additionally, we have a monthly Above and Beyond Award based on a staff voting system and a 'kudos' tool where you can send comments through an online system to other staff that are archived on our intranet. For ongoing knowledge management and sharing of information, we have developed an intranet and are constantly using collaborative tools such as wiki's.
Here are a few thoughts that stayed with me after listing to the diverse array of presentations (http://www.worldblu.com/live/schedule.php)
- Bill Shannon, Chief Wisdom Officer at DaVita talked about how their company is oriented around a village-like culture. They have regular town hall meetings, the office of the CEO has a 'Mayor' sign on it and executive employees have a 'uniform' which is designed like a superhero style costume. Considering the large size of the organization, they are able to maintain an atmostphere of community.
- Rodney North, Vice Chair and Answer Man of Equal Exchange focused his talk on the importance of governance and how their company entitles each employee to one vote and one share. This shared sense of ownership creates shared accountability. They believe that the role of a company include the aim of training better citizens.
- Alexander Kjerulf, Chief Happiness Officer and Author talked about how everyone can achieve happiness at work and that it starts with the simple act of how you say 'good morning'. He shared the '5 Levels' - starting off with 1 being a mumble, 2 saying good morning with no eye contact, 3 is good morning with eye contact and a smile, 4 is good morning with eye contact, a smile and a question about how they are, and level 5 includes everything in level 4 plus physical contact through a handshake. The best part of this session was being part of a transformation of energy in the room when we tried out each of the levels.
- Mike Ferretti, CEO of Great Harvest Bread Company talked about the high levels of customization and localization in their franchise model and shared a powerful diagram that includes about 6 concentric circles highlighting various spheres of their competition.
- Brett Jackson, CEO of Generation Think Tank shared his experience in being part of the first 10 employees at Crocs and some of the negative impacts of the hyper growth experienced by the company.
- A personal highlight of the WorldBlu experience was outside the conference venue at at Carnegie Hall where we watched an awe inspiring performance of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra who played in absolute harmony without a conductor!
- Other insights included learning about a simple practice of having an anonymous question/suggestion box where the CEO can respond to what is submitted during staff meetings, several comments on the importance of expressing appreciation, and the significance of having a results-focused workplace. Also, there was discussion on the concept of scarcity and how it is in your mind - as as the concept of abundance. It is important to choose your views carefully. On the last day, someone observed me taking notes based on my notes, he called me a 'concrete random' essentially based on a matrix model where the y axis includes concrete + abstract and the x axis includes sequential and random. I thought it was interesting to have my thought process being analyzed on the basis of my notebook!
My final highlight of WorldBlu live was listening to Bill Taylor, Founding Editor of Fast Company Magazine, who talked about how important it is for those of us to stay connected and ‘stay in the game’. A very special thank you goes out to Traci Fenton, Founder and CEO of WorldBlu for putting this event together and for her vision and dedication towards promoting and supporting organizational democracy in the workplace. Here’s a photo with Traci, Bill and I.
At the beginning of my presentation, I asked the audience to think about the following question: "What contribution can young people make to addressing global poverty?" People sent in text responses via their mobile phones. I was really impressed with the responses and followed up with Matt McKenna at Red Fish Media who sent along the list of text messages for me to post on my blog:
- Volunteering
- Money.
- Communication
- Conserve conserve conserve
- The ability to connect
- Be more selfless
- Promote conservation
- Spend some time walking in their shoes
- Spend less volunteer more vote democrat
- Micro investments and localglobal involvement can be very impactful.
- Just getting involved in one key focus and acting against it
- Teach
- Provide education and employment to the poor
- Start recycling cheaper use of electricity fewer car trips etc.
- Consume less in developed nations.
- Social networking can bring countries and people much closer....
- After graduating college young people can pay it forward by volunteering in impoverished nations.
- First become aware. second start donating .
- Start education programs
- Young people can connect across cultures via the web to create greater awareness at a personal level.
- Create friendships to harness Energy.
- Improve knowledge of the burdens poverty places and spur collective action to take ownership of the problem and make a difference.
- Organize create opportunities for each other and for adults
- Set an example Start a business and employ other young people.
- Mentoring and outreach
- Since poverty is rising in North America young people can get directly involved by working in soup kitchens halfway houses etc.
17th July 2008, Wednesday, Bike fixing, Wadwani, DR. Surya Prakash, further to Immigration Mexico reached Metamoros, slept at Pemix
18th July 2008, Friday, reached San Fernando covering 86 miles, I met Lopez Garza, my bike wheel was too much damaged so as I reached the place I happened to look for a bike shop who can fix it proper and it took 10pm that night when I met Lopez Garza, who has been charged for killing someone else and jail return. This man owns a bike shop now and narrates his story to me. And also he talks about sex, women and prostitution. He says, a man can find a healthy woman for sex if she has Medical certificate in her pocket. He also told me that she will charge 10$ to 50$ Mexican Pesos!
When I observed him he was heavy drinker and was bit difficult for him to do the job. His brother did the task.
19th July 2008, Saturday, Total distance traveled 40km: We did tube fixing in the morning and got a cell phone card, started our biking from12 pm San Fernando to Zemenz,
20th July 2008, Sunday, Zemenz To CD Victoria, gas station Pemex slept. Total distance covered: 90 Km
21st July 2008, Monday, CD Victoria to CD Mante on route 101, Total distance covered: 128 km
From 101 CD Victoria the enrooted to 85 heading to Ileara of 45 km, Limon of 67 Km and 16 km to CD Mante
22nd July 2008, Tuesday, CD Mante to 25 Km to Antiguo Morelas and 65 km to CD Valles. Total distance covered: 90 km
23rd Wednesday July 2008, CD Valles to Thaman Total distance covered: 126 km Problems: High altitude, hypoxia, headache etc
Started from CD Valles, 20 Km to Alvaro Obregor and then to Thamazunchale of about 90 km and 15 km to Thaman. Slept at Thaman.
24th Thursday July 2008, Thaman to Veije ville Total distance covered: 40 km Problems: Lots of fog, hills of great altitude, headache etc.
Met Husay and his family, amazing, made us eat food from his home and gave us shelter
25th July 2008, Friday Veije to Zimapan Met Sushi, Nurse, Antonio of 17 years a college dropout due to college assisted deportation through Immigration services to Mexico. This guy doesn't know what is AIDS/ SIDA. I saw him at the peak hills near Jacala boozing with his friends. I wondered how he missed his lessons from his high school in USA
26th July 2008, Saturday Zimapan- Actopan- Pachuca Route number: 85 Distance covered: 50+58+30= 138 Km
Problems faced: Mountain biking, rain, minor accident due to dissolved shoulder, Night biking.
We started our biking from the out cuts of Zimapan, at a Pemex gas station. Started by 8.30 am. Started biking towards the same 85-route number to reach Ixmiquilpan. The route was too curvy and comparatively easy while climbing down for about 10 km. The time consuming part is always biking up hill. Reached Ixmiquilpan by noon 1pm and had been to cyber café to respond my emails and then took our Lunch at a restaurant. We were overwhelmed by the emails of Canadian embassy and the IAS to receive us and welcome us!!! It was a nice place though. The waitresses were so impressed with our biking efforts for AIDS Ride 2008. They loved taking pictures and it was so touching that they themselves donated 450 pesos. The time was 15.55 pm by the time we finished our lunch. It was so challenging that we got to hit couple of more hills ahead. We passed 10 km and just then raining. We had to stand under a local sandwich shop until the rain poured completely.
We then started hitting further and Giri was so happy to bike on a flat route after couple of days of hill biking. But we had to again hit the first hill, then it was flat for few kms and then we hit another hill near Actopan. It was day dawn and we kept biking all the way because our target for the day needs to closer, therefore we did hit the road until 3am covering 138 km. We still decided to go further but Giri fell down and we were disappointed and plan to halt at a Pemex gas station/ Oxxo until the Sun rises. I am typing at the same place now. Here I met Quauhtlan, a 18 yr old guy who works inside Oxxo. He is drop out from High school. He knows AIDS is a disease but don't know how it is spread etcetera.
27th Tueday, July 2008 Total distance covered is: 72 Km, Pachuca to Mexico City Problems: Puncture, extreme cold
It was night; by the time we reached Gurudwara, Sikh Center of Mexico City. The Guruji helped us but only for that night. We took food and slept in the 2 floor of his home
28th July 2008, Wednesday Prepared to come out of Sikh Center by 8 am and Guruji wanted to hide the address of the Sikh Temple or Gurudwara. The actual problem is all internal politics that pin his mouth tight. However, he has a little humanity. The other place we went was ISKON, hare ram hare Krishna temple. It was so awesome to see many Mexicans with Indian culture. It was so blissful to watch a Mexican lady with Indian traditions of Saree and Bindi make her so blissful to watch!!! I spoke to the Principia prabhu. He took permission from his higher officials and then accepted our request. We got media coverage in enreda2tv and then headed to IAS and local hosting of AIDS 2008 body, got coverage in Fleishman Hillard Public Relations Agency, in charge of relation to IAS the media. He denied our request for 2 weeks and asked us to vacate by 2 days, It was shocking though because t is due to the Coke!!! I was silent and accepted his interests. We were searching for accommodation, further inquiring many places. We did hair cut costing 60$ pesos for both of us. The person was looking like a hermaphrodite or transgender. Her name Mischell. We came back to our place and took prasad food and I started working on Internet while Giri slept.
10th July 2008, continued….. We guys almost covered 35 miles in the city. It was a very long way though. We almost reached 59 route by 10 pm and we were searching for a place to pitch the tent. The cop told us that we can not pitch anywhere in the city limits and we happened to search for a gas station and ultimately we found one at Gassner for pitching up there. He was Mr. Abid from Pakistan. We got some free snacks and drinks that night to eat as dinner.
11th July 2008, Thursday Total miles covered:
Woke up at 6.30 am and packed up every thing and finished daily routines to continue on the same route 59 at Gassener to Missori City, Sugarland, 7 miles to Richmond, 9 miles to Beasley, 5 miles to Kendleton, 6 miles to Hungerford, 6 miles to Warton, McKey, 9 miles to Pierce, 3 miles to El Campo, 7 miles to Louise, 8 miles to Ganado and my bike got slow puncture and we were afraid if it completely blows the air out before our destination. However, we gave an air blow with out healing the tube and then tried to find a space at a gas station again. We patched the puncture and took much time to do for pending tubes. Giri was tired and wants to sleep soon. The lady at the gas station was Lucy and she was awesome and actually tried to help us by getting permission from the manager. Fortunately the manager is an Indian. We noticed many Indians; especially from Gujju community owns many gas stations and Motels on our way in TX! Giri had good sleep but he was hitting me all the night with his legs as he pulls up and jerks down!!!
12th July 2008, Total miles covered: 88 miles Problems faced: Very hot and opposite winds
Started from Ganado on the to edna covering 9 miles with couple of miles biking, then 10 miles to Inez, 7 miles to Telferner, 8 miles to Victoria, did bike repair, Giri's back wheel was changed. I got my hopping problem solved by a soap solution!
13th July 2008, Total miles covered 73 miles Problems: Very hot day
Started from Victoria, 13 miles to Mc Faddin, 9 miles to Vidauri, 15 miles to Refugio, 5 miles to Bonnie, 18 miles to Sinton, 7 miles to Odem and 7 miles to Calallen and found Comfort Inn for pitching our tent. The young guy, Managing Director, Dhiren. He seems to be a gentleman of great values as he walked down to us to give couple of Water bottles for drinking! Most of our journey was pretty much like desert and hardly we can find a gas station to look for a water bottle or shade. We saw no homes but lots of cultivation for some distance and after that waste lands, lots of baby snakes died on the road, saw a live baby snake with a greenish and brown stripes on it lying on the hot road, passed under my feet whilst peddling. We finished water and the remaining water we have is hot water due to extreme hot biking so we were seeking some one who can give us water, one Mr. Joe a Mexican stopped by and gave us Dr. Pepper and water bottles. Our journey was pretty much like very hot and thursty and solitude. Took lots of energy to pass by covered area due to hotness and opposite wind currents etc. We had a great Mexican food at Refugio offered b Taqarias Gaudalajara, heavy rush and great taste. We filled our stomach and bike again non-stop up to Calallen. Took dinner hear after covering total of 88 miles.
Monday July 14th 2008 Total miles biking: 70 miles, Collalen to Border Patrol Problems faced: Very hot climate, opposite currents, etc
Started from Colallen, 13 miles to Driscoll, 7 miles to Bishop, 13 miles to Ricardo, 9 miles to Riveira, 6 miles to Sarita and 60 miles hardly we get any thing on the road. It's barely wastelands and did 30 miles heading towards the Kingsville, started our desert route. Lots of Cactus plants around us and I have seen wild buffaloes and lots of horses living in the forest. I hardly see deer unlike the northern and central US region. More frequently, I can see lot of dead vipers and rattle snakes on the road. The day was super hot and sucked my sweat. Lots of sweat drops were shedding all over my face and body including on my goggles! My body is being drench everyday ever since I started my ride in Texas.
We made our last 7 miles ride resting area to US border petrol office and wanted to pitch our tent but we had to come back 8 miles to resting area and do our night halt, as recommended by federal department of US border patrol department.
Tuesday, 15 and 16th July 2008 Total miles covered: 15th 92 miles Border Patrol to Brownsville, 16th resting Problems encountered: Most dry biking, Dehydration, baby Snakes under pedals, "Housefly size mosquitoes", Oh my god!!!
Again riding the same 8 miles from Border Patrol to 6 miles to Armstrong, 9 miles to Norias, 9 miles, to Rudolph, 14 miles, to Reymonds, 10 miles to Sebastan, 7 miles to Combes, 11 miles to Harlingen, 8 miles to San Bineto, 9 miles to Olmito, 13 miles to Brownsville. The day was horrible and completed our drinks of 2 gallons that we were carrying. We met an amazing gentleman on our way whilst seeking for water, as we signed swinging water bottle. His name is Joe Capistrino, great guy who became a friend as we landed in Brownsville. He offered us accommodation in a motel called 6. He was taking care of us all the time here and before we enter our room we saw lot of fruits bought by him!!! He is very hilarious and bubbling guy. He make everyone laught and until they get cramp to the obdomen muscles!!! It was a lovely dinner the next day we had with his family. His wife Ana and sweet kids Chalse and Joevanna. The other pretty kid lives in a city away from them and she works for Toyota. Giri and yself were having difference of opinion and we were shouting at eachother. Soon after we got a call from Joe and I guess the motel people gave a Joe!!! It was sad and worrying after we were rage.
Number of miles covered: 83 miles, Minden to Carthage
Problems encountered: Guys on Mervana
Entered Texas.
Route: 79 all the way to Carthage
We both had a great sleep in the downtown Minden, which is center of the Civic center, under a big tree. We were fortunate to see the hoisting flag on the Birthday of America or the Independence Day. Early in the morning one of the cop donated some hot dogs but it did not help us because we were afraid if it is made of pork or beef. So we just did not take it. The Police department of Minden are so nice that they asked us to use their restrooms before we start our further venture. As we started towards Carthage covering couple of towns like 16 miles to Princeton, 17 miles to Bossier City, 3 miles to Shreveport and further…Bethany, Panola, De Berry, River Hill and Carthage. But we happen to reach the Carthage by late night. Giri was almost imbalanced when he hit a worn out tire on the road that night but luckly he was saved but huge loss to the bike's back wheel. We noticed the back wheel was damaged to a great level, whatsoever, the last 30 miles was continued non- stop biking to Carthage. We pitched our tent beside a gas station. There was Joggi who got us permission to pitch our tent in the premises of gas station where we encountered bad boys who are on cracks or Mervana. They are on more sympathetic in actions and caused huge disturbance to our sleep. They all seem to be very young kids and we just ignored them to continue our life journey!
6th July 2008, Sunday
Number of miles covered: 57 miles, Carthage to Nacogdoches
Problems encountered:
Check routes: 59/ 1970
Started from Carthage early in the morning all the way on route 59, heading to Gary, took 1970 and Timpson, 7 miles to Garrison and 25 miles to Nacogdoches, did our night halt in a Motel
7th July 2008, Monday Miles covered: 55 miles, Nacogdoches to Corrigan
Route no: 59
Problems faced: 2 times punctured, roads with worn out tires of heavy vehicles that has steel needles, Dogs attacking
Started from Nacogdoches heading 17 miles to Redland, 4 miles to Lufkin, 13 miles to Diboll, 14 miles to Corrigan. Although we were so tired and wasted lot of time due to many other factors, we decided to make it up to Huston by morning but it was way too tiresome and cold that we took a break on the way until early morning. The last night was so sucking because we could neither able to pitch our tent not we could have a good nap. Thus we relaxed and started the next morning.
8th July 2008 Total miles covered: 92 miles from Corrigan to Houston, on 59 route
Problems encountered: 2 more punctures, Dogs attacking, heavy traffic in the Free Ways of suburbs of Houston to into the downtown
From Corrigan we continued on route 59, the same path covering Moscow 6 miles, Leggett 7 miles, Newswillard 2 miles, Livingston 6 miles, Goodrich 8 miles, 4 miles of Urbana, 4 miles of Sheapherd, 12 miles of Cleaveland, 9 miles of Splendora, 6 miles of New Caney where we will enter the 'Free Way' road which is heavy traffic and vehicles passing 70 miles/ hr. The traffic seemed to be crazy that for every ½ mile fusing branched ways and bifurcating exists are non-stop and high speed, which are very dangerous than interstate highways. These freeways are high speed 4 miles of Porter, 7 miles of Humble, then we enter the Houston City covering 9 miles to Little York on 'Freeway' and Houston. The time was consumed so much biking in the downtown of Humble to Houston. It was 1 am by the time we reached Gurudwara Sikh temple at Breen. Unfortunately we have had missed our dinner and the kitchen is being locked by the worker in the temple. However, we were able to get the accommodation. Thank god!
One weird thing about our downtown ride whilst passing by the West Montgomery and Victoria intersection about what we heard that's the route is so dangerous as reported by the local public. The locals due to the extreme poverty might even shoot us for the pair of shoes we have!!! No matter what, we passed in the same way since it was the shortest way at that point and we also spoke to the Department of Police in the W. Montgomery rd, who suggested us not to stop by any where and talk to a stranger for any directions and just keep peddle up to our destination. God saved us all our way!
9th July 2008, Wednesday, complete rest at Gurudwara temple, working on updates, evening visited the Sam's Club for solicitation permit. We met Mr. Thomas the manager, who asked us check with the Marketing Department tomorrow.
10th July 2008, Thursday, Started from Gurudwara temple by 6.15 am to Sam's Club fund raise activity/ happen to meet Mr. Chris Stoerner for permission. Fortunately got permission to do the fund raise activity by 10 am. So we are waiting and working on updates as what I am doing now!!!! We were again discontinued for solicitation due to some internal problems of the staff, which is something weird!!! We came back and now thinking to move forward in our biking.
I am honoured to share a reflection on my experience at the 2008 Silver Bay Leadership Forum in Silver Bay, New York where they are celebrating their 90th Anniversary of a conference that explores the current and emerging state of leadership.
Last night I was one of three recipients of the Inaugural Leadership Forum Awards. As stated in the program “each of this year’s honoured recipients has been selected for his/her demonstrated ability to take bold action, provide solutions to complex leadership dilemmas, and generate tremendous followership. These leaders have also exhibited the rare ability to cross streams and address issues through commercial, governmental, social and economic channels”. We were recognized for our work in solving ‘wicked’ problems and as you might imagine, it was a very humbling and uplifting experience for me.
In accepting the award, we were each asked to make a few remarks and share our perspectives on leadership. I kicked off my comments on how leadership emerges based on your state of mind. I asked the room two questions. The first – ‘how many of you believe that every problem has a solution’? A collection of people put up their hands. I then asked ‘how many of you believe that NOT every problem has a solution’. An even larger group of people raised their hands. I then went on to share a visual diagram that came to mind while travelling to Silver Bay and reflecting on my perspective of leadership.
In the past, my perspective on leadership was somewhat simplistic and singular. Today, I see leadership in the context of trying to solve some of the world’s most complex and interconnected challenges. It is a moving and evolving target that requires constant re-alignment and mobility. In response to my questions that I posed to the room, I shared my realization that problems are interconnected – and YES – there are solutions, though we often need to invent and co-create them.
While preparing for my remarks on leadership on the plane, in addition to my diagram, I also prepared a series of reflections on what I have learned about leadership over the years:
For me, leadership has been about...
- Being aware of problems and taking an active role in being part of creating solutions
- Being called upon to reflect and represent collective and shared experiences
- Asking critical questions in order to better understand realties
- Energizing processes through taking interest, showing appreciation and participating
- Making connections between diverging ideas and different people with diverse backgrounds
- Reflecting on lessons of the past and making decisions that move towards a brighter future
- Having perspective with the ability to both focus in on a situation as well as see a bigger picture
- Taking responsibility for my actions and intentions
- Believing in ideas and possibilities
- Convening conversations across differences and differences
- Resolving conflict through deep listening, understanding and building trust
- Transforming ideas into actions and new realities
- Dancing with life and celebrating beauty in the midst of it all
While at Silver Bay, in addition to connecting with official conference delegates from various corporations and non-profit organizations, I also enjoyed spending time with the children of the delegates. They were truly delightful and took great interest in TakingITGlobal and my experiences with leadership. I enjoyed responding to their questions and learning from their own experiences. A highlight was also being able to go Kayaking & make a necklace at the Craft Shop!
