Web video can be an extremely effective way to raise consciousness about a sustainable business or cause. Video is a great interlude to all the text online and is relatively inexpensive to make, share and watch. The moving images and music can captivate an audience and convey thousands of words in just a few minutes. Especially today, now that we have numerous ways to share video on social networks and blogs, video has great potential to become viral and carry your business, non-profit organization or cause to thousands or even millions of viewers.
In honor of Change.org’s Blog Action Day, I combed social networks and blogs for the Top 10 Climate Change Videos. The response was astounding and I’ve highlighted here the Top 10. Please let me know which videos you liked and share them with your friends! Thanks to everyone who made and helped me find these great videos.
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Way back when (some of you may know my former blogging self at SababiBlog.com), I started blogging because I wanted to share all the cool stuff I found online. While writing is still one of the most effective way of communicating with your community, I’ve found that sharing videos can also be extremely effective.
Since I’ve decided to take my blogging skills to a new level and join the league of video bloggers in January 2010, I’ve been combing the web for socially responsible videos and caring online communities.
Today I came across the Alliance of Youth Movements, an organiztion that seeks to “positively empower leaders to affect nonviolent change in the world by creating and promoting use of technological tools to advance freedom, human rights, democracy, and development around the world.” In addition to hosting AOYM summits, they have over 100 how to videos for virtual community organizers.
Here is a sample and my favorite of the day:
I’m gearing up for Change.org’s Blog Action Day on October 15th 2009. These kind of group blogging events are a great way to increase traffic to your site, connect with new people and of course, support a worthy cause (more than worthy, necessary–life threatening). Of course, you do need a blog to participate, but beyond that it’s simple to end global warming.
Check out change.org’s promotional video here and join in:
I am multi-tasking millennial living in the Middle East. Since my early days, I’ve been of the tree-hugging, twittering type. Some of my first attempts, guided by my baby boomer parent’s, involved picking up trash on the playground, marching through the streets of Seattle, giving press conferences on podiums in NYC and eventually smart-mobbing in front of the White House.
Today, I tweet, stumble, subscribe, blog, share, link and do the web 2.0 boogie as a profession and as a hobby. But, I don’t just do it for any reason–I do it to create and contribute to a community of social change agents and I invite you to join me.
As a communications consultant for non-profit organizations and socially responsible businesses, my work involves creating communities around great ideas. Every day I come across valuable tools for people and organizations working for social change and I plan on sharing them with you here, on my blog. I hope that through my writings you will be able to find constructive commentary, information and connections that will help you create a community around your social change ventures.
Please contribute to this blog, as this is a place for community–so join in. I’m not just writing for myself–even though I often think so–I’m writing to help others on their path and to learn something as well.
Please share your social ventures or social change tools with me by contacting me at: alisonramer@gmail.com. If they’re any good, I’d be glad to feature them here.
About the Author
Alison Ramer is a communications consultant, writer and social entrepreneur based in Tel Aviv, Israel.
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This is a great coexistence project that was launched at the International Animated Film Festival. The project aims to help Palestinians and Israelis re-envision the possibility of living together in peace. Originally conceived by Davide Papini and Attilio Valenti, the two seasoned animators partnered with the Office for Peace in Jerusalem of the City of Rome, the Municipalities of Raanana (Israel), and office of Qalqilia (Palestinian Authority).
Since the project aims to help build a vision for the future, “the main protagonists of the project [were] young people, those most defenseless builders of the future and, perhaps, those least intoxicated by the poisonous fumes of reciprocal acts of war and terrorism.”
Together the students of two schools, Aviv Secondary School in Raanana, Israel and Al Sadia Secondary School in Qalqilia, Palestine, created the animated film “Pace of Peace”, “which portray their thoughts, hopes and expectations for the future and the cohabitation of their two nations.” The film had also the artistic supervision of the most prestigious Italian authors, Giulio Gianini and Emanuele Luzzati, twice Oscar nominees.
Enjoy their vision for peace. It’s sure to put a smile on your face : ) .
This beautiful piece was created by Alice Mason.
It is based on the writer Carol Drinkwater, who wrote all the Olive books and in her book the Olive Route, she writes about olive trees and the issues in Israel and Palestine.
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A few days ago a new friend of mine, Firsa Arafat, a Palestinian peacemaker that I met at MEPEACE.org, shared Ma’an News Agency with me. Even though I’d passed over the site before, after Firsa recommended the site as the best independent Palestinian news source, I started browsing MNA more frequently and have been greatly impressed.
Ma’an, which means “together” in Arabic, is a Bethlehem based news agency that works with independent journalists throughout Palestine to provide a professional, informative independent news source in Arabic and English.
Launched in 2005, Ma’an News Agency (MNA) … is among the most browsed websites in the Palestinian territories, with over 3 million visits per month. Considered the main source of independent news from Palestine, MNA has become the first choice for online information for many Palestinians, and is also attracting a growing international readership and interest from prominent international news organizations and agencies.
Ma’an News Agency is an integral part of Ma’an Network, a non-profit media organization founded in 2002 to strengthen professional independent media in Palestine, build links between local, regional and international media, and consolidate freedom of expression and media pluralism as keys to promoting democracy and human rights.
Unfortunately MNA doesn’t have an RSS feed and I have to make a little added effort to go to their site. However, they do regularly update their facebook page and tweet on twitter. The content is written well and covers unique stories that I haven’t found any where else on the web.
Today I was especially surprised to find that only MNA was covering the opening of the Gaza Strip’s commercial crossings. The story is especially important since the crossings haven’t been opened all at once since June 2007 and signals a change in the relationship between Israel and Hamas.
It’s always good to laugh about the conflict–especially if it doesn’t involve the usual slew of racist jokes that both Israelis, Palestinians and all in between have come up with to make light of an often dark situation.
And that’s where Sascha Baron Cohen comes in. In his much anticipated film, Bruno, he travels to Israel as a gay Austrian journalist and interviews unknowing political officials and passers by. As usual, he has a way of asking just the right questions and poking fun in just the right places.
In my favorite clip so far, Bruno interviews Yossi Alpher, former Mossad Cheif, and Ghassan Khatib, a former Palestinian Minister. He asks the former Mossad Chief, “Vy are you so anti-Hamas? Isn’t pita bread the real enemy?”.
And if you really get going, and want to enjoy more Bruno, you should check out the Digg interview below. Here Bruno tackles tough questions like, “What’s a better accessory for a lady in today’s modern world? A gay best friend or an African baby?” and my favorite “What do you think was Hitler’s impact on military fashion?” Take a look, you must–it’s priceless.
While President Obama’s recent addressess to the Arab and Muslim world may not have mended all wounds, this new inspiring video and song is a sure sign that there are people on both sides continuing to make calls for peace.
In Israel, even though Israel and Jordan have “cold peace” (as international relations buffs call it), Israelis and Jordanians rarely cross cultures. However “Risalat Insan,” produced by “Al Amal,” a Jordanian foundation, strengthens my hope that a real peace is beginning to be established.
“Risalat Insan”
Written by Karim Al Iraqi
Composed and arranged by Ayman Abdallah
Performed Diana Karazon
Last week Eyal Raviv, the founder of MePeace.org, invited me to The Hub TLV (short for Tel Aviv). In Tel Aviv’s equivalent to The Meat Packing District, on the top floor of a seven-story building smack in the middle of Menachim Begin Street, a rooftop office (with a sweeping view of the horizon) is becoming home to a unique group of progressive social and environmental entrepreneurs.
Founded by Danny Gal and Eli Hillman in May 2009, The Hub TLV is an incubator for social and environmental entrepreneurs, kindly called “the partners,” a place where “friends and entrepreneurs from various fields, through shared values, create a workspace that is innovative, productive and enjoyable.” In addition to The Hub TLV, The Hub is a global project that stretches to over four continents and 12 cities. The website’s mission is stated as:
The Hub is a global community of people from every profession, background and culture working at ‘new frontiers’ to tackle the world’s most pressing social, cultural and environmental challenges.
As a guest at The Hub TLV’s weekly partners meeting,” I was expecting a professional gathering to discuss organizational bricks and mortar. Instead, Gal facilitated a soul session where hard working entrepreneurs gave support to one another in an honest, constructive manner–opening their hearts and their minds to lend a loving hand.
Anyone that has started a social venture, like the partners, knows that the path can be long and lonely. However, The Hub is a really unique way for people working for good to connect, strengthen themselves and others.
- If you would like to become a fan of The Hub Global you can sign-up at The Hub Facebook
- You can also watch an interview with Danny Gal at the opening of the Hub (in Hebrew) and get a view of the amazing space.
