A call for leadership, for the sake of the world

On 04.09.09, In issues, By Akhila

This post is a guest post by one of my friends, Ruby Ku. When I first ran across her blog, I couldn’t stop reading her posts. They were fascinating, well written, and most of all - featured important topics we urgently need to care about. Ruby is an incredibly talented and intelligent woman who is pursuing her dream - social change - with inspiring passion and idealism. She doesn’t just talk about making a difference: she does it. Ruby is a Science and Business student at the University of Waterloo, and she will be going to Botswana this summer after she graduates to work with an NGO called Somarelang Tikologo.

I live and study in Waterloo, ON, where the blackberry was invented. The city was recognized as being the world’s Top Intelligent Community in 2007 and University of Waterloo was the only Canadian university that Bill Gates visited. I’m proud to be part of this community and am always excited to see the talents around me: Kunal Gupta, Ray Cao, Jackie Lee, all gone onto the entrepreneurial path and are building successful start-ups.

Then I discovered Brazen Careerist earlier this year and the talents I saw around me grew exponentially. It didn’t take long to identify who the popular bloggers were, just to name a few off my head: Penelope Trunk, Rebecca Thorman, Jamie Varon, Jun Loayza, all made a name for themselves by blogging about their journey of building/working for startups, or giving personal branding/career advices to the generation Y.

When I look at these people in both my offline and online worlds, I can’t help but wonder, how much good they could do for the world if they were willing to devote more time in building solutions for the betterment of the world. These people have the potential, the energy, the drive, the talent, the passion - basically all the ingredients required for success - both their own and the causes they dedicate themselves to.

So much time has been spent writing about personal branding vs. personal blogging, success vs. happiness, work/life balance, getting the perfect job, earning your first million… It’s not my intention to offend anyone, but sometimes I feel we are all living in this bubble. I mean, I love social media and I have met some really great people because of it. But more and more I feel there’s a disconnection between this twitter world and the real world. What about the homeless? What about poverty? What about human rights? Some Gen Y bloggers write about social issues, but even then we’re really just sitting in front of the computer writing. How often do we actually get right down to being fully present with the people and try to understand what they’re going through? I think we prioritize weird. I feel we need to get out of this bubble, re-connect with other human beings, and look at what is happening in the world.

The thing is, I know people care. When I talk to them or read their blogs, they have all expressed interests at one point or another about eventually “wanting to make a difference in the world”, but not until they’ve “made it big“. It doesn’t work that way. You can’t contribute unless you understand. You can’t understand unless you’re fully in it, every step of the way. Impact isn’t only measured by the amount of money you can donate, it’s more complex than that. Legacy isn’t defined by the size of your company, it’s by the number of lives you have truly touched and made a difference in. It’s not “one day”, it’s “starting now”.

What about trying the 80/20 Google rule? Dedicate 80% of your time and effort to your for-profit ventures, and leave 20% to work on a social business? Or pick a local non-profit, and volunteer your time to educate them about social media, help re-design their websites, or mentor social entrepreneurs on how to build their startups as successfully as yours. Maybe we can collectively put together a We 2.0 book? Better yet, get off Twitter for a day and talk to people you normally wouldn’t talk to. Spend a weekend volunteering at a local women’s center/soup kitchen and witness the realities of many people’s lives.

So many talented people with so much to offer. We need a better way to harness the creativity and talent we have in the Gen Y blogsphere to create social change and push for a better world. Why is it not happening?

  • Share/Save/Bookmark

Related posts:

  1. The world is changing: are you ready?
  2. The World is Interconnected: The Importance of Social Change
  3. Be the change: Challenging my Idealism, by Ruby Ku
  4. Why society has its priorities all wrong

Tagged with: • •
 
Comments Comments
Leave A Response
  • @Rebecca - I did not mean you have not been working for the betterment of the world. When I wrote this post, my intention was to get thoughts from Gen Y leaders on how we can push for social change. I know that's already happening. But I want to know what more we can do. What you wrote in the comment has already shown your leadership and commitment. This is why I think you're amazing. I too think Sam Davidson is a constant inspiration - I invited him to guest post on my blog which was published last week. Thanks again for the comment - now more people know.

    @Matt - Caring is hard. It's tiring. It requires a lot of work. And we're all lazy. But that doesn't mean we should stop trying. Like Jamie said, change is small. I strive to be better today than yesterday. We all slack at times - and I think that's okay, as long as we pick up our slack and keep going!

    @Nicole - I love what you're doing with HandsIn. I'm so glad you started it. Really great stuff.
  • Ruby! This is exactly why I started HandsIn (www.handsin.org) and I'm so glad to have you involved with it.

    Any Gen Y-ers looking to change the world, come on over and join us!!
  • Ruby, this is a great post - there is a CLEAR disconnect between the online world and the real one. Why is that? Why are we able to connect and inspire and pour our thoughts out online, then go about our 'real lives' almost as if we are totally different people? I used to ask myself this - I've been blogging for a while and when I would write in the past, I would ask myself 'am I following my OWN advice - and if not, why?'

    The internet allows us to actively seek out people that we KNOW we can connect with. With the click of the mouse, I can find people who are interested in green and sustainable businesses - I can write about something, let them know, and a bond is formed. This can be an awesome tool - but it can also backfire - we can form these social networking 'bubbles' and never reach out - and that turns into everyone just agreeing on each other's blog. We are never challenged, we are never confronted.

    (I'm writing a post on this idea - so I'll try to keep it as concise as possible here). It's when you step outside your bubble and reach new people, inspire change outside of your 'community', when the power of writing and blogging is really felt. A good example of this is with my recent 'White Whale' post - somehow, that simple post about work/life brought in people I never even knew existed, and it compelled them to pour out emotions on life, love, religion, gender equality - you name it. When you get that sort of response from complete strangers, you know what you're doing as a blogger isn't all for nothing, and you realize the impact you can have.

    To your point on getting out there and actually doing the things you talk about - I need to be better with that - my 'green week' series inspired me to make some eco-friendly changes, but as others have said, it's about making the priority and 'just doing it'. It's hard, when you get in caught up in this whirlwind called 'life' to set aside time for things that aren't part of your regular routine.

    This is really making me look forward to the 'Inconvenience of Change' series (a lot) of you folks are taking a part in. Awesome post - we need more like this that call out and push people to look inward at themselves. Thank you.
  • Agreed on the Sam D (@samdavidson) point - him and I are buds both living here in Nashville, he is an inspiration to anyone, starting a company from the ground up that directly gives back - that's what social entrepreneurship is all about. Ok, actual response to this post coming soon...
  • You should also check out Sam Davidson, who is a constant inspiration.
  • Ah, SUCH A GREAT POST.

    Okay, anyway. I'm not sure why you think I'm not working for the betterment of the world. I've only ever worked for companies and organizations that meant something.

    In college, I was the top fundraiser for our foundation. When I was working two jobs, I worked for a department that was devoted to accessibility. When I graduated my internship became my full-time job for a company that consulted with developers on how to make their buildings more environmentally-friendly. After that, I worked for a nonprofit on a capital campaign to build a new food pantry and service center. Next, I was executive director of a young professional organization whose mission was to attract and retain young talent.

    Now, I work for a start-up company who will disrupt the traditional retail market. Can you imagine the good it does to work for a company that may one day compete with Walmart? The company that no one can compete with? And not only compete, but be so much better than. We are a social business.

    I detail my job history to show that there are so many different ways to make a difference and to lead. I've done the traditional do-gooder thing, and now I'm doing it in a different way. And I've volunteered my whole life. I've been in the trenches, and I've seen what works and what it means to create change.

    My blog is about getting people to think differently about their careers so maybe they can see that the traditional route, and even notions like the 80/20 rule, don't have to be the only way.

    I have blogged about philanthropy and the environment, and the inability of Gen Y to speak up. These are the issues that are important to me. I don't believe in the 80/20 rule. It works for some people, but I only believe in doing things that matter and are meaningful to you.

    This was a great post, and it really made me think. Thanks so much.
  • Thank you everyone for your comments. I really appreciate them and it's so refreshing to hear directly from you guys that yes, we all care.

    @Nisha - I have read your post before, and it's one of the many that inspired me to write this post. I completely hear your argument about certain eople having the talent to garner a huge audience. That's almost the basis of my post - can we take advantage of that to push for more changes?

    @Jamie - I am definitely not discounting the work we're doing as bloggers or suggesting that blogging is empty. I would be the first one to raise my hand saying that blogging has changed my life and it's powerful beyond imagination. All I'm saying is, you write so well, you're so real, people can relate to you, your words reasonate with readers, you write about topics that people are afraid to talk about - I see so much potential, so maybe let's take that one step further and write about things happening in the world that we all need to care more about. Maybe show the world that you know what, we all care, and we're all doing something.

    @Jun - There are many 80/20 rules out there. The one I'm talking about is the Google one. Google lets its employees to spend 80% of their time to work on projects assigned, and 20% of their time working on their own projects. So I was suggesting maybe we can do the same, allocating 80% of our effort into making money, then 20% for a social cause. Given the things you have on your plate, it's unrealistic to expect you to follow the 80/20 rule - but like you said, maybe it just needs to start with 1 Saturday afternoon. And Jun, you're a prime example of living a balanced life, being successful without compromising loved ones. I really think you are capable of taking this a step up and fit community service in there. Why now? 1) I love your scholarship fund idea. But poverty exists not only because there's lack of money. What's the root cause? How do you break the cycle? This is another discussion on its own. 2) I simply think because we are so privileged to be born with all the opportunities at our finger tips, we need to give back. Plus it's a cycle. It's often very surprising to see what comes back when we give. I think we as bloggers out of all people understand this.

    @Erica - "hope that in some small way, someone else’s life has been improved because someone reached out." That's exactly what this is all about. Thank you for reaching out. Thank you for caring.

    @Nathalie - I hear what you're saying and I agree 100%. Blogging & action go hand in hand, and they reinforce each other. I was actually hoping to talk to someone about doing web consulting for NGO. Let's bring this offline and we'll talk.


    At the end of the day, what I'm trying to do is calling for leadership. So much talent, creativity, and passion. Everyone has something unique to bring to the table, everyone's got a different perspective. So much can happen if we all step up. Not just "yes I will help", but "yes I will lead and this is what I'm going to do starting today."
  • Great discussion! I agree with Jamie and Jun that change is small steps at a time and each one by blogging and proposing new views we can educate one another and get some positive impact. It's also best to contribute to change in your area of competence and interest.

    @Ruby: I understand your need for some action rather than just talk. But sometimes raising awareness has more impact on change than volunteering in local association. Personally, I did my share of volunteering and I am always up to help out for causes. It definitively gives a new perspective to the issue and a human face to it. For instance, I have volunteered for a microcredit NGO and have seen the successful face of it but also that it can contribute to impoverish more some vulnerable people. That you don't get to learn in solely blogging. But what's great about blogging is being able to share experiences and expand the dialogue and inspiration for change.

    As for online volunteering, it really helps some organizations that don't have the resources to update and design a website. If you are good at it; I suggest you give it a try. As for my small experience at it, it is not about log in in a website and telling what to do. It is more in helping develop the website and giving feedback and start a dialogue with the NGO on how to improve the online presence and how it contributes to the goals of the organization.
  • Great points everyone!

    @Nisha: I thought this was so related to your blog post. Isn't it great that so many bloggers are interested in and writing about this topic lately? The more people challenge Gen Y to take action, the more people will begin thinking about actually doing something to change the world. I think it's great to see more and more perspectives on this issue. Generating dialogue is so important.

    @Jamie: great point -- change happens little by little. Blogging can be a really powerful tool for social change. That's why I blog about social issues and human rights, and I'm sure thats why Ruby writes about these issues as well...we want to inspire and inform some people through our words, and blogging is a great platform through which to do that. But still, I think we need to do more: work on solving social problems on a regular basis. We need more youthful leadership on these issues. If we're always focused on our career, that's just not cutting it.

    @Jun: It really excites me when the blogosphere can translate into real life action and change. You definitely should pursue the cause of animal rights; it's so worthy. Its hard perhaps, when you've never volunteered before, but I really think every little bit helps and it's important you try. This is why I love blogging; perhaps through our words, we can inspire people to get out there and work towards positive change. I understand that your priorities are different. Everyone's different. But I do believe that somewhere deep down, everyone has the desire and capability to make a positive difference -- starting now, today. You DON'T have to wait for some day far off. You can take action now.

    @Erica: I'm so glad you went out and took action. Keep doing it; the world needs more action and perhaps a little less talk. I hope this post inspired you to get out there and take action. Ruby's so inspiring!
  • Some really great thoughts here, and something I am pretty excited to see. I often wonder a lot about if we are just preaching to the choir, and I have been thinking about what can we actually do, on a small level to make a big impact.

    It's not social media, but I really like the idea of one to one. So, today, I made a loan to www.kiva.org and hope that in some small way, someone else's life has been improved because someone reached out.
  • Wowzah! I like your style Ruby and I love nothing more to be challenged.

    First of all, you have misinterpreted the 80/20 Rule. Pareto's principle states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

    For example, if I had a tomato garden in my backyard, 80% of the tomatoes would be produced by 20% of the plants. Likewise in my company, 80% of the revenue is generated by 20% of my clients.

    The goal of the 80/20 Principle is to simplify life and focus solely on what is bringing you the greatest return.

    So now, lets get to the real meat of your post. Why don't I focus on social causes? Why don't I spend the weekend helping the homeless or read to less privileged children? To be perfectly honest with you Ruby, these causes are not my priority right now.

    I have thought about volunteering at a local animal shelter on Saturdays. Anne Good inspired me to do it, but I have yet to do the research and find a local Animal Shelter where I can volunteer. So if I had 1 social cause that I was deeply passionate about, it would be animal rights.

    So why don't I act upon it?

    It's a priority thing for me. My priorities are currently my company, girlfriend, family, and friends. Once I am able to provide for each and every one, I will be able to devote my time to a social cause.

    Yes, I know this falls into the, "I'll start helping when I make it big" category. If I really think about it, why can't I devote 1 Saturday afternoon to my local animal shelter? Why!?!?!

    You know, I've never been to an animal shelter and have never really volunteered in this way. When I was a child, my parents signed me up to do some volunteering work at local non-profits, but I didn't like it.

    How do I want to change the world? Well, I would like to start my own scholarship fund, similar to what Ramit Sethi has done. I want to be able to fund startups that I feel make a positive impact in this world. "Positive Impact" is very subjective and it will be up to me to decide what that means.

    Hmmmm... I think I will write a follow-up post to this sometime next week.

    In the mean time, I will rise up to your challenge and find a local shelter where I will volunteer 1 Saturday afternoon a month. It's all about baby steps right? Maybe 1 Saturday a month will turn into 2, and then I can possibly build them a website where they can show all of the animals that are locked up at the shelters. Yes... I think this would make me very happy.

    Ok Ruby, you called me out and I am stepping up to your challenge. Check back with me in 2 weeks to make sure I've done my research.


    - Jun Loayza
  • A call to action and I thank you for this. Ruby, I absolutely do not want to just write about change. That's not my intent.

    Here's the thing - change is small. Change happens if you can inspire one person, then that one person inspires another, then that person another. Spin ball.

    I write not with the intent to keep from actually doing things to make a difference, I write because it's, what I consider, the best thing I can do. I write because I hope my words resonate with someone.

    And, I realize that's not enough sometimes. That actually getting out there and getting my hands dirty is necessary as well. And, I get that.

    But I don't think discounting the work we're doing as bloggers is necessary. The work we're doing as bloggers to educate each other and, like you did, call each other to action. To talk about hard issues. To discuss things we couldn't normally discuss. This is imperative, as many people choose instead to deny or run away from the difficult issues.

    And see, blogging isn't empty. You know what you did with this blog post? You inspired me to do something outside of the Twitters and the bloggers. That's powerful.
  • I can't believe you wrote this, because I wrote something very similarly a little while ago: http://politicoholic.com/2009/02/24/gen-y-blogg...

    I do think that Gen Y is blogging too much about... Gen Y. themselves. their lives.their fears. Etc. And that's cool-- Like I have said many times before - I'm not telling anyone what to write about -- but my argument is: some of these people have been very talented at garnering a huge audience for themselves. Imagine the things they could do if they used the platform of blogging to make a difference rather than just talk. I know we all as bloggers love conversation and I do too. But I'd like to see more action rather than just conversation.
  • @Nathalie - Thank you so much for your input. I agree that it is happening. I'm also aware of all the sites that you and Akhila mentioned. I was definitely more optimistic until recently. When I saw how much attention Jamie Varon was getting, to say I was amazed is an understatement. Interview by CNN and front page on Fortune? Then I thought - wow, if she started weshouldallcare.com instead of twittershouldhireme.com, is the media going to care as much? Sorry I'm picking on her, but her creativity, talent, ideas, and the press she's getting as one person is just incredible. Same thing with Dan Schawbel - he was all over twitter the day his book came out. Why is it Me 2.0? When are we writing a We 2.0? How can we leverage? I'm all about creating agents of change, because changes have to start from the people, not issues.

    Social media is great. This is why we're all here talking to each other. Then what? Same with online volunteering - I think it's a great idea too. But definitely a good supplement, but not a replacement. We need to get to KNOW the people. We can't simply log into a site and just tell people this is what they need. I totally that blogging is as important as actions. It raises awareness, it moves people, and like you said, create a network - but we can't always just talk. That's how I feel. What do you think?

    @Grace - thank you for the kind words. thank you for connecting Akhila and I. thank you for caring.

    @Akhila - thank you the kind intro and for having me as a guest. you always speak my mind.
  • Nathalie -- great comment! I also agree that it is actually happening. So many projects and organizations and people are using social media for social change. There was the Twestival which raised money for Charity:Water. There's TakingITGlobal, an organization creating an online network of youth activists, using social media to educate them and create a network for social good. I can think of tons of other innovations and examples of this.

    There are also many ways in which bloggers are writing about social change, but I have to agree with Ruby that there has to be more. Beyond just writing and networking and discussing these issues, people need to start taking this activism offline. And I think Ruby's totally right in pointing out that many of the Gen Y bloggers don't think much about social change. More people need to start caring about it.

    Grace: thanks to you for connecting us! If it wasn't for your great series I never would have met her =) I agree too - I'm tired of just reading about social media tools and blogging...like I said more people need to use these tools for social change. That organization - Social media for charity - sounds really cool, too!
  • Akhila, I'm so glad you've featured Ruby here. I think both of your visions are well all-aligned and are forces to be reckoned with :)

    Ruby, you bring up a good point how do we harness our efforts to bring about change? I'm SO tired of hearing about social media tools, or that I'm a blogging expert, etc. Rebecca Thorman wrote a great post on this which I'm sure you saw to stop talking about social media. I think this is possible and I also think that like you said, it starts with one single person like the candle light effect. You're a perfect example of this and I think we all know a few more...let's begin to harness!

    in addition, I can also think of some people doing their part and who do care. Although it's not just specific to Generation Y have you heard of http://12for12k.org/? Danny Brown is a fantastic blogger and he created this organization, social media for charity. He is in Toronto, as well!
  • My answer to your question "Why is it not happening?" is that it is happening. Through social media, such as facebook and twitter you can help and participate to campaign to help social change. The power of social media is to bring people that would not be able to meet in the "real" world to work together for a cause or project and that is a fantastic tool!

    You can also volunteer online through the amazing organization of UN volunteer online. You just filled on a form with the time you're ready to volunteer online every week and your expertise and interest and they'll match you with an NGO that needs help to develop online project.
    http://www.onlinevolunteering.org/fr/index.html

    That's true that social media is great in discovering that they are so many talented and creative people out there. I am sure that each one in its own specialty do contribute to a better world offline as well.

    Writing and blogging about change is I think as important as acting, because it helps to have a debate and build up network that will be agent of change.

    The idea to follow the google rule is a great one. And I think in the future that may be a standard way of doing business. We can see that many companies are more and more getting involved in helping out communities and causes. Maybe it's not obvious yet. But change is coming one step at a time. So I guess I'll have a more optimistic view than yours.
blog comments powered by Disqus


Go To Top »