John F. Gray

Curing Poverty With Curiosity

2013-05-08T12:27:46-04:00

Our cultural lore suggests that curiosity may claim the lives of a few cats. Moving from lore to a distinct possibility, we really should add poverty to that list. Connecting their theme "Stay Curious" the 2013 Projecting Change Film Festival, pushed forward the conversation that can't be ignored. Closing the festival with a showing of Girl Rising, the vital importance of educating women around the world lit up the screen. Learning is about staying curious. Education is key to curing poverty.

According to UNESCO, over 100 million young women in developing countries have never completed primary school. Furthermore it's estimated that 32 million girls are not at school today. The reasons are pretty simple: there are no schools to go to, and no teachers. Becoming child brides also results in early pregnancies and completely removes school from the equation. Factor in seven million girls who are breaking their backs in fields, mines, factories and in domestic service or have been trafficked, there are still too many countries where women are deemed chattel.

Over the course of five days, year six of Projecting Change screened 16 films and drew over 3000 attendees. There are times when the alignment of values and goals result in great things happening. In this case bringing together the festival mandate, the Vancouver chapter of Room to Read, and Lunapads as sponsors there's an opportunity to move the conversation sparked by Girl Rising into real action. After all talk is cheap. Talk won't close the gender education gap. Talk won't alleviate poverty.

After seeing an online trailer for Girl Rising, festival executive director Katie Shaeffers knew it would be a perfect fit. With the mandate of "aiming to unite the audience by reaching beyond themes of environmental and social change to explore significantly broader concepts such as empowerment, identity, culture, and global connection", all she had to do was figure out how to secure the rights to show the film. Already being connected Lunapads co-founders Madeleine Shaw and Suzanne Siemens (leaders in their own right when it comes to education in developing regions), it then become a short path to the door of Sharon Davis.

Sharon Davis launched the Vancouver Chapter of Room to Read in 2007, and is the Volunteer Chapter Leader. Room to Read is a global non-profit headquartered in San Francisco. Founder John Wood left his job as Microsoft's China business development director in 1999 to dedicate his life to improving global literacy. Room to Read has made a measurable difference putting books in the hands of more than 7.8 million children in 10 countries in Asia and Africa. In 12 years, it has built more than 14,600 libraries and 1,500 schools, distributed 12 million books, and published 723 books in local languages. They have provided scholarships for more than 19,000 girls. Donations are now approaching $40 million a year.

Connecting all these dots is the fact the 10x10 organization approached Room to Read in 2010 to be part of helping make the film happen. Davis wanted to arrange a Vancouver screening, and already had the backing of Lunapads, so Projecting Change became the ideal partner. At the local level, there is a committee of 25 active volunteers who meet monthly and plan events throughout the year. Since 2007 the chapter has raised approx $1.7 million in Vancouver. As a chapter they host three or four events a year. They are also engaged with a variety partners who host events annually which they support and participate in but don't take the lead such as:

Annual TSX Golf Tournament

Non profit Partner of the Indian Summer Festival

Momentum Fitness Train the Trainer Day

Live in for Literacy with major universities in BC

It's worth thinking about why educating women will make a difference, and why curiosity will help cure poverty. According to "Measuring the Economic Gain of Investing in Girls: The Girl Effect Dividend" published by The World Bank in August 2011; if girls in Kenya, Tanzania, Senegal and Uganda had completed primary school alone, their additional output over their lifetimes would be equivalent to 20%, 18%, 14%, and 13% of annual GDP, respectively. And if their more educated sisters completed secondary school, they would contribute 48%, 32%, 24%, and 34% (of annual GDP) more to their economies over their lifetimes.

Imagine that all 1.6 million adolescent girls in Kenya completed secondary school and that 220,098 adolescent mothers were employed instead of falling pregnant so early. The cumulative
effect could have added US$3.4 billion on the Kenya's gross income every year. This is
equivalent to the entire Kenyan construction sector.

Combining a riveting film to motivate, and an organization capable of mobilizing good intentions into real actions means real change does happen. Bringing together the Projecting Change Film Festival team (twitter @pcffvancouver) and Room to Read Vancouver (@RoomtoRead_Vancouver) has created a dynamic that can push the conversation well beyond some of our trifling first world problems.

Innovation Hub Propels B.C. Social Entrepreneurs

2013-04-04T19:41:12-04:00

A Google news search for "business accelerator programs" generates over 5,000 stories. These programs aren't exclusive to tech entrepreneurs either. Accelerators are a global trend, serving a diverse range of business types and needs.

This February, Vancouver saw the doors open to the Coast Capital Savings Innovation Hub. The credit union is teaming up with the ISIS Research Program at UBC's Sauder School of Business and helping the Innovation Hub propel social entrepreneurship forward in B.C.

Unlike other accelerator programs, the seven businesses chosen to participate are not getting direct funding, giving up equity, nor paying anything to participate in the year long program.

The program is providing these promising social ventures with:

A co-working space

An educational workshop series tailored to the unique needs of social ventures featuring industry expert guest speakers

Access to knowledge capital from the ISIS research center and the Sauder School of Business

Peer learning and support

Mentorship from industry experts

A full-time student intern for four months

Access to social innovation speaker series and events

Opportunities for exposure to B.C.'s social economy community.

Dr. James Tansey, the executive director of ISIS, shares that "the ultimate goal is to get social ventures investment-ready so that they are able to pitch for and accept investment, and move onto the next stage of growth."

The Innovation Hub recently held the "Propelling Social Ventures" conference, featuring great speakers, panel conversations, and networking opportunities. The knowledge exchange was valuable, but it was shining the spotlight on the current cohort of companies calling the Hub home that proved to be the real highlight.

Making it through an intense screening process to join the program, these seven companies have earned the opportunity to move their ideas faster, further, and to become real agents of social change.

ChangeHeroes is an online fundraising platform helping people engage their friends to fundraise for schools and libraries to support education in developing countries.

Seamarket works to promote and increase the supply of sustainable seafood through branding, marketing, sales, and education. SeaMarket helps producers and catchers get their eco-friendly choices on the market.

Connect Health is pioneering a model of integrative medicine, providing effective whole person care by combining the best conventional medicine and complementary approaches. Their approach is proactive, offering the best preventative strategies to maintain good health.

Shailah Interactive is developing gesture-controlled tablet educational games designed for children with physical disabilities who cannot use a touch screen. This is helping children with severe communication difficulties develop their communication and expression skills.

Shift Urban Cargo Delivery is using pedal-powered trike vehicles for last-mile deliveries in the downtown core, eliminating congestion and pollution. Shift is a worker co-op providing empowering employment for young people within the green economy.

Green Challenge Waste Management is a waste and recycling management not-for-profit society that provides jobs for people with barriers to employment. They focus on creating more sustainable waste management solutions for single-room occupancy buildings and apartments as well as providing solutions for sensitive hoarding issues.

Victory Gardens provides garden infrastructure for any kind of space, helping people rethink urban space and bring food to where it didn't exist before. They also provide educational tools to make organic growing easy and accessible.

Coast Capital is committed to turning the vision into reality by providing a $1-million contribution. President and CEO Tracy Redies sees this as "a one-of-a-kind initiative that will propel the success of young entrepreneurs, and provide them with direction, mentoring, encouragement and resources that they simply wouldn't have otherwise.

Establishing British Columbia as a world-class centre for social innovation and social venture development is the mission. By creating a dynamic and supportive space for social ventures to grow the Innovation Hub is poised to deliver a positive impact.

Quest University's Untraditional Approach To Education

2013-03-20T01:26:46-04:00

We don't have to look very far to see that our education system starting show cracks in its traditional foundation. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) such as Coursera, Udacity, and edX are experiencing steady growth. Recently a U.S. bill was introduced that would enable public universities in California to award credit for classes taken online. The digital world isn't the only place bent on disrupting the current system.

Quest University in B.C. is taking a different approach to conferring a four-year undergraduate degree. Opened in 2007 with a 73-student class, Quest focuses on the a classic liberal arts education. Once you get past the breathtaking natural scenery and vistas of Squamish, B.C., and the architectural beauty of the campus buildings, and get talking with the students and staff you know you've stepped into a community that doesn't have the same resonance of a large research institution.

President and Vice-Chancellor David Hefland is quick to suggest that the "brain is not a serial processor," and that "multi-tasking is BS." This thinking is why Quest employs a block learning system rather that the semester system.

The student focus on one subject at a time over a very intense three and a half weeks. Delivering this immersive learning experience is a Quest differentiation. The students I spoke with were quick to point out it's no cake walk; fair to say none of them are there with the idea of simply buying a degree anyhow.

With a current student body of 425 students, Quest University is an interesting glimpse into a new generation of critical thinkers, innovators, collaborative problem solvers. With its core theme of "question everything," it's ultimately all about the student questions that sets Quest apart.

At the end of their Foundation Program (year one & two where all students take the same 16 courses), each student works with a faculty advisor and submits a statement of their "Question": a two-page proposal describing a topic of special interest to them.

The Question guides students' attention in a sustained and rigorous intellectual inquiry during the final two years. The proposal can be a statement, or a question, or even a set of related questions. For example, one student might be interested in the broad thematic question, "What is honour?" Another might choose a specific policy topic like, "How does politics influence the treatment of global epidemics such as malaria, SARS or AIDS?"

Students have worked on an impressive list of questions including:

• How can we improve the quality of health care?
• What is equilibrium in nature?
• How do cultural values predict the effectiveness of conservation projects?
• What defines human character?
• Does democracy have the capacity to solve world problems?
• How does improper nutrition during childhood influence a child's risk of developing chronic illnesses later in life?
• How can one create an environmentally and socially responsible business?
• How can outdoor and experiential education be used to enrich undergraduate studies?

The concept of a private liberal arts and sciences education is new to Canada. However, in the United States, there are now more than 600 private, undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences institutions. The liberal arts and sciences is not about training for a particular vocation or professional skill. The goal is to educate for a lifetime of learning by providing a solid academic background and by developing intellectual capacities. The versatility of a liberal arts and sciences degree has allowed the first Quest students to go on to graduate programs, or to enter into a wide choice of careers.

A significant part of success to date can be attributed to Helfand's vision and leadership. Helfand has spent 35 years as an astronomy professor at Columbia University where he served as department chair and co-director of the astrophysics laboratory for more than half that time.

Quest University isn't for everyone. The size of the student body itself is limiting (next year it's projected to be over 500). As a private university, the actual price tag within a Canadian context might also be deemed steep with its $29,000 per year tuition fees. However, with an excellent scholarship program and needs-based financial considerations; the right students will always be welcome, says the school.

Mark Brand's Vision To Do Right By His DTES Neighbours

2013-03-06T13:01:34-05:00

Since 2009 I've spent substantial time walking around the streets of Canada's poorest area code. The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is unquestionably a neighborhood of manic extremes. Where else can you witness utter despair and decay juxtaposed with all that's trendy and triumphant? Within a few short meters and split seconds this neighborhood defies all sensibilities. Walking by someone pulling on a crack pipe while pulling in for $3 donuts is head scratching experience.

I wonder how much has really changed since the Globe and Mail reported that in the decade leading up to 2009, three levels of government had collectively spent $1.4 billion trying to create a better neighbourhood. I also have little doubt there's been a substantial amount of taxpayer dollars flowing into the Downtown Eastside since 2009. The reality is that simply throwing money into the DTES won't actually make it any richer. It actually takes people who care about their neighborhood to make it better.

Here's another head scratcher. How can a guy who lives here, cares about his neighbors, and puts his own financial resources on the line be subject to the vile spewed forth from some selective haters?

Since opening his first business in 2007, Mark Brand has heard the negative commentary. He's getting used to having the "gentrification" label applied to his efforts. He shakes his head and rolls his eyes in disbelief when being accused of marginalizing the poor.

Brand knows some his critiques are good with a sound bite, yet woefully short on articulating real solutions to significant challenges. As he recently shared with me, "I'm not difficult to find, and always open to having conversations about finding ways to improve the lives of my neighbors."

Talk is cheap, and Brand exemplifies the social entrepreneur who's all about getting things done. Brand's business isn't about stuffing his personal bottom line. Over coffee at his diner, Save On Meats, he shared his vision and goal for being a leader and creating a social business model that's independently sustainable, while supporting the local community.

Instead of relying on any form of direct government funding to make a difference in the lives of his neighbors, here are a few things Brand is doing:

Money generated from Save On Meats' operations goes directly to supporting people in need.

Save On Meats prepares over 450 meals a day, seven days a week, for local single room occupancy residents

By the first quarter of 2013, he hopes to triple the amount of meals provided to over 1,500

Brand recently launched "A Better Life Foundation" that goes directly to subsidizing multiple community initiatives and food security to women, children and those in assisted living

Employs over 65 workers, many who live in the community and struggle with employment barriers.

This year, Brand launched the Save On Meats meal token program that allows people know exactly where their donations are going. You can buy tokens for $2.25 that can be redeemed for a hot breakfast sandwich and give them out personally, or leave it for Save On Meats to distrbiute through their community partners like Vancouver police patrol officers.

The reality is that people are hesitant to give money rather than food to people who they see on the street. The meal token program now delivers up to 120 breakfast sandwiches daily.

"The meal token program isn't just about being able to provide someone with a nourishing meal, but also the engagement into your community and the power of real human interaction," says Brand. "This is our city and we want to make it better every day with unconventional solutions."

If you question the difference Brand is making, simply go talk with him or talk with the people working with him. Maybe instead of hurling empty slogans or protesting a business deemed too fancy for the neighbourhood, people might start making a difference by channeling those same energies into chasing away the drug dealers and pimps who are the real scourge of the Downtown Eastside.

Homeless Youth Get Voice With Digital Media Room

2013-02-21T17:30:19-05:00

It's sad but true that many of us walk by street kids and intentionally cast our eyes elsewhere. It's easier to be oblivious than care, or care to understand why they're on the streets at all. Sure their piercings and tattoos might seem overboard. Sure some of them are somewhere between a little scruffy and a lot; maybe a few days between showers, or washing their clothes.

There's no question some of these kids have substance abuse issues, most likely tied to having been abused in some manner mentally, physically, and sexually. They're simply trying to survive, trying to deal with being homeless, disenfranchised, and marginalized. Only a few degrees separate them from being mine or yours.

Thankfully some of Vancouver's street youth are not oblivious in the eyes of Colin Ford. From very simple beginnings, with a few guitars and a willingness not to judge, Ford is delivering a program that listens, mentors, and teaches. Run by Family Services of Greater Vancouver Ford is the program co-ordinator for The Directions Youth Services media room.

With support from Electronics Arts this program provides access to the media arts and helping young people find the voice many never realized was inside them. With this media room, Ford and the staff teach music, art, audio recording, film-making, computer literacy, digital media skills and teamwork.

Through this program and access to creative tools, they provide an opportunity for social inclusion and creative expression where it might not have existed before. It builds relationships with the community, skills and knowledge that lead to greater stability, health, educational opportunities and employment.

This is proving to be a real pathway off the streets and out of the life of being homeless. They have alumni that have attended numerous post-secondary programs including Vancouver Film School and Vancouver Community College.

This past December, the participants performed and displayed their artwork at Cafe Deux Soleils. It was called Slice Night. For many of the youth, it was their first time performing in front of the public.

Another Slice chronicles the program's development. It's an outlet for street youth to share their art, thoughts and feelings. Another Slice is conceived, facilitated and developed out of Directions Youth Services. The purpose of this "zine" is to provide street youth with a venue for self-expression. Shift from being oblivious, and take a minute to read, listen and watch. There is real talent on display and the end results are captivating, enlightening, and impressive.

Here are a couple more examples of the outstanding work from this program:

Launched in 2009 InOurShoes.ca educates people about the ongoing challenges that homeless youth face living on the street.

More recently with support from UBC, Another Slice University was launched. This is a series of short films about street life, and seeks to end prejudice towards homeless youth. Each film was written and produced by youth and distributed on iTunes University -- connecting them with universities around the world and anyone who uses iTunes.

While public funding helps keep this program running, private support will make an ongoing difference. You can get involved by contributing new hardware, software, or anything involved with creating the digital media experience. Homeless youth have their stories. Homeless they might be, but hopeless they're not, and thankfully the creative and safe haven provided by Ford and the team at Directions Youth Services media room gives them hope for a better tomorrow.

Wedding Planning Startup Prevents Bridezillas

2013-02-15T14:09:14-05:00

The flowers were gorgeous, the chocolate decadent, and the dinner was absolutely exquisite, and you're thinking this guy just rocked Valentine's Day 2013. He's a keeper. Maybe you weren't thinking about the possibility this was the year for an après dessert little box, and that down on his knee proposal. He's serious.

While saying YES probably wasn't that difficult, you're now just realizing the behemoth challenge in front of you; planning arguable one of the biggest events of your life. You are probably also trying to reassure yourself there's no Bridezilla gene in you.

Vancouver startup Weddingful is all about ensuring Bridezilla remains just a myth. Founder and CEO Angel Pui was determined to fix the dilemma she was seeing firsthand.

While women are really excited to be engaged, they're generally not very excited to plan the wedding. Early in Pui's career as a wedding dress designer she got an intimate look at how overwhelming, stressful and confusing the planning process is for many prospective brides.

Weddingful has recently added the social layer to this process, and is allowing people to sign in with their Facebook credentials.

Most people deem planning and coordination as painful, but Weddingful is creating a social community and adding in some fun. Bride-to-be's can chat with others, read useful comments, browse beautiful photos and keep track of everything they need to create a lifetime of wedding day memories.

Instead of asking around for recommendations or doing countless hours of research, brides can search, browse and find information on vendors, including "dirt" on them. Weddingful is delivering valuable reviews you want to know before hiring someone for upwards of a few thousand dollars. Years of research and reviews by other brides can now be shared, just like passing around a wedding binder.

Connecting their clients to the vendors makes Weddingful even more valuable. They deliver difficult to find information (such as pricing), add more efficiency with calendar availability dates, and a place to message, connect and ultimately book the vendors products or services.

Weddingful connects brides in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and another 60 major U.S. cities.

Now with a team of seven, Pui is seeing Weddingful really take off. They say they're seeing a 900 per cent growth in traffic and page views since launching this new version of the community.

While brides have a place for pretty photos and inspirations like Pinterest, what they now have with Weddingful is a place that offers a way to make informed and efficient decisions to make all the co-ordination easier. Bye, bye Bridezilla, and hello to a lifetime of wedding day memories.

Snug Vest Is Therapeutic, Stylish Hug For Kids With Autism

2013-02-06T14:04:53-05:00

While volunteering and working with autistic children, Lisa Fraser noticed one of the key therapeutic devices of the day was, in her eyes, really ugly. She felt the design of the weighted vests was like slapping a label on kids and saying "Hey, look at me! I'm different."

She believed that bringing a better design to deep pressure therapy, and even some style into these kids' lives, was an endeavour worth pouring her talents and heart into.

Clinical studies have shown that pressure applied to the body has a calming and relaxing effect on people with sensory and anxiety disorders such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder.

After developing a therapy product using proprietary technology as her thesis, Fraser founded Squeezease Therapy in Vancouver in 2010. She readily admits its been a learning process of countless business lessons.

Her company, designs, manufactures, and sells the Snug Vest, an inflatable vest that places pressure on the torso to provide the feeling of a firm hug or swaddle.

It can help to relieve anxiety, increase focus and attention, and reduce destructive behaviours such as tantrums. One mother says that for her 5-year-old autistic son "pressure is a necessity in the same sense that oxygen and water are needs."

The Snug Vest has won multiple international product awards including the Red Dot Award, and Autism Speaks Community Award, given by the largest autism advocacy organization in the world. The vest inflates using a small hand pump so the pressure is adjustable to meet the user's needs and provide independence. It's considered the safest product available as it does not place any pressure on the stomach or chest.

Researchers at the University of Victoria in the psychology department conducted a clinical study with the Snug Vest, taking physiological and behavioural measures. The results showed a significant decrease in cortisol levels (an indicator of stress) during and after the children used the Snug Vest.

Fraser has successfully combined the therapeutic requirements needs to make a difference, but she's also added a key design element too — a stylish looking vest that doesn't scream "I'm different."

If you're a parent of a child with autism in B.C. and interested in getting a Snug Vest, it's covered by the Autism Funding Program through the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

Play4Perks Means Earning Rewards While Playing Games On Your Phone

2013-01-31T14:14:24-05:00

Three former triple A game studio executives with 40+ years of experience could easily be basking in the console glory days of the past. Instead of opting for white sandy beaches and umbrella drinks, these former EA (Electronic Arts) colleagues have co-founded Wyley Interactive.

CEO Pauline Moller, COO Moira Dang, and Larry LaPierre, managing director of product have given up cushy offices, big budgets, and a legion of minions to do their bidding. They've spent almost a year being rather stealthy in hopes their Vancouver startup has a significant impact in the brave new world of mobile gaming.

With over 650 million people playing games on their smartphones, Wyley Interactive sees an opportunity to be disruptive around how brands and businesses connect to those users with their Play4Perks.

People who play mobile games only have small slices of time in the typical day to play, and removing distractions is a serious bonus. So no pesky little ads is a nice feature. But then they add the opportunity to play for perks.

Imagine playing a great game on your smartphone while earning rewards from your favourite brands or stores.

After nine months building the technology platform to make this experience possible, and just over a month of Vancouver-focused beta testing they're opening up Play4Perks to the rest of Canada and the U.S.

The Play4Perks network has attracting the attention and support of businesses and brands, such as:
• Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
• Granville Island Brewing
• Escents Aromatherapy
• Fraser Downs Racetrack & Casino
• Roden Gray Mens Clothing
• YYoga

The engagement and feedback from beta testing has exceeded the team's expectations with some positive positive trends including female players showing a real affinity to perks from the likes of yoga gear company Lululemon and clothing chain Aritzia.

It's also noteworthy that Sprott Shaw College is one of the first clients to adopt the Wyley Play4Perks network.

Students, current and future, can play games for perks ranging from Starbucks gift cards to career counselling sessions, from $100 iTunes Gift Cards to scholarships to any program at the college.

Wyley is looking to score the hat trick with a platform that's a winner for player, brands and game publishers.

"We wanted to try a different approach towards promoting our games and feel that Wyley's Play4Perks unique take on branded rewards via gaming challenges really fits our company's goals in providing great value for players when they choose to play our games," says Sara Yang, CEO/co-founder of MNE Creations, the developer of the Panarchy Fling game.

This is a really exciting time to be disruptive in the fast-growing world of mobile phone entertainment and advertising consumption, and it's great seeing Vancouver's Wyley Interactive at the forefront.

Play4Perks is now open to iPhone users across the U.S. and Canada.

One Million Moms for Gun Control Gets Vital Help From Vancouver Company

2013-01-25T12:49:49-05:00

Hunting and fishing was part of our family fabric and having guns around our home was commonplace. I've not handled or discharged a firearm in easily 30 years. I also fundamentally don't object to the notion of responsible gun ownership. Sadly, it's easy suggesting there are simply too many guns in the hands of the irresponsible.

Defining and contextualizing the word responsible is where this conversation falls apart. What makes for a really interesting conversation is one about underdogs. A meaningful conversation happens when you bring together a bunch of really pissed off moms, mix in a significant helping of social media and start building a community that has the determination and commitment to enacting common sense gun control laws in America.

On Dec. 14, 2012, One Million Moms for Gun Control was created in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and helping them raise crucial funds is a Vancouver innovation.

The group's founder, Shannon Watts, is an Indiana mother of five, who wants to drill home the message of responsibility: "We understand the Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms — just not ALL arms. Let's make our country a better, less violent place for them."

One Million Moms for Gun Control was founded to demand action now to:

Ban assault weapons and ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds.

Require background checks for all gun purchasers.

Report the sale of large quantities of ammunition to the ATF.

Limit the scope of concealed weapons laws at the state level.

The word is spreading quickly, and not surprisingly social media playing a key role in raising awareness. Awareness is good, but funding is vital sustenance. Stepping up and playing the key fundraising role is Vancouver's FundRazr .

Landis Carey, the Million Moms' national social media director is realistic about the challenge ahead: "The National Rifle Association has been organizing themselves since 1871. We are playing catch-up, and we are using social media, specifically FundRazr, to rapidly do that as well as to secure the dollars we need to successfully move forward. We are harnessing the networking capabilities of social media online to demand action offline."

Daryl Hatton, FundRazr CEO/founder offers his insight: "There has never been a time in history where technology can better harness the hearts and contributions of the crowd to enact real change. Far more than a donate button, FundRazr creates a powerful rich media campaign and uses Open Graph social sharing to spread the word to friends of friends and new fans to securely collect the funds to level the playing field."

One Million Moms for Gun Control has a big social media campaign called "How do you wear your heart?" to help moms across the country creatively express their collective desire for new and stronger gun control laws.

Members are given templates for a signature heart, which they can pin over their heart and wear publicly in support of the campaign. Moms are asked to take pictures of themselves wearing their pin and to share them on social media via Twitter @1MM4GC and the hashtag #howdoyouwearyourheart, or their Facebook page.

Oprah In Vancouver Is Opportunity For LunaPads, African Schoolgirls

2013-01-15T13:50:18-05:00

The cultural, religious, and gender bias ignorance that creates significant barriers to education for young women absolutely rails me. Zealots putting a bullet in the brain of a 14-year-old girl because educated women are a threat to Stone Age-thinking makes headlines.

While not making the same headlines, equally troubling ignorance prevents young women from getting consistent access to an education. UNICEF reports that "in countries where menstrual hygiene is taboo, girls in puberty are typically absent for 20 per cent of the school year?"

Missing school or resorting to unhygienic means to manage their needs is unacceptable. Keeping girls in school make communities better in every sense. Educated girls marry later and have fewer children, earn 25 per cent more income, become leaders of their community and break the cycle of poverty.

Where there's a real world problem, there are social entrepreneurs working towards the solution.
When I think about entrepreneurs, I think of qualities like curiosity, creativity, courage, determination, hustle, humility, and above all having a burning desire to be agents of change.

I recently connected with two exceptional changemakers. Partners Madeleine Shaw and Suzanne Siemens are on a mission to help women have a healthier experience of their menstrual cycles and by extension their bodies overall. Their Vancouver-based company makes reusable menstrual pads and cups

For the past decade, Lunapads has been working hard to build a new culture around menstruation. Despite being a natural part of life, the issues surrounding menstruation go unheard and are often overlooked. Lunapads is trying to ignite a shift in attitude, encouraging women to celebrate their periods instead of being embarrassed by them.

Shaw and Siemens have been building an admirable business and have achieved B Corporation certification. This means the business is audited to ensure they're meeting rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

The co-founders have also acknowledged this is the year to achieve some big and audacious goals. With this "go big" mantra, they have one of the world's most influential changemakers in their sights. Impressing Oprah Winfrey is priority number one for January 2013.

The values and vision alignment between these women is undeniable. Lunapads, in partnership with AFRIpads, has sent over 122,000 girls reusable supplies through their Pads4Girls and One4Her programs. The 400 donated kits will be made by AFRIpads, a Uganda-based company whose startup Lunapads mentored, and today employs 65 local Ugandan women. Getting on Oprah's radar is a challenge, but with shared values like this it shouldn't be monumental.

With Oprah speaking in Vancouver on Jan. 24, they are donating 400 Lunapads to girls in Africa. Using the #Pads4Oprah hashtag, they hope to get Oprah's attention about how providing feminine hygiene products help keep African girls in school.

This small act helps developing countries overcome poverty, hunger and political strife. "Oprah is all about championing socially challenging issues and creating change. Menstruation is something that people don't want to talk about, despite the fact that we all have periods no matter what race, religion or economic background," said Shaw. "We are massive supporters of Oprah and believe that she truly is the best person to help us all find our voice in challenging and starting the dialogue about this global issue."

This Vancouver company is being led by two amazing change agents on a socially significant mission. Imagine the even bigger things that will happen by taking this message to Twitter: RT if you think @Oprah would be a fantastic advocate for @Pads4Girls! #Pads4Oprah @OWNTV

BrandTree Connects Good Brands With Good Customers

2013-01-09T12:46:48-05:00

While we're collectively more connected, we're not necessarily better connected with who we want, or what we want. The companies that care about our communities and care about creating sustainable business practices and products don't always have the loudest voices.

There are people growing food and making food that's healthier for us, people running businesses committed to extending profits throughout their entire supply chain. More people want to buy sustainable products and have a kitchen full of fresher, natural and healthier foods. The challenge is connecting the people who make good things, with the people who want those good things.

Vancouver's Brandtree is taking on that challenge by connecting brands with mobile customers.

Brandtree helps premium brands grow sales, streamline their marketing efforts and deliver insights from their software. Many brands already have some version of a store locator on their website, that's often buried a few links down, and not optimized for mobile users.

"Brands are beginning to recognize that all customers are mobile and brands need to quit missing the opportunity to drive sales in physical stores," says Brandtree co-founder and CEO Anthony Nicalo. From the mobile web and corporate website to iPhone/Android apps and Facebook applications, Brandtree is making it easier to connect shoppers with products they can care about.

Brandtree's recent positive traction includes Native Shoes, a B.C. success story in making eco-friendly and extremely cool shoes. They were happy reporting that the dealer locator page has become one of the most viewed areas on their website.

Brandtree is working with other amazing values-driven brands, like Certified Humane who is leading the effort to improve the lives of farm animals.

Chicago-based SkinnyPop Popcorn has seen their healthy and totally delicious snack find a way onto the shelves of over 14,000 U.S. retail locations in less than two years. The great news is that Skinny Pop is now finding its into Canada too. Using their Brandtree product locator, you'll have an easier time adding some Skinny Pop popcorn to your next home movie night.

Made In Vancouver Moj.io Gives Your Car More Mojo

2013-01-01T09:09:07-05:00

Engineering history and product design has seen a lot of brain power go into creating some very utilitarian and essentially "dumb" things. We're now seeing more brain power going into creating utilitarian and very smart things, such as vacuums, appliances, home control systems, and even cars.

Moj.io is a Vancouver startup on a mission to make your car smarter.

Imagine you're driving and suddenly the inner voice asks, "Did you remember to lock the doors, turn off the lights, or start the slow cooker for dinner?" Now the dilemma: turn around to check and be even later for work, an appointment, or the kids' game, or live with that frosty tone about dinner not being cooked? The travails of modern living can take a toll.

Imagine how you'll feel getting praise for being on time, AND for remembering to start the slow cooker for nice family meal at home. How did you do it? By plugging a Moj.io device into your car's OnBoard diagnostic port.

Moj.io is the world's first app store for your car. It simply connects your car to the Internet, connects the apps on your phone, and plugs you into the ever growing world of connect hardware devices.

Imagine not fumbling for your key fob to open car doors. With Moj.io, your car senses the proximity of your phone, and unlocks the car door for you. Don't fret about forgetting to turn off the house lights or locking the doors. Moj.io notices you've left the driveway and automates your Lockitron enabled front door, locking the house for you. It also dims all the zwave enabled lights in your house, saving you money on energy costs.

Moj.io has a built-in GPS. You can set a reminder to pick up flowers, chocolates or something special and it suggests the right stops to make en route. Nothing like a device to help you keep the home fires burning.

If it's a business meeting with the boss, imagine having the appointment location synced with your calendar and Moj.io making the nearest parking reservation. When you arrive, it automates the parking payment for you too.

You get the kids to their game on time, but also know the car battery is weak. Instead of worrying about being stranded, Moj.io asks to contact your roadside assistance provider to replace the battery. Once you approve the request, Moj.io dispatches your authorized roadside assistance provider and unlocks the front door so they can change the battery without disrupting your family time.

Moj.io is more than just focused on building a device that's making your life easier, and giving you a personalized, smarter, Internet enabled vehicle. There are currently eight applications developed and ready for use, but more importantly Moj.io is also firmly committed to helping drive the app economy.

Imagine what the open source developer community can create with real-time data on engine performance, temperature, road surface, speed, pitch, tire pressure, G force, GPS location. Imagine what can be created with a driver's social connections and an Internet connection right into the car's onboard computer. By using Moj.io's software development kit (SDK) there's a great user experience waiting to be built. Developers have the opportunity to improve the daily lives of drivers by connecting great software to their vehicles

'Change Heroes' Sells 'Friend-Funding' To Build Schools, Libraries

2012-12-22T22:35:23-05:00

Imagine having no school to attend, or books being no big deal because you can't read anyhow. It's mortifying and it's also an assurance that the specter of living in poverty looms large. Illiteracy and poverty go hand in hand. Of course there are the bare essentials that need to come first; food, water, and shelter. Sadly even these are a challenge to deliver in our own backyard.

A Vancouver startup team are fast becoming real change makers. Change Heroes focuses on getting schools and libraries built in communities around the world that need, and want, their children to have a future. The team's founder, Taylor Conroy, has a mission with Change Heroes to embrace a leading social entrepreneurship role, and to extend the reach and positive impact of their friend-funding platform.

By focusing on two exclusive partnerships they are building deep and long-term relationships with Free The Children and Room To Read. Change Heroes' business is not about running one-off (transactional) campaigns for a multitude of partners.

By focusing on long-term strategic partnerships, they are setting the course, and working to accomplish their stated mission of "one day seeing a world where every child has access to education (Kindergarten to Grade 12)."

Recognizing the power of personal connections, Change Heroes has designed their platform around the concept of "friend-funding." The goal of each change hero is to bring together 33 of their friends, family, and co-workers together to donate $3.33 a day for three months which equates to $10,000 which will fund the building of a school or two libraries.

Rather than creating a generic message for everyone, a change hero creates a fun personalized video for each person. This personalization creates a closer connection between the fundraiser and their vision of seeing that school or library built.

People running campaigns and their donors even have the option of organizing a group trip to visit the school or library they have funded. You can't create much closer connections than that, while at the same time really sharing their experience with more friends back home.

The Change Heroes team is focused on making sure their technology platform delivers a meaningful human experience, and truly thoughtful connection for everyone involved.

They guarantee that every campaign will lead to a school or library being built. Should a campaign raise less than the $10,000 goal, Change Heroes will pair them up with another campaign to reach the goal to full fund a school or library.

Change Heroes also provides regular updates about the progress of the construction of their school or library through micro-sites, photos and video (taken by their charity partners). The relationship with each change hero and donor continues on after the donation is made, unlike other platforms which end communication after the tax receipt is sent.

While business is so often driven by the mantra of "compete or be crushed," the Change Heroes team believes that their only real competition is the social problems they're trying to solve.

The social venture space is a huge challenge, but is much like the open source development community where sharing is prevalent. The community can piggy-back off the previous work of others in the community versus constantly reinventing the wheel. In many ways it's a much smarter and faster way to go about the business of building a better and more open world.

For the rest of December 2012, every dollar raised through Change Heroes for Room To Read will be matched. Instead of two libraries, $10,000 will fund and establish four libraries. Gather your family, friends, and co-workers and get behind giving the gift of literacy this holiday season.

Change Heroes - Evan from The Change Heroes on Vimeo.

Paint My Cat: Connecting Pixels To The Playroom

2012-12-09T16:42:54-05:00

I admit it: my kid's babysitter was the TV on more than one occasion. I owe a debt of gratitude to the Disney VHS library. I'll also admit that Super Nintendo and the Mario franchise helped too.

I'm now amazed seeing diaper-wearing, stroller-powered tots wielding smartphones and tablets with real acumen and complete engagement — and I thought Gameboy was good portable amusement. Go on, you can admit it; you're feeling a little guilty when your youngster's got a tight grip on the iPad. The pixelated babysitter, guilt-gripping you has a new remedy, and there is an app for that.

Vancouver's Nanu Interactive has just released Paint My Cat for the iPad to the Canadian and U.S. app stores.

Paint My Cat is raising the bar for an app that is creative, artistic, educational, and great family fun. This sure isn't what my kids had for coloring books.

With the initial quality assurance team being his daughters — ages four and almost two & #0151; Alex Ferrier didn't want to make something simply shiny. He set out to create something magical. With 16 years in the game development business — including nine at Electronic Arts as a technical director & #0151; Ferrier has all of the ingredients to create magic. He's also very quick to acknowledge having an incredibly supportive wife who shares his vision, and understood his leaving world of AAA game development to make something meaningful.

With personal family experiences as the creative canvas, he readily admits his initial observations weren't deeply profound: kids love to colour and create; kids love pets. Ferrier wanted to give them a way to cross those lines.

Creating is one thing, but actually delivering is what sets Ferrier apart from many first-time entrepreneurs. There's no shortage of ideas that never get beyond a cocktail napkin. Ferrier has realized his vision, and has shipped magic.

Part of the magic Alex envisions is how Paint My Cat can help with social development too. He seemed to notice that kids tend to beat the character up a lot in other virtual pet apps. In Paint My Cat, they'll tickle and play with their cat more. Having created their cat, they'll also have a bond and sense of ownership for their new virtual feline friend.

Not to play up the virtual colouring too much, the app itself is fun just when you're playing on the iPad. Paint My Cat essentially takes the magic of the "other world," where you bring a picture to life, and makes it as accessible as possible. Ferrier shared how they collected stones at the beach one day, and then used Augmented Reality colouring to make the cat a bed out of stone that it can sleep on. The kids knew they were collecting pretty stones to make the cat a bed.

There's no question Alex has extensively thought about the type of experience. He offers a little insight suggesting that:

"Lots of people are looking at augmented reality, but I don't particularly like the term. It sounds too technical. People don't want augmented or virtual reality. They want a magical other world that intersects this one. We want our pictures to come to life. We want a friendly monster that lives in our closet. We want Pixar, not research."

It was great meeting, and talking with a dad who sees a really big picture. From Ferrier's own family experience, Paint My Cat is takes the fun and joy of "physical colouring that can bind siblings together... Older children can help younger children, and it creates a great shared project."

Startup Accelerator Institute B Breaks Business Rules

2012-12-04T09:56:49-05:00

There's an estimated 200 plus startup accelerator programs worldwide. These business boot-camp programs are enormously popular. It's not uncommon for programs such as Y Combinator or Techstars to have over 1,500 applicants for a dozen spots.

Vancouver's technology startup accelerator GrowLab recently accepted five companies into their third cohort, from over 300 very eager-to-learn companies.

There's nothing new about entrepreneurship and innovation -- for instance the discovery of fire might count as slightly innovative. The topic seems more newsworthy and relevant as we work ourselves out of the financial meltdown, and the lingering economic malaise.

On Tuesday, Startup Canada shared their "Blueprints", and the message that "entrepreneurship empowers everyone."

With GrowLab hosting and Institute B's Darrell Kopke emceeing, the event was an opportunity to consider entrepreneurship in a bigger context.

The entrepreneurial conversation was about the Canadian challenge, not just Vancouver's challenges. More importantly the conversation was about entrepreneurship, and startups beyond just technology. There's much more to our business startup community than people developing the next cool web app.

'PURVEYORS OF UNREASONABLE BUSINESS'

Positioning themselves as "the purveyors of unreasonable business" Vancouver's Institute B is about as far from the typical accelerator as one can imagine. Far from espousing the traditional business school playbook, everything about this team is unreasonable:

They're unabashed in saying they stand for a new way of being in business.

They're committed to changing the business landscape -- not from how business operates -- but WHY business operate.

They'll only consider their mission a success when business schools around the world redefine the mandate of business as "adding positive societal value while delivering profit to shareholders."

Institute B's core message is about creating abundance through generosity. With a mandate of proving to the world that by incorporating societal benefits as an equal priority to generating profits, more abundance will be created for shareholders and stakeholders alike -- they're a team assured of flunking out of any MBA school.

The prevailing business model that's based on scarcity is decaying. The "I Win - You Lose" mentality had led us to financial, social and environmental disaster. Institute B is adamant in their belief that corporations should be measured equally based on their positive contribution to society, as well as their profit to shareholders.

It shouldn't be difficult imagining the need for a new kind of corporation in a new economy. It shouldn't be unreasonable to expect corporate leaders to actually lead. Corporate leaders should be at the forefront of solving social and environmental problems.

B FOR BENEFIT

Institute B considers their vision to be simple yet ambitious: to create a new sector of the economy comprised of B (for benefit) corporations that meets rigorous and independent standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency.

Making no apologies for using the word indoctrination, all Institute B partner companies are being schooled as the philosophy of unreasonable business. Each company being incubated is committed to becoming a Certified B Corp. which also happens to be a non-negotiable requirement. Currently the companies making the Institute B commitment to making a difference, and playing by a new set of rules include:

Alterrus
Alterrus is significantly changing the agricultural industry by creating and operating environmentally responsible urban farming systems. Heralded by TIME Magazine as one of the World's Greatest Inventions, (referring to their proprietary VertiCrop™ system) Alterrus recently launched their first North American urban farming system in November under the brand name Local Garden to worldwide curiosity.

Karma
Karma is a Canadian yoga apparel company that is committed to empowering women on and off the mat. Inspired by Institute B's unreasonable business ethic, Karma has taken the bold step in declaring they will only use factories in Canada and the U.S. for manufacturing. By investing in their local communities, and keeping local women employed, Karma is proving that manufacturing companies can prosper without having to go overseas.

(Courtesy Institute B)

Sombrio
Like surfing in the '50s, skateboarding in the '70s and snowboarding in the '80s, Freeride Mountain Biking is a counter-cultural movement that is rapidly evolving into a global phenomenon. The founders of Sombrio also happen to be the riders who pioneered the sport. With a world-wide following, Sombrio is the definition of the Freeride culture and is influencing a mainstream cultural movement towards active health and wellness lifestyles through cycling.

Sirewall
Sirewall is the most durable and environmentally friendly wall system in the world. Their mission is to have North America's buildings be sustainable over their lifecycle, while encouraging mainstream living environments to be free of toxic materials. They are also trying to influence the durability conversation in construction to be measured in centuries and millennia rather than decades and to develop mainstream construction standards throughout North America that do not require heating or cooling systems.

The Fan Zoo
The Fan Zoo is connecting athletes with their communities of fans while enabling children to reach their full potential through sport. Passionately committed to connecting kids with sport, The Fan Zoo is leveraging Institute B's culture building expertise to provide underprivileged kids with athletic opportunities in order to inspire and enable them to reach their full potential in life, no matter what their personal or family circumstances may be.

More business leaders need to become change makers and to begin interpreting the laws of business through the lens of generosity. Institute B is transcending words into actions. They know firsthand that driving generosity through the entire supply chain is a profitable exercise for the many.

Think about the change you can make by being generous with your, time, suppliers, community, genius, customers, employees, and yourself. Take some time to appreciate Darrell Kopke's TEDx Edmonton talk, and message: