Destination Waterloo
Dear team, So I have decided to head back to Waterloo for the fall. After a lot of reflection and trying to figure out next steps in my life, something about returning to Waterloo for the next little while feels right. Only this time, I am returning back to the city where it all began [...]
My Personal Manifesto for Living in an Age of Uncertainty
Dear team, For my June update (and throw in May for good measure), I wanted to share with you a blog post below that I originally published on my own blog, that captures and articulates exactly how I envision my life to be in the years to come. It’s taken me awhile, but I believe [...]
JFDI: Life is About Creating Yourself
Dear team, One of the most important lessons that I’ve learned recently, is to let go of my perfectionist side and to simply just go with the flow and start. Begin. JFDI. (A play on Nike’s Just Do It). Often times, the process of wanting to have everything in place just the way you want [...]
To my fellow travellers and global nomads
Dear team, I wanted to dedicate my March update to anyone who has grown up or lived extensively in a foreign country other than their country of origin, and is currently searching for ‘home’ wherever it may be. I wanted to keep my update short and relevant to the current journey that I am fortunate [...]
Noorus Salam: Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Dear team, For the month of February, I wanted to bring your attention and focus to some key research and policy developments in conflict resolution and peacebuilding that I have come across, as a result of my recent trip to the Philippines these past two months. The women’s peace conference held in Zamboanga City and organized by [...]
Glimpses of Perfection and Striking Beauty
Above: Plantation Bay, Cebu, Philippines Dear team, As I sit here writing this reflective post for the month of January 2011 in Manila, I wanted to thank all of you for helping me to get to where I am today. Without your support and words of encouragement over the past year, I do not think [...]
Rides of Hope | TEDxTel Aviv
With all the conflict and strife taking place in the world right now, most especially in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine, as well as with the ongoing war in Iraq, this TEDxTel Aviv Talk by computer science professor Shimon Schocken is refreshing and uplifting and is probably one of the best TED Talks [...]
Reflections from Derry, Northern Ireland
The conflict that has been going on for decades in Northern Ireland was brought into clear focus for me when I attended a conference on conflict and divided societies at Magee College, University of Ulster in Derry, Northern Ireland, two weeks ago.
Toronto Community Raises over $15,000 for Pakistani Flood Survivors
heARTS for Pakistan successfully pledges support towards the worst humanitarian tragedy Toronto, ON – Over 200 Torontonians came together at heARTS for Pakistan this Monday, October 18, 2010 at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, where over $15,000 was raised, with approximately $5000 matched by CIDA and the Canadian government, for survivors of the Pakistani floods [...]
Call for Volunteers, Artists & Sponsors – Silent Art Auction in Toronto for Pakistani Flood Victims
I was on a conference call with several friends from Waterloo and Toronto last night, where we discussed the issue of doing our part to raise awareness and money for the victims of the floods in Pakistan. I’m sure by now, many of you have heard the statistics where the United Nations estimates 20 million [...]
Iqbal Quadir, founder of Grameen Phone, will be speaking at Net Change Week in Toronto, June 9 #socent #ncwk
If you are in Toronto next week, I would HIGHLY encourage you to check out NET CHANGE WEEK organized by the folks at Social Innovation Generation @ MaRS. One of the events that I will definitely be attending, is the keynote lecture by Professor Iqbal Quadir, founder and director of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at MIT and Grameen Phone in Bangladesh.
SiG@Waterloo Innovators in Action Speaker Series 2010
The SiG@Waterloo “Innovators in Action” Speaker Series, will apply the ideas of social innovation to a number of specific sectors and issues – education, youth mentorship, inclusion, collaboration and cultural change. Each of the keynote speakers will share their experiences of operating at the national level to identify and address the root causes of intractable social challenges.
Huge congratulations to @WellOfChange for their official launch yesterday!
Loved the bar philanthropy concept of displaying services offered/wanted with your name tag in exchange for money ($10 entry fee) that will go towards non-profit/charity, at the launch party last night.
Check out www.wellofchange.org for more information and to sign up.
Congrats to Christine Ho, Kevin Tsoi and Well Of Change team!
I love Saturday afternoon reflection and strategy sessions! Thanks @rubyku @kristinalugo @petten @micdom
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead
The quote above is slightly overused, but still one of my favourites.
TEDxWaterloo 2010
It has been close to a month now since TEDxWaterloo took place on February 25 at the Gig Music Hall in Kitchener and we are still continuing to receive great feedback on the event from people who attended in person or caught the livestream. Thank you for the feedback and your continued support!
Discussion on Social Entrepreneurship – “The 100″ Podcast, Episode 2
Jennifer King (of Capacity Waterloo Region) and Renjie Butalid, joined local community animators Hilary Abel and Brock Hart last Sunday, March 14 to record Episode 2 of The 100 podcast.
Interview on TechVibes (Renjie Butalid)
Renjie Butalid’s obsessed with change. Not the monetary type, but with the sort that launches movements, spurs creativity, tests organizations and attracts followers. He’s the Communications Co-ordinator of Social Innovation Generation, a Waterloo-based collaborative partnership between The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, the University of Waterloo, the MaRS Discovery District, and the PLAN Institute.
Ignite Waterloo 2
Renjie’s Ignite Waterloo talk on the United Arab Emirates, part of Global Ignite Week. March 3, 2010 at the Waterloo Regional Children’s Museum.
TEDxWaterloo
TEDxWaterloo as featured on TheRecord.com – Renjie and Jaclyn Konzelmann discussing TEDxWaterloo, happening on February 25, 2010 – www.tedxwaterloo.com
WLU Global Citizenship Conference 2010
I was invited to present a workshop on social innovation/social change this past weekend at the Wilfrid Laurier University Global Citizenship Conference 2010, where past keynote speakers have included Stephen Lewis and Romeo Dallaire. This year’s keynote speaker featured Andrea Smith, professor in the Department of Media and Cultural Studies at the University of California, Riverside, and a nominee for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize.
Leveraging Technology for Positive Social Change #EpCon
Renjie’s talk at the EpCon conference in Waterloo last week, featured on TechVibes.
Time for Change (#t4change) at DigitalMediaCamp Toronto (#dmcamp)
DigitalMediaCamp Toronto (#dmcamp) took place this past Saturday, where participants gathered in an attempt to address the question, “How can we work together to propel Toronto’s technology, content and design communities into the future and make Toronto a globally competitive hub of digital media entrepreneurship and innovation?”
Ignite Waterloo 1
Ignite Waterloo captures the best of Waterloo Region’s geek culture in a series of five-minute speed presentations on topics ranging from The Best Way to Buy a Car to Hacking Chocolate. Imagine that you’re on stage in front of an audience of hundreds of people, doing a five-minute presentation using a slide deck that auto-forwards every 15 seconds, whether you’re ready or not. What would you do? What would you say? Could you stand the pressure?
Survival of the Fittest: Why Young People want to Change the World
This blog post first appeared on the Ayllu Initiative website, as a response to my blog post published yesterday on Opportunities to Create Social Change, which focused on my understanding of the process of transformative social change. Melissa is part of a growing number of young people interested and actively involved in social change around the world, that I am ‘meeting’ online though blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other social networking communities.
