Focallocal (https://news.focallocal.org/author/oliveboa/)
After 2.5years building with volunteers around the world, this weekend we aim to finally launch The Brighter Tomorrow Map, an effort to transform homelessness everywhere through connecting and empowering communities
I just wanted to share a quick technique i’ve experimented with successfully and added to my tool box, which is helping me to connect with people around me much faster and better. Networking
People networking hear so many project pitches, few will match perfectly or really interest them. How can you make yours stand out? The answer is don’t. Drop the pitch. Getting to know the person behind the project is far more valuable, and what they want to know is what drives you, so i’ve been asking ‘what change are you trying to make in this world?’.
Part 1: Build Up
Part 2: The Hug Day 1
The End
After that long, panic stricken 1st day and the lonely night still sending out messages for people to come help, things began getting smoother. We began coasting. Each of us had out spells of thinking we should stop and drop out on that last day, but the other two and supporters were always there as we neared the end, and mostly it began going a lot easier. Some might call it dastardly, but i hadn’t told my hug partners that the previous world record was 26 hours, to help them avoid clock watching – and they hadn’t checked it. We’d already broken it by 5 hours when i decided it was time and told them.
The Hug
Lets get it out the way 1st, i know you’re already wondering. Toileting. We decided to submit our record bid to Guinness who actually require that anyone breaking an endurance record takes a 5 min break every hour.. i guess at some point their records got a little messy so they introduced that. During the day that meant a run to the nearby pub, at night i had a pop up tent with a little camping toilet in it. Arriving at Westminster Tube station dripping sweat from rushing around with the heavy box, i felt like a watery zombie. I put the box down and pulled a muscle in my back.
A little late, but here’s my account of our World record breaking hug marathon, which we undertook just before Xmas in 2017 to raise awareness for the ever increasing homelessness crisis in the UK – and to promote our effort to bring communities together to support societies most vulnerable ourselves, as the UK government is ignoring them. Everyone can get involved and find effective ways to help people who are homeless near them to begin building a better future on The Brighter Tomorrow Map
Questions:
1) Is it an official World Record? a) Maybe. Our main camera our GoPro was on low quality to save space, and the quality makes it difficult to see the clock. If anyone is good enough to clean the footage up and make the clock visible, then we can submit it, although it looks too poor to recover.
I made it my mission in life to teach people how they can make the world around them a little friendlier, safer, and happier by using positive projects and activities to target societal issues, and so I seem to have talked myself into something a bit out there again.. Next Saturday, on the 7th July I begin the over 900 kilometre walk from London to Edinburgh, 20-30 km/day, carrying a fabulous free hugs flag created by Irene and creating a new world record for the World’s Longest Free Hugs Event in Terms of Distance to promote our platform focallocal.org re-launching
I was talking to an old friend the other day, he was complaining at me for not having a house, stable job, wife, kids, etc. My explanation why seemed to satisfy him, and so I thought some of you guys might find it interesting as well.
Most nations are no closer to solving involuntary homelessness than they were in the 60’s. A connected community solves homelessness on its own, and so a few years back i decided to apply the Focallocal model and see whether we could bring people together to tackle the issue ourselves.
The new website and app are designed to put you, our members, at the centre of our action and decision making. We need strong and clear foundations to keep focused on the original mission and vision to create a friendlier, safer and happier world.. I hope these are good enough, i’d love your feedback x
In February we received an email from WhatsappTV asking if we could host an Eye Contact Gathering for them to film and air on Sky One. As a great opportunity to introduce the idea to more people around the world i naturally agreed. Watch it here!
