Nicholas Negroponte takes OLPC to Colombia

The founder of the MIT Media Lab, Nicholas Negroponte pushed the edge of the information revolution as an inventor, thinker and angel investor. 



Now he's the driving force behind One Laptop per Child, building computers for children in the developing world.


It's an education project, not a laptop project. Inexpensive, durable, networked laptops are important to better education everywhere in the world, empowering children and communities, and sharing access to modern skills with every child on the planet.

We follow Nicholas Negroponte to Colombia as he delivers laptops inside territory once controlled by guerrillas. His partner? Colombia's Defense Department, who see One Laptop per Child as an investment in the region.

Why are you so unhappy?

Why are you so unhappy?

Because 99.9%

Of everything you think and

Of everything you do

Is for yourself

And there isn’t one

The words of the poet Wei Wu Wei, who diagnosed the ills of an over individualised, under socialised society more crisply than I could, and through the lens of eastern philosophy.

Between the years 1958 and 1974 eight books and articles in various periodicals appeared under the pseudonym "Wei Wu Wei" (a Taoist term which translates as action that is non-action). The identity of the author was not revealed at the time of publication for reasons outlined in the Preface to the first book Fingers Pointing Towards the Moon (Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1958).

Social entrepreneur JULIA MOULDEN

Social entrepreneur JULIA MOULDEN is a life coach who is making it her life's work to help others transform their careers while finding social meaning and financial security.




Julia coined the phrase “New Radicals” to describe people who are leveraging skills acquired in their careers and putting them to work on the world’s greatest challenges.

 Her personal experiences coaching a fascinating and innovative group of social entrepreneurs led to the publication of her first book We are The New Radicals - which details their journeys. Julia has defined the group of Baby Boomers determined to use their intellect, talent and influence to change the world through their own journey of transformation as The New Radicals.

Her book, We Are The New Radicals: A Manifesto for Reinventing Yourself and Saving the World was released internationally by McGraw-Hill, New York. Her first book, Green is Gold, an environmental primer for business, was translated into six languages.
 

Julia has a weekly column on the HuffingtonPost; “The Giving Life” appears each Saturday. Her byline has also appeared in a diverse range of publications, including the Globe and Mail, Toronto Life, and Ms magazine.

A speechwriter for CEOs, cabinet ministers, and celebrities for more than 20 years, Julia’s clients include North America’s leading organizations, such as AstraZeneca, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, and Rogers Communications.  Born in Toronto in 1956, Julia has lived in Europe, the U.S., and Mexico. She kayaks as often as possible on Georgian Bay.

GERI BERHOLZ realised the power of mentoring children

The concept is to identify kids with leadership potential and match them with a mentor who helps them reach a long-term goal. The results have been nothing short of astonishing.



Since its inception in 2002, the lives of over 1300 kids have been transformed.




As a schoolteacher, GERI BERHOLZ realized the power of mentoring children. The creation of a Canadian chapter of Future Possibilities For Kids was a natural next step.
One success story is Kid Coach Yvon, a former at-risk teen, who, because of his work with Geri, is now the first member of his family to graduate high school, graduate college and now attend university. Yvon is well on his way to fulfilling his life-long dream of becoming a peace negotiator for the United Nations.






Future Possibilities For Kids

A Social Venture Model - Toronto

DAN TISCH and KATHRYN WORTSMAN exemplify the qualities of a new kind of professional - the Venture Philanthropist.

They are two of the founding members of Social Venture Partners Toronto, a group of 43 successful professionals who commit their time, money and expertise to not-for-profits. This year their goal is to focus on poverty reduction.


Here's how it works. They solicit bids for business proposals from not-for-profit and charity organizations who meet their criteria. Each member donates $5,000 every year and that pool of money goes a long way and makes a big impact. The winning organizations get funding up to $75,000 over three years, along with invaluable business mentoring from the experienced team of Social Venture Partners.

Dan Tisch

Daniel Tisch is President and CEO of Argyle Communications, one of Canada’s most respected public relations firms.

Dan’s clients include major consumer brands, financial services leaders, technology firms, public companies, all three orders of government in Canada, and several foreign governments. His public relations campaigns have earned him more than 40 awards from the International Association of Business Communicators and the Canadian Public Relations Society.

Before joining Argyle, Dan was vice president of Environics Communications, Canada’s largest management-owned public relations firm. Earlier, he held senior roles in the Canadian government, including serving as Executive Assistant and Senior Policy Advisor to Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Born in Madrid, Spain, and raised in Toronto, Dan speaks English, French and Spanish. He holds two degrees from Queen’s University — a Bachelor of Arts in Political Studies and a Master of Business Administration. Dan has been a regular guest lecturer at Queen’s School of Business for 12 years. In 2007, Report on Business magazine named him one of 16 ‘star alumni’ from Canada’s leading executive MBA programs.

Dan is a member of the Queen’s University Council, a governor of Toronto’s North York General Hospital and a founding partner of Social Venture Partners Toronto.

Kathryn Wortsman

Kathryn Wortsman has worked in the private equity industry for over 10 years with direct experience in both Canada and the US. She is currently Vice President and Principal with Succession Capital Corporation, a boutique private equity firm that focuses on acquiring 100% ownership of companies that are involved in retirement succession planning. She selects targets, analyzes financial opportunities and leads the post-transaction work. Prior to Succession, Kathryn held several senior positions at eVentures at MetLife Inc, where she led investments in technology companies, and at Constellation Ventures, a New York based $350MM venture fund that focused on early stage media technology investments.

Investing in the community is a big priority for Kathryn. In 2001, she became a founding partner of Social Venture Partners New York City. In this role, she not only contributed financially, but joined the grant-making committee and volunteered directly for the grantee agency. Kathryn continued to stay actively involved with SVP New York City until leaving the City in 2004. In 2004, Kathryn spent a number of months in Telluride, Colorado. While in Telluride, Kathryn consulted to the Telluride Foundation to improve the granting and reporting processes. Specifically, Kathryn assisted in creating and leading the marketing campaign for a new community Fund focused on investing in local programs for early childhood development. Kathryn also developed a new community philanthropic program which encouraged local businesses to be strategic in their giving.

Upon returning to Toronto, while volunteering for various charities, Kathryn searched for an opportunity that combined her desire to make an impact on the community and develop a network that could provide a platform for a new generation of philanthropists. As a result, she has recruited a team of young professionals to launch SVPT.

Kathryn holds a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from Columbia University in New York.