In my previous blog-post, I talked about how I discovered the vitality of Hartford’s non-profit/community service scene. Since then, I refocused my work with The Purpose Project to doing research on Hartford’s most effective social leaders. Surprisingly, this task includes a lot less walking than one would expect - but much more talking. My research has already had a profound impact on me, because I am beginning to see the threads of some really interesting stories in the information I’ve been gathering on each person. As a hopeful up-and-coming social leader myself, I can’t help but be inspired. As I think about my own place in the world of social involvement, I’ve started to consider some of the characteristics that define a social leader, and how someone who wants to make a difference in the community can take the steps necessary to develop into that role. Read the rest of this entry »

“I’m comiiiiinggg!” Archbishop Tutu sings out from the adjacent room, the words rolling off his tongue in a playfully high-pitched refrain, before he comes wheeling and teetering—all 5’2” of him—around the corner of his suite at the Atlanta Grand Hyatt.

Deep breath in. The adrenaline unleashed by excitement and nervousness takes hold. Mouth is dry, heart is beating fast, and mind is racing, searching for the proper greeting for an Archbishop. “It is an honor to meet you, Father.” Or, should it be, “Your Grace?” “Your Holiness?”

Archbishop Tutu joins us at the dining room table. His smile is gracious and slightly mischievous, his eyes sparkle, and his face matches the image of a man who has been signing his emails to us “Love and blessings, Arch.” Formality fades, and we begin our conversation with a kindred spirit, a man far too excited about life and people to be bothered by titles.

Read the rest of this entry at The Huffington Post

The story behind the story of this year’s primary elections has been the power and influence of America’s youth vote. Record numbers of young adults are turning out to make their voices heard; in some states, turnout rates among young adults have doubled or even tripled. Barack Obama, in particular, has struck a chord among young adults with his message for change: among the under-30 crowd, voters are breaking almost 2:1 in his favor.* We’ve found these statistics interesting not only as indicators of political strategy, but as evidence of a new level of growing civic participation among young adults. According to Peter Levine, director of the civic engagement research group CIRCLE, rising youth turnout rates are reflective of this generation’s “deep concern about the critical issues at stake and the impact of this election on our country’s future.” Young adults are anxious for change and are now considering voting as one way to play a role in determining our collective future. Read the rest of this entry »

In the fall of 1972, Bob and Alice Evans (founders of Plowshares Institute) moved to Uganda with their three young children for a teaching sojourn in “The Pearl of Africa.” The excerpt that follows begins their story of nurturing a fledgling resistance movement under Amin’s oppressive regime-and the struggles and surprises they encountered along the way.

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Sunrise was elusive that Friday morning in late September, held at bay by a driving rain. Droplets pelted the roof and sent a reverberating echo through the building, like a barrage of bullets bouncing off the scalloped clay tile. In the kitchen, Cabanesa was already at work returning last night’s dishes to their proper places, sorting a pile of laundry, and brewing a pot of Kenyan coffee that wafted a rich aroma through the open rafters into the bedroom where Alice tried hopelessly to sleep. While the rain had scared away the sun, it hadn’t deterred the mosquitoes. Their buzzing accompanied Bob’s steady snoring, and the cacophony of sounds filled the emptiness of the room. Alice remained restless but still, and hoped that her husband who lay beside her was at peace and dreaming about better places. Read the rest of this entry »