Archive for January 14th, 2012
Year of the Girl
‘Girl power’ is set to assume new meaning this year, as Girl Scouts of the USA celebrate their centennial, in what they have designated the Year of the Girl, with a major campaign “to promote leadership opportunities for girls”.
CEO Anna Maria Chávez says, “One of the most powerful results of living the Girl Scout Law is the ability to exercise and recognize true leadership. Being honest and fair, courageous and strong, using resources wisely, respecting yourself and others, and making the world a better place”. In November Ms Chávez became the first-ever Latina leader of this organisation over over 3 million, which was founded in 1912, and which – through the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) - is part of a worldwide family spanning 145 countries.
Girl Scouts are famous for their fundraising efforts (primarily involving the sale of cookies), but through the inspiration of “dedicated and dynamic leaders” the organisation hopes to develop their leadership abilities and opportunities within their communities and around the world.
Craigslist Foundation closes
Last Wednesday the philanthropic Craigslist Foundation announced that it will be closing this quarter, following discussions with Craigslist. No explanation has been given, beyond the rather vague “our board and staff felt this was the right thing to do at this time”.
The Foundation was launched ten years ago by Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist, philanthropist and self-confessed computer nerd, as a way of giving back to the community that made him so successful as an entrepreneur: he wanted to help build stronger neighbourhoods and communities by connecting people to the resources they needed. His company, Craigslist - an online classified ads service – has always taken generosity and altruism very seriously: Craig resisted many monetisation offers over the years, keeping the basic service free to all, and only charging for job advertisements.
Craigslist will continue to operate a Charitable Fund, and Craig himself has recently launched a new initiative, craigconnects.org, which aims to ‘give the voiceless a voice, and power to the powerless’.
