Coworking, Creative Spaces, and the Rise of the Sharing Economy
This Meeting’s Highlights
Program: Coworking, Creative Spaces, and the Rise of the Sharing EconomySpeaker:Nicole VasquezMeeting for the week of February 1st to February 7, 2016* * *Is this your first time to visit us? If so, welcome to our meeting!Each Monday our week’s meeting is posted early in the morning, U.S. Pacific Time. These meetings are designed so that you can read and watch what we post anytime during the week. The entire meeting takes about 45 minutes to complete, with the video conference recording of the program being the bulk of the time.Note that you can easily read this meeting with your favorite device, so feel free to take our meeting on the go with you; read it while on public transit, waiting in line for coffee, or even at the park! Please also make sure to complete the attendance form at the bottom and leave a comment. Enjoy!
Note for Visiting Rotarians seeking makeup credit: We only provide makeup credit for those attending our current week's meeting! If you scroll to the very bottom of this page and the attendance survey is already closed, this you will not receive makeup credit for this meeting!
Greetings
Message from the President-elect
President-elect Mitty here filling in for President Rushton. Hello everyone and HAPPY FEBRUARY!On this day (February 1st) 114 years ago, American poet and social activist Langston Hughes was born. Hughes once said "I have discovered in life that there are ways of getting almost anywhere you want to go, if you really want to go."The first of twelve months have already flown by, and I sincerely hope that each of you have not only a year full of happiness and love, but one that is full of progress. Time is the only constant in life other than change. As our Rotary eClub celebrates its one-year anniversary, I am thrilled to be connected with so many amazing people through this club and through our extended family of Rotary. With over 1.2 million members worldwide and growing, it is difficult to really grasp the global scale of Rotary until you start traveling.I encourage each of you to reach out to a local Rotary club the next time you travel. Go to a Rotary meeting in a city you're visiting; perhaps even in a foreign country you're visiting. I think you will be surprised to find Rotarians who you meet as complete strangers, but leave the room as friends connected by a bond only Rotarians will understand.This past week I had the pleasure of having just one of these experiences. President Rushton hosted a small dinner gathering with visiting Rotarians from Ireland. It was such a pleasure hearing their stories and meeting them. We walked in as strangers, but left as friends. I look forward to the day I visit them in Ireland.As members of a Rotary eClub, we each face a greater risk of feeling disconnected, since we often do not have the opportunity to see each other on a regular basis. I hope that our club's efforts to increase the number of in-person socials as well as online socials (join us for a lunch session over Google Hangouts!) will help those of you looking for connections to feel more connected. But don't forget that each of you can always visit a Rotary club where you live, where you work, or where you travel to. And if you are having trouble finding one, please reach out. I would love to make an email introduction for you to their club president.We're well on our way into 2016. We often ask "What can you do for Rotary this year?" to our members. But don't forget to take the time to ask yourself these questions as well: "How can Rotary help you this year?" "How can our club help you this year?"Find out where you want to go this year, and let's make it happen together.I look forward to an amazing year with you all. Visitors & guests -- Welcome to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley!
Yours in service,
Mitty Chang,
President-elect
Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
The Power of Ideas
We believe that knowledge is power. Every week we bring you a thought of the day. Today, our thought is about habit and intent.
They say it takes about two months for something you do to become habit. At that point your body will just perform the action automatically, and consciously you may not even acknowledge it anymore. When was the last time you consciously sat down with yourself and examined your habits? You have to force yourself to walk through your days to find out what you do automatically. How much of your life is automatic?As we continue diving into 2016, consider your habits.And to remind you to live life to its fullest -- with no regrets, we want to share with you this experiment in New York City that the good people over at A Plus conducted.
Bring it on, 2016!
A Little Humor
We believe laughter is like medicine. We believe peace is easier when one is laughing. Here's one for you about work.
Listen a job is a job, we all need to find away to put bread on the table don’t we? To make a long story short I’m a telemarketer that’s my job and that’s what I do. It’s not a job everyone appreciates, but it’s a job I enjoy and am proud of. The other day I called a house and a real nice lady answered the phone, she was really helpful and friendly, she was the type of lady that helps a telemarketer get through a long day. After some pleasantries I asked if Mr. Smith was in, “I’m sorry”, she answered “I’m afraid he doesn’t live here anymore.” Now that was a real disappointment being that she was a nice lady and all, but I took it all in a stride, “I’m sorry to hear that ma’am. Do you happen to have his new number.” “Sure thing!” The woman cheerfully replied, listing off his new number. I hung up the phone and quickly called the new number and was surprised to hear a recording. “Thank you for calling Green Acres Cemetery…”
The Tidbit
Every week, we feature a new tech tidbit or life hack to make something easier, more convenient, or more fun!
This week we don't have a video for you, but just a really amazing website we want to share with you!The website is called Startup Stash (http://startupstash.com)Startup Stash is exactly what it sounds like: a collection of the latest and the most essential digital tools and platforms for any entrepreneur. It's the golden list that everyone starting up a new venture should know about. From idea generation tools to design tools to customer support platforms to project management tools -- you'll find them all at Startup Stash.Check it out and enjoy!
Inspiration Exploration
We are committed to providing you with what we think are some of the coolest pieces of inspiration and advancements in technology. This week, we are featuring a self-refilling water bottle that caught our eye.
Check it out
The World of Rotary
We are part of the Rotary International family, with over 1.2 million members in over 180 countries around the world. Rotary’s reach is global. Here we tell our members and guests about Rotary’s initiatives and events.
The Rotary Foundation is Celebrating 100 Years
Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Ray Klinginsmith asked district governors in training at the International Assembly to lead the celebration of the Foundation's centennial year, 2016-17.
"You are the primary contacts between the Foundation and our 34,000 Rotary clubs in the world. The success of the centennial celebration is largely in your hands," said Klinginsmith at a 19 January general session. "Catch the spirit and spread the word about the importance of celebrating our success."
Since the Foundation was established in 1917, it has spent more than $3 billion on programs and projects to improve the lives of millions worldwide, said Klinginsmith. The Rotary Foundation is the arm of Rotary International that is responsible for funding the vast majority of the humanitarian service projects Rotary does worldwide, including its Polio Plus program fighting to eradicate polio.
The centennial celebration officially kicks off in May at the Rotary Convention in Korea and culminates at the 2017 convention in Atlanta.
You can be sure to expect emphasis from Rotary leaders throughout the next year about The Rotary Foundation! It will be good Rotary knowledge to know that The Rotary Foundation is celebrating its centennial. Keep that in the back of your heads for those Rotary trivia quizzes this year!
Service: Our Impact
We at the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley work hard to make the world a better place. This happens via big projects and little acts of kindness, and we tell each other about it. Why? To brag? Certainly not! Instead, we believe that sharing cool stories of helping others can inspire us to find new ways to do good in our communities.
It's the first week of the month, which means we're sharing those moments of service to others, big or small, as a way of both getting to know each other and inspiring each other to see new possibilities for improving the world around us. Here we go!In January…
Richard Knaggs gave out various food items to street beggars.
François Tessier helped a Montreal-based Buddhist temple put together a helping program for addicts among the local Buddhist community; he also helped a drug addict rehabilitation center in Sri Lanka prepare their fundraising campaign.
Heather Shaw visited a convalescent home and provided laser therapy for wound care; she also visited and treated two people who were homebound pro bono.
Tzviatko Chiderov helped with recording the educational experiences and challenges of high school and college students through a student sponsorship program called New Hope Initiative in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya. He reports: "I met some really smart kids who are excelling despite the incredible challenges they face. Very inspiring."
Catherine Liu helped the First 5 group's convert content into Chinese.
John Lozano organized a CISV (Children's International Summer Village) event for 11 year-olds interested in traveling this summer - the group did activities on team building, problem solving, and cooperation.
Paul Mosso took part in the selection process for the 2016-2017 Rotaract District Executive Committee; selecting positions for District Governor, Lt. Governor, Treasurer, and Secretary.
Rushton Hurley engaged in a random-acts-of-kindness moment by buying and giving gift cards to three people doing housework.
Keith Marsh spent time serving on the board of a non-profit that serves the developmentally disabled community.
Manju Ramachandran volunteered at the Republic Day ceremonies on Jan. 26th.
Martin Fox did pro-bono mentoring of social and environmental entrepreneurs - a lot of it :-)
Gene Tognetti spent time consulting with three different small companies on website design, business strategy and tactical next steps.
Events & Projects
This section of our meeting is where you learn about both recent and upcoming events and projects our club is leading or supporting. We welcome guests to all of our events and service projects listed here.
Upcoming Events:
Did you miss our past events? Come join us for any of our upcoming events! Guests, you are welcome too!All times are in Pacific Time (San Francisco, CA, USA time!)
Service as an eClub
As we see it, an important part of what we do as an eclub is to find ways that we can marry service using new technologies to our interests of innovation, entrepreneurship, and education.
Service Chair Andrew Taw has been working on several possibilities related to our helping entrepreneurs get their start-ups into the next gear. We are working to gather teams who can connect with these entrepreneurs using video conferencing tools. We should note that we are focusing on entrepreneurs who are building ideas that can build communities in some innovative way.
Our first effort along these lines is coming up in the beginning of February, and we’ll keep you posted. If you want to take a direct role, email President Rushton (president@siliconvalleyrotary.com), and he and Andrew will let you know how you can take part.
Sexy Salad Potluck & Wine in Livermore on Sun. February 21st, at noon
Come enjoy the local extension of Napa Valley in Livermore. We will be having a salad potluck at the awarding winning Retzlaff Vineyard Winery in Livermore on Sunday, February 21st, from noon to 2p. There will be live music and wine. This is a sexy salad potluck! Sexy salad is a way for communities to come together and give gratitude for good food and for good company. Members and guests should bring an ingredient to contribute to the salad. For example: you could bring a bowl of cranberries, a bowl of sliced steak, a bowl of cherry tomatoes, etc. We will be providing organic assorted greens, the salad dressing, along with plates and utensils. All members and guests are welcome to attend; this event is also friendly for anyone under 21 as well! (Though those not 21 or older can’t have wine, of course.)
Nightlife Exploration at the California Science Academy in San Francisco on Thursday, March 24th, at 7p
Come with our club to explore the amazing exhibits and experiences at the planetarium during the evening for California Science Academy’s Nightlife program! We will be meeting at the California Science Academy in San Francisco on Thursday, March 24th, at 7p for an exciting night of science adventures! Open to all members and guests. Tickets will be available for purchase. More details coming in early March.
More Socials!
You can sure expect more socials to be coming up! Members, if you are interested in helping plan socials, please reach out to President-Elect Mitty or leave a comment on this meeting. We would love to get you more involved with the social planning!
Happy Dollars
Happy Dollars is the segment of our meeting where anyone can choose to make a voluntary donation to tell us a short story about something good that has happened to them this past week. Maybe someone paid for your coffee, gave you a ride somewhere, or you got a job promotion. This is your chance to brag about it or give a shout-out to someone deserving, while giving some of that karma back to our community.
From last week:
Member Linda Tangren donated $20 and said,"This is a shoutout to all the brave souls who hiked Point Reyes!"
How much should you give? It could be a single dollar, and that’s perfectly fine. If you’re really excited about something, though, feel free to toss in more!
Selected Comments from Last Week
Each week we ask our members and guests to share their thoughts on the program, and even respond to each other’s comments. Using the comments at the bottom of the page, you can share your thoughts. Log in using a Disqus account you create, but you can also use your Facebook, Twitter, or Google accounts – just click the drop-down arrow next to “Login” on the right side of that section.
We look forward to reading your ideas!Here are some selected comments from last week’s meeting:From guest Andy Lester (Oklahoma, USA):
It was good, as always. I thought the presentation about the young Saudi woman’s start-up was fascinating and quite inspiring. I was interested to read about some of your club’s service projects. Finally, I enjoyed the pic of the Club’s outing to Point Reyes Seashore. We have some beautiful scenery in Oklahoma, though nothing that looks quite like that. Your club clearly puts a lot of thought into the weekly programs as well as the other things a Rotary Club – traditional or electronic – is supposed to do.
From guest Ferheen Abbasi (California, USA):
“What we are is the light – the light that lamps old and new shed to allow others to see new possibilities.” – I really needed that! Will make this my quote of the day and will do my best to spread light to others! I remember watching that commercial years ago – I DID feel sad for that poor little lamp! The offline map function doesn’t seem to work here in Osaka – not sure why. I will explore more. Naqaa is such a fascinating concept and I’m glad to have heard Mouna speak!! Saving the environment is so incredibly important and we as humans need to do more to protect the Earth as we are the main cause of its destruction. Mouna, I think it’s phenomenal what you are doing, especially as a woman in Saudi Arabia. I affirm you in your efforts and wish you the best! PS. Go Bears!
From member Yvonne Kwan (California, USA):
Welcome Brian! Awesome tidbit! Haven't tried this out yet, but it'll definitely be handy for when we venture out on hikes or places where data is spotty. Mouna, I'm blown away by your dedication to your work! It's so great to see green initiatives happening in Saudi Arabia. The best part of this has to be, as Andrew pointed out, how you completely changed paths, took risks, and found something that you truly love doing. Definitely an inspiration that we can all follow! It was great seeing everyone out at Point Reyes! Looking forward to the next social :)
From member Heather Shaw (California, USA):
Welcome Brian! Loved meeting everyone on the point Reyes hike-it was gorgeous as was captured by the photo czar. We could used that tidbit for our drive as Rushton was at the mercy of me giving him directions which ultimately helped us explore new territory ?. Thank you for the inspiring talk. I also appreciated how you never know where a path is going to lead you and the earth thanks you for this work
The Program
Each week we share the stories of people working to make the world a better place, no matter where they are in order to inspire those everywhere else. This week we hear from Nicole Vasquez, founder of The Shift, a local coworking and community space in Chicago.
What do Uber, Airbnb, and WeWork have in common (besides massive revenue)? In this presentation, we'll discuss the rise of the sharing economy and explore the many ways it has affected how we work, where we work, who we work with, and how we choose to spend our time.Nicole Vasquez (@NicoleRVasquez), MBA, is the founder of The Shift, a local coworking and community space in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Her daily mission is to help other people pursue their passions while connecting them to the opportunities and resources needed to achieve their goals. Nicole is committed to supporting small businesses, promoting individuals doing great things in Chicago, and building shared communities through local outreach, collaborative events, and strategic partnerships.Nicole was named one of the “35 Under 35 Making an Impact in Chicago,” has won the Community Award from the RedEye Chicago Big Idea Awards, and has been a featured guest on the Coworking Success podcast. Follow her on Twitter at @NicoleRVasquez.
links:http://www.theshiftchicago.com/http://www.ablendofpeople.com/
Upcoming Programs
Now that you have completed watching this week’s program and meeting, here are some programs that you can expect in the coming weeks.
Week of Feb 8th: Invest in the Life of a Child
Week of Feb 15th: Getting to Next through Training
You’re Almost Done! One last thing: The Attendance Survey..
Thanks for reading and watching this week’s meeting. You have two last things to do before you’re done. First, we have a very short attendance survey below for you to fill out to record your attendance.
Visiting Rotarians, this is how you can get an email receipt to pass along to your club’s secretary as proof that you’ve attended our meeting if you need it for makeups.
Non-Rotarian Guests, we would love to see who is dropping by our meetings! This part is optional for you though.
More importantly, for all members and guests — we strongly recommend and ask that you leave a comment below in our comments area below. Tell us how you enjoyed the program. Ask this week’s speaker any questions you might have. Or just stop by and say hello and tell us where you’re from!
