Reinventing Student Sponsorships in Rural Honduras with Katia Gomez of Educate2Envision
This Meeting’s Highlights
Program: Reinventing Student Sponsorships in Rural HondurasSpeaker: Katia Gomez, Executive Director of Educate2Envision (E2E)Meeting for the week of April 18th to April 24th, 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!
Welcome Members & Guests!
Message from our Club President-elect
Greetings and Happy Earth Week!My name is Mitty Chang, and I am president-elect for the greatest Rotary E-Club in the San Francisco bay area, the Rotary E-Club of Silicon Valley! It's my pleasure to give President Rushton a break from his meeting duties by presiding over this week's meeting.Our theme this week is gratitude.This Friday, April 22nd, we celebrate Earth Day. Earth Day marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970. It's a national day to focus on the environment. 46 years ago on April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies.Today, Earth Day's movement is much about understanding and appreciating what the Earth gives to each of us. It's about giving gratitude to a planet and to an environment that has given our ancestors and us the foundation of our lives today. I ask that each of you take just 60 seconds out of your busy days to think about the environment you were born into and the world that surrounded your childhood, your early adulthood, and the rest of your life up until now.We often take for granted everything we use on a regular basis -- from the clean water that runs in our tap water, to clean toilets that flush, to being able to shower with clean water, to the food on the table. When we were children growing up, these thoughts may have never occurred to us because we never thought to question where things came from -- we only accepted that there simply was always clean water and food in the fridge and pantries, because that's all we knew growing up. As adults, while we may take these items for granted on a daily basis, we recognize that there are millions in the world who do not share the same luxury we do when it comes to clean water, flushing toilets, hot showers, and fresh food in refrigerators and pantries. We recognize not everyone in the world lives underneath a roof. We recognize that not everyone in the world is free from oppression and slavery.It's the goosebumps and the solemn feeling you get when you spend 60 seconds to think about--to emphasize and to imagine--the millions of children and families in the world who are without clean water, running toilets, hot showers, food, and shelter; those are all the reasons why I am so dedicated to this organization of Rotary. Those are the reasons why as members of Rotary, we engage with Rotary on a regular basis. Those are the reasons why we pay dues to Rotary; why we continue believing in Rotary.There is no other organization in this world that has as much influence to do good as the over 1.2 million members of Rotary International. Rotary clothes the poor, feeds the hungry, heals the sick, shelters the homeless, educates the next generation, and so much more.Yes, April 22nd marks the 46th Earth Day -- to celebrate and to give gratitude to our planet. But at the same time, it's a day to recognize and to give gratitude to everyone who strives to make this world a better place.I find so many reasons on a regular basis to be humbled and to be grateful for each of you -- my fellow Rotarians. We are going to continue making the lives of the less fortunate better, because that's just who we are -- that's just what we do.It is a pleasure to be here. Guests and members, please enjoy the rest of the meeting! And if you would, leave a comment in the comments section at the bottom of this page telling us more about what you are grateful for. (This is also my test to see who actually read this message. I'm providing partial assistance by bolding this section.)Guests visiting our club member -- I want to give each of you a warm and a special welcome! We love having visitors! Please enjoy our meeting on your favorite device -- desktop or mobile! I strongly encourage each of you to leave a comment on this page once you are done. Tell us where in the world you are visiting our meeting from, and tell us a little bit about what you do! If you are a visiting Rotarian, feel free to tell us about your club!Thank you for being here!
Yours in service,
Mitty Chang,
President-elect
Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
The Power of Images
They say a picture says a thousand words. Every week we try to bring you a picture that we think will inspire you a thousand times.
This week we ask this: Have you ever wondered what the Northern Lights look like while flying up in the air?
This week's photo is from pilot Kent Wien (Flickr user "flyforfun"), taken in the cockpit of the plane he was co-piloting. Coordinates 53N50W.Definitely a unique perspective!
If you could take a photo from the cockpit of a plane, where would you take it? Share with us your answer in the comments section!
Thanks for the share, Kent! Check out more of Kent's photos on his Flickr here.
The Power of Ideas
We welcome the opportunity to share thoughts from those whose insights can help us see new possibilities in our communities.
This week we are highlighting the virtual reality possibilities that social media giant Facebook is deploying with their new Oculus Rift VR headset!This video is recorded from the F8 developer conference that Facebook held last week. Among other exciting goals and plans, this was definitely one of the highlights. It gets really interesting at the 1:44 time marker in the video. That's when the virtual reality selfie starts happening! Check it out!https://youtu.be/SqspyrTkR9wWild, huh?Technology has come a huge way over the past decade alone. Imagine where we were with technology back in 2006 -- that was BEFORE the first Apple iPhone came out and revolutionized the smartphone industry. 10 years ago, our "smart" phones were still in black & white and had physical QWERTY keyboards!We can definitely be grateful for the advancements in technology in just a decade! Now we are on to wearable technologies and virtual reality!Speaking of virtual reality (VR). Have you wondered about how VR technology is going to integrate into the entertainment industry? Check out our friends over at Buzzfeed riding a VR rollercoaster for the first time!
Just think about the endless possibilities emerging technology can bring us in the next decade. Share with us in the comments section about where you see technology going in the next decade. Perhaps the future of conference calls and online meetings will be completely in virtual reality! What do you think?
Our Events & Projects
We hold our meetings online, but we hold regular service projects and social events in the Silicon Valley every month! This section is updated every week with our upcoming events. We welcome guests to all of our events and service projects listed here. Also be sure to join our Meetup Group!
Did you miss our past events? Come join us for any of our upcoming events! Guests, you are welcome too!All times are in U.S. Pacific Time (San Francisco or Silicon Valley time, that is)!
This Friday, April 22 @ 6 PM - 8:30 PM: Rotary Networking Hour in Downtown Oakland at Parliament!
Interested in networking for your business or career? Looking for a new job? Just want to meet some fun people who like doing community service? Ever wondered what Rotary is?
Then this event is for you! Oh, did we mention there will be some free food? :) (Appetizers!)
Rotary club members are business and civic leaders. Join local business owners and community leaders at our quarterly networking hour at the Parliament event space and bar this Friday, April 22 from 6 PM to 8:30 PM at 811 Washington St., Oakland, CA!
We've partnered up with Parliament and the Rotary Club of Oakland 3 to reserve the space exclusively for this networking hour open to members of the public. Bring some of your business cards and join us for a great time! All guests are welcome!
If you RSVP, pick up your free Eventbrite ticket here:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rotary-networking-hour-tickets-24636384088
About Parliament:https://www.yelp.com/biz/parliament-oakland
Optional but recommended: We are also asking attendees to consider bringing $10 in cash as a donation. 100% of the money will go towards The Rotary Foundation, which is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated towards humanitarian service projects locally and around the world.
RSVP on Meetup by clicking here.
This Sunday, April 24 @ 9:30 AM - 3 PM– The Justin’s House Chili Cookoff in Santa Clara!
We’re putting together a chili team for the first Justin’s House Chili Cookoff, to be held Sunday, April 24th, in Santa Clara, from noon to 3:00 (9:30 to 3:00 for those on the club chili team). We’re helping raise money for a great cause during a fun day of competition and food.
Justin’s House is an organization we helped with their launch last year. They work to help teens battling substance abuse and addiction, and we’re working to help them with this annual fundraiser.
Can you join in? Find out more about the Justin’s House Chili Cookoff day by clicking here.
To learn how you can get involved with our club’s team, please email Gene Tognetti (gene.tognetti@gmail.com) or RSVP on Meetup by clicking here.
Saturday, May 7 @ 9 AM - 12 PM: Food Sorting Service Project at Second Harvest Food Bank in San Jose, CA
On Saturday, May 7, 2016 from 9 AM to 12 PM - Come join us for a morning of sorting food at Second Harvest Food Bank! We will be at the Cypress Center in San Jose. This event will be capped at 5 people, with priority going to those whom we haven’t seen out at an event yet. Members interested can RSVP with Andrew Taw (service@siliconvalleyrotary.com) or on Meetup.
RSVP/Registration for this service project is now OPEN! Confirmations of attendees will be finalized no later than Saturday, April 30th.
RSVP on Meetup by clicking here.
Wednesday, May 11 @ 5 PM - 7 PM: Mock Interviews Service Project at Game Theory Academy in Oakland, CA
On Wednesday, May 11, 2016 from 5pm to 7pm - Come join us to provide mock job interviews for low income and at risk youth in Oakland! Game Theory Academy provides financial literacy and career readiness services for youth between 15 and 22 years old. As a part of their Crash Course in Job Readiness, we'll be joining GTA to help coach them through the very nerve-wracking process of being in an interview. This event is in the GTA office at 337 17th St, #214, Oakland, CA 94612. If you would like to join, please RSVP with Andrew at service@siliconvalleyrotary.com.
RSVP on Meetup by clicking here.
For Our Members: Min-e-Grants
Min-e-Grants are service grants of up to $250 that are available for our paid members only. These miniature grants are available for our members to use for local community service projects such as school renovations, community park improvements, and partnership opportunities with other local groups.
Support a good cause with a Min-e-Grant! The club will consider suggestions from our members to support a good cause with a donation. To do so, the member should make a case through our Min-e-Grant process, identifying a third party (another Rotary club, perhaps) which will match what our club donates to an appropriate cause.Sound intriguing? If so, read the rules, gather what’s needed, and make something happen!
Rotary eClub of Silicon Vally Min-e-Grants
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.
Every three years the Rotary Council on Legislation convenes and votes on enactments that change how Rotary operates and is governed throughout the world. The Council on Legislation comprises of 538 voting delegates from the 538 Rotary districts in the world. As you probably calculated, every Rotary district is allowed one vote via their delegate. Since the enactments that pass or fail at the Council on Legislation can change the way Rotary International and every Rotary district and club in the world operates, there is a major sense of responsibility and gravity given to the Council on Legislation and its delegates.Last week the Rotary Council on Legislation convened and voted on some major enactments that will create some positive change throughout Rotary. One of those enactments are regarding the rules on how Rotary E-Clubs are named! Here are the daily recaps from last week's Council on Legislation:
14 APRIL 2016
Council members Thursday approved the creation of a Council on Resolutions, a separate governing body that will meet online every year. It will propose resolutions to the RI Board, leaving the triennial Council on Legislation to deal exclusively with enactments, which change Rotary's governing documents. Proponents argued that the change could save up to $300,000 by shortening the Council on Legislation by a day. They also point out that the new Council would establish a channel of communication between clubs and the RI Board. Representatives also voted to allow Rotaractors to simultaneously be members of Rotary clubs.
13 APRIL 2016
Citing a need to provide programs and services that allow Rotary clubs to flourish, the Council on Legislation approved three $4 increases in the annual per capita dues that clubs pay to Rotary International. RI Treasurer Per Høyen, speaking in favor of the request, said, "Hearing that 9 out of 10 Rotarians have asked Rotary to provide more services, the Board does not want to decrease the services to the clubs and districts. Now is the time to invest in our future and make it possible to move forward and achieve a strong future for Rotary." The increase sets the dues at $60 in 2017-18, $64 in 2018-19, and $68 in 2019-20.
12 APRIL 2016
Continuing yesterday's theme of flexibility, the Council on Legislation agreed on Tuesday to simplify the qualifications for membership in a Rotary club. The measure removes six membership criteria from the RI Constitution, replacing them with the simple requirement that a member be a person of good character who has a good reputation in their business or community and is willing to serve the community. Proponents argued that the change will give power back to clubs to "choose their own members without a checklist" and encourage membership growth. The Council also deferred until Thursday the consideration of proposals to create a new membership type, associate membership, and to allow Rotaractors to join a Rotary club, too.
11 APRIL 2016
The Council on Legislation approved on Monday two key measures that would give clubs greater flexibility in their meetings and membership. Both were backed by the RI Board of Directors and passed overwhelmingly after lively debate. The first measure gives clubs greater leeway in when and how often they meet, how often they cancel meetings, and what constitutes a meeting, as long as they meet at least twice a month. The second measure grants clubs flexibility to experiment with membership models. Proponents argued that clubs need the enhanced freedom in order to determine what works best in their communities, noting that "one size does not fit all."
See the vote totals from Monday’s action.
We are pretty excited for the enactments that passed, as more flexibility have been given to clubs on certain issues such as membership (Rotaractors can now be Rotarians!) and E-Club branding. For now, we're operating with business as usual. If you have thoughts on any of the enactments, feel free to share those in the comments section!
Full details on the updates and votes are available here: https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/exchange-ideas/events/council-legislation
For Our Members: Service Survey
This section is dedicated for our members to report to us what service projects they have participated in recently. We love giving shoutouts to our members for the good work and the impact they’ve made in their local communities.
Our members do all sorts of things to help others, from grand projects to small moments that are big for one person in need. We ask each member to tell us what he or she is doing each week, and bring those reports together once a month to inspire each other to see new possibilities for making a difference.What have you been up to? Let us know via the link, below!
The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
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.
Last week, we had a few Happy Dollar contributions from some of our members and guest. Let's see what they had to say!
From member Brian Liddicoat ($15):
"Just saw 'Zootopia' for the third time (I have two kids). This is a wonderful, inspiring film for grownups as well as kids. It tells the story of Judy Hopps, a cute little bunny who dreams of being a police officer. Of course, nobody believes in her except her. For the instant gratification generation, it's nice to have a storyline that emphasizes that success is only reached after a LOT of hard work, defeat and disappointment. Everybody gets knocked down. Winning is about being knocked down and getting up."
From member Mahmood Khan ($15):
Polio Fund - "Never, Never, Ever Give Up." Winston Churchill.
From member Linda Tangren ($15):
"Annual Fund"
From guest Kristen Williams ($15):
"Thanks for the e-meeting for those weeks I can't attend by local meeting."
Thanks for contributing!
Grateful or happy for something that's happened recently? Here's your chance to brag about it! Go ahead. We're listening!
The Tidbit
For each meeting, we create or find a short video that helps you with some slice of technology or anything else as a way to learn something new.
This week we have a tidbit from our friends over at Buzzfeed on some hidden easter eggs on Google! Check them out in the quick video below:
Hope those easter eggs will help jumpstart your week with a smile! Happy Googling!
Special thanks to member Yvonne Kwan for submitting this awesome tid bit find for this week's meeting!
A Little Humor
We like to share a little humor each week, and as it turns out, it’s almost always appropriate that “Little” is part of the title.
This week we are featuring jokes from the third grade students that one of our members, Yvonne Kwan, teaches. You'll be surprised to how witty these future leaders are!
What did one eye say to the other? ...Between you and me... something smells.
Why can't you hear a pterodactyl go to the bathroom? ...Because the "p" is silent.
Why did they kick Cinderella off the baseball team? ...She kept running away from the ball.
Why are the Middle Ages sometimes called the Dark Ages? ...Because they had so many knights.
What's the difference between a tuna and a piano? ...You can tuna (pronounced "tune a") piano but you can't piano a tuna.
How do you fix a broken tuba? ...With a tuba glue.
HAHAH! Some of those were knee slappers!
Got some good jokes? Feel free to share those with us in the comments section at the bottom of this page! We may even feature some in next week's selected comments section!
Birthday Time!
This week begins with the 18th, which is the birthday of Video Czar Chris Cochrane in Ontario, Canada! This was the day that Yankee Stadium opened in New York, and as that is an icon in baseball, Chris is an icon in the world of media, with an amazing background in TV and movies. Chris, you are a great clean-up batter for this club!
Selected Comments from Last Week
Every week we finish our meetings by offering thoughts on what we’ve seen and read. The idea is to take the discussion forward another notch by asking good questions, identifying where what was presented connects with our lives personally, and (via reading others’ comments) to get to know each other better.
Last week we learned about The Care and Feeding of Passion-Based Communities with guest speaker Mike Lawrence, CEO of CUE. Here are some of the comments some of our guests and our members had to say:From Member Nathan Gildart:
"Thank you Mike - I completely geeked out on this program. I've seen CUE online in some manner many times, so it was great to hear from the CEO, what you do, and even your background. (I'm a teacher-technology coach at an international school in Tokyo) A lot of what you said resonates with my day-to-day life. I have certainly "found my people" here in Tokyo but would like to "find more of my people", as technology / learning innovation hasn't quite taken root outside of the international schools in Japan. The resistance you mentioned and the strategy you used with a colleague is one of my challenges - keep fighting the good fight, in a nice way! I completely agree that online engagement is indeed, engagement! I recently met people in Manila who have been following some of the things I post on our GEG, so online is a great way to meet people, share idea, and learn! Nice joke Rushton - I'll share it at rehearsal tomorrow and hope I don't get thrown out of the student. (bassist is a tech-guy)"
From Member Linda Diekman:
"Mike, thanks for making my day! As an Instructional Technology Coach, I spend a great deal of time working with "tech hesitant" folks and I'll be focusing more on their passions as a way to build relationships and then springboard to tech confidence. My tech director introduces herself as the "Lead Learner" for our community and it makes an impact on others and how they view her and themselves. Have a good week everyone!"
From Member Mark Dohn:
"Mike, I love how you share the vision of CUE in such a clear manner. YES! The story of supporting an educator's path to using technology through their passion is fantastic! Better, is that when you gave your quote from William Gibson, I was able to "rewind" and write it down for future use. #stealingfromlawrence #cuerocks"
From Member Ferheen Abbasi:
"Mike, thank you so much for your presentation! I really appreciate what your organization does. Using technology is so important in the classroom! I'm grateful to Rushton, who was my Japanese teacher back in high school, for integrating technology in my class! I love what you said about teachers being life long learners. If the teacher doesn't love what their teaching, it's hard for students to stay engaged. While I'm not a formal teacher, I do dabble in teaching English here in Japan. I notice that if I'm not excited to teach, my student isn't either. It's awesome to see your organization do such good for students!"
From Member Yvonne Kwan:
"Mike, thank you for your presentation and sharing the awesome work that CUE does! You're spot on about teachers needing to be life-long learners and enthusiastic about what they teach -- my students always feed off of my energy. I also love that you incorporate the "yes and" philosophy into CUE. Students are so inherently creative in different ways, and it's important for teachers to just go with the flow and take whatever is thrown at them. Sometimes those turn out to be the best lessons, and your final thought with the Titan poster epitomizes this. #profunditynailed"
The Program
Each week we bring to you someone, somewhere, who is finding a way to make the world a better place. We think that using online video conferencing tools gives us the chance, and perhaps the responsibility, to share stories as broadly as possible, seeking ways to improve communities through a variety of innovative ideas.
This week, we have the chance to talk with someone who has benefited personally from Rotary. Katia Gomez, a Rotary Scholar in 2011-2012, is the Executive Director of Educate2Envision (E2E), a California-based non-profit organization she founded in 2010.
According to Katia, E2E is the only organization in Honduras making secondary school affordable and accessible in rural areas. E2E is supporting over 100 first-generation high school students in six communities through leadership and entrepreneurship programs that train them to design poverty-fighting community projects and manage small businesses to generate income to cover their school fee.Katia will share her experiences starting a non-profit organization at the age of 23, and how she was able to turn bake sale money into a globally recognized organization. In addition to telling us about lessons she learned working in international development, she'll describe how her nonprofit organization has developed a unique way to make education accessible for under-served youth in Honduras.From 2009-2011, Katia served as a District Chair for CARE USA, speaking to politicians in Washington, DC, and locally about the importance of empowering women and girls to conquer global poverty. She is a 2015 Global Fellow for Ashoka, the largest network of social entrepreneurs worldwide that invests in innovative changemakers. She has been named the Top Young Change-maker in the US by Do Something.org/VH1 and one of the Top 12 "Amazing Young Entrepreneurs Doing Good" by Forbes. In 2013, she was also named by Newsweek as one of the "Top 25 Women Under 25 in the World to Watch" and has recently been featured as an ABC7 "Star" featured on KGO-TV. She has been a featured speaker at youth conferences worldwide including: Millennium Campus Conference, Women Deliver International Conference, and Hugh O'Brian World Summit. This year Katia had her story published in Europe by Penguin Publishing in the collection of memoirs entitled "PANGEA - Seven young people who are transforming the world." Katia earned her Master of Public Health from Boston University and her B.A. in International Studies from the University of California, San Diego.
Members and guests, please welcome Katia Gomez, Executive Director of Educate2Envision (E2E)!
Related Links from the Program:
Official website: www.educate2envision.org
Aerial video of one E2E school link: https://vimeo.com/159842898
Blog - how we got started: http://bit.ly/1XttORF
Our Upcoming Programs
Week of Apr 25th: Marcelle du Plessis - Lavender’s Power to Improve Communities
Week of May 2nd: Christian Clifford - Saint Junipero Serra: Making Sense of the History and Legacy
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!
