501derful.org
I helped coin the term Social Media for Social Good awhile back and this weekend I am making it happen again. Fellow Social Media guy Mike Chapman and I will be joining a street retreat put on by Mobile Loaves and Fishes.
No cell phone. No watch. No bed. No car. No wallet. No blankets. No money. No A/C. Just us and the streets. Starting at 4pm today they will drive us to downtown Austin and drop us off. I’m going to try and smuggle in my flip cam and hopefully will have some video for you later in the week. I know Mike is going to try and smuggle his phone along as well so he can tweet.
Why are we doing this? To show the social media people out there that this medium can be used for good and to let you know what it’s like to be homeless. We are going to tell our tale through Twitter, Facebook, Blogs and Video. Hopefully it will inspire you to think twice the next time you tell a homeless person to “go get a job” once you see how tough their lives really are here in Central Texas.
Dave, I think this is a really amazing opportunity for people to learn more about the hardships the houseless population endures and to show how the web as a medium can advance social causes. I can’t wait to learn about your weekend, I anticipate it will open up Austin’s eyes.
David, I hope I run into you guys this weekend. Thanks for the work you are doing to raise awareness around this very important local issue. From my office on 6th street, I can attest there is a growing population of our community that is living on the streets. In my mind, this is perhaps the most tangible example why we need to focus on devloping the overall economic conditions of Austin.
This is a great social experiment. When I worked at St. Edward’s, we had a group of students who would take an alternative spring break each year and spend the bulk of it “homeless.” I was — and am — impressed by the willingness of anyone to give up the comfort and safety of home to experience life as someone less fortunate.
Are you doing any media outreach? If not, you should — the St. Ed’s story was picked up by CNN and, I think, helped to inspire others to really see the homeless.
Good luck this weekend.
Stephanie
Just did this two weeks ago in Austin:
http://www.nevblog.com/labels/Homeless%20Experiment.html