Just a few days from now, the entire World is going to change. In a very big way. And you are going to be the one to make it happen.
WHAT is happening is an amazing application of crowdsourcing on a scale never before attempted. It is an interactive game called “Paths Out of Poverty” and created by Jane McGonigal, a subversive designer who specializes in alternate reality games that are played on a mass scale. Her games are focused on real-world problems, with a goal of sourcing real solutions while practicing what she calls “the science of positive psychology”. Oh yes and: she hopes some game designer practicing this might get nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Really.
If you want to know more about Jane, check out the TED Video below. It lasts about 20 minutes but it is well worth your time.
The IDEA is to grab thousands of new ideas for finding “Paths Out of Poverty” for people throughout the world, with the goal of creating a roadmap for change on a scale the world has never seen before. With you and I and everybody else out there collaborating on a grand scale to submit what the designers call “New Evidence”, “New Capacities”, “New Rules” and “New Stories” to help tilt the balance of power to help alleviate Poverty throughout the world. Yes. Really. The short video below illustrates what they’re talking about.
WHEN this change is going to happen starts April 3, 2012, at 9am PDT, 12 PM EDT, 1 PM BRT [that’s Rio de Janeiro time], 7 PM EAT [Nairobi], and 11 PM ICT [Bangkok] time. It will run 48 hours. And YOU need to sign up. Now. Really. We need you.
Click here to do it. Then come back. We’ll be here.
WHO is sponsoring it is an organization called “Catalysts for Change”, an Institute for the Future project supported with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, and in collaboration with their Global Searchlight Partners. You can find more about this particular set of change-makers by clicking here.
WHERE this is all going to happen is everywhere. Even where there is no direct connection to the internet, ideas can be gathered and stored for upload later. And for those with internet connections you can upload as it happens.
48 hours. Not a great amount of time out of your life to set aside to make a big difference in our future and those of our grandchildren. So for those of you out there that already think of yourselves as “Game Changers”, it’s time to step up and be part of this. And for those of you who aren’t quite sure you’re up to it, I’d like to just remind you of the famous line by the even more famous basketball legend Michael Jordan. The one where he admitted to never being perfect about making 100% of the baskets he tried for, and the one where he acknowledged missing 100% of the baskets he never attempted.
It is time to stand up and make your own attempts. Because you too are also going to miss 100% of the ones you don’t try for in the first place. The world is going to change. For the better. We just need your help in making a push.
I’ll be there too. Write us at ideas@stranova.com to tell us what you think about this.