Hi all! It’s December which means that TMI is winding down for this year and gearing up for 2009! Among many things that we’re looking forward to in January, we have two events in particular that we are really excited about!
- TMI is hosting its first annual Board of Directors Retreat at RMR in January. The Board is going to get together for this weekend retreat to discuss and outline the Visionary Statement for the future of TMI. The Board will be able to use all of the information that Paul Rademacher, our Executive Director, has gathered from his travels through the year, the feedback that was collected from the Facilitators at their retreat earlier this year, employee feedback here at TMI, and of course the Board’s own input to prepare the statement. This is an exciting time for TMI as we continue to follow in the footsteps of so many explorers, and continue to make some new footsteps of our own. One of the biggest footsteps is…
- The new TMI website! We are unveiling the new site the first week of January, and while it will continue to grow, this is such an exciting first step forward in many ways. Although we know and respect that the Internet is not everyone’s cup of tea, there is no denying that the world is moving in a direction of global connectivity and nothing could be a better suited model for TMI than the vast opportunity that is the World Wide Web. As I’ve mentioned before, the new site is not just a landing spot for information about TMI, it’s a social network, a library, a wiki, a great new store, and above all an interactive format for everyone out there to begin assimilating discussions and information about consciousness. What a great way to leap into 2009!
And, as a (somewhat!) quick aside, we wanted to share with you a really great and touching example of both how the world is becoming connected in unlikely places, and how the act of giving can change a person’s life. Recently on my drive to work NPR endorsed a website called laptop.org, and today Peter Agelasto, our design guru brought it up again so we thought this might be a great thing to share with the TMI community as an example of how the web is connecting the world.
Laptop.org defines its mission as:
“To create educational opportunities for the world’s poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning. When children have access to this type of tool they get engaged in their own education. They learn, share, create, and collaborate. They become connected to each other, to the world and to a brighter future.”
As TMI is discussing its vision for the future, it seemed fitting that we would come across an organization that regards connectivity around the world as leading to a brighter future. You can visit their website to learn more, but in a nutshell, through a donation you can provide a unique, rugged laptop to a child in need around the world. While some might regard this as being a bit of a stretch when it comes to the idea of “need”, the truth is that the world is moving very quickly towards a digital age, and including all parts of the world in that movement is becoming increasingly essential. And who knows? Someone may just wind up using a laptop to discover Bob’s books, or read your comments on a TMI blog post or…
While the future is always somewhat uncertain, one thing we know that will always ring true is that thoughtful acts of love and kindness, be it on a global scale or a simple smile across the room, will make this world a better place to be a part of. During the potential madness of the holiday season we encourage everyone to reach out to friends, foes and strangers and shine your light in any manner that seems appropriate to you, and above all remember that there is no connection made that is too small.
Thanks so much for sticking with me through this long email!
Best,
Amelia Walton
For more pictures of children with with their new laptops, go here.
