education, simplicity

Step 34: Moving Mountains One Stone at a Time

Christa Avampato

“The one who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” ~ Confucius

I went to a second training session with Citizen Schools that focuses on building out our final project ideas along with constructing an idea for the apprenticeship fair where the students will visit each possible apprenticeship and note their top choices for the semester. So now I’ve got the hook and the big prize, I just need to build all of the smaller steps that get us through the 10 week program.

If I think about this project too much, it can seem a little bit daunting. There are a lot of small moving parts to consider, specific content that must be communicated, and the communication methods need to keep an active 12 year old mind engaged. Thank goodness for all of the support offered by Citizen Schools. Out of the gate, it would have been tough to do this as my own independent side project. With the staff and resources from Citizen Schools, that mountain of an apprenticeship still looms large, but now appears to be scalable.

With big projects, I like to take the work involved and chop it up into bite-size pieces. Simplicity is the key: I just need to figure out all of the content I want to convey, and Citizen Schools can help me develop a fun method to the madness. I’ve got a blank slate to my right and a lot of material to teach on my left. With each activity and each lesson, I imagine myself picking up one small stone from the pile and moving it from left to right. Small goals and small victories can and will really add up to something beautiful.

The image above is not my own. It can be found here.

failure, history, story

Step 33: Lessons from Scars

Christa Avampato

On Sunday, I found my way to In Over Your Head, Julien Smith’s blog, via a tweet from Tim O’Reilly. He recently wrote a post about the importance of scars. We spend a lot of time avoiding disaster, avoiding the eventuality of hurt and pain. I’m not suggesting that we head out into the world searching for trouble. I’m just saying that I think scars are under-rated and we should be less afraid.

I started to think of all the times I didn’t say something or do something or feel something because the prospects of failure and hurt were just too great. I insulated myself in an effort to protect my feelings, my heart, and my spirit. There are times when I wonder what would have happened if I refused to ever be afraid, or at the very least if I never, ever let fear stop me from doing what I want to do. What if I never worried about getting scars?

Julien artfully connected stories with scars; he frames up the need for scars as a way to track our personal histories. The idea is simple and powerful. Take a look at your hands and your heart. Take note of the scars and blemishes and the imperfections. Hang on to the lessons of heartbreak, failure, and disappointment, and let go of the sadness they brought along with them. We need those lessons because without them we’d forget where we’ve been.

owning pink

Owning Pink: Bright Spots

Christa Avampato

The lovely ladies of Owning Pink have given me the great honor of featuring one of my blog posts as their Mojo Monday exercise: finding the bright spots in our lives and replicating the heck out of them! Have a peek here.

philanthropy, poverty, social change, social entrepreneurship

Step 32: The Worth of Abundance

Christa Avampato

“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.” ~ Thomas Fuller

A few nights ago I met with members of the organization Healing Haiti. The organization is new, less than a year old, and prior to the earthquake they developed a business called Print for Change that donates 50% of its profit to help Haiti. The earthquake has now considerably upped the ante of their work. The need is greater than ever, the situation even more dire than when the organization first formed.

We discussed the immediate needs of the organization and the people of Haiti. In a crisis, it’s the basics that are most sought after. Prior to the earthquake, Haitians would stand in line for hours to get access to a bit of water. Now, those lines are hard to even find. I tried to put myself in that situation. In my warm apartment with all the food and water I could ever want, my family and friends happy and healthy, a job, and the creature comforts afforded to a lifestyle of few wants, I couldn’t even imagine the despair brought on by living in rubble, no food, no water, having lost my family and my friends, and seeing no hope in sight. I understand the need to dig down deep, and to have faith in our darkest hour. But what if we can’t even see an end to the darkness? What do we do then?

I can usually reason my way out of just about anything. This conundrum stumps me. I’ve had many hard times in my life, and despite any kind of hardship, I always had hope. There seemed to always be some help available somewhere. Despite my search for hope everyday, I still don’t fully comprehend its worth, perhaps because I’ve never truly been without access to it. How can we fully appreciate something’s worth until it’s gone?

I’d love to believe that we don’t need a burning platform to fully grasp the meaning of gratitude. I’m just not sure we’re wired for that without examples like Haiti. It’s important for Haiti, and for our own personal growth, too, that we not turn our eyes and heart from their need now. We need the lessons of their struggle as much as they need our help.

You can follow the work of Healing Haiti at their blog: http://healing-haiti.blogspot.com/

books, children, education

Step 31: Whatever It Takes

Christa Avampato

Yesterday on my blogging / computer break, I finished the book Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America, an intimate look at Harlem Childrens Zone (HCZ), a nonprofit run by Geoffrey Canada. If you are interested in the future of public education, this book is a must-read. Author Paul Tough could have easily made it a ra-ra HCZ book, and he would have been justified in doing so. He didn’t. He shows us the good, the bad, and the ugly, the organization’s great successes, the painful choices, and the grave disappointments. It’s a beautifully crafted book about an organization that is changing the odds for poor, inner-city children.

When I finished the last word of the book, I started to think about Geoffrey Canada’s strategy and mission statement for HCZ: “Whatever It Takes”. He is willing to do whatever it takes to not just improve the odds of success for poor children in Harlem, but to change the odds of the game entirely for poor children all over the country. He provides health services, nutritious meals, parent education, and even pays back-due library fines for families enrolled in his program so that they can take their children to the public library and read to them. His list of services strives to be comprehensive of every possible need a child could have so that they can focus on their studies. His unwavering confidence in his approach and his laser beam focus are inspiring, and they’re working in his favor.

What if we could all do that with the area of our life that we are most passionate about? What if we could commit to the “Whatever It Takes” philosophy? How would that change our odds of success and fulfillment? I can’t help but think that there is so much power in those three little words that it would be truly impossible to fail if we took those words to heart. In those three words, the sky ceases to be the limit because they obliterate any limit at all.

clarity, technology, yoga

Step 30: Hang On by Letting Go

Christa Avampato

I’m having a tough time concentrating this morning; there are a lot of thoughts and decisions swimming around in my head. Too many if, then, what if, what then, and how statements. Too many questions without enough answers. My brain is fuzzy and nervous.

I’m not usually like this. Usually, I’m very clear headed. I compartmentalize well. I manage my nerves so they don’t get the best of me. Sometimes writing helps me to get clear. Sometimes just allowing my mind to spin out the questions long enough will allow the clarity to rise to the top. Sometimes I just need a nap. Today, I need yoga, a walk (despite the cold temperatures outside), and a day of rest from this computer. I know, I know, I’ve got a lot to do. A lot to write and plan and prepare. I know. But today, I’ve hit that point of diminishing returns. More time at this computer will not improve my focus; actually, it’s making it worse. Even my computer is slowing down; it’s tired, too. I’ve got to give my weary mind a rest, the same way that a marathon runner takes a rest the week before the big race in order to recharge her body. So it’s time to climb down from my cyber chair and go “out there”.

My friend, Sharni, unplugged earlier this week because she was in the same state. Too many screens and not enough time out in the physical world. I’m going to join her for the rest of the day today. Sometimes when we need to focus, the best thing we can do is let go.

social change, social entrepreneurship

Step 29: Activism

Christa Avampato

“Activism is my rent for living on this planet.” ~ Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize-winning author

Today I spoke with HopeLab, an organization I’ve been getting to know over the last year. Founded by Pam Omidyar, HopeLab uses technology such as video games to improve the health of children. We have been talking about our mutual interest in using social media to engage children and their parents in living healthier lives. This lead us to talk about our public education system and its role in improving child health.

As our conversation unfolded, I could feel my spirits rising. I could feel the emotion welling up in my voice, not causing it to crack, but causing it to strengthen its conviction. Talking about education puts me into a zone where I am my most articulate. On this subject, my thoughts weave together to synthesize powerful, passionate sentiments. And I don’t need prepare anything to talk about education. I just allow myself to show up and be; this is the height of authenticity.

While watching the news, I saw that President Obama showed up at the Republican meeting, allowing the party to fire questions at him. His spontaneous responses were taped live. He took no notes or prepared remarks with him; he showed up with only the information in his mind and his intense focus. Despite the difficult few weeks that preceded the talk, he was determined to hold his own. Another example of the power of authenticity.

Activism, at its best, is giving our authentic passion about social issues the center stage. So many social issues need our attention now: education, healthcare, clean energy, the environment. And the list goes on. Our world is getting to a point where we cannot afford to wake up, go to work, go home, and sit on the couch, hoping for a better tomorrow. As Alice Walker has so eloquently stated in years past, “we are the ones we have been waiting for.” The only thing that is going to create a better tomorrow is our ability to act.

education, worry

Step 28: Start. Now.

Christa Avampato

“The difference between getting somewhere and nowhere is the courage to make an early start. The fellow who sits still and does just what he is told will never be told to do big things.” ~ Charles Schwab, entrepreneur

Last night I went to the orientation for Citizen Schools in preparation for my pilot of Innovation Station, an after-school program to teach product development and entrepreneurship to under-served middle school students. I was reminded of my friend, Amanda’s, post about being a beginner. I have taught lessons in public schools, though always with an organization’s planned curriculum. For Citizen Schools, I need to build the content. Citizen Schools offers a lot of support, though ultimately the apprenticeship is only as good as the volunteer.

On my way to the subway last night, I felt an odd mix of determination and trepidation. I feel so compelled to help these kids, and yet I worry that I will not be able to do enough. The lessons won’t be good enough, comprehensive enough. The students won’t fully understand how critical it is that they stay in school and work harder than they ever thought possible. How can 10 weeks, 13 small hours, make enough of a difference?

And then I read this quote by Charles Schwab. I have to get going. Now. I’ve got to start somewhere to make some kind of difference for these kids, these kids who are so much like me in so many ways. Imagine if my teachers or guidance counselors or my mom didn’t have the courage to start encouraging me despite the tough odds, didn’t have the water-tight belief that yes, I could do anything. Where would I be now? What would have become of me? I certainly would not be where I am.

Now is not the time for sitting still and doing what that nagging little voice of self-doubt tells us to do. That voice will never tell us to step out and try. It will never tell us to begin. It will only tell us to stay small. And we can’t do that. Not now. The world needs us too much; we have too many somewheres to be.

entrepreneurship, Examiner, New York City, technology

Examiner.com: My Interview with Adam Rich, Co-founder of Thrillist.com

Christa Avampato

Looking for the latest great place to dine, shop, or hang in New York City? Look no further than Thrillist, a free daily email with one fabulous suggestion after another. I recently had the opportunity to connect with Adam Rich, one of the co-founders, to get the inside scoop on their start-up.

Many thanks to Flavie Bagnol, Director of Communications, for making the arrangements for this interview. For the full interview, click here.

choices, decision-making

Step 27: Non-negotiables

Christa Avampato

Yesterday, Brian and I had a discussion about anxiety and what causes it. Lately, I’ve been having some very vivid dreams about choices I’m making and how those choices will affect other areas of my life. I love to think about ripple effects, taking an idea as far down the road as I can to see how it may play out in the short-, medium-, and long-term. Of late, I’ve also been experimenting with working backwards, considering where I’d like to be and then working back to see what I should do now to get there.

I asked Brian for some other tools like the working backwards strategy that may help me with the current decisions on my plate. He suggested the idea of building a list of non-negotiables. I am a fan of pro-con lists, though the trouble with pro-con lists is that they are interminable. By contrast, a list of non-negotiables is finite and non-negotiables quickly help us get to our core values.

We can develop a list of non-negotiables for every area of our lives: career, relationships, where we live, our diet. And the genius of this type of list is that it prevents us from settling. There are certain things that are just unacceptable, and if we take each of the options before us and match it up against our non-negotiable list, we can more easily discern which options could work and which ones need to go to the trash.

I’m working away on my lists for different areas of my life. Here’s one for how I schedule my writing commitments:
1.) I must retain the rights to my work
2.) I receive credit for the work and am able to list my website’s URL at the beginning or end of the piece
3.) The piece must be about a topic that personally interests me
4.) The publication must broaden my reach to a new audience

That’s it. Now of course there are other things I’d like to have, though these 4 points are the must-haves. If an opportunity violates any of my non-negotiables, no matter how great the opportunity is, I know I will eventually be unhappy with it. Knowing our non-negotiables provides us with our greatest chance at happiness, ensures our authenticity, and presents the most efficient and fulfilling use of our time and effort. Who could argue with that?