Howdy, all Triviaholics! We have an exciting project in the works, and all are invited to take part. Recently, a couple of calls for participation in fundraising events have inspired a number of trivia hosts and players to contribute their time and, most likely, Linden dollars to some worthy causes.
There were two meetings called on very short notice but fairly well attended -- one on Monday evening and one on Tuesday afternoon, SL time -- in which plenty of ideas got tossed around. What we are conceptualizing is a week-long series of trivia events from which all tips or donations will be pooled and contributed to a charity selected for that series and to make a regular thing of it (once every two or three months, we'll see how it goes).
The attendees at the meetings approved the first two projects, and the dates for each have recently been released. Here is the information for those interested in getting involved (it's never too late!):
July 1-15: Benefit to raise funds for the National Wildlife Federation, which is working to save wildlife from the effects of the recent oil spill
It will probably make the most sense to have the trivia week from Monday, July 5, to Sunday, July 11, but we can address that as a group. When we initially met, the charity associated with this project was undecided but the Audobon Society had been put forward. The National Wildlife Federation, however, became the final choice. If this changes anyone's opinion of the project, don't be shy about saying so (thinking of those who approved Audobon Society here). I address CBA below. :)
If you'd like to be involved in ways other than planning the trivia events, please contact Further Monday.
October 4-10: Mind Out! to raise funds for the International Mental Health Research Organization
This one is off into the future, but the backstory is that there was some controversy with the running of the recent Black and Blue Fashion Fair, which was meant to raise awareness of mental health issues. A number of designers pulled out, and so some dedicated individuals have decided to organize a different type of event for a trusted international organization, the IMHRO.
If you'd like to be involved in ways other than planning the trivia events, please contact Cyclic Gearz.
Other stuff:
The name TriviAid was suggested by Tezcatlipoca Mistwood, and everyone who was present at the Tuesday meeting or who responded when I posted the name to Plurk has given it a vote of approval. This is a name for the project, not for a specific group of people. We are not planning to create a new group at this time, since many people have an excess of trivia groups already. Instead, we plan to use the Trivia Fiends group as our primary means of in-world communication. Joshua Schism has fitted the group out with tags that read, "Fiends With Benefits."
On a different note, an important concern that has been raised is to remain aware of the cultural impact of the charities we choose to support. We have an international community among us at trivia events. Simultaneously, however, many charities that gain high profile support in Second Life are based in the United States, and I recognize that the National Wildlife Federation is no exception. Nonetheless, the oil spill and the imperative to support its cleanup ultimately affect all people and creatures in ecosystems around the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, and our second project will specifically benefit an international organization. Because this is conceptualized as an ongoing project, we will have more opportunities to continue extending an international reach. That is to say, I know that the choice of NWF for the first project might evoke some red flags, but it allows us to connect with a larger project on the first go. And we will have more chances to diversify our scope.
We will announce future meetings in Trivia Fiends, most likely with more advance notice than the previous ones. If you want to be involved, please just jump right in. :)
Hi folks - this is the organizer of the first charity event for the NWF. Just wanted to say first of all, thank you for this great idea and being willing to help out in this way! Secondly, I did a lot of research on the various orgs addressing the oil-spill cleanup, and even looked at the World Wildlife Fund originally. However, this org gained my confidence because they were coordinating their efforts in a variety of ways and yet still had a specific fund aimed at gulf coast restoration. Just thought you might like a little more background info! Best, Further
ReplyDeleteHi Lette I really do admire the efforts of people for these fundraisers, and I really feel I am being difficult about this, but every charity supported has been American, and the IMRHO seems no different apart from the title.
ReplyDeleteOf course I don't want to criticise people giving money to charities they want to support, but personally I prefer to give to the Third World rather than to the richest country in the world.
I speak as someone who has made regular monthly donations to UNICEF for almost 20 years, and when we did the Triviathon I matched the Race for Life amount raised at Nelly and my event with an equal donation to UNICEF.
I really do feel mean about raising this issue, and you can be sure that if I do participate in an event I will do my very best to help make it work.
Hi, Lotus - I decided on IMHRO because they are the only international research foundation I knew of. It doesn't actually matter where the research happens, because the effects of it are still great. The majority of research does happen in the US, but mostly because places like the UK are so incredibly underfunded for research into mental illnesses, it's crazy. I'm a Brit, and without the research done in the US, I wouldn't have my current medication.
ReplyDeleteResearch is not limited to one country. It will benefit the entire world, because scientists have a habit of needing to share what they have achieved with the world.
I would completely, utterly be dead if not for this kind of research. I would not understand why I am ill, how I an manage it, and how I can prevent it from affecting my loved ones too.
People in the Third World have mental illness too, it isn't exclusive to richer countries, and with global research, these countries would benefit too.
I think it is affordable to support both Western/US and International charities anyway, if the inclination to is there - if IMHRO was not supported, then a lot of people who need help would have prolonged suffering due to lack of research into better medications and therapy techniques, there would be a distinct lack of understanding about what these illnesses actually do to a person, and we would be back to the Middle Ages, where mentally unwell people would be rejected by society, tortured, or even killed, for something they cannot control.
I don't mean to ramble here. This is so extremely important to me, and the other participants - the emphasis on Mind Out! is to promote awareness through empathy. I would like those people who lack awareness and those who don't understand to *feel* what people with mental illness go through, how it is not just a mental illness, but a physical one too.
The donations will go to helping those of us, who without the research, would struggle to do the things most people take for granted, like remembering to eat, getting up in the morning, going outside, talking to people, being able to slog on through the day without feeling hopeless, abandoned and lost, because of lack of understanding.
I really don't want to look like I am wanting to say my personal charity is better than another, and I fully understand why someone with a particular problem might be keen to fund research into it.
ReplyDeleteI am not so sure that mental health research is likely to benefit countries with life expectancies of 35, and where few people are old enough to develop Alzheimer's, and where people cannot afford even cheap 1950s generic neuroleptic drugs. I'm afraid I think we're likely to end up with more cognitive enhancers of marginal benefit, or new neuroleptics and antidepressants, which will only be available in rich countries.
For me, education, family planning services, clean water, mosquito nets, vaccines and treatment for AIDS and malaria are more important issues for developing countries.
I completely accept that others have a different view.
In my original reply I forgot to mention the Haiti fundraiser earlier this year, which i thought was an admirable cause.
Lotus, I appreciate the concern. I don’t want to give the impression of imposing a nation-based prerogative. I was conscious of the issue before anyone commented on it; it has been part of how I've approached the organizing from the start. I'd like to explain a bit more fully how these plans came about and pose ideas.
ReplyDeleteI didn't call the meeting with a cloudy idea of "let's help a charity," with the group selecting NWF and IMHRO. Rather, I received both requests for participation, which asked for designers, DJs, anyone who wanted to lend a hand, and wondered if trivia hosting could be a valued contribution.
My first thought was to lend a hand in the same way a DJ would, being available to host and/or organize one or more events and giving my tips toward the causes. In other words, I would be getting involved with Further and Cyclic's projects -- oil spill cleanup and mental health -- whether anyone else wanted to come on board or not. But knowing that it might interest others, I decided to open it up and see who else wanted to be part of it.
It turned out a lot of people did. If the calls for participation had been for supporting UNICEF or other truly international organizations, the scenario would have been the same.
My initial idea was not an entire week-long series of trivia events; it was to be only a few events, staggered to reach a few key time zones and schedules, and for it to be monthly, which would allow many charity choices over the course of a year and in that way allow us to diversify the scope of our efforts from the beginning. It would also let us actively choose some of the charities we contribute to, rather than joining projects already in motion.
During the first meeting, such enthusiasm was expressed that it was apparent that a week would be necessary to accommodate all who might wish to be involved. Consequently, to prevent people from being overwhelmed by a request for giving in one week out of every four, it was suggested that it take place bimonthly or quarterly instead of monthly.
As a result, oil spill cleanup (the particular organization hadn't been selected yet) and the IMHRO ended up becoming the first two -- and so far only two -- projects instead of two of several.
Suggestions in the next comment, since Blogger has a character limit....
Here are some thoughts and ideas as to how we can avoid setting a precedent:
ReplyDelete=> The fact that the late (mostly North American) meeting took place before the early (Euro-inclusive) meeting was a consequence of when I first plurked the suggestion and others saying, "Why don't we meet right now?" If the early meeting had taken place first, the decision-making process might have been very different. I already had it in mind to alternate the order of the meetings each time we have them so that those who attend the late meeting don't continually have the opportunity to set an agenda that the early people simply agree to.
=> Just because we are committed to the NWF and IMHRO projects does not mean we can't take on other ones in the meantime or simultaneously. The concern, as I said above, is burning out players, hosts, and funders. At the next pair of meetings, we can discuss as options:
-> including more than one organization as recipients of donations for each week of fundraising (e.g., collect for a rainforest conservation organization alongside NWF in July)
-> engaging in smaller projects during the intervening months that benefit more international organizations
-> selecting and committing to a third large project now that has a more international reach
-> reconsidering the original plan of doing monthly medium-sized projects instead of large quarterly ones
=> We're working together instead of separately in order to maximize the effectiveness of the project, but at its root, it's still me saying, "I want to do this; who wants to join me?" I don't fashion myself as the person "in charge" of trivia involvement so much as the primary liaison between trivia folks and event organizers Further and Cyclic. Additional causes need not go through me, but I’ll support any and all.
Lette
ReplyDeleteI really do understand where this has come from, and please don't feel I am in any way denigrating anyone's efforts, and yours in particular, because I have enormous respect for your energy and organisational skills.
And I really do not want to appear as someone who always finds fault because I didn't think of it first. I am sure the charities chosen are worthwhile charities.