On July 15, 2010, I delivered a 2-hour keynote address on the Green Generation, a theme of the Global Initiatives Symposium, organized by the National Taiwan University.  Here’s the blurb for my talk/workshop…

The Green Generation: Redefining Success, Progress and Innovation
The next Green Revolution has already begun.  Its seeds are being planted not in rice fields but in the fertile minds of today’s youth, many of whom are dreaming of a future where humankind can live in harmony and equilibrium with nature. If such a future is possible, it will require business, social and technological innovations unlike anything we’ve seen before. Is the next generation up for it?  Only if they approach innovation differently, argues Charles Tsai, a champion of youth social entrepreneurs. New “green” models will need to account for outcomes, not just profits.  And they will most likely be developed from the bottom up, starting with all of us… starting with you.

I was delighted by some of the feedback.  One delegate told me my speech made her trip to Taiwan worth it.

In the afternoon, we had an unscheduled visit from the President of Taiwan (Republic of China).  He answered questions from the delegates, who were interested in (mainly) cross straits relations with China.

Through Ashoka, I was invited to visit Belgrade for a week to train NGOs as well as youth in Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship.  The youth were entrants in an innovation competition organized by the Ministry of Finance.

From June 15 to 18, I shared with the participants various tools for “customer discovery” as well as business model design.  Above picture shows a youth team articulating their business model, using the business model canvas developed by Alexander Osterwalder.

The biggest challenge these youth face, I think, is that there is no culture of entrepreneurship… yet… in Serbia, no “enabling environment.”  It’s going to be tough for them to get support – financial or otherwise – to pursue their dreams.  Their best chance is to creative a supportive network with one another and tap into global resources, as much as they can.

A key highlight of that trip was the tour of Belgrade that the youth took me on after the training.  Here, we’re visiting the fortress that stands at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers.

In February, I brought a contingent of young inventors to Ashoka’s global conference called Tech4Society.

The 13 youth (1 American, 1 Canadian, 2 Argentinean, 1 Mexican, 8 Indian) presented their projects to the entire conference and received the only standing ovation at the gathering.

We were really proud of the youth venturers, some of whom are pictured here with Ashoka’s founder, Bill Drayton.

Now that I feel more settled in Washington, DC, I hope to post more regularly, starting with this update.

I’ve begun working on what should have been the first toolkit, the one that ties together all the toolkits.  But I needed to work on the individual chapters to get a sense of how they will all hang together.

What I’m working on is a Pocket Guide to Social Change, which maps out the basic journey of a changemaker.  What basic steps should one take to produce impact on the world?  That’s the question I will attempt to answer.

If you’d like to be one of the first to view this guide, just send me a note on what you think should be one of the basic steps.  I’m limiting the steps to five so pick your step well.

I was honored to have given a presentation at the inaugural TEDxTaipei on October 17, 2009.

I spoke about Inconvenient Youth, a term I used to describe young changemakers. When the video is posted, I will provide a link here.  Stay tuned!

It’s already getting a good response but I look forward to additional feedback in the weeks ahead.

Youth can offer so much in terms of great ideas and positive action, but are often dismissed as being “kids.” How can we as a society best serve and cultivate their potential?

Don’t talk down to them. Young people truly want to make a real difference in the world. Let’s not confine them to bake sales and car washes. Let’s help them innovate solutions and create tangible outcomes.

We should do all we can to help youth get better at creating change. To quote Kathy Sierra: “People can’t be passionate about things they suck at.” So the better young people are at creating change, the more passionate they will be.

And we need them to be passionate. The future they face – we all face – demands nothing less.

Link: Change.org Interview

But I can’t resist posting a personality test I took on a popular dating site.  It seems to describe me to a T. But I may be biased.  So here it is.  Judge for yourself.

You are an EXPLORER / director

You are a skywalker. You love adventure, both intellectual and physical. And you greet new challenges with passion and bravery.

When you get interested in a project, you can become extremely focused on it, sometimes to the exclusion of all around you. You complete it carefully and thoroughly, often with great originality.

And because you have a lot of energy and tend to be enthusiastic about your ideas, inventions, and projects, you can be very persuasive.

You tend to like to collect things, experiences or ideas. And you are eager to make an impact on those around you, as well as the wider world.

Although you enjoy people and can be charming and humorous, you are not very interested in routine social engagements or boring people. You are comfortable being by yourself, pursuing your own interests.

People probably call you a non-conformist, an original. You like to have good conversations on important topics. People tend to admire you for your innovativeness. You make an exciting, though at times distant, companion.

I’ve been a huge fan of the TED phenomenon for a few years now so it’s an honor to be invited to speak at a TED event.

This year, the Taipei event has three sub-themes: Taiwan Stories, Design Power and See Beyond Possibilities. I’ll be addressing the third theme.

What will I be speaking about? Well, you’ll have to stay tuned.

A companion chapter to Perfect Your Pitch (Chapter 7), this one offers a template that you can use to create a funding pitch for your social change project. It’s also available in PowerPoint format.

If you ever have to present your project to funders, this chapter on how to “perfect your pitch” may come in handy.