The Community is Growing – Through the internet, travel, and your help spreading the word we’re gradually growing. Please get involved no matter where you are by joining us on facebook or by sharing great content on twitter. If you have written or done something that fits here please contact us so we can share.

Splintering Your Brand – The conclusion of this series is coming up, where I’ll give some simple, practical tips to help in your project management. As a bonus, I’ll be sharing an interview with Tom Potisit of the Global Expedition for the World’s Greatest King. After flying around the world Tom recently held an exhibition to sale his photographs. Hear how his project developed and how he’ll use the money he raised to reinvest into his country.

Microphilanthropy – Before the end of the month I plan to announce our own microphilanthropy project. This means we will be directly helping people and reporting the results here. Donations will be accepted on the website (tax-deductible for US residents). This project will be our own version of the 100 Friends project. This is a big step and we’ll need you to play a role.

The Urban Garden Project – This project is moving along. We have already raised about 6000b ($200 US) through our May charity tweetup event. The next big event is LUSH, a poolside dance party at the Fraser Suites Sukumvit on June 19th. We’ve had some obstacles overcoming the issue of limited space for making a garden accessible in community centers and slums. BUT we’re persistent and we’re engaging more people on this project to find a way to make it happen (If it was easy, someone would have already done it).

Washington Leadership Academy – I’m speaking next week in Bangkok to encourage students to get active helping people. In addition to my lecture they’ll visit the UN and some other ngo’s and non profits. After a few days they’ll have a chance to put what they’ve learned in action and I’ll tag along for their projects outside the city. Should be fun and I will report back more to let you know how it goes.

“Dream big, work smart, start local.”

~Dwight

You may already be looking at the picture here and wondering if this is a scene from the movie, Outbreak. No, and this isn’t my beach outfit either. So what was I doing in Bali donning this blue get-up? In this picture I’m about to go into a mobile operating room. The mobile unit in the background is one of a few commissioned by the John Fawcett Foundation to go into remote places throughout Bali screening eyesight and performing corrective surgery. So while at first glance, it may seem strange, I’m quite excited underneath the mask.

Inside the mobile operating room I watched in awe as doctors quickly removed a man’s cataract and replaced his lens. Fascinating! The doctor performed the operation looking into a microscope, while I looked on at the image of the surgery being projected on a larger screen. Honestly, I cringed and blinked rapidly when I first saw the eye and all it’s nuances projected in such detail. But as more of the man’s cloudy cataract was cleared, the beauty of what I was witnessing sank in. In a few days this man will be able to see again and it only cost about $60. I should mention these services are provided at no fee to the patients all over the island. The foundation also cares for medical abnormalities, such as cleft palates, that they come across as they meet the island’s villagers (See their website for more).

I’m glad to share another organization doing great things in Bali. You’ve got to get off the beaten path and join us!

~Dwight

More on the John Fawcett Foundation on their website Bali Eye.

The students began the day by touring the facility and becoming familiar with the status of refugees in Bangkok. In the picture above, everyone is surprised to hear how many patients come through the center’s tiny clinic facility.

After the tour, the students began to clean litter, rocks and debris out of places where they planned to plant the flowers they purchased. The center is one of the few places it is safe for refugees to venture beyond their homes, so making the place more beautiful was a task everyone wanted to participate in.

These students not only had to do physical labor, but they were responsible for much of the project management aspects of their volunteer day. They wrote budgets in their teams, went shopping for supplies, and each team made a presentation to the staff at the refugee center.

Their presentations suggested what type of plants should be grown, the needs of the different species of plants, and even included menus of dishes the center could prepare with the veggies from their new garden.

They went over and beyond what they were asked by donating food, clothing, seeds for the future garden, and even pooling their money to contribute a donation. This should be an inspiration to all of us of what we can accomplish with a desire to help and a little teamwork!

Thank you to NIVA International School, all the BRC staff who participated, and everyone supporting this project. There is more work to do and we will need your support to continue into the next phase.

More before and after pics on flickr:

Get behind some fatties, these tweeple love food: @sleepyandhungry @steakRIOT @MisterNoodle @migrationology @simonleung

I’m fresh on the tracks of (the last five twppl I followed): @raquellins @successfool @patricksallee @jrpolgar @lynchk8

Most helpful tweep: @hp88

Hot topics: #WorldMalariaDay #Swineflu #therescue #srilanka

Gotta see (a link I caught this week that should be passed on): Here’s an advance invitation to World Refugee Day (#WRD09) in your area from Angelina Jolie–

Let’s have a real follow Friday! Follow @insearchofsanuk and a host of Bangkok peeps to Buongiorno Coffee & Wine Bar on Friday May 15th! It’s a small, but cozy place. So be prepared to kick back and inaugurate the weekend with your favorite people you never met!

What: Bangkok Charity Tweet-Up

When: 7pm Friday, May 15th, 2009

Where: Buongiorno Coffee & Wine Bar

The place is located on Ratchawithi Soi 2, a 15 minute walk from the BTS. Exit 3 or 4 on the BTS and take the skywalk towards the monument. When it forks go right, and go down the steps in front of the Fashion Mall (across from Center One). Follow the street to soi 2 and walk down the soi and underneath the expressway, continuing until you see the restaurant on the left side.View Map

A portion of what we eat and drink will be donated to the BKK Urban Garden Project!

We don’t usually think about overcrowded slums and packed out apartments when we’re discussing going green. However, ISOS is proud to announce it’s first “green” project to assist the urban poor.

Project Managers: Dwight Turner, Hy Martin

Target: The urban poor (Bangkok’s poorest residents including Thais, refugees, and Burmese migrants).

Goal: Make a garden accessible in poor communities to educate residents, supplement their diets, and instill proper care for the environment.

Benefits: More discretionary income. Gardening is highly therapeutic, educational and the activity will encourage the interaction of foreigners and Thais without requiring much translation.

Potential Sites: Khlong Toey Slum, Bangkok Refugee Center, and if the budget allows we hope to add additional locations.

Activity: “Play In The Dirt Day”

• We will arrange a day for volunteers and the local community to join hands and “play in the dirt” by building a garden in an area accessible to the urban poor.
• Upon completion everyone will have lunch together and community residents will return home with seedlings to nurture.

Need: Appropriate space for a garden. Materials, gardening tools, and a group of carefully selected species to plant. Also long term community support to insure gardens reach full potential and are properly cared for.

Cost: ISOS events and donations from volunteers will fund this project. Sponsorship is desired. Please contact us to sponsor a garden.

Check out the original Urban Garden Project website and imagine the impact similar activities can have in Bangkok. Thank you for previewing our concept and make suggestions by leaving a comment.

(Tip: If you’re scratching your head because you don’t know what twitter is click here.)

One big reason twitter is powerful is that it has the power to super charge viral information. Meaning a small piece of information could easily leap from your network to the world. Unavoidably, this also means we must deal with the quick spread of misinformation, spam, and more malicious content such as viruses.

We all know the Spiderman quote, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Well, here are three easy guidelines to keep us tweeting responsibly:

• Tweet Each Other Kindly

Chris Guillebeau or @chrisguillebeau (his twitter id), who was recently in Bangkok, would say this means better listening or in twitter terms: “RT, respond, make others look good, ask how you can help, don’t patronize, no auto-DM.“

• Tweet Authentically

Be honest. Give credit when due, RT (Re-tweet or resending tweets) often, and read/view your content before you resend.

• TweetUp!

This is a must do. Think about it, we all normally treat and trust people we know better than strangers (If there’s any question here, just consider the way we drive. Would you really have cut your friend off like that?). You’ll build stronger bonds and find yourself tweeting more. You’ll gain more engaging followers and be retweeted more often. There are limitless benefits.

So Tweet Responsibly. Follow some people doing just that.  Here’s a picture and the roll sheet of Tweeple who showed up at last week’s BKK Charity Tweetup:

@Codymckibb (Thrilling Heroics)
Location Independent WordPress/Mac/music geek. I help rockstar✩ entrepreneurs build authority online with blogs & social media! @codymckibb to conversate me.

@Migrationology (Migrationology.com)
I like to travel and eat, alot…why vacation when you can migration…

@Tofflerann (Dynamic Tourism, China, Business)
Expat Entrepreneur, Blogger, Photographer, Eternal Traveler & Learner

@Apepler (The Mantra of Ali)
Backpacking Fitness Enthusiast and Aspiring Blogger

@Jjmaurage (So Long & Thanks for All the Fish)
Freelance media whore wanders around Asia pretending to write a novel but really just getting drunk and singing too much

@Travelhappy (Backpacking And Travelling In Thailand and South East Asia: A Personal Guide)
British scuba journalist based in Thailand

@Jutecht (The Thinking Stick)
Education, Technology, Consultant, Presenter

@Thinkingchick
K-12 International Counselor

@Tbarrett (Everything Tom)
Hotelier and nomad. Muay Thai practitioner. Beach bum.

@Ryan_Lei
Freelance Chinese translator/interpreter, enthusiastic about humanitarian work.

What: Bangkok Charity Tweet-Up

When: 7pm Sunday, April 12th, 2009

Where: Buongiorno Coffee & Wine Bar

The place is located on Ratchawithi Soi 2, a 15 minute walk from the BTS. Exit 3 or 4 on the BTS and take the skywalk towards the monument. When it forks go right, and go down the steps in front of the Fashion Mall (across from Center One). Follow the street to soi 2 and walk down the soi until you see the restaurant on the left side.View Map

A portion of what we eat and drink that night will be donated to our BKK Urban Garden Project!