Spotlight on Digital Media And Learning

12.2.10 | Connected and adept at social media, members of the Millennial Generation are using digital tools to shape and express their commitment to social issues, from “green” causes to the recent DREAM Act campaign, in which thousands of young adults are sharing stories online and marching on state offices demanding the right to higher education. 

PandoProjects taps into Millennials’ social commitment and digital savvy with an online organizing platform for grassroots activism.

The goal, say its organizers, is for Pando, a nonprofit organization based in New York City, to become “a central hub for social innovation, where people can share and learn from each others’ ideas, strategies, and experiences.”

The online platform will connect young adults with mentors and volunteers. It will provide project leaders with the tools for outreach and organizing. It will also spread the word about the good works via social media.

“Pando is the first service platform that meets their unique needs and interests, incorporating technology, localism, innovation, social networking, and the ability to scale successful ideas,” according to the website.

Pando is launching its pilot phase in January 2011 with 25 projects. If you want to be a part of Pando’s original team and have an idea for a grassroots project, they’d love to hear from you.

Here are three of the types of projects that are possible with Pando:

Educating Today for a Healthier Tomorrow
One young woman is tackling obesity. As she says, “60% of Americans are overweight and 30% are obese.  I love to cook and want to find a way to help address this problem! I’m starting a weekly cooking class for inner-city children to teach the kids of Chattanooga, TN how to make healthy meals and live a healthy lifestyle. Every week, I’ll help the kids make affordable, healthy snacks in the kitchen of the local high school cafeteria.”

Restoring Park Musconetcong
A New Jersey native cleans up a park because “I basically grew up in the woods of Musconetcong Park in Reston, NJ. I played there with my buddies after school, and the experience of being in nature at such a young age has shaped who I am today. But when I visited the park recently, I was shocked to see it covered in trash and worn down from water damage, ATV damage, and loose tread. I want to organize a group to meet throughout the summer to clean up the 200 acre park.”

Recycle and re-use our computers
Another young woman wants to stop the waste: “In 2007, Americans threw away 206 million computer products.  Only 18% of those products were recycled. I’m starting a project in San Francisco, CA to collect old computers, refurbish them with a team of volunteers, and distribute the refurbished computers to poor families in the community.”