"Trying to make the world better one tweet at a time"

We hear so much about the dangers of cyberbullying. How would you like to hear about social media being used by teens for a good purpose instead? That sounds much more optimistic to me!

This video introduces us to Jeremiah Anthony, a junior at Iowa City West High School. Jeremiah started the Twitter account @westhighbros to tweet compliments and encouragement to friends. Recent tweets, as of this post, included such things as "You are really unique and talented," "You make the best of everything that comes your way," and "You are smart and can find the humor in every situation."

His Twitter bio says, "Trying to make the world better one tweet at a time." I think he's doing that, don't you?  Good job, Jeremiah. Find out more. 

Digital natives and the Optimist Club

According to @Blackboard and @Jess3, the contemporary student is an active learner. As digital natives, they are constantly connected to the internet and seek information on the fly, from ever-growing and accessible sources around the world. So while they may be seen as inattentive to the world around them, in fact, we might consider youths to be even more aware, culturally, socially, and technologically as they learn on their handheld electronic devices.

 
The Voice of the Active Learner by Blackboard and JESS3 from JESS3 on Vimeo.

As our Optimist Clubs seek to attract students to participate in programs and competitions, they must be aware of the new normal. Technology is not a luxury, it is a necessity, and one that the students of today will only improve upon in the future. It's time for our programs to offer a digital and sharable component.

To joke or not to joke?

Recruiting younger members is on the minds of most service club leaders. How do we do it? What will attract the millennial generation to join our cause?

According to Twitter, the way to attract and influence the younger generations is to be campy. In their recently uploaded recruiting video, the geeks tell all about what it's like to work @Twitter.



What's important here is they are telling their story at the level of the individuals they hope to attract to their team. Old fuddy-duddies need not apply unless your unique qualities are so extreme that you can appreciate/tolerate/compete with their sophist (icated) humor and unparalleled skills. Watch the Twitter recruiting video to learn more.

Would camp work for your Optimist Club? Think about it, I imagine that the inside jokes your members share might be considered campy by some; however, just as the nonsense in this video may not appeal to all, neither do your old jokes. Find a clean slate and start fresh and I promise, you'll attract new members from all generations, genders and ethnicity. Let me know how it goes, okay?

An Optimist Club story found @Twitter

I can't say that I have ever seen 11 retweets about an Optimist Club project until today when it was announced that the Beaches Optimist Club had awarded a scholarship to a student at Florida State University Panama City. (FSU PC)

What's the big deal? 

1. It was the fourth endowed scholarship to be awarded by the club.
2. Each scholarship is renewable for $25,000 per year.
3. The value of scholarships endowed by the Beaches Optimist Club is $105,000 annually. 

The latest recipient is Jennifer White. She is the first recipient of the Optimist Club of the Beaches Law Enforcement Endowed Scholarship.

According to David Blanchard, President, Optimist Club of the Beaches, the decision to focus on law enforcement came from connecting two of the purposes of Optimist International: respect for law and supporting youth. It also comes at the 100th anniversary of the birth of Optimist Clubs in the United States. 

Thanks to Twitter and the NewsHerald.com for the story. 

Frank Adman and why I love social media

I struggled a little writing yesterday's post. You see, the subject matter did fall close to home because I don't always accept positive news for what it is. As I was choosing my words, I didn't know whether to use "we," "they," or jump into the omniscient author and write about "some" or "others."

I decided to stay with "we" and put my imperfect self out there, for whatever it was worth. I can be included in that unknown majority of people that might sometimes gossip and might look for the story behind the story. In my defense, I'm not as suspicious as I used to be so I accept my foibles and move on to consciously being a better person.

As so often happens, when I finished my post, I went over to Twitter to see what was happening in the world. It was with incredible timing that @FrankAdman had just posted a link to a Ted presentation. Of course, from the shortened URL, I didn't know what I was going to find at the other end of the link. I just knew that it looked like good news from one of my Twitter friends so I clicked.

The Ted presentation was wonderful and the whole series of events  is a great explanation of why I love social media. Without @FrankAdman's tweet, I may have never found the story from Neil Pasricha about the 3 As of Awesome. I may have never found Neil's blog 1000 Awesome Things.

Neil's talk reminds us to look at the world around us with a positive attitude - "with the eyes of a 3-year-old." Neil's blog gives us samples of experiences to savor.

Now it's up to you and me to choose the right attitude. Enjoy the optimism. Look for positive news and accept it for what it is. Be happy, generous and always be kind.

New Optimist Club is on Twitter

There is a trend today for bloggers who tweet. We're asking you who read our posts here to also follow us on Twitter. Why? Because Twitter is about give and take, sharing resources and ideas and building relationships.

I want to get to know you. I would like to know what is on your mind. Please join our discussion on Twitter. Thanks!