Gen Y Infused Politics

If you are looking for imagination, creativity and vitality in your politics look no further than Virgina's 1st district and the Krystal Ball campaign. At 28 Krystal would be the youngest person in Congress but is the oldest person on her campaign staff which has an age range from 19 to 28. She has raised an impressive amount of capital for an unorthodox campaign fronted by a first time candidate. Her choice to completely surround herself with young people is a risky strategy- one that I find refreshing and one that produces political gems like the video below.



Where are Lorain's young candidates? I would like to see a qualified 20-something mayoral candidate in the near future...

The Spread

Residents of Lorain know that a Wal-Mart Supercenter is slated to open in the Lighthouse Village later this year; there will be benefits to this but there will also be consequences for the community.  More on this in my next post.
 

Reading List

Micro Loan; Macro Impact

I became aware of the concept of microcredit when Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for its decades long work in Bangladesh helping the rural poor gain access to funds that would allow them to begin to rise above poverty. In essence microcredit consists of very small (micro) loans issued to impoverished people all around the globe for small entrepreneurial ventures. Since 2006 microcredit has expanded into microfinancing- a movement to ensure that all people, especially the very poor, have access to quality financial services such as credit, savings and insurance.

So why does this excite me and why should you care? Microcredit is exciting because it allows average citizens of average means to put their values in line with their purchasing power and make a big difference. For as little as $25 you can join an online philanthropic community and help, for example, a woman in Malaysia expand her clothing shop. So when you are feeling like you can't make a difference, think again:

I just loaned out my $25 Kiva fund to a woman in Lebanon who wants to expand her craft business. This is the third time I have loaned that $25- it's not much but it has helped a woman in Nigeria buy more sweet potatoes and a group of farmers in Peru acquire animals to sell. You can even make money through micro lending. Maybe its time to start thinking which purchases are really necessary and how small decisions, small actions really can make a difference.