How to Establish an Effective Charity-Business Partnership?

Last week, we raised the questions concerning the challenges for charities to set up partnerships with business:

•                Which commercial partners to choose?

•                How to protect our values and brand names?

To establish a charity-business partnership effectively, the foremost important aspect is to consider what commercial partners or business to choose. Charities should not consider a joint venture with companies whose core business is in conflict with their own because the differences in business objectives would harm the charities’ values and brand names.

Once choose a potential partner, it is substantial to ensure from the outset of an agreement and a framework of managing expectations which both charities and business agree on. This could provide charities a means to check and monitor the performance of their partners, in order to prevent companies damaging the reputation of the charities.

We do believe sharing similar values and setting out agreement and monitoring system are the key components of creating a mutually beneficial partnerships. We are therefore actively looking for potential partners to join our Tribes Project, which support the notion of youth empowerment and are willing to contribute to youth education/ e-learning.

If you are interested in what we do, please do not hesitate and contact us.


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Technology Shapes the Way We Learn

The widespread use of Internet and electronic gadgets has created us a lot of learning opportunities. Living in the age of technology, ICT has brought us to an era to transform the way we teach and learn. As an educator, it is the duty for us to ensure all the students have access to tools that they need to catch up with today’s technology.

Students of the 21^st century are surrounded by technology. In a kindergarten in Provo, the primary learning resources are no longer chalkboards and worksheets, but iPads, laptop computers and smart boards. With the use of Internet, these tools help students to learn and connect with the outside world.   

In addition, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra spotted the increasing importance of technology in education. She planned to give out free tablet computers to all primary school students to help students engage in technology and learning.

With the evidence of transforming our traditional learning resources, we believe Internet and technology are powerful tools for teaching and learning, which can bring positive impact when successfully integrated into the school curriculum.

We are dedicated to provide students an online learning community alongside the provision of the electronic gadgets by schools and governments. We aim to enhance students’ engagement and their critical and creative thinking skills.

We do not intent to replace traditional teaching and learning methodologies. However, we recognized the raising power of technology, which is a useful instructional tool to couple with traditional learning.


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Education 2.0

Web 2.0 shows us that technology has heralded a step change in what we can do online. In the early 2000s, many people see Internet as an information giving technology. With the rise of Internet users and social networking sites, the pattern of web activity shifted to the era of “web 2.0” from “web 1.0”.

Web 2.0 applications are built in forms of user-driven communication, creation and collaboration. Today, we both receive information online and actively engage in discussions and activities. The concept of web 2.0 not only encourages business and governments, but also educators to adopt new strategies in service delivery/ teaching and learning. That is why we always hear e-banking, e-government, e-learning and e-teaching.

From Generation Y onwards, web 2.0 tools are powerful resources in assisting teaching and learning, particularly online educational platforms for students to discuss and share ideas on issues. Web 2.0 facilitates learners’ experience and their sense of “globalness”, which lead us to the period of education 2.0.

Online discussion platforms support communication and collaboration. Learners are allowed to build a community outside classrooms and create their own materials (e.g. articles, photos, videos, etc.) for publication. They are also allowed to ask questions and learn from online information worldwide.

Education 2.0 is taking learning out of classrooms. It plays an important role of leading to a collaborative and knowledge sharing network in the future.


Our online educational community is inspired by the emergence of education 2.0. To find out more, follow us on twitter and join our Facebook page.

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Business-Charity Partnership: Opportunity or Risk? - From a Charity Perspective

Last week, we mentioned the prevailing CR/ Sustainability business model an opportunity for charity to build potential partnerships with corporate. From a charity perspective, what are the opportunities and risks?

There are 2 significant advantages to successfully partner with business- 1) to raise fund and 2) profile.

Partnerships with corporate can worth a great deal. First, given the lack of funding in most charities, it is seen as a driving need for raising fund. Second, it leverages the benefits of cause-related marketing. That is, to increase the ability to promote the charity’s cause through tapping the financial resources from business. Take us as an example, we will have more resources to invest on marketing of our “Rafi.ki Tribe” Programme with more business partnerships.

However, experience tells us that setting up partnerships with corporate is not easy. We spot 2 risks- 1) incompatible objectives and 2) unequal power relations.

Charities have strong brand name and core values. It has been difficult to align our aims, values and work to business. When comes to negotiating fair deals with commercial partners, charities often comply with the proposals put forward by corporate. An invisible unequal power relation exists in the establishment of business-charity partnerships. Bargaining and decision making power are often overridden by the side with rich resources.

These risks reflect a number of challenges for charities to set up partnerships with business, including:

• Which commercial partners to choose?
• How to protect our values and brand names?
• How to maintain a sustainable partnership?

We are launching a ‘Rafi.ki Tribes’ programme, which is about providing the technology, expertise and network of schools to help other organisations working with educators and/or young people to establish or enhance their online initiatives. We are actively looking for support from corporate, governmental bodies and other non-profit organisations, but at the same time encountering a lot of difficulties in search for partnerships.

Have your charities ever faced any challenges in setting up partnerships with business? Post your comment and share with others.

Next, we will dig deep into the above questions and move to the discussion on how to establish an effective charity-business partnership.


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Anti-Bullying Week (14-18 November 2011)

Anti-Bullying Week starts from today.

Bullying has been a growing social phenomenon, particularly in schools. A lot of school kids become the targets of bullying. They experience different forms of bullying such as verbal harassment, physical assault, etc., which is detrimental to the well-being and development of young people.

With increasing used of technology, cyber/online bullying has become a prevailing social problem. Examples include threatening or embarrassing someone through emailing, sending chatroom messages, setting up profiles on social media platforms to make fun of someone, etc.

As an online educational community, we are concerned about the personal development of young people who have experienced online bullying. Technology is supposed to link everyone around the world together, enhance cultural understanding and facilitate discussions. We aim to create a peaceful platform for young people to positively interact with each other.

If you see online bullying happens or you are one of the victims, report it!

To support anti-bullying, check http://social.bullying.co.uk.

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CSR? CR? Sustainability? Are they the same?

In recent years, there is a growing trend of companies paying attention to social and environmental impacts as a result of their business operations. Corporate talks a lot about contributing to the society. Particularly in some blue-chip organisations, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)/ Corporate Responsibility (CR)/ Sustainability Divisions are set up. If you have aware, names of these divisions have been shifted from CSR to CR or Sustainability. Are these concepts the same? And why is there such a change?

Some people claim that CSR and CR/ Sustainability are interchangeable. Theoretically speaking, however, they are contested concepts, which should evolve across time and context.

CSR is viewed as part of the business roles of contributing its profits to the community. It is defined by dual objectives- benefiting business and society.

While climate change has becoming an overwhelming issue, our interpretations have developed from a relatively narrowed social concern to a wider notion of balancing economic, social and environmental development. The CSR focus is far too narrow in the sustainable development led era.

By taking the ‘S’ out of CSR, CR embraces a holistic conception of sustainable development- to meet the needs without compromising the needs of the future generation. In business sense, CR means to meet the business objectives without compromising the future social, economic and environmental needs. In other words, corporate has the responsibility of maintaining sustainable development by acting in a sustainable manner.

The transformation of departmental terms reflects practitioners’ awareness of the prevailing contextual shift. However, how can corporate make full use of CR/ Sustainability? Is it an opportunity or a risk?

From a charity point of view, it is promising to see corporate waking up from the call and getting business beyond usual. We see CR/ Sustainability an opportunity for charity/non-profit organisations to build potential partnerships with corporate and accrue significant benefits to the society in sustainable manners.

Next, we will discuss more about the opportunities and challenges of business-charity partnerships from a charity perspective. Please post a comment of your initial thoughts!

To find out more about us, please follow us on twitter and like us on facebook. Stay tuned for our updates! 

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Change Our World: Let the Youth Speak!

“Failing to invest in our youth is a false economy,” said the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

Three months ago, International Youth Day (IYD) was commenced to round up the UN International Year of Youth (IYY) 2010-2011. “Change Our World” was chosen as the theme of the year, which draw youth’s inspiration to take initiatives to change and bring positive impacts to the globe.

The theme represents the importance of the impact that the young generation to strive to achieve. It also stresses the notion of global citizenship and cosmopolitanism as the core principles of the UN.

The UN significantly raises youth inclusion to the global policy agenda. However, the reality shows that it is uneasy to truly empower youth. Policy and politics regard youth voice as risk. Favouring those in power is the major roadblock for genuine youth empowerment. There are critics about youth being apathetic to politics. But if they are not given channels to voice out their thoughts, how can they be motivated to participate in politics?

Nowadays, we talk a lot about sustainable development- to meet the current need without compromising the need of the next generation. Sustainability does not solely refer to environmental sense, but also all walks of social aspect. To sustain the well being of the global community, youth should be given freedom to speak and opportunities they deserved.

The question is “how can we encourage young people to speak?” In the information age, youth, the e-generation, are proficient users of all kinds of modern communications (i.e. social media and online discussion platforms). These tools have great capacity to connect youth to the outside world. We need to give young people a room to speak and shout out loud, and to be heard from people around the globe.

Seeing the boom of the e-climate, we created the online educational platform- Rafi.ki, to encourage young people to exchange ideas, inspirations and plan to make changes upon the emerging global issues. With our effort, we motivate youth to be actively engaged. With the support from governments, NGOs, and corporate, we believe it will be a big step forward to effectively empower global youth.

Show your support by following us on twitter, joining our Facebook page and telling your friends, colleagues and family. 

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What is Rafi.ki?

Welcome to our Rafi.ki and Kidogo Blog!

Rafi.ki means 'friends' in Swahili. Here, we refer Rafi.ki to our online educational community.

Rafi.ki is established by Gemin-i, an educational charity in the United Kingdom based in London. It is an online platform allowing children and youth around the world to learn about each other's cultures and beliefs. In other words, this online community acts as bridge linking students from different corners of the world together.

Rafi.ki contains lesson plans and projects to study online. Topics include malaria, HIV and AIDS, climate change and human rights. In 2011, we have connected over 2700 schools in 130 countries approximately.

Our blogging purpose is to maintain and develop the well-being of the global community through international communications. We believe listening to the voice of our next generations serves as a sustainable manner in the creation of a better global village. We aim to raise the awareness of global citizens' responsibilities and stress the significance of empowering youth.

If you find Rafi.ki interesting, please visit http://rafiki.gemin-i.org/ and http://kidogo.gemin-i.org/ to find out more.

Stay tuned for our news update about Rafi.ki, global youth issues and so on.

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