Corporation for National & Community Service: Social Media & Student Engagement 

Aiming to tap the skyrocketing popularity of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to promote social good, the Corporation for National and Community Service today announced $2.3 million in grants to use social media to engage college students in service to meet community needs. The grants provide seed funding to six organizations to develop the next generation of technology innovations to support college student service. The grant program, the first of its kind by a federal agency, capitalizes on two emerging trends: the strong civic attitudes of today’s millennials and college students, and the explosion in use of social networking sites. (see 9/22/08 press release)

1. Bonner Foundation's Serve 2.0 Initiative (this resource wiki is also part of our initiative)
2. CIRCLE in partnership with Community Knowledge Base, University of Massachusetts-Boston, Massachusetts Campus Compact, and the Boston Foundation 
   • press release
   • blog post: "first steps with a Boston-area social network" Nov 10, 2008 
   • Media Literacy and Social Change: Class Project Page (Google Docs page) 
3. Midwest Consortium for Service-Learning in Higher Education 
4. Phoenix Project with the Craigslist Foundation and George Mason University
5. Campus Kitchens Project: (wikipedia profile) 
6. Ashoka Youth Venture:  

2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge 

USAID is proud to announce the launch of the 2008 USAID Development 2.0 Challenge. Brought to you by the Global Development Commons.

Mobile technology, including everything from inventive applications for smart phones to simple text messaging, is increasingly ubiquitous in the developing world. USAID challenges you to explore its potential through an innovation for maximum development impact in areas such as health, banking, education, agricultural trade, or other pressing development issues.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Government agency that delivers economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide on behalf of the American people, is sponsoring a challenge to find the best in mobile innovations for good. Through a NetSquared community vote, fifteen finalists will be chosen. A panel of judges, selected by USAID, will then select the winners. The first place winner will receive a grant of $10,000, the two runner-ups will receive grants of $5,000 each. All three winners will have the opportunity to present their ideas to senior USAID officials, experts, and the public in Washington D.C.