GiveLIVE! Shake off the chains & hack the crisis
We may be living in what Malcom Gladwell describes as a “Tipping Point”, serendipitous conditions that spark massive global movements. During a pandemic, what is poignant is not the crisis itself but the collective action that follows. If we perceive the pandemic as a Goliath overtaking the world, we’ve already lost. Instead, let’s turn our attention to the massive unity of compassion, creativity and survival instinct; the core of humanity.
My self-quarantine commenced 57 days ago, drastically improving when I took three simple steps.
Stay Home.
Keep Calm.
Connect & GiveLIVE!
Physically away from my home island, Puerto Rico, Netflix & Chill didn’t cut it. Missing direct human engagement, could my needs be met virtually? Does it matter when there’s no other choice?
At the top of my list: physical activity, mental stimulation, balance & hope. Reaching for a semblance of connection, my solution arose from a very simple gift. Everyday people giving love over livestream transformed my experience.
@LyricCruz got me dancing.
@BarbaradeRegil put me on a squat challenge.
@JoseSantana got me laughing.
@DisruptCEO challenged my mind.
@DNice inspired my generosity.
My gratitude towards these selfless leaders inspired me to take immediate action. What can I give? Why not stream about “digital footprint” strategies? Teach a language through music? The words of Wayne Dyer sprang into life,
“If you ask with kindness in your voice and in your heart, ‘How may I serve you?,’ the universe’s response will be “How may I serve you as well.”
It struck me, even stuck at home, we all have something to give, a way to serve another. It may simply be sharing a smile, or an encouraging “Hello friend, are you safe?” How can you share a virtual hug? I’m confident, we can all do this much.
The #GiveLIVE & #GetLIVE Challenge was born.
Tagging friends on social media, it became my daily obsession. I created a google calendar of my favorite GiveLIVE heroes and shared with my network. On a whim, I pitched the idea of this virtual “24/7, on demand, giving steam at The Global Hack.
In less than 48 hours, together with people I had never met in person, we built Give On LIVE!, a free public livestream library. We couldn’t stop. A new kind of virus infected more and more of us. Soon we were 35 strong and our crowdsourced database kept growing. Two weeks from today, a Beta Mobile App will be launched. Sharing the #GiveLIVE mission is about encouraging individuals to let their music play. Allow the GiveLIVE virus to infect your life: Steam, Play, Love.
Analogous to the launch of the CoronaVirus Tech Handbook, it’s not impossible to bring palpable value. All it takes is urgency! Are you desperate enough? Committed enough? Solution for a live unfolding distress – that matters?
Crisis sparks innovation by bringing laser focus to pressing needs.
Understanding pains is the first step to developing an effective solution. Put down your blockchains and artificial brilliance; arm yourself with the worm’s eye view, perspective of the least, the last and the lost. Solve problems for humans, not for imaginary Silicon Valley executives.
So, how do we flatten the curve without closing societies at large? Political leaders and experts are struggling to come up with an answer. Interestingly enough, many countries with female leadership have executed brilliant strategies, but that’s a topic for another day. While higher education is one piece of the puzzle, an outdated system cannot accurately meet the needs of LIVE emergencies. The universal landscape is ever transforming. Historical data can certainly guide our understanding but not complete it. We need LIVE Data..
In addition, a hidden killer is ransacking our human spirits, isolating and exacerbating dangerous mental health conditions. Fear-based social distancing campaigns drive a 6 ft (1.83 m) wedge between communities. The call to action is physical distancing, not isolation or the blame game. Spreading a hateful rhetoric of the Chinese Virus, for instance, has serious repercussions. The Asian diaspora have reported incidents of racial slurs and physical abuse because of the false perception that China caused the coronavirus.
Extended lockdown threatens the very fabric of our society. In March 2020, the global number of people under some form of lockdown reached around 3 billion according to The World Economic Forum. That’s nearly one-third of the entire human population. So who’s the Goliath? A baffling, deadly virus or the nation of survivors, united through a catastrophic circumstance. I’m rooting for the latter. Shall we remain confined to our homes or travel in mind and spirit; using technology and collective action to hack the crisis? Behind closed doors we are still social beings. Thanks to the sweat of tech pioneers, we have no limits to interaction, rather a virtual playground.
ALL HANDS ON DECK! We venture to say, 35 humans with positive intention at any experience level, will out-perform 35 ego-driven leaders with or without degrees. As Geoffrey Moore describes,“It is a time not for dashing and expensive gestures but rather for careful plans and cautiously rationed resources- a time not to gamble all on some brilliant coup but rather to focus everyone on pursuing a high-probability course of action.” Let’s leverage the most precious resource at hand: time and energy. Combined with intentional output, even tech laggards can join the call to action.
Give On LIVE! is experiencing humbling dedication from servant leaders across the globe, most of whom have never met in real life. However, the disturbing reality is that we are not on equal footing. In Africa for example, over 50% percent of the population is still in the dark. “People go through hell to access stable internet connection and power supply,” Busirah Hammed, our GiveLIVE data-scientist, is in the thick of it. She pays exorbitant fees. When paying a premium, excellence is expected. But in her village power is restricted and unreliable. How come we haven’t solved her basic need? This is our opportunity. Help us light up Busirah’s home, neighborhood, and the rest of the world.
Closing the connection gap will greatly impact our GiveLIVE family and the developing countries as a whole.
Make a choice and let’s do it. There are no limits to what we can achieve, but only if we allow it. Is disruption your goal? Step back and figure out why. Decentralized architectures of trust can effectively break down oppressive legacy systems. Emerging technology is loaded with ingenious solutions adding incredible value. Yet, if we have all the tools to fix society, and approach without love, our entire industry is but a noisy gong. A clanging cymbal shouting manifestos of broken ICO promises from heaps of crypto. Crisis pushes us into action. Empathy teaches us why. Collective focus makes it all possible.
See it, Hear it, & Together Sort it!
About Give ON LIVE:
Give On LIVE! is a completely free Public Livestream Library; organizing the multitude of livestream content across social media. Millions thrown into a virtual universe now have an interactive #PandamicSurvivalGuide.
Give On LIVE! has gathered #Tech #SuperHeroes from around the world on a mission to bring positive engagement into every home. Birthed from the urgency of a #CRISIS, Give On LIVE! has grown through the spirit of #COLLABORATION.
Inquiries: [email protected]
ChristyAna is a Digital Transformation Strategist (ChristyAna.LIVE) originally based in Puerto Rico. As a board member of Wonder Design Lab, she is launching a Virtual Startup Sprint Lab in the UK planned to launch July 2020.
Hear more about the GiveOnLIVE – Press Release Join is on the GiveLIVE Original Production DIGECON.LIVE Original Virtual Talk Show & Podcast.
Inquiries: [email protected]