MarisaBeahm

It is admirable and rare to commit yourself to a service project that may never be completed in your lifetime. In an inspiring stroke of luck, I was able to meet this caliber of visionaries in Hungary through an organization called Friends of Szádvár.

The original Hungarian members of this organization met in 2006 in a chat room for castle enthusiasts. It wasn’t long before one castle-lover issued a call to action, urging the group to utilize their passion for good. This inkling bloomed into Friends of Szádvár, a group committed to restoring the 12th-century Castle Szádvár, located in Hungary’s Aggtelek National Park near the Slovakian border. Multiple times a year, the volunteers from all different walks of life - including a youth group each summer - join together for “Castle-saving weekends.” During these times, the group clears out the undergrowth surrounding the castle and slowly transforms the abandoned area into a tourist attraction - a time-intensive endeavor some volunteers acknowledge they will never see complete, yet they are enthused to contribute what they can.   Lees verder...

The Unreasonable Institute's first Finalist Marketplace is now online, giving donors the chance to put their money where their passions are and vote for inspiring social entrepreneurs who are vying to become Unreasonable Fellows. From a project aimed at ending Pakistani honor killings by economically empowering women to a nonprofit toilet paper company that supports water sanitation projects in the developing world, 42 stirring ventures are all explained in the Marketplace. The first 25 activists that can raise $6,500, the cost to attend the Institute, will join the inaugural class of Unreasonable Fellows.

Based in Boulder, Colorado, the Unreasonable Institute is a social-change incubator that was founded by a group of visionary young leaders. Their mission is to attract international social entrepreneurs and hone their skills in a 10-week intensive, interactive program where they connect with other driver peers, network with angel donors and are given the skills and background to ensure the success of their ventures. To become an Unreasonable Fellow, applicants must have an idea of how to improve the world that is sustainable, will scale beyond its original country within three years and reach the needs of 1 million people.   Lees verder...