fancy helping to change the world with two pieces of paper?

I've had an idea for this Cannes Chimera thing. Kind of like the ideas for London, but with a bigger potential prize ($100,000 of Bill Gates' dollar). Here's a quick overview of the challenge.

 

 

And here's the brief in words: Many people in the developed world are aid weary. They know billions of dollars go into aid, and yet the problems never seem to go away. This leads them to question if the money ever gets to where it is needed, and even then, if it is used wisely. The media seems full of stories of corruption, waste and broken systems. But that’s not the whole story. Effective aid programs help developing countries become self-sufficient. They do not replace those countries’ efforts, but rather support the important work that’s already under way. And here's the rules.

 

So here's my idea..

It's pretty basic, not fully thought out, and probably doomed to failure. But then so was capitalism, but that didn't let it stop it from taking over the world. My solution to the above brief would come at it from a slightly different angel than just providing transparency of aid work via a clever social media campaign. It would try to get right to the heart of aid, and make an audience in the developed world the very seeds that aid is grown from. And is basically a question: "What would happen to aid if rather than give to charity, you were a charity?" It's got a working title of 'Be Aid'. Have a click of the sketch below and see what you think.

 

 

And now how YOU can (REALLY) help...

The idea is pretty basic as I say, and more of a question than a solution. But I feel there could be something in it if I had some good brains to help me think it through a bit more. Your brains basically. So I've pasted my existing thoughts into the entry form format, and made it an open source Google Document here. Anything what-so-ever that you think might make the entry stronger please just enter into the document. Point holes in it, add opportunities to it, sort out the whole scientific measurement bit. Do what ever you want in short. Or if you're not into Google Docs just email me at ted@this-is-helpful.com or tweet me @this_is_helpful. Or leave a comment on this blog post. The deadline is May 15 so you've got a few weeks to ponder.

 

We're looking to impress Mr Iain Tate et al, so it needs to be good. In the slim chances it does get shortlisted I'll make sure that all contributors get full credit, and a yankee burger and chips on me.

-UPDATE-

The final entry has been entered, and lives here. Thanks to everyone who helped with it.

Comments

[Ted]

The story behind the idea. In 2010 I attended the first ever Good For Nothing event. And worked on 'The Great Football Giveaway' brief. About half a day into the project the team on the brief realized that the founders aim wasn't to grow campaign financing, but to find and create new versions of himself (in the humblest possible way). People who could take his model, and in effect become their own charities doing the aid work at ground level. I liked that ambition more than the fund raising one.

That's the seed of this idea.

*Here's Good For Nothing and The Great Football Giveaway if you're not familiar with them:

http://www.goodfornothing.co/
http://www.thegreatfootballgiveaway.org.uk/

[Ted]

More story behind the idea: Between 2006-2010 I was lucky enough to work at innocent looking after their digital stuff. And I was also lucky enough to be given complete ownership of the area, and permission to do what I thought was right. So I did, and it all worked out pretty well for all involved as the below clip hopefully testifies.

http://youtu.be/OxG3w8PFqm8

So ever since then I've been a great believer in giving over ownership and permission. To let peoples passions surface unhindered by usual conventions. This is what 'Be Aid' what hope to allow for.

[Ted]

Note to self. Need to jump through these hoops. The resistant mind (of the screeners) will assume that the idea is a behavioural change/infrastructure focussed and not a scientific experiment. So we need to give the resistant mind a good fight for it's money.

http://www.grandchallenges.org/Explorations/Pages/GrantProcess.aspx

[Ted]

"The more people you have to ask for permission, the more dangerous a project gets".

Alain de Botton

[Ted]

The average life time salary in the UK is over £1.5 million. If philanthropy is for millionaires then philanthropy is for everyone.

ie Why not make a thousand more Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations?

[Ted]

All entered and correct. Big thanks to James Hogwood, David Plant and Rob Mitchell for their own helpfulness.

Final entry can be viewed here. Fingers crossed.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BYP0eJlfhSBdOC8Lbvp874Ce3kwO_0Q-tN0C2BsFbas/edit