MIT’s Ethan Zuckerman recalls that when he was selected to be a TED speaker, he received a stone tablet with “The TED Commandments.” Among them: “Prepare for impact.” Instead, he said, it should have been “Prepare for attention.” In his case, at least, he got lots of attention from his 18-minute TED talk, but he […]
Article · February 26, 2013 by Damian Thorman, J.D.
Photo credit: Code for America on Flickr For several years, an important slice of Knight Foundation’s grantmaking has been devoted to finding ways communities can use technology to connect for action. Nothing will ever replace face-to-face contact, but the newfound ability of huge portions of the earth’s population to connect to one another instantly is clearly […]
Article · February 25, 2013 by Damian Thorman, J.D.
Photo credit: Flickr user TEDGlobal A Knight Foundation team is spending this week at the annual TED conference in Long Beach, Calif. to cement a partnership and push forward the emerging field of Tech for Engagement. Here’s what we’ll be doing: RELATED LINKS “Knight doubles down on tech’s potential to connect communities for action” on Knight Blog · […]
Article · February 24, 2013 by Damian Thorman, J.D.
In less than two weeks, the Apps for Communities contest closes. We challenged developers and designers with creating apps that improve daily life in cities by making local public information more personalized, usable and actionable for all Americans. We’ve had over 45 submissions so far and more are rolling in as the deadline approaches. Knight […]
Article · September 21, 2011 by Damian Thorman, J.D.
Knight is excited about the merger of Good and Jumo, announced today. The combined organizations have the potential to complement one another in terms of content and online engagement. We believe that GOOD’s content will strengthen Jumo’s online engagement platform, and help bring together more people working toward social change. In just a short time, Jumo […]
Article · August 17, 2011 by Damian Thorman, J.D.
Above: Kaboom! volunteers work on a playground today in Washington D.C. By Damian Thorman (bio) I’m here in Washington, D.C. to build a playground with the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. As you may know, Knight Foundation is all about informed and engaged communities. Today’s KaBOOM! build is also about engaging community. […]
Article · June 15, 2011 by Damian Thorman, J.D.
Damian Thorman The kick-off of the Knight-funded Mobilize.org summit series, where young leaders get together to address pressing issues, was a rousing success. The summit brought together more than 100 students from the San Jose area to sharpen their skills in becoming more active and engaged citizens. The topic, increasing college graduation rates, was selected by […]
Article · April 20, 2011 by Damian Thorman, J.D.
Today, Knight Foundation is announcing a $1 million grant to Mobilize.org, to help build a network of young leaders in five communities. We’re making the announcement this afternoon in San Jose, where 100 students are gathered for a three-day summit to develop ways to help students overcome obstacles to obtaining their degree. Participants will pick […]
Article · April 15, 2011 by Damian Thorman, J.D.
I. INTRODUCTION: BEGINNING AT THE END Sometimes I wish that anyone who has ever spoken against immigration, or claimed that immigrants don’t strengthen the fabric of America, could see what we just saw—a naturalization ceremony. We witnessed something you could not see in a country like France or Japan. The theme of this conference, “Becoming […]
Article · October 4, 2010 by Damian Thorman, J.D.