Post by Chris Golden, Executive Director

On Sunday, I took a day trip to New York City to speak on a panel on social media and new technology at the bi-annual Millennium Campus Network Conference. For 3 days, about 600 students from around the country, and several from around the world, gathered on the campus of Columbia University to discuss progress made towards the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals, and how it will be imperative on our Generation to respond to the urgent problems facing our world. 

The focus of my small contribution to the Conference was how micro-actions, previously confined and singular in nature, can be amplified, magnified and combined using social media to make progress towards large problems. Faced with the challenge of a sleepy audience as I took the stage, I boldly declared that the era of “1:1 was over.” That got some attention. Then I qualified what I meant in the context of how individuals- citizens, volunteers, activisits, advocates- can do extraordinary things, and how new technology can enhance and extend offline action through new online tools.

As the story of myImpact.org comes clearer in focus, this concept- micro actions towards large problems- is one that is defining both our civic mission and our technical purpose. I presented a similar story Wednesday evening as myImpact.org began a fall series of workshop presentations at the National Young Leaders Conference to high school student leaders.