Kate McKenzie
Webdesign Berlin

Inspirational Monday: Culture Hub

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  Tinto Tintero is a cultural hub in Medellin, Colombia.  I was so impressed to hear how Dave, a former teacher has, with the help of his partner, Monica, started a business model that is not only financially successful but is also making their community a better place!  They have found a way to merge their passion for art, culture, literature and music all within one location.  Through their efforts, they are transforming their community by providing opportunities for culture and offering a diverse array of options for entertainment throughout the week.  But it is not only culture they are offering but also a public space devoted to building a strong sense of community.

Film Competition

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 Here was the challenge: Make a film and three photographs each on a specific theme, in a limited geographic area all in one day!  So after an intense brainstorming session over breakfast and coffees, me, Sadie and Hilary took off to put our Vietnamese, film-making and creativity to the test.  How could we come up with something creative, short (only 90 seconds) and something that reflected some of the humorous situations that were always happening in Vietnam?  Added to the challenge, we had to start with the sky, end with eyes, include a dress, a white shirt and a man searching for a woman in a shop somewhere in our film.

This video was our finished product for the Maraxuan Competition and voting will take place throughout the week at Eté Resto Cafe in Hanoi, Vietnam.  I would love to see this idea of encouraging creativity, exploring your own city and bringing people together used by more organizations! My hat’s off to Eté for coming up with such a great concept!

Great Read!

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The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich & Poor in an Interconnected World
by Jacqueline Novogratz

Abraham & Kate

Each time I have finished one book another one seems to be waiting for me.  I received the Blue Sweater from my friend Abraham Temu the co-founder of KiBo and an Acumen Fellow who said to me “The best gift I can give you right now, especially since you are going to Rwanda is this book.” Abraham is an amazing leader who has found creative ways to pursue social change through practical methods so his recommendation made me dive into the book eagerly.  Continue reading →

Unexpected Courage

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Squat toilet

Courage can take many shapes and forms.  For me it did not take too much courage to go down class 5 rapids on the Nile River, it also did not take a lot of courage to record a song with Rwandan musicians or to start up conversations with people that I had never met.  Instead what took the most courage for me in the last couple of weeks was going to the bathroom! Continue reading →

Inspirational Monday: Passing the Puck

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 I believe that sport has an amazing ability to teach where lessons and talks fall short.  For me, sport has often been a metaphor for understanding greater concepts and has helped me to learn how to live in community with others.  Whether it was playing Rugby, running in Track, or just getting people together for a game of frisbee I believe there is an amazing power to learning through games and fun! See how Alejo from Colombia is bringing a new sport to his city and how it is uniting people and building leaders!

Excess Baggage

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I was in a mad panic the day I left.  All of a sudden, I realized I was leaving and there was no more time left.  No more time to prepare, no more time to plan, only time to just make it happen.  I threw stuff in my backpack, desperately trying to make a mental note that all the things I had thought of including over the last couple of months had made it into my bag.  The floor was littered with items -absolute chaos! Continue reading →

Responding to Kony 2012

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As many of you know a film has been widely circulating on Youtube and through social media called Kony 2012 while I have been here in Uganda.  I wanted to respond to the film and to provide some tools and resources to others who would like to understand the multiple perspectives involved in such a complex issue.  These two films will hopefully help to shed some light on what my experience has been here in Uganda and what Ugandans think about the film.  Please don’t just take my word for it, I have included below some other links you should check out, including the link to the original movie that spurred all of this discussion.  Looking forward to hearing back from all of you!