Three things I took home.

I hope the Christmas season is treating you well. For me, freshly back in the States after three weeks abroad, it’s fantastic to have this time to recuperate and ruminate on the trip. There are many things I could write about. But here are the most important conclusions I’ve come to as a result of the trip to India for the Good Media School pilot:

1. This is a Good idea. NotFar.org is all about getting people closer to Good—closer to poverty free, meaning-ful lives. If that is the goal, then the Good Media School was a huge success. Every one of the students will now begin to use the power of video to help more people get healthier and safer. Some of the students were from the medical field, some from disaster relief. In every case, they will be able to help more people now.
2. It can get Better. I learned a ton by doing the pilot. Most importantly, I learned that there’s a lot of room for improvement! According to the evaluations, the same suggestions kept coming up….the same ones I had in my own notes:

• More hands on. I will tweak the class to get them DOING right from Day One. Even less of me talking, and more of them actually working. I have some great ideas for how to rework the material to do just that.
• More equipment. My biggest frustration as a teacher was the fact that I only had two cameras for them to use, and a mishmash of Macs with varying levels of power and different versions of iMovie. I want everyone to have the chance to get their own hands on the equipment as much as possible—and for me to be able to leave it all with them! This means we need more funds to buy the stuff.
• More teaching. There is a great need beyond basic videography. This first course is really just whetting their appetite.

We need to keep doing it—and more. There’s clearly a need here that the Good Media School can meet. Putting the power of video into the hands of the people who help others makes a ridiculous amount of sense. But I’d like to offer more content, including soft skills, life skills and core teaching in specific medical services. I’d like to develop a whole curriculum. The need is there. As always, it comes down mostly to money. We’ve applied for some grants, and we’re still waiting to hear back.

But any donation helps. If we can pay for flights and travel expenses, I hope to go back in March and teach in another location. And yes, your tax deductible donation would mean the world. Really!

It’s hard to explain, but it feels like I’m on the front line of battle when I’m there. These good people are the soldiers who are giving their lives to a cause that all of us believe in, but so few of us are able to commit to. They have no problem doing the hard work, living on subsistence wages and working directly with the poor, the sick, the destitute. All they really ask for is the stuff they can’t do or buy themselves; equipment, skills. And they are so grateful when you give it to them!

I don’t know exactly what the next step should be for NotFar. But I do know that I really want to help these guys.

They’re doing so much already.