Tuesday 22 October 2013

This might be the best thing you can do today.

This post is sponsored by Philips.


Facebook gets people riled up. They move one icon slightly to the left and the whole internet is up in arms. We gotta set this town ablaze! We gotta write strongly worded status messages that we hope will get hundreds of likes and comments and, and, and, MAKE THEM CHANGE IT BACK.

Cuz dammit that icon belongs on the right.

But that’s not really the point. What I’m interested in is people. People gettin’ riled up. This is an emotional town filled with lots of emotional people. It’s who we are. And I think it’s fantastic. I think it’s powerful. I think it can get people to do things they wouldn’t normally do.

Like fight. Or march. Or forgive. Or laugh. (yes, some people don’t normally laugh, let’s just hug them.) We share and post a lot of things that make us feel.

This is what I have been seeing on my feeds of late. We feel angry. We feel injustice. We feel the inequality of the few VS the many. And unfortunately sometimes, we feel hopeless.

But I’m a hopeful person. And I think that by doing what we can, even the smallest of acts, can one day amount to big changes. This is why I’m supporting the Philips “Innovations that Matter to You” campaign.

Philips Asia Pacific





They’re not asking for you to “like” their page or even share their website. They’re asking for your ideas. Ideas on how to address three of the most crucial problems our country faces today –

1. the need for livable cities
2. proper nutrition for families
3. easier access to quality healthcare solutions



Here’s the best part – Philips is going to take the best idea and simply DO IT. Whatever crazy, wild, insane idea it is, if it meets the criteria above, if it’s within their capacity and technology to do, if it will actually make a difference in people’s lives, Philips will BLEEPING MAKE IT HAPPEN.



If it’s something that doesn’t exist but is within their means to develop, meaning: they can use the technology of their Lighting products, Consumer Lifestyle products and Healthcare products, THEY WILL DO IT.

 


Don’t ask them to build an aircraft, they’re not Boeing. Don’t ask them to build a spaceship, they’re no NASA. They’re Philips and they make innovative consumer goods for health and well-being, so we need to keep it within that realm.

This is a company that’s actually trying to do something good, something relevant and something that will realistically make the lives of people better. All they need are your ideas, which are infinitely more useful than another rant on Facebook.

Maybe you've got an idea for a mobile app that helps detect breast cancer.

Or a mobile hospital that travels to rural areas in need.

Or a solar powered bus shelter that lights a high crime area at night.

Ideas that come from your history, your knowledge, your emotions. Ideas that come from the place where you live and what only you can see everyday. Ideas that come from the stories we’re told and experiences we go through. Ideas that help our children, help our parents, help our community to feel safer, to feel healthier, to feel hope.

Whatever your idea may be, put your heart into it and make it big. Because the bigger you dream, the bigger the change we will see in the country we love.



Click here to start writing your ideas – www.meaningfulinnovation.asia/philippines


Also, please act fast, the deadline for your ideas is on November 11, 2013. I will update you if there will be an extension to the deadline.

Ideas should be realistic, impactful, and should fall under one of the three idea categories given. A select panel of subject matter experts shall then shortlist six ideas that meets Philips’ objective of creative positive change. The individuals/organizations behind these six suggestions will then undergo a mentorship workshop with some of the Philippines’ respected visionaries, to further fine-tune their ideas, and make them more actionable. Philips will then select one winning idea, and implement the chosen innovation in 2014.


You can also learn more about the campaign at the Philips website and on their Facebook page.


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