No, it's not some story about Giorgio dropping his mobile into a glass of water and destroying it, all caught on video. World Water Day is almost upon us (March 22nd), and the answer to the question lies therein. I came across this great UNICEF project this year which coincides with World Water Day, and decided to launch it within the high school a few weeks ago. Here is the short video intro/promo that I made for the launch during our weekly assembly . . .
Basically, Armani has teamed up with UNICEF to provide clean drinking water to millions of needy children around the world through this simple online project. Armani has pledged to donate up to $75,000 for water through this project, plus at least half a million dollars through other related projects, to UNICEF. I hooked into this project as it is a simple yet effective service learning opportunity for students, while also feeding into our school-wide mindfulness movement through having students unplug from their mobile phones for long or short periods of time. By unplugging from the constant noise of the internet and social media, students can better understand their own wants/desires/needs to stay connected at all times. For some students, this is a real enlightening exercise in self-awareness and reflection. And they are raising money for clean drinking water at the same time . . . win+win in my books! Interestingly, after launching the campaign in the high school, I heard from a number of staff and students about how many days of water they raised in one day. It was nowhere near my forecasted challenge in the video, but it was a good start. And a number of students have taken it upon themselves to follow through with this project over an extended period of time as a CAS project . . . a nice bonus and an additional measure for reflection.
How does it all work? Pretty simple - just go to UnicefTapProject.org on your mobile phone's browser and start the project. The program will start on your phone and will record the amount of time elapsed before you pick it up and use it. For every 10 minutes that you left your phone alone and running, UNICEF & Armani will donate 1 day of clean drinking water to a child in need. Note that you must have a mobile phone which has a motion sensor built into it for the program to work, and no, it does not work on an iPad. While the program is running your phone can still receive notifications and messages, etc. but the program will end if you pick it up or move your phone. Even though World Water Day is on March 22nd, the program will run through the end of the month, so there is still time to jump on board. I raised 41 days of water on my first try at school during the day. My MS daughter promptly broke that overnight by leaving the program running while she slept . . . smart girl!
Basically, Armani has teamed up with UNICEF to provide clean drinking water to millions of needy children around the world through this simple online project. Armani has pledged to donate up to $75,000 for water through this project, plus at least half a million dollars through other related projects, to UNICEF. I hooked into this project as it is a simple yet effective service learning opportunity for students, while also feeding into our school-wide mindfulness movement through having students unplug from their mobile phones for long or short periods of time. By unplugging from the constant noise of the internet and social media, students can better understand their own wants/desires/needs to stay connected at all times. For some students, this is a real enlightening exercise in self-awareness and reflection. And they are raising money for clean drinking water at the same time . . . win+win in my books! Interestingly, after launching the campaign in the high school, I heard from a number of staff and students about how many days of water they raised in one day. It was nowhere near my forecasted challenge in the video, but it was a good start. And a number of students have taken it upon themselves to follow through with this project over an extended period of time as a CAS project . . . a nice bonus and an additional measure for reflection.
How does it all work? Pretty simple - just go to UnicefTapProject.org on your mobile phone's browser and start the project. The program will start on your phone and will record the amount of time elapsed before you pick it up and use it. For every 10 minutes that you left your phone alone and running, UNICEF & Armani will donate 1 day of clean drinking water to a child in need. Note that you must have a mobile phone which has a motion sensor built into it for the program to work, and no, it does not work on an iPad. While the program is running your phone can still receive notifications and messages, etc. but the program will end if you pick it up or move your phone. Even though World Water Day is on March 22nd, the program will run through the end of the month, so there is still time to jump on board. I raised 41 days of water on my first try at school during the day. My MS daughter promptly broke that overnight by leaving the program running while she slept . . . smart girl!
