1: SPREAD THE WORD

Our first priority is to grow to sufficient size for us to be able to carry out the tasks we've set for ourselves. Right now, the best way to grow our human and capital resources is for all of us, regardless of where we live, to spread the word, to make people around us aware of the book, the website and the organization. One way to do that is to buy a few books, 2, 5, maybe 10, whatever number you can quickly sell. Five books or more get free shipping and handling, ten or more also gets 10% off!  Perhaps you belong to a church, a civic organization, a human rights organization or any other group of people who might be interested in the book. Bring it up or display it at meetings or seminars. Or else, you may offer it for consideration to an independent bookstore in your area. Maybe some teachers at your local high school or college want to use it. Or, it makes an excellent gift to a dear friend who lives far away. The wider we spread the news, the more quickly we'll grow. Also, you can e-mail your friends and relatives about us and our website.

2: WEBSITE HELP

Most message or movement organizations tend to have one-way communication lines; they set the agenda, and the "followers" sign the petitions and send the money. It's very difficult to contact any of these organizations and affect their policies in a substantial way. We'll turn that on its ear; we're a bottom-up organization. Yes, I realize that I'm right now the only one whose ideas and action plans are in the book and on this web page, but this is only the start. As we grow, we'll have more and more people enthusiastically e-mailing us with their ideas, questions or critique. We need to encourage that. Without their innovations and revelations, the energy to transform the world will dry up and this effort will be for naught.

We will need volunteers to answer emails, maintain contact, and incorporate incoming ideas as well as help with the technical aspects of improving the website over time. The beauty of it is that this can be done anywhere from your own computer. Since I am barely computer-literate, I have no clue how, but we'll work at it. This is one activity where small amounts of donated time may work fine. So, if you like interacting with total strangers on the Internet, why not volunteer.

3: EDUCATION 

Just like Community Development, if we're to have any significant impact on reforming education, we must first do the research.  What is going on out there, that works? Different models may present promise for different circumstances. The chapter on Education spelled out our vision of what education should accomplish. We must take a good look at all efforts that are rooted in similar visions. We must do the academic research and the fieldwork. Additionally, we must closely look at cost effectiveness. Again, we must create a comprehensive database, and write our manuals from that database. Local communities everywhere can then use these manuals, as well as the database, to interact with existing schools or start their own schools. 

4: WORLD NEWS UPDATE 

I have in mind an Internet blog of important world news stories from a S.O.U.L point of view. It will probably have to wait until we have a bit more resources. While this may become the precursor to our worldwide newspaper of the future, for now it may be restricted to an analysis of major headline stories as they break from time to time.

5: COMMUNITY ACTION

Community action should be conducted by local S.O.U.L communities. S.O.U.L Rochester is at this time, the only one. Several action projects are being proposed, and are outlined in the S.O.U.L ROCHESTER, NH section. Please click on the LOCAL COMMUNITIES button and go to page 2.