Between 1870 and 1945, advances in communication and transportation simultaneously expanded and shrank the world. In five interpretive essays, A World Connecting goes beyond nations, empires, and world wars to capture the era’s defining feature: the profound and disruptive shift toward an ever more rapidly integrating world.

Something new and important is afoot. Nonprofit and philanthropic organizations are under increasing pressure to do more and to do better to increase and improve productivity with fewer resources. Social entrepreneurs, community-minded leaders, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropists now recognize that to achieve greater impact they must adopt a network-centric approach to solving difficult problems. Building networks of like-minded organizations and people offers them a way to weave together and create strong alliances that get better leverage, performance, and results than any single organization is able to do. While the advantages of such networks are clear, there are few resources that offer easily understandable, field-tested information on how to form and manage social-impact networks. Drawn from the authors’ deep experience with more than thirty successful network projects, Connecting to Change the World provides the frameworks, practical advice, case studies, and expert knowledge needed to build better performing networks. Readers will gain greater confidence and ability to anticipate challenges and opportunities. Easily understandable and full of actionable advice, Connecting to Change the World is an informative guide to creating collaborative solutions to tackle the most difficult challenges society faces.

"In an age where teenagers are deeply engaged in virtual communities and social networks, they’re still feeling alone and isolated. It may sound all too simple, but the truth is that you have the opportunity to make a profound impact on the lives of students with the simple act of spending time with them, one-on-one. Whether you’re a volunteer or the lead youth pastor, getting some students to open up and share their lives can be a challenge. In this practical book you’ll learn the importance of connecting with students on an individual basis and get helpful ideas on how to engage a variety of students in meaningful dialogue. You’ll explore and learn more about connecting with six different types of students, including: • The “No Way” Kid • The “Not Interested” Kid • The “Checking Things Out Kid” • The “Stagnant” Kid • The “Growing” Kid • The “Looking for Ministry” Kid Connect will walk you through the steps to lead you into relationships with students that go beyond the youth room and impact them into adulthood."

In the age of technology we have become disconnected at a cellular level. The time to reconnect to ourselves and each other is now! Consciously Connecting is a step-by-step guide that will enlighten and give you the ability to further connect to your inner self. Learn to enrich your relationships with others, take action, and connect within the world around youand most importantly, with yourself. Develop healthy emotional habits, and decrease stress and anxiety with your connectivity, which will give you the inspiration to lead a more productive and creative life. This adventure will be fun, and the exercises are easy. Engage in a weekly plan of action as you commit to be cognizant and walk away from lifes disconnect and distractions. Unlock the secrets to Consciously Connecting as you choose to achieve your goals, embrace your strengths, and define your journey. Give yourself the gift of joy and happiness through connection and watch the possibilities happen.

"We each embark on two life journeys - one out into the world, the other inward to the self. With these journeys in mind, the eminent anthropologist Keith Hart reflects on a life of learning, sharing and remembering to offer readers the means of connecting life's extremes - individual and society, local and global, personal and impersonal dimensions of existence and explores what it is that makes us fully human. As an anthropologist, amateur economist and globetrotter, he draws on the humanities, popular culture and his own experiences to help readers explore their own place in history"--

In Everyday Ambassador Kate Otto brings people together even as our digital networks pull us further apart. In a world of limitless technology, we are more connected than ever before but our hyper-connected lifestyles threaten our ability to know ourselves and interact with each other. By focusing on the four core values that allow us to become truly “connected” in tech-centric societies—empathy, patience, focus, and humility—Otto demonstrates that the power of technology is not in the tool, but in the intention of the person using it. Everyday Ambassador offers a unique solution to those who aspire to truly make a difference in the twenty-first century—revealing the secrets of how to unite people, even when technology keeps us at a distance from others—emotionally and physically. Otto helps us lift our heads up from our cell phones and tablets and take a look at the people standing right in front of us. In a time when good citizenship is the new currency of cool, Everyday Ambassador gives us the tactics to connect in our disconnected world.

This book is filled with practical, proven strategies, effective tools, and inspiring stories designed to help adults shape and improve connections with kids.