I'm speechless. 21 backers, countless RT's, financial support from the Center For Digital Storytelling, support from my local college, blog posts here and here *and* even a college course I created myself to unlock my AmeriCorps Ed Award - all toward telling a story. Not just this very story as it's unfolding, but the stories of other creative change makers, innovators and creative spaces around the world.

I feel truly honored and TOTALLY excited to do this. Already have my ticket there, amazing folks to meet up with and of course, the support of friends old and new from around the world...

We've got just 2 days now! I've got a pretty good feeling that we can pull this off team.

Thank you all.

Let's do this!

Here's a quick recap of how we can rock this:

1. 
   
2. Make a pledge to my Kickstarter campaign now.
3. 
   
4. Email this post to a friend - know some people that should know about this? Send them a link!
5. 
   
6. Send me a quick note! - Let me know of any cool places worth checking out in England, Holland or Norway!
7. 
   
8. Tweet about it: (using this link: http://bit.ly/V77BF)
9. 
   
10. Blog about my project (you can even grab a widget for your blog post)
11. 
    
12. Share my campaign on Facebook
13. 
    
14. Join the We Operate Best Together Facebook Fan page
15. 
    

Ready? Ready.

GO!

Things are AWESOME right now. After scaling back on a few other things, a whole series of awesome energy, love and support from strangers, friends, family and colleagues alike has flown in to my life. For those that have been following my story, here's the latest.

I want to go to Europe to document creative communities, but am low on funding resources. I'm working on some cool websites while running this campaign to fund my project. I also have an AmeriCorps Ed Award as another possible funding source. But I can't use it unless I'm enrolled in school. Why not do a study abroad program at a local college and apply the Ed Award? None existed. So, I created my own class *after* enrolling at Laney College, in Oakland.

In order for it to be approved however, I had to:

1. 
   
2. create a self-designed independent study proposal
3. 
   
4. find a professor to sign-on to oversee it
5. 
   
6. get a signature from the Dean of Instruction to approve it
7. 
   

And I just got the Dean's signature today.

YES!!!!!!!!!! This marks the key to unlocking the treasure chest of my Ed Award to further support my trip! All I have to do now is enroll in the class I just made and I'll get the award sent to me! This is like personal entrepreneurship and I'm so excited. AND, there's even a possibility the college could pull me in to assist with workshops on new media/broadcast journalism when I get back via classes that Noemi Zeigler (a.k.a Madeline Minx) teaches...

I totally WORKED my AmeriCorps experience too - 'built capacity of media arts centers', 'led and developed digital storytelling workshops', 'developed social network campaigns for non-profits'....

I feel so awesome right now. And if I'm able to reach my Kickstarter goal by July 4th, that'll be the icing on the cake and I'll be able to:

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• travel safely
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• travel well
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• be well fed
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• document cool communities and people (and have cool gear to do it with!)
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• have fun WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT MONEY
• 
  

The many times in the past where I've attempted to go to Europe, money and maybe even my own fears have always held me back. It's now looking like I'll have something far more valuable (money not withstanding!) in going out there - the support of people who believe in my project. Thanks folks! All of your pledges mean so much! Even the emails I've been getting from folks around the world have been a great boost...

So hey, don't forget to make a pledge or become a Fan of the We Operate Best Together Facebook Fan Page!

I'm thinking what this project would look like two years from now. My dream job = Institute for the Future + Institute for Network Cultures + CTC VISTA. Johnny Appleseed, Robin Hood and the Dalai Lama as guides. Obama for hope. Laptop, tools to document/teach change, travel & food all paid for. Pledging to this project will push me towards this dream.

Wanted to give a nice thank you to Ellen Rae-Cachola and Aleem Ali for backing me up and pushing me towards my goal! thank you, thank you! Ellen is a friend and colleague I know through the amazing CTC VISTA Project. She's a brilliant young woman who's socially active (she was actively recruiting people to sign a petition at a dinner party I had), conscious and is always interested in using technology tools to empower local communities. Read more about her here.

Aleem Ali is co-founder at the wonderful Human, an organization that works to "identify, develop and mobilise people and solutions that
enrich humanity." You can follow them on Twitter here: @human_org_au or read their manifesto here.

These are exactly the kinds of folks I feel honored to be involved with. Check em out and don't forget to back my project!