We have introduced three catalysts for social change and three educational organizations that employ these catalysts. In the next three chapters, we will talk about infrastructure: the forms we will work to put in place to support the social change organizations
The first of these infrastructure solutions is a digital one: the Lifecast App. Participants in each of the three educational organizations will rely on new visual media and digital solutions to communicate, receive information, and publish their work to their personal relations. The Lifecast App will help them streamline this process.
Lifecast is a social media platform that works to combat the issues that social media and new visual media have caused in society. First, Lifecast will show a whole-person view of someone’s past, present, and future. Instead of cherry-picking the most sterilized or positive moments of their lives to showcase, users will use the app to show their real situation, goals, and current projects. Because Lifecast will offer secure connections to personal relations, users can be vulnerable and straightforward. Their connections will see them as an entire person with faults, talents, goals, problems, and successes in all areas of their life.
Second, Lifecast is built to enhance personal, face-to-face relationships, not replace them. Users will publish their ideas and projects to Lifecast so their personal relations can see what they are working on, then call or visit those relations to discuss. Instead of providing an endless feed of distraction and entertainment, Lifecast gives users more reasons to talk to people in person, create, write, and connect.
Third, Lifecast will help you focus on what matters most: your personal and spiritual gifts and the relationships that most influence your life.
What does Lifecast include?
A personal page on lifecast will include some key sections to help accomplish the whole-person view we’re looking for:
Quick Facts
This section provides an overview of a person’s life and progress. It can include books that they recommend or have been inspired by, links to articles they’ve written, life-changing colloquia and simulations they’ve participated in, speaking engagements they have coming up, an RSS feed of news from their colleagues, and areas of the world they have influence in.
Personal Bio
This section will include biographical information about a person’s background, family, and experiences. Users can use this section to help their relations know them better.
Current Online Colloquia
Keeps connections up-to-date on the colloquia a user is currently participating in
“Make a difference” Initiatives
Users will be able to keep a record of the social change projects they are working on, including their next steps and ways other people can help.
Key Relations
Users will have a list of key relations that are most influential in their lives. This will not only add context to the overall view of their life and accomplishments, it will also remind them of which relationships they should spend the most time cultivating offline.
Suggestion Box
This will require some trust and vulnerability from users. We can accomplish significant personal growth by listening to advice and feedback from those we trust who have our best interest at heart. This section allows a user’s relations to provide feedback.
Calendar
A user page will include a calendar of their commitments and upcoming events so their personal relations can plan face-to-face interaction accordingly.
Epiphanies
As users experience epiphanies in their educational organizations or social change efforts, they will post those epiphanies on their page. This will help them articulate those epiphanies in a meaningful way and involve their relations in their discoveries.
Needs, Networking, Funding
If users need more support, funding, or connections, they will post their needs on their page so their connections and other social entrepreneurs can engage and help. Users can also post their ideas for solutions to social issues.
A Living Portfolio
Lifecast serves as a living portfolio, showcasing the best projects, writing, and accomplishments of the user. At the same time, Lifecast is far more than a snapshot of only positive moments. Users must be willing to be vulnerable in the present so they can engage with their relations and receive help and advice. The Lifecast app will also encourage users to look outside of themselves and strive for social change.
Lifecast should never become an end in itself. Because it is a portfolio, it highlights the accomplishments and hurdles users face in their life offline. We should spend 80% of our time in eye-to-eye interaction and the other 20% on our devices, not vice versa. Think of Lifecast as the dashboard for your life. It displays some critical information that you should pay attention to, but if you spend all of your time staring at your dashboard, you’ll ignore the road in front of you.
Next up—Chapter 10: City Plat, the Family Campus
Comments, questions, suggestions? Let us know in the comments.
If you’re interested in joining the mastermind group or launch team for the John and Abigail Center or any of the partner organizations, contact us.