Yes–I absolutely LOVE this.  At Altruistic Leadership we are advocates for education so when we see something like this announcement from Harvard University and MIT, we get excited.  On May 2nd they unveiled edX,  a transformational new partnership in online education. Through edX,  the two institutions will collaborate to enhance campus-based teaching  and learning and build a global community of online learners.

edX will be overseen by a not-for-profit organization based  in Cambridge, Mass., to be owned and governed equally by the two  universities. MIT and Harvard have committed to a combined $60 million  ($30 million each) in institutional support, grants and philanthropy to  launch the collaboration.  

Certificates of mastery will be available for  those who are motivated and able to demonstrate their knowledge of the  course material.  Classes begin in the fall.  Checkout the video.

Nicely done edX!

We launched a survey earlier this year regarding your needs, wants, and interest in attending a conference designed for the leader-of-color.  We asked, and true to form, you answered.   

One of the items you made clear was don’t just talk about it, do it—and we are—Day Of Opportunity 2012 – (theme) Disruption! …is in the making.  Stay tuned for more messages & if you are interested in designing “Disruption” drop me a line at tammy@altruisticleadership.com.  Later this month there will be a conference call to discuss sponsorship, facilitators, and presenter opportunities.

Here’s are the survey results!

Scoop.it is now a powerful publishing platform where we can explore, research, and share headlines with those who share our passion.  Follow us and join Scoop It and share what you find with us! Here are two of our channels.

Altruistic Leadership – (Those) helping business understand color!

Social Media Must!

I, like most of you, surf the Web for information, research, updates, etc.  In addition, I, like most of you, have antivirus software, which scans my machines and eliminates tracking cookies—guess what: that’s not enough.  While “Web tracking is not 100% evil” to quote Gary Kovacs, it is your right, our right, to know what data is being collected about us and how it affects our lives online. Collusion appears to be one answer. Take-a-listen!

This statement came during the last week of finals during my daughter senior year in college in 2010.

I am sure there are lots of seniors finishing up exams this week and probably thinking the same thing. 

They have stuck their heads in the books for years.  Exams, presentations, work projects and solo assignments are all part of college.  That is the price you pay for getting that degree.

However let me let you in on to a little secret.  Work is no different.  If you are now finishing up and preparing to walkout into the world of work with degree in tow, things are no different.  The work process will take on the same flavor.  In order to succeed you have to bring value.  The way that you bring value is being the best that you can be.  The way that you become the best that you can be is to constantly develop yourself.

If you are doing what you really love, none of this is a problem.  You relish it.  That is because you eat breath and sleep it.  Do what you love and it is not work.

Now begins the hard part

All of this came back into focus on my commute home the other day.  I had a stack of reading material that I needed to get through.  As I glanced at the newspaper, I saw an article about an upcoming graduation ceremony.  I could not help but think that the real studying now begins.

If you are in your chosen career and you want to be a success, there is no way around it.  I often marvel at the stories of premiere athletes and the way they go about training:  Tiger Woods, Peyton Manning, Terrell Owens, and Michael Jordan. 

All these athletes had work habits that would sideline the average person.  Practicing 8 hours per day on their day off as Tiger was said to do.  Michael Jordan had an official size gym at this home when he played in Chicago to shoot hoops endlessly and solo.

Magic Johnson was recently interviewed and he told the story about how he tried to gain a business mentor.  The mentor asked him “what was the first thing he read in the morning?”  His reply was the sports pages of course. 

Magic’s mentor advised him that if you want to be a success in business, you must read not only the Wall St. Journal but all other business publications.  You must become steeped in the language of business.  That should be the first thing that you reach for every morning.  Focusing on the sports page is not going to make you that businessman that you want to let out.

I owned a 7-11 store for 9 years and I was told by a young man who had just bought the paper that he only reads the sport section and throws the other parts away.  He knew everything there was about basketball and football.  But if that was not the subject he was clueless.

Self-Learning and Development is in your hands

All of this is about self-learning and development.  This is not assigned learning.  This is not required learning.  However if you want to attain success in your field of choice, the process of self-learning never stops.  You must consistently strive to get better.

You should know everything there is about your industry. There was once a time when you got your monthly industry magazine and basically that was it.  With the advent of blogs, newsletters and various websites, a person can be constantly updated about what is going on in their field.

ITunes University is an excellent portal that has lectures on basically any topic. All for free.

This transformation from college graduate to successful person will be nothing compared to the years that you just finished.  The climb will be much higher and steeper.  That is if you want success.

Do you want to be successful??

All this is predicated on your drive to be successful.  If you chose not to be successful, just get a job and go in every day and do just enough to get by.  That will definitely guarantee that you will not improve your station in life.  But on the other hand, you will be the first to go when the downsizing begins because you bring no value.

As I told my daughter, “welcome to the real world, now the studying begins.” 

And oh by-the-way, our risk starts early in the black, brown, and Native American communities.  The relationship of socioeconomic characteristic and prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias has been studied, correlated, and cataloged.  I’m going to touch on two of the characterics: education & health.

Education

Having a low level of education, having low income and having lived in a rural area as a child are socioeconomic characteristics that have been found to be associated with greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.

Some studies indicate that it is not only low level of education but also poorer quality of education that is associated with greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other dementias. One reason we advocate for and support groups like Great Books for Our Kids, Black Kids Read, and like organizations is that these groups focus on supplementing the educational systems. They serve as advocates and educators for speech, language and literacy development.

So, let me be very clear about this: one of the ways you increase your chances of developing dementia-related is through a lack of education. 

Health

High blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and stroke are known risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. High blood pressure is more common in African-Americans overall and diabetes is more common in both African-Americans and Hispanics.

The data is telling us that African-American experience a high degree of Vascular Dementia, which is caused by mini strokes that can go undiagnosed for years. Vascular dementia is not a brain disease, it is a blood supply problem where parts of the brain are not getting oxygen and nourishment and it affects movement, speech and so on.

High blood pressure and diabetes are treatable conditions, and many researchers and clinicians have proposed that treatment of these diseases, especially if it were begun in people who have the conditions in midlife, could reduce the prevalence of Alzheimer’s and other dementias. So…

Your attention please!

(Switch to full screen to view these videos) 

Research has shown that black females are at increased risk of vascular dementia due to a higher incidence of obesity and hypertension.

The potential for black, brown, and Native American males to experience alcoholic dementia before age 40 is also increased due to early age onset of drinking and heavier patterns of consumption.

What’s the call to action?

Research reveals that lifestyle factors play a significant role in protecting your brain as you age. You can reduce your risk of dementia-related disease by eating right, exercising, staying mentally stimulated (challenged)  and keeping stress in check. Some of the pillars of a brain-healthy lifestyle are:

1. Regular exercise
2. Healthy diet
3. Mental stimulation
4. Quality sleep
5. Stress management

You’ve heard this all before, it’s not new, and many of you reading this blog have been touched by dementia.  The more you strengthen each of these pillars in your daily life, the healthier your brain will work stronger…longer.

(via Wikipedia)

The Girl Effect is a campaign sponsored by the Nike Foundation and the Buffet’s NoVo Foundation. According to the campaign’s website, the Girl Effect is defined as the unique potential of 600 million adolescent girls to end poverty for themselves and the world. It is based on the common belief in the field of International Development that when given the opportunity, women and girls are more effective at lifting themselves and their families out of poverty, thereby having a multiplier effect within their villages, cities, and nations.

Is Slacktivism a good or bad thing?

I don’t know.  I must confess that although I am very much the researcher, I do “join” campaigns, “like” pages on Facebook or “retweet” on Twitter especially if it is for a good cause or creates awareness.  Does that mean I fit the criteria of a slacktivist?  It sounds so disparaging.

What is the value of Slacktivism?

Sortable ask is there any value in a Slacktivist? Moreover, can 500,000 people on twitter actually change something? Are you a Slacktivist? Here’s something to help you answer the question. 

Sortable The Rise of the Slacktivist