PH+SocialGood: Heroes Wanted

MANILA, Philippines – Creating solutions for the biggest problems facing our community using technology and social media – this is the premise of the Social Good Summit, an annual global event that brings together movers and shakers to come up with innovative ideas to make the world a better place. 

Last year, Rappler’s Social Good Summit aimed to inspire.  This year, it’s time to act.

This year, we ask, “what concrete next action steps are possible now to ensure a better future by the year 2030?”

In the Philippines, no other problem has an impact as great and as large in scale as that of natural disasters. Each year, thousands of lives and millions of pesos worth of infrastructure, property and livelihood are lost.  The 2012 World Risk Index says the Philippines is the 3rd most vulnerable nation to climate change and disasters in the world. Our capital, Metro Manila, is the 2nd most vulnerable city.

More than just another summit, PH+SocialGood: The Manila Social Good Summit 2013 signals a long-term approach to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in the Philippines. 

THE EVENT

PH+SocialGood is brought to you by Rappler, Google and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). 

The 1-day summit takes place this Saturday, September 21 from 9am to 5pm at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City. 1000 people have registered to attend the event. If you were not able to register you may show up at the event and we will try to accommodate you. 

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THE SPEAKERS

The whole-day event will include international and local experts (in alphabetical order):  

	Sen. Loren Legarda Senator, Republic of the Philippines Loren Legarda, as a public servant and journalist, has for the last 30 years, devoted her work to ensure that the future generations of Filipinos will live in enabling environments where our natural resources are used in ways that are sustainable and equitable; where social justice, human rights, peace and cultural diversity are priorities; and where opportunities for quality education and decent employment to all hard-working citizens free them from poverty.
	Andrew McGlinchey Google Andrew McGlinchey joined Google in 2008 and is now the Head of Product Management for Southeast Asia, bringing Google’s wide range of products and services to the region, and across emerging markets. Prior to Google, Andrew worked on such diverse domains as developing conversational agents and automatic video editing at startups, improving voicemail at Nortel and building the user interface of Windows Vista at Microsoft. Expect to hear about Google Flu Trends and other technological innovations.
	Patrick Meier Digital Humanitarian  Patrick Meier (PhD) is an internationally recognized thought leader on the application of new technologies for crisis early warning, humanitarian response and resilience. He presently serves as Director of Social Innovation at the Qatar Foundation’s Computing Research Institute (QCRI) where he develops and also prototypes Next Generation Humanitarian Technologies using Advanced Computing. Prior to QCRI, Patrick co-founded and co-directed the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative’s Program on Crisis Mapping & Early Warning and served as Director of Crisis Mapping at Ushahidi. He is the co-founder of CrisisMappers, Digital Humanitarians and the award-winning Standby Task Force. Patrick is also a Rockefeller Foundation & PopTech Fellow and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. He tweets at @patrickmeier.
	Maria Ressa CEO, Rappler.com  Maria is CEO and Executive Editor of Rappler.com. She has been a journalist in Asia for more than 25 years, most of them as CNN’s bureau chief in Manila then Jakarta.  Maria has worked for every major television network in the Philippines and was one of the founders of independent production company, Probe. Her latest book, “From Bin Laden to Facebook,” is part of her work as the Author-in-Residence and Senior Fellow at the International Centre for Political Violence & Terrorism Research in Singapore. She was named the Southeast Asia Visiting Scholar at CORE Lab at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
	Gov. Joey Salceda Governor Province of Albay  Third term Governor of Albay, Joey Salceda has also been voted unopposed to 3rd term Chairman of RDC V. In the first 3 years of the current Aquino administration, Albay has just been judged by the DILG as the Best Province in Local Governance, ranking No. 1 among the 80 provinces. Its disaster management body (APSEMO) is a pioneer in Asia and even in the world.  He currently represents Asia in the Board of the UN Green Climate Fund (GCF).  Governor Salceda worked with Swissbank, was a Congressman for 3 consecutive terms, and former economic adviser to Philippine presidents.
	Sec. Lucille Sering Climate Change Commission  Secretary Lucille L. Sering is an environmental education advocate. Prior to her stint in Government, she served as the College Secretary or Associate Dean of the San Sebastian College of Law. She was also a professor handling environmental law and banking and finance subjects. While in the academe, she advocated for environmental law to be a mandatory subject in law schools. While teaching, she also studied her masters and earned her Masteral degree in social entrepreneurship specializing on microfinance from the prestigious Asian Institute of Management.
	Toshihiro Tanaka United Nations Development Program  Mr. Toshihiro Tanaka, is currently the UNDP Country Director in the Philippines. He was  instrumental in the implementation of One UN joint programs in Pakistan, particularly in the areas of Poverty Reduction/MDGs, Disaster Risk Management and Environment. Mr. Tanaka started his career in development field in 1983 as national table tennis coach in Peru under Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer (JOCV) Program. Before joining UNDP, he was a researcher in the Institute for International Cooperation, JICA. He studied Political Science at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan. He holds a masters degree on International Affairs from School of Public and International Affairs, Columbia University, NY, USA.

 THE HOSTS

The event will be hosted by Rappler multimedia journalist and multi-award winning documentary producer Patricia Evangelista and AdInfluent head-honcho and host of the KC Show on Wave 89.1, KC Montero. 

THE INITIATIVE

At this year’s summit, we’re introducing Project Agos, an initiative that brings together government, the private sector and citizens to help with disaster risk reduction. Along with Project Agos, we’re launching an online platform designed to be a one-stop information portal that all of us can use for our disaster risk reduction and management efforts. From preparedness, through rescue and relief, to recovery.

HEROES WANTED 

A hero is someone who is admired for an outstanding achievement. People fueled by passion.  People who make a difference.  Traditionally, this honor is set aside for a select few who give their lives to fight a cause.

But acts of heroism aren’t limited to those who make the utmost sacrifice. We believe that we can all make a difference. Through collective action, we can make a dent in this world for the better. 

At this year’s summit, we’re enlisting heroes who can commit a year of their time, to use their talents for social good. During disaster season, know the team you’ll work with.  Be familiar with a workflow.  Let’s move beyond ad hoc emergency reactions and plan ahead.

We’ve broken down what you can do into the 3 phases of CCA-DRR (climate change adaptation & disaster risk reduction) – preparedness, response and recovery. 

PREPAREDNESS 

• CREATIVE PROFESSIONALS. We need graphic artists, illustrators, copy writers, photographers, videographers, video editors, and film makers. With the help of the Office of Civil Defense and Climate Change Commission we’re simplifying the message. We need you to execute. 
• ONLINE MESSENGERS. We need bloggers, social media users, and celebrity influencers. With a crafted message, excellent execution, we need volunteers to who can tap into their networks, use their online influence and spread the message online.
• OFFLINE TRAINERS. Do you have time? We need volunteers to bring the message offline, and teach communities about climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
• VOLUNTER MAPPERS: We need people who will help us put Philippine streets and landmarks on Google Maps using MapMaker. We need help in pinning schools, barangay halls, covered courts, health centers, schools, and other important locations so our first responders can find places easily during emergencies. 

RESPONSE 

• RESCUE DATABASE CURATORS. Activated when disasters strike, and curate the rescue database to make a system that runs off artificial intelligence smarter.

RELIEF

• VOLUNTEERS. Government, NGO partners need volunteers on the ground to help with relief efforts and assist communities in need of recovery and rehabilitation. 

Rappler or one of its partners will contact volunteers for specific projects under their chosen initiative. To sign-up as a volunteer, look for the heroes’ booth at the AIM lobby.

UP DHARMA DOWN 

Local indie band Up Dharma Down ends the summit with a musical call to action. This is a time to celebrate, network, and more importantly sign-up as a volunteer. 

LIVESTREAM

Can’t make the event? PH+Social Good will be live streamed on the front page of Rappler.com and on PlusSocialGood.com. It will also be streamed to off-site locations, the San Pedro College Plenary Hall in Davao City and Xavier University in Cagayan De Oro City in the Philippines and at Alley NYC, at 500 7th Ave in New York City. You can also follow along on our live blog or join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #2030NOW. – Rappler.com