R2 Society is a project I have been working on all throughout the pandemic. I have finally been able to sit down and dedicate myself to it! I have been dreaming of building this for a few years now.
The idea came to me when I was in the Mexico City area for the summer of 2017, where I spent my time learning all about how people thought and felt in regard to social change as well as the projects they were working on. I met a lot of people who had small businesses or social-impact projects they were hoping to, or in the process of, launching.
I knew I needed to help them with long-term guidance because many did not have current information about the world and were setting themselves up for failure. I also saw that even those who were on point were going to need long-term support so their projects could reach the level of success they were hoping for.
But how could I help everyone? I am only one person, and although I’m confident in my abilities, I do not have all answers. I needed to find a way to pool others’ experience and expertise in a manner that did not require more time and attention than they were ready to give (comfortably). I was aware that the ones who are willing to help are often stretched far too thin and end up making personal sacrifices that causes them to have unhealthy family relationships among many other things. I did not want to create this kind of situation!
Furthermore, I was aware that there were many others who would love to jump in and help in moments that they felt they could without making a huge sacrifice or dent in their financial accounts. Finally, I wanted to make sure that none of this would be laced with guilt.
Guilt is a tool that far too many NGOs and nonprofits have used to get people to donate, and I do not agree with their methods. Rather, I would love to show people a way to help others that adds to their lives and sense of fulfillment, and totally accepts them as they are even when they are unable to give anything at all.
I would do this by providing something of great value to those who participate in the R2 Society community. And what best thing can I offer to others except that which I have learned through my own life experience — how to overcome all challenges and reach one’s true potential. With this, I added the element of personal development for all members. I am the first coach here, and will be adding others to the list (I am just now getting the word out).
What I am looking for is a mix of all kinds of skills and expertise areas among individuals who agree to be contacted if someone downstream has a question. Would they be willing to give advice on X topic?
What I know of most experts is that they love to teach what they know. This adds meaning to their lives. It will be even more meaningful for them if they know that when they have something they need help with, they can simply dip in to the R2 community and someone will have an answer.
So this is what R2 Society is about. We are here for social change, but all people involved must get something out of it for their own lives – otherwise none of it will be sustainable.
Changing subjects, I have been building the R2 Society website for months now. I started not knowing the first thing except how to post a blog to WordPress and change themes every now and then when I get bored of my current one. I began watching hundreds of how-to videos and reading blog posts that compared products. All this helped me to choose which elements I would include in the back end for userfriendliness, functionality and organization. I now have a functioning social site where people can create profiles, connect with others, create groups and forums and even have video conferences.
I came up with the visual design and wrote all the content as well. I did have a development companion who gave me constant feedback and helped the entire project stay on track. Thank goodness for that!
Now I am in the process of translating the entire thing into Spanish so it can be used in the US and Latin America. I need to be able to communicate with my people in Mexico, so the Spanish part is vital. This is still en route though, so please don’t judge me yet!
So there you have it. Please do give me feedback and ideas – I am really dependent on that, actually.
Thank you so much!
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