Hi, Frank-
Thanks for getting in touch. I'd certainly be interested in doing a workshop, perhaps giving a talk on the importance of developing keen written communication skills and explaining why such things are vastly helpful across a wide range of career categories. I'd also like to emphasize that the unprecedented opportunities that are opening up by way of the internet will make such skills all the more valuable in the coming decades.
Incidentally, I'd like to talk to you about having you participate in the governing network of Project PM, which will be launching late this summer and which will exist as a sort of multifaceted entity possessing aspects of a media outlet, NGO, charity, think-tank, and reform group. Participating in our governing network would not entail any time commitment on your part while still allowing you to contribute your ideas and potentially have them be put into action. I can tell you more about this and direct you to some documents laying out the specifics a bit later, but for now, I'll note that we have over 50 participants including a half-dozen professional journalists and commentators with a combined monthly readership of several hundred thousand unique visitors a month, as well as academics, lawyers, informational strategists, programmers/IT professionals, and other people with similarly useful backgrounds and skill sets; we expect to have a couple hundred similarly useful participants altogether by August or so.
Specifically, I'd love to have you advise us on matters related to the charitable trust that we'll be putting together a bit after our formal launch; I have two lawyers and a former hedge fund manager corroborating on an informal basis while the network is being put together and the software being prepared, but of course I could use someone with a background in charitable programs to help us decide a few things in terms of preparation and then eventually to put forth ideas regarding the specific undertakings that our charity ought to pursue in order to do the most good with the money we take in (and our setup is such that almost no money need be spent on administrative costs). I see that you've been involved in taking teenagers to Third World nations in order to provide assistance to rural villages, and I intend to have our charity focus on sustainable development programs in certain regions of Africa, so you could certainly be of great help in ensuring that we consider all of the best options in that regard.
This charity is the first additional function that Project PM will be taking on in addition to its core mission of forcing greater accountability on U.S. news outlets in terms of the quality of their output, and the governing body you'd be sitting on would be responsible for overseeing most every aspect of our agenda. To the extent that you're able to participate in this effort, you would have access to an unprecedented and highly effective mechanism for positive change. You can read more about what we're doing at this link:
http://trueslant.com/barrettbrown/2010/03/24/project-pm/, and you can also give me a ring at the cell number below at your convenience and I can answer any questions you may have; I'd also like to learn a bit more about the programs you're involved with here in Bushwick so that I can better prepare a short presentation for the participating teenagers.
On Tue, Apr 27, 2010 at 12:05 PM, Frank Cohn
<frank@globalhood.org> wrote:
Hello Barrett, I am not sure if we have met before, but Katie Murphy recommended we contact you. I am the associate director of Bushwick IMPACT, and I also run another program working with high school youth in Bushwick, www.global-potential.org, taking them on transformative international trips to do community service in rural villages. Katie also mentioned that you might be interested in doing some workshops with teenagers--I would love to talk to you about the possibility of coming out and doing a workshop with our youth, who meet weds. afternoons in bushwick.
We have a big fundraiser tonight in manhattan, and some other events coming up as well. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Global-Potential/27679576083?ref=ts#!/event.php?eid=107724412583610&index=1
I'd be happy to talk further by phone/person/email....
cheers,
Frank.
--
Regards,
Barrett Brown
Brooklyn, NY
512-560-2302