60 seconds. That’s all it takes to inspire hope and change; or at least that’s what the creators of the website tole-rants are hoping.
Sometimes a solution to a problem takes a little tolerance to other people’s ideas or actions and is inspired by a glimmer of hope. Tole-rants are a social movement that focuses on expressions of hope and inspiration to help make a better world. They are constructive “rants” that are used to identify a social problem and point to a heartfelt solution with the aim of spreading hope instead of fear through communications.
Tole-rants put the power back into the hand of the everyday person. We do not have rely on our governments or big business to find solutions for us, rather the website advocates that we can find solutions ourselves by voicing and videoing our experiences of hope. We can inspire new ideas, new ways of looking at a problem and new thoughts for a solution.
People can upload a video to the website explaining a social problem as they see it. Then they constructively offer hope to that problem within a 60 second time frame. By doing so, they are bringing hope to that problem, but also entering a competition that could help to see their idea become reality. If they win, they could receive a global communications programme worth 18,000 pounds to support making their solution happen. The winner will be decided on the 30th of September 2010. The great part about this program is that even those who “lose” the competition, win. They get to spread their ideas about hope and inspire people from all over the globe to start thinking about the problems that are out there and possible solutions to them. And maybe, just maybe, their idea will inspire another idea or another person to act so that we all win.
So instead of ranting about problems that can’t be solved and getting nowhere, let’s start to think in new ways. Let’s start to spread hope instead of doubt, love instead of fear; and tolerance instead of prejudice.
