#DreamOn
“It was Earl Bakken’s enduring dream that anyonewho is given ‘extra life’ considers giving back – in big or small ways.” Making his dream reality can be achieved by developing a process which extends the invitation to those with the ‘extra life’ to try giving back.
Bakken Invitation Honorees are people who, with the help of medical technology, have overcome health challenges and used their extra life to make a difference in communities worldwide. Honorees demonstrate that with access to quality healthcare patients can become empowered, not only to manage their own health but also improve the lives of others. They are an embodiment of what the dream is, what is possible when you #LiveOn #GiveOn #DreamOn.
Imagining The Dream
Imagine for a moment, recruiting a small number of organisations (aligned with NCDs most probably) and the average membership comes to about 100 per group. –
Each organisation is given access to online resources designed to give the organisation improved recruitment capacity with respect to those who have an NCD. Organisations of this size typically don’t exhibit a sophisticated sign-on ramp. In addition the resources also facilitate the development of all volunteers within the organisation along the lines of the “empowerment ladder”.
Starting at this modest level and with the ambition of a) growing each organisation by 5%p.a. and b) signing up an additional 5% of organisations each year will yield a net increase of those in the #LiveOn#GiveOn group of some 3,300 after five years.
The UK alone could have well in excess of 100 organisations signed up as a nation, so the potential in the International Arena is massive.
Providing the branding and resources does have a cost, however it does not rise significantly with uptake. Making the materials open source would reduce barriers to joining, as organisations could elect to customise their approach (however having to acknowledge the rights of The Foundation). It would be anticipated that being open sourced the whole project could potentially become self-sustaining with sufficient interest.
In Summary
Medtronic Foundation obtain maximum impact for Earl Bakken’s Invitation to those with an ‘extra life’ to give on. Empowering Patients who go on to improve the lives of others.
The subscribing Organisations grow and maintain an empowered group of volunteers whilst providing continuing personal development.
The individuals recruited are given value and meaning in undertaking their roles as well as the ongoing opportunities to continue personal development up the “empowerment ladder”.
Bakken Invitation Honorees will be ambassadors of this wider project to demonstrate the benefits of giving on, as well as working with subscribing/interested organisations and The Medtronic Foundation to generate more interest in their home nations.