IDEAS - Grass Roots Projects

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anne Powell on October 15, 2009 at 1:09am

Hi Sylvia - the IDEAS category seems to be the fastest growing section of the forum.

There are several discussion groups within IDEAS that do cover some of the grass roots ideas that are surfacing - Schools Programs, Using the Resources Page to Promote KAS, Spread the Word., Church Promotions, Retirement Homes and Senior’s Groups.

Hopefully, people doing things in those areas will post to those discussions just to make it easy to find the all the ideas pertaining to each discussion heading..Ideas posted under other headings will be copied into the appropriate discussions by the moderators.

However, those discussion groups do not cover ALL of the Grass Roots ideas that are popping up. Might you consider re-naming your discussion IDEAS - Grass Roots and it would attract thoughts outside of the existing discussions? It is getting harder and harder to keep up with all the good stuff which is appearing on the forum, which is why we are trying to categorize and sort the messages into any easy-to find system. Your Grass Roots discussion would be a great place for the ideas that don’t fit into the above categories, until there are enough ideas in a specific vein to start a whole new discussion group and the mods could move the messages into the new discussion.

I agree wholeheartedly with your comments about the logic of KAS. Of course it is not logical, and on paper, it shouldn’t work... but the financial gurus have no way of measuring and calculating into the mix, the key component of KAS ...... love!! It is the sheer simplicity of the concept - using our hands and resources to change the life of a child, that keeps this rolling, and like you, I suspect that the knitters are getting far more benefit in the long run, than the kids. It is a “heart thing”. I guess KAS is a bit like a bumblebee - every physicist knows they cannot logically be expected to fly.... but somehow they do!

I think your idea of direct communication by computer with the Soweto ladies is awesome... wonder if there is any way of making this work.... maybe somewhere down the road we will figure out a way.

Permalink Reply by Sylvia Vannelli on October 15, 2009 at 4:38am

Yes, I think you've refined exactly what I was trying to get to with the Grass Roots topic. I was also hoping that people who have tried some new ideas could leave practical comments about what to do, and not to do, to make things work. Hopefully they'll give some planning suggestions also. What seems obvious to one person may not be obvious to someone trying an idea for the first time; pointers in the right diection would be really helpful.

Good idea to change the title and use this topic for the seeds until they start to germinate and get moved out of the nursery bed.

I don't know how to change the title now its up there. Can somone tell me howto do it?

Permalink Reply by P. Jeanne Haessler on October 15, 2009 at 5:58am

I don't know the high tech route. I would copy these discussions and your starter all onto Word Pad then delete this entire thing and start another with the new heading and copy and paste the header and these replies into it. I'm great with cutting and pasting, however I don't know what you want this to be titled. So it's all yours! :)

Might I add my two cents worth that there simply is NOT an army of crocheter and knitters available to do KAS's work in South Africa no matter how much money is sent there. The materials aren't available for a start, hence crochet hooks, knitting needles and so forth sneaking their way into packages now. They have no access to yarn, most of the time they have no access to FOOD, a higher priority. As you know, these people are busy surviving or helping others to survive (the go-go's raising all the kids for example) and certainly those administering shelter and food to the abandoned haven't the time or means, and the kids can't make their own blankets, so while efficiency experts may say other ways are more efficient, KAS's way is getting hats onto kids' heads, blankets wrapped around them and GO-OVERS to fit over flimsy clothing that is all some kids have. :)

Permalink Reply by Sylvia Vannelli on October 16, 2009 at 1:09am

Thanks Jeanne for all the info.

Anne kindly altered the title for me but I've made a note of your suggestions in my 'computer tips' notebook in case I need to make this kind of change in the future.

Permalink Reply by Anne Powell on October 15, 2009 at 5:53am

I just changed the title, Sylvia - hope that's OK?

Permalink Reply by Sylvia Vannelli on October 16, 2009 at 1:10am

Thanks Anne

Permalink Reply by Anne Powell on October 15, 2009 at 6:06am

I agree - what this discussion group should encompass is the practical - what you have tried, what did and didn’t work, how you did it, what you would change next time...... what results you had........ by sharing all the details of our efforts, we will all benefit.

To get us started, here’s a suggestion - this is preached by every sales trainer who ever appeared on a stage....... **** send a thank you note***** - to everyone you have talked to who listened to what you had to say about KAS, to the storekeeper who displays our posters, to anyone who donates a square, or wool....... Just keep thanking everyone... and now that we have the great KAS thank you cards in the resources section, why not use those? They do double duty - say thank you AND promote KAS for a second time.

Permalink Reply by Anne Powell on October 16, 2009 at 1:31am

Changing the title is easy - just go to the "edit discussion" tab, upper right corner. Not sure if any one can change it except for the person who started the discussion and/or a moderator, but in any case it worked!!