Why We Support the #OccupyWallStreet Movement

#OccupyWallStreet is clearly a people’s movement.  However, the media has attempted to undermine its legitimacy by minimizing its goals and effectiveness, and they have missed the power of this movement in addressing various issues and becoming a force in various cities, sectors, and elections.  As CEO Melissa L. Bradley comments, Tides is proud of #OccupyWallStreet and looks forward to the future of the movement.

Broadcasting Opportunity: How Community Radio Powers Social Change

Ninety percent of Americans use radio at least once a week, making it the most common point of connection today.  And thanks to the passage of the Local Community Radio Act, groups will soon have the opportunity to start community radio stations in cities and towns across the country—as early as next summer.  As Danielle Chynoweth of the Prometheus Radio Project notes, this marks the largest expansion of community radio in U.S. history, and in many areas, will be the first such opportunity in more than 30 years.

London's Burning: Who's Responsible?

"Basically we nearly died!" was my niece Roxana’s Facebook status. It was accompanied by a few seconds of video she’d taken with her phone, showing a group of young men hurling objects and up-ending a car. Initially a response to the fatal police shooting of Londoner Mark Duggan, the riots in London spread throughout the capital and then throughout the country.  During this wave of riots, I’ve observed that those with liberal or center-left views seem more likely than before to see this as individual rather than a societal problem. We had laughed when Margaret Thatcher first told us that there was "no such thing as society," but maybe her words took root.

Melissa Bradley in Forbes: A Convener of Ideas, People, and Investments for Social Change

We're pleased to share that Tides CEO Melissa L. Bradley was recently interviewed by Rahim Kanani for the Forbes blog.  In the interview, Melissa reflects on Tides' leadership in the nonprofit and philanthropic sector over the last 35 years, and also offers her analysis of the changes the sector has faced and her vision for how Tides will grow to meet new challenges and opportunities.

Today: Tides Community Member on NPR's Fresh Air

Today's edition of NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross will feature Jose Antonio Vargas, a founder of Define American, a Tides project, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who courageously shared the story of his life as an undocumented immigrant. You can find when it airs in your local NPR station here.

Nominate a Young Activist for the 2011 Mario Savio Young Activist Award

REMINDER:  Mario Savio Young Activist Award nominations are due by Thursday, June 30, 2011. This award provides a cash prize of $6,000, divided equally between the award winner and his or her organization.  Young people between the ages of 16-26 working for progressive social change in the United States are eligible.

Last chance to register for the Games for Change Festival 2011

Tides is proud to partner with Games for Change to promote this innovative conference focusing on games and play in education and social change movements.  We invite everyone to check out the Games for Change Festival website and explore the content that will make an impact on you. As a special offer to the Tides community, register with the discount code "tides" to save 10% on registration. All Access passes are extremely limited as we are less than a week away from closing ticket sales.

Game Changers: Interactive Media Makes Social Change

Tides is proud to highlight the work of innovative organizations like Games for Change, the leading global advocate for supporting and making games for social impact.  By supporting and showcasing digital and non-digital games, Games for Change engages children, youth, and adults to think about and take action on a wide range of pressing social issues, racial inequalities, livable communities, and energy consumption.

Putting up a Front (with The Big Picture Project)

Oakland Unified School District is more famous for it's challenges than it's successes. It's teachers are among the lowest paid in the country, budget crisis is a constant struggle as it deals with a $29,000,000 deficit and student intake is dominated by underprivileged urban single parent black/hispanic youth. Within this bleak educational environment, if you are a Oakland student who has exhausted all other venues and has earned the “problem student” label you may well end up at Dewey as a last chance.

Why does the right hate Soros?

Several months ago, the California Highway Patrol diverted a wacko fan of right-wing websites and Glenn Beck's Fox News show from opening fire on our offices. After a 15-minute shootout, he was taken into custody and is now awaiting trial.

Among the many lies and misrepresentations repeated by the sites and shows that the gunman, Byron Williams, watched and listened to was the bizarre idea that George Soros "owns" the Tides organizations — through which he is allegedly pursuing a nefarious agenda to destroy America.

As a public charity, Tides is not owned by Soros, nor was it started by him. Soros is the founder and chairman of the Open Society Institute. It is just one of hundreds of funders that partner with Tides in programs to promote economic justice, democratic processes and human rights.