If you’re on Twitter, you’ve probably heard of Tweetsgiving (which starts today!) and the Twitter Kids of Tanzania. In last night’s The Social Nerdia Show! I had an awesome conversation with Stacey Monk, founder of Epic Change, the non-profit organization behind Tweetsgiving that “invests in people with incredible stories“. It was easy to see that Stacey’s heart is as big as her dreams to make a difference the world.  Her story is quite powerful and so is the story of those that her organization is helping and working with.

Listen to the entire conversation with Stacey on the Flash player below. You can also subscribe to us on iTunes, stream from mobiles on Stitcher, and listen to upcoming shows LIVE on blogtalkradio.

“We believe there are incredible people across the globe that are creating change in their own community; we try to amplify their visibility and impact,” explained Stacey about what drives Epic Change. Tweetsgiving was a project that Epic Change “imagined six days before American Thanksgiving in 2008 with six volunteers, and launched only 48 hours before Thanksgiving.”

The Tweetsgiving idea was simple: ask people to share about what they were thankful for and ask them to donate to the project if they felt moved to do so. The result was over $10,000 in donations that were invested to build a classroom at a school founded by Tanzanian Epic Change fellow “Mama Lucy” Kamptoni, a woman who used her own money to open up a school that today serves more than 300 kids.

The Twitter handles of those who made donations were painted in the room so it is no coincidence that Twitter and the “@” symbol have become quite popular in the school in Tanzania. These days, Mama Lucy and the kids have become passionate users of the microblogging platform and you can follow them yourself here. ”They do not yet have a library, but they access to a world of information!,” Stacey said with much excitement about the kids’ access to the internet, which has been made possible thanks to a recently donated Technology Lab.

The goal for Tweetsgiving 2009 is much larger than that of 2008 and Stacey told me that it includes building a library, a cafeteria, and a dorm for the kids in Tanzania. (more…)

After befriending children with no shoes in Argentina, Blake Mycoskie decided he wanted to help. He started TOMS Shoes in 2006 with a simple idea: With every pair you purchase, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. One for One.” The shoes were designed after the Argentine “alpargata” and 10,000 pairs were sold in the first year. The company has given away over 150,000 pairs of shoes to kids all over the world.

At the young age of 33, Blake has not only created an admirable brand, but he has also built a platform that allows anyone to provide a basic need to those that are often forgotten and ignored.

1. I love your quote: “I don’t want to be remembered for what I did, but what I gave away.” Have you always had this philosophy or did it develop over time?

As you grow and have different experiences, you learn what you want out of your life and what direction you will pursue. The things I have learned and people I have met over time have shaped my philosophy and have guided me to where I am now.

2. Designing a new type of shoe, starting a non-profit and building a brand that incorporates both seems like a lot to take on, did you ever consider partnering with a brand that already existed?

TOMS was such a unique model from the start, and we broke the mold in some respects of how most businesses operate, so we wanted to show others that this idea of incorporating giving could work on its own. It’s great now to be at a point where we can do some amazing collaborations with other brands like Ralph Lauren, Element Skateboards and even Dave Matthews Band. (more…)

Kara Andrade from HablaHonduras and I have a panel up for consideration for the 2010 SXSW Interactive Festival and we’d appreciate it so much if you guys voted for us and commented here on SXSW’s PanelPicker.

Labor Day is the last day to vote!

You can also help us spread the word by sharing this link http://bit.ly/votesxsw with everyone you know.

The title of the panel is “Here Come All the Latino Bloggers” and we intend to boldy go where few Latinos have been expected to go before. You might have noticed the lack of latino representation at everybody’s favorite interactive event in Austin, TX, but I am proud to announce that the Latino blogger, columnist, and citizen journalist has finally arrived.

Our panel will be about what is happening online and offline in Latin America, including Streisand effects, citizen journalism, jounalism 2.0, social injustice, and the digital divide.

The panel will also let you find out out more about the bloggers that are leaving a mark in the US and worldwide in the name of Latin America when it comes to politics, social justice, marketing, music, and technology.

By the way, here are some of the questions we hope to answer with out panel:

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For the 3rd episode of The Social Nerdia Show! I interviewed Cameron Strang, founder and CEO of RELEVANT Magazine, a magazine that has become a leading voice among 18-34 year old, faith motivated individuals.

I have been a big fan of Relevant for many years so it was more than awesome to chat with Cameron to learn more about him and the company. You can stream the conversation on the BTR player below or download the podcast on iTunes, and read some of my thoughts below.

When asked about why he started the magazine, Cameron said that he wanted “to make a difference” and that at the time ”there was no magazine that blended life issues, faith, and culture.” The foundation of it all was Relevant Media Group, which still provides media and web consulting services, followed by the release of relevantmagazine.com, and finally the first issue of RELEVANT Magazine in 2003. Cameron and Relevant have been able to create creative, fun and thought-provoking media that has spread through word of mouth, a strong online community, and grassroot efforts. (more…)