icouldbe.org will host its first ever Twitter Chat!

We are so excited to announce we are hosting our very first Twitter Chat! On Wednesday, August 1^st at 7:00 p.m. EST, you can log on to Twitter, follow @icouldbeorg and join our chat using the hashtag:

#icbchat

For this first chat, we will be partnered with our friends from VolunteerMatch (found on Twitter as @VolunteerMatch). VolunteerMatch is an online resource to connect volunteers with the best possible local – or virtual – opportunities to fit their own lifestyles and interests.

Also joining the chat will be Coretta Jackson (@CorettaJackson), an icouldbe.org mentor and an expert in social media and virtual volunteering!

During the chat, we will have an hour-long discussion on eMentoring and Virtual Volunteering, including best practices for mentors, the roles of schools and teachers in mentoring relationships, other virtual volunteer opportunities, success stories, and more.

Here’s how the Twitter chat will work:

1. Mark your calendars for August 1^st at 7:00 p.m. EST
2. When the time arrives, log on to Twitter or your preferred application and search for the hashtag #icbchat. This will allow you to filter content so that you’re only seeing tweets from our discussion.
   1. TIP: A great way to monitor conversation and participate in a Twitter Chat can be found at http://tweetchat.com/. Nothing to download, just log in to your Twitter account and enter in the hashtag #icbchat. Everything is neatly organized and updates in real-time!
   2. For the next hour, we will tweet a series of questions and conversation starters on the topics of eMentoring, virtual volunteering and education. Each of our questions will begin with “Q1: Sample question.” Our co-hosts will weigh in with their responses, and we’d love to hear from you, too!
   3. If you’d like to respond, answer with “A1: Sample answer.” Or you can just reply to us, or retweet any tweets you think are worth mentioning. It’s totally up to you – but make sure to always include the hashtag #icbchat at the end of every tweet. That way your tweet will be seen by everyone tuning in and participating.
   4. We’re looking forward to hearing everyone’s feedback and seeing what Twitter users have to say about online mentoring and volunteering! At the end of the hour, we will compile everyone’s tweets and post it online for reading or referencing later on.

If anyone has questions or comments about this upcoming chat, please post them in the comments section here and we’d be happy to discuss. Or, tweet us and mention @icouldbeorg!

This ‘Thank You’ means the most of all

During the 2011-2012 school year, there were a few classrooms of students that went above and beyond with their work in the icouldbe.org curriculum.

Below is a photo of one of these classrooms. These students on average completed over 26 activities in the curriculum, and truly showed dedication and hard work to complete the units, work with their mentors and get the most out of the program. We absolutely love to see these students take advantage of what icouldbe.org has to offer!

Here’s what one mentee had to say about his work with the program:

“The online mentoring program icouldbe.org has been a great help to me because all the units have shown me something I didn’t know. I especially learned from the unit that deals with money. This unit showed me how loans work and how to manage a credit card if I even choose to get one. My mentor was a great help in giving me advice and establishing my future goals. icouldbe.org is a well rounded online mentoring program that I enjoyed being a part of.” 

We decided to thank this classroom of students with a celebratory pizza party – and here’s how they thanked their mentors and icouldbe.org in return!

There’s nothing like a giant Thank You to help you remember that these students are the reason we do what we do. (And there’s nothing like a good slice of pizza, either.)