[Olpc-uk] Mission Statement Revisited

[michael_jordan50 at bigpond.com]

Good morning everyone,

The discussion regarding mission statement is becoming increasingly important as OLPC UK becomes increasingly active - what is it that is going to drive the organisation forward? What are we going to do? Achieve?

It is vital for everyone to contribute their thoughts.

Below you will find:

* My thoughts on what the About OLPC page should look like, including a draft mission
* Some points on what a mission should look like, and some examples of good mission statements

Please contribute everyone because the wording of this should be a collective effort.

Regards,

Michael Jordan
07 8814 64213





About OLPC UK 
	 
Mission 
 
An organisation dedicated to funding education and communication projects for school 
children across the world. Focused on children who are currently impeded by a lack of 
access to technology and content, One Laptop Per Child UK is committed to the audacious 
goal of One Laptop Per Child, worldwide. 
 
 
Why OLPC UK 
 
OLPC is an organisation aiming to make a real, sustainable difference worldwide. The 
continued success of the organisation demands a large community of contributors across 
a variety of areas from fund raising through to developing, from teaching skills 
through to curriculum creation. OLPC UK has the opportunity to contribute significantly 
to OLPC efforts in each of these areas. 
 
IN addition the UK school system is a long way from full integration of technology to 
the classroom.  As a non-profit organisation focused on education opportunity through 
low cost devices we are exceptionally placed to increase the quality of educaiton and 
especially the integration of technology into the UK school system. 
 
 
What is OLPC actually planning to achieve? / Objectives 
 
1. Create educational opportunities for the UK's most needy children and schools by 
providing them with the purpose-built educational tool, the XO laptop, a rugged, 
low-cost, low-power, connected machine with software explicitly designed for children, 
the first of its kind. 
 
2. Provide opportunities for the UK to help the nearly two billion children of the 
developing world with little or no access to education, by providing them with the 
means to contribute content and software designed for collaborative, joyful and 
self-empowered learning. 
 
3.  Create a community of educators and developers committed to ensuring the evolution 
of educationally focused, high quality applicatioins available for use by children and 
teachers for learning 
 
4. Create awareness of the importance of education to development; and the impact that 
contributing to education focused projects worldwide can have on developing nations and 
poverty stricken regions 
 
When children have access to this type of tool they get engaged in their own education. 
They learn, share, create, and collaborate. They become connected to each other, to the 
world and to a brighter future. 
 
 
Why XO / Sugar 
 
Our collective future is dependent on our children's ability to develop creative 
problem-solving and collaboration skills, which is not the same as “excelling” in the 
use of one word processor versus another. 
 
In order to provide a rich learning experience to as many of the world’s children as 
possible, it is critical to not just provide computers to children, but to ensure that 
the software that runs on the computers maximizes the potential for engaging in 
activities that promote learning: exploration, expression, and collaboration. We want 
to help children, parents, teachers, and schools participate in, improve, and help 
others the best educational opportunities. 
 
The XO, combined with the Sugar operating system achieve these aims, and at a fraction 
of the cost of other units.  Their open source approach ensures quality content 
provided free to all for learning and development purposes. They have been created to 
make possible the goal of One Laptop Per Child worldwide 
 
For more detail see OLPC and SugarLabs. 
 
 
Mission Statements 
 
By definition are clear, concise and elicit the reasons for involvement in the 
organisation. 
 
3M 
"To solve unsolved problems innovatively" 
Mary Kay Cosmetics 
"To give unlimited opportunity to women." 
Merck 
"To preserve and improve human life." 
Wal-Mart 
"To give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same thing as rich people." 
Walt Disney 
"To make people happy." 
 
These are examples of the most concise, and i don’t suggest we make it this concise – 
but gives you the idea of what it should look like...