“Grab a Do-Band and Get It Done!”
The Do-Band project sets out to create positive social change through self-empowerment. One of the greatest obstacles facing “Causes” is that you often must convince the person to support your cause?but this creates a paralyzing chasm between acknowledgement and action. Signatures and pledges mean very little without true commitment. Do-Bands combine this insight with the realization that everyone has their own causes that they care about. Everyone has something on his/her To-Do list that they want to do, they ought to do, but they just never get to it (calling your mom, registering to vote, or donating blood). These are powerful to-do items that have a lot of potential…if only they were completed. Do-Bands overcome this block. Here is how they work: We labeled and handed out hundreds of Do-Bands. By accepting a Do-Band, you are pledging to wear the Do-Band until you fulfill your promise. Then, you record your success, and pass the Do-Band to someone else! However, each Do-Band has a unique number on it, so the value and journey of the individual band can be tracked online (dobands.blogspot.com). In this way, participants are given the opportunity to see how other stories have branched out from theirs, creating a social web of success stories that empowers people to take action. In addition, we created Virtual Do-Bands that allowed us to reach beyond the Stanford campus and actually go international. Do-Bands were able to capture the spirit of E-Week by promoting creativity, risk taking, and innovation by encouraging individuals to follow through with a commitment to themselves or others.
