Education and Events

LiveMocha.com is an innovative website that connects self-motivated individuals from all over the world with native-speaking language tutors. It's the free, social way to learn or even tutor a language.

Learn. Practice. Share.

Everyone knows that the best way to learn a language is immersion. LiveMocha.com took this learning principle and added its own twist to create the first-of-its-kind online language-learning community. Users create profiles and add friends who have similar learning goals or are already fluent in their language of choice. It's really an online learning and practicing community, with friends helping friends accomplish their goals via lessons that are almost game-like. Budding linguists can learn the language at a pace that works for them. The lessons are interactive and include all the essential aspects of learning a new language, with the bonus of beautiful photography from around the world.

If you're even remotely competitive, you're going to love this. LiveMocha.com lets users track their learning progress online, see how their progress compares to other users and even compete against them to help motivate and encourage one another.

We like LiveMocha.com because it takes the functional task of learning a language and adds a knock-your-socks-off social element that makes the world just a little bit smaller and keeps users coming back for more. See you in Spanish. Or Chinese. Or Hindi. Or...

We all instantly recognize the Nike Swish symbol, and their energizing byline "Just Do It." Nike has been very successful in building an image and feeling that we easily identify with. This is mainly because Nike has cleverly set up a program that taps into our self-image and looks to explore "the vast potential in individuals". This is enhanced by their company statement of purpose "to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world" (and according to Nike if you have a body, you are an athlete). Anyone who has been exposed to their electrifying ad campaigns and design has been stirred by the Nike concept. Still Nike is realizing that it has to deliver on its values through more than just great products. Nike is heavily involved in building their brand experience, from specially designed Nike stores, Nike towns, and other projects that look to tap into consumers desire to be part of something bigger. Nike states on their website, "We feel lucky to have a genuine, altruistic reason to be: the service of human potential. That's the great benefit of sports, and we're glad to be in the middle of it."

In the UK, Nike is getting involved in an exciting project to help improve education by promoting healthy living and physical activity, especially among kids. Nike has teamed up with the UK department for Education and Skills and London schools, and has transformed playgrounds into colorful "Zoneparcs" that provide exciting activities such as sports, action skill games, or ball games. Nike even provides special "kits" for children who act as "Nike Monitors" on the playgrounds. The kids absolutely love the playgrounds, and the schools are raving about increased school attendance, and fewer disruptions from rowdy kids. And Nike's commitment is building their cultural capital through this brilliant idea. Nike plans on having over 300 of these Zoneparcs all over the UK, all building on Nike's commitment to mentoring, responsibility and cooperation.

Nike also actively encourages its employees to be active in their communities. If a U.S. based employee contributes to a qualified non-profit organization, they match the contribution, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000 per employee per year. When a U.S. based employee volunteers for a qualified non-profit organization, they donate $10 for every qualifying hour of volunteer work. (In fiscal year 2005, Nike's matching contributions totaled more than $2.8 million in the U.S.). In Europe, employees participate in the Sport4ACause Fund, which engage them in charitable sporting events, and Nike matches the funds they raise. In the UK, their "EXTRA TIME" program gives employees six days per year for volunteer activities. By allowing the employees to find their own programs, Nike frees employees to reach in a more personalized manner, donating through Nike's innovative and unique sports-approach.

Nike came under fire because of "sweatshop" practices, and this seriously tarnished its image. Nike has literally evolved their production image in hopes of providing a "cleaner" product. They are making their move by shifting from outsourcing labor monitoring to a team of trained, internal monitors who also work in close connection with the Fair Labor Association. Nike's program involves identifying risk, uncovering problems and implementing strategies that can be used to drive performance. They realize that the money they saved with cheap production was not worth the net loss in cultural capital. Not convinced? Nike takes us one step further inviting us to digitally enter one of their production factories. On their website clients can access video, testimonials and a conclusive address list of every location from which they create their product creating the image that "responsibility and competitiveness go hand-in-hand. And what is the effect of all of these experience innovations? Nike has reported record financial performance for 2005, and they achieved double-digit growth for the first time in a few years. Nike has battled through criticism, and with innovative experience offerings is again becoming the powerhouse in retail sports wear.

Since 1992 Curves has been empowering women to work out, eat healthy, and feel great about themselves. Gary Heavin together with his wife Diane opened the first Curves in Harlingen, Texas 14 years ago and have been growing like crazy ever since. Curves is founded on a simple concept of 30 minute fitness combined with strength training, weight loss guidance, and an environment that's designed specifically for a woman's needs. Just three years after it's founding Curves became a franchise, boasting 1,000 locations within 36 months and 9,000+ locations around the country after just 10 years. Entrepreneur Magazine consistently rates Curves as one of the best new franchises, while the Guiness Book of World Records ranks them as the "world's largest fitness center franchise." Much of Curves success is founded on a fundamental principle of any good business, word of mouth advertising. Loyal members make sure that friends, family members, and coworkers know about the innovative approach to fitness that Curves has become so well known for.

Curves believes that women can help other women get motivated to reach their fitness goals. They offer six week of small classes that can help you learn how to lose weight (and more importantly keep it off). Curves helps you jump start your metabolism by changing your eating patterns and strength training (which helps you build calorie burning muscle). By eating five small meals a day you'll find yourself with less irresistible cravings throughout the day â€" another approach to keeping that metabolism moving. Curves has two different diet plans, one that focuses on high protein and one that works with higher amounts of carbs, and neither diet makes any foods off limits. By consuming a wide variety of food products you're actually getting all of the different nutrients your body needs.

If you think that all of this sounds too good to be true-don't worry, scientists at Baylor University have done plenty of research that proves the Curves system works. The majority of women using Curves lose weight, boost their metabolism, lose body fat, gain muscle, and enjoy a healthy self image and improved confidence.

Illegal Art is an artist collaborative that started five years ago in an effort to create "interactive public art that inspires self-reflection, thought, and human connection." Each work of art that Illegal Art turns out is intended to be simple, approachable, and largely self-explanatory. Their Suggestion Box project is particularly memorable-in this project they assembled a cardboard cube with the word "SUGGESTION" stenciled on four of the six sides. And in standard suggestion box form, there's also a narrow slit where anyone from the general public can leave a suggestion about anything they'd like. From there the suggestions were compiled and published into the Suggestion Box Book that's been taking the art world by storm.

Illegal art began the Suggestion Box project by traveling throughout New York's five boroughs in an effort to get suggestions from everyday people of all walks of life. The interactivity,simplicity, and thought provoking concept put people in a trance. Some wrote suggestion after suggestion while still others were stumped, racking their brains for this unexpected event. Illegal Art ended up with more than 300 written suggestions from people just like us ranging from heartwarming to obscene. Regardless of the content, Suggestion Box has become a testament to what people want the most.

The Suggestion Box project has shown that lots of people have ideas on how to improve life, society, economics, and spirituality. Thanks to organizations like Illegal Art, more and more everyday people are being given the opportunity to experience art creation firsthand. We salute Illegal Art for taking art out of museums and putting it into the hands of those who need it the most.

Red Letter Days has been offering unforgettable gifts to customers seeking extraordinary experiences for the last 17 years. Their selection of over 1,000 different experiences in the UK and other parts of the world make them one of the premier experience gift companies around. Red Letter Days prides themselves on their continuous reinvention which enables them to offer new opportunities and an increasingly wide range of gifts for customers year after year. People are so enticed by Red Letter Days that 80% of their business comes from repeat customers who love the quality, service, and innovative choices they receive in addition to customers who sign up based on others recommendations.

Red Letter Days makes sure that your gift arrives in style-they deliver your beautifully displayed gift voucher with a personalized message from you. Its up to you to decide if you want to schedule the experience for a specific day, or leave the gift voucher open-and let the recipient decide (they have up to 6 months to do so). The voucher pack contains information cards that tell the lucky recipient everything they need to know about their experience including times, what to wear, and all of the extra info a person could want. If you don't know which experience would be the best, choose the Experience Voucher that contains all the info on the experience choices Red Letter Days offers.

Some of the not to be missed experiences we found include the Teepee Retreat for Two where you'll be provided with a personal, individually designed Native American teepee that includes a wood-burning stove, sheepskin rugs, and a comfy double bed. This romantic experience gives you two nights in a remote setting in Wales Take forest where you can go on mountain walks, receive nightly Reiki treatments, and enjoy twilight meditation sessions. There's also Mosimann's Academy for Two, a mouth-watering experience takes place at Anton Mosimann's Centre of Culinary Excellence. Start at his famous Academy and stop when you get to the to die for gourmet meal at his restaurant. This experience starts with a tour of the Academy, and includes a sneak peek into the private library that contains more than 3,000 cookbooks. You can also join in a cooking class with a top Academy chef and then travel to Mosimann's private club for a three-course dinner. Yum! Or, if you're the more adventurous type, may we suggest the Arctic Adventure for Two that includes three days of unforgettable memories. The Arctic Adventure takes place 100 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Here you'll get to lead a team of huskies to the beautiful Wilderness Lodge where you can dine under the Northern Lights and spend two days sledding across the frozen tundra to the Ice Hotel. You'll also have the opportunity to experience a snowmobile tour-and all meals and accommodations are included.

If you're looking for an extraordinary gift for an extraordinary person, Red Letter Days is the place to go. Their holistic approach to helping you make meaningful memories set them apart from other 'gift service agencies' that are just in it to sell you more (often unneeded) stuff.