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Corporate cards letter
Dear Marc Gudema,
My name is Nick Moraitis. I'm a 17-year-old teenager from Melbourne in
Australia. I am one of 130 young people currently developing the Nation1.net global community for young people. I'm writing to you hoping BCE may be interested in sponsoring Nation1's business cards. First, let me give you some background...
Nation1.net, which will be launched online later this year, will we be a major Internet destination for young people interested in making a positive difference - to their local communities and to the world. The latest technologies will connect a massive number of young people in an online environment: sharing ideas, news and views on important world issues that effect their lives - and assisting each other to do something practical about them. We are placing special emphasis on involvement from a diverse group of youth: students from around America - but also around the world. Therefore, one of the key challenges - and features of Nation1 - will be multilingual support, allowing youth to communicate across the barrier of language.
At the end of 1998, the Media Laboratory at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology brought 100 young people aged 10-16 from 54 different countries to Boston to discuss how to use technology to shape a positive future. Nation1, was the lead project announced. Over the last year, we have considerably fleshed out the concept and found many partners to assist us - leading development organisations like Oxfam, and United Nations agencies like UNICEF; as well as high-profile people who were very important in the invention and development of computers and the Internet. We are also working with a large number of youth - especially via our partnerships with the Global Youth Action Network and the Forefront Leaders Network (the organisation of previous winners of the Reebok Human Rights Youth in Action award).
Many of our participants and partner organisations have made an inspiring contribution to make the world a better place already - striving for an end to child labor, for peace, for prevention of school violence or local recycling. Just this week, five of our participants (from the US, Canada, India and the UK) were honoured with the Disney/McDonalds Millennium Dreamer Award presented by Christopher Reeve at an event in Florida.
Last year, when we were researching and developing the concept, we received a small amount of funding and in-kind donations from (amongst others) Swatch, Sega, MIT, the Lions Clubs, Apple, Compaq and American Airlines. This enabled us to attend and present key-note speeches at a range of major youth and adult events, including the Hague Appeal for Peace, the State of the World Forum, the First International Youth Services Models Conference and the White House Millennium Celebrations.
Having 'perfected' our concept, this year we (all are young people mostly under 13-19) have been trying to establish a more 'solid' footing for our actual development, including the establishment of a non-profit, the employment of some staff to assist us and also more 'reliable' sponsorship arrangements. Soon, we will turn to programming and then promotion.
Until now, Nation1 has been run on a 'shoe-string' budget - literally our 'pocket money'. Now, it's come to the point where we are meeting so many people - often important people, that we need to move from our home-made business cards to something a little more professional! Being in the business, I'm sure you understand how having a good card makes a real difference.
For now, we are looking at approximately 500 cards for 15 people (our taskforce coordinators). Thus, 7500 cards in all. We would have a standard format, preferably with the Nation1 logo in the corner, with different name/position/contact details for each of our participants (as they are dotted around the world). In the best case scenario, you would send the cards directly to our participants. If that is impossible, we may be able to arrange an alternative distribution solution.. Of course, we want to get good cards quickly - but we also want to make it as easy as possible for your company.
In exchange for your support, we will feature you under our "Supporter" category on our sponsor list on our Nation1.net webpage when launched. Further, each card could be imprinted with "printed by www.corporatecards.com" to highlight your contribution and connect our many contacts directly with your company. At any stage over the next two years you would also be welcome to distribute a presss release indicating your in-kind support for Nation1. Based on the amount of coverage we have already had (New York Times, CNN, USA Today) even before our website is launched, after we launch (late this year) we expect a lot of interest from the press.
I do hope you are interested in this - or perhaps other ways to support the Nation1 project.
warm regards,
Nick Moraitis