Some of you may have been surprised to see the Byte Night “advertisement” appear in my sidebar. I haven’t suddenly changed my mind and started allowing ads to be placed on the blog, nothing like that.
It’s something far simpler. Along with four of my colleagues, I’m spending the night “sleeping rough” on the 5th of October, to try and raise funds for a children’s charity; the particular focus is to provide shelter, succour and support for homeless youth, reaching out to them during what is perceived to be a critical time for them. Byte Night is a peculiar UK tradition, focused on the IT community, and this time I felt it was time for me to do my part.
You can read up on them by following the Donate link. Of necessity this type of action is local and regional in context, my apologies to readers farther afield. The blogosphere, as part of the web, remains the most effective way to connect with people and get such messages across. And I’m always keen to find ways to help charities keep their administrative costs as low as possible, so that the funds reach the people and the causes they need to reach.
Les Enfants de Don Quichotte seems to be working quite effectively in Paris (and some other cities) in addressing this problem.
Have the English tried anything similar?
I haven’t been to London in 15+ years but my kids tell me there are so many kids living on the street it’s shocking.