New Philippines Street Kids Charity

[Bruce]

Hello Again! No I did not die... I have been busy with different ventures and struggling as always in looking for funding for the Philippine Basic Needs Outreach Program as to better help the poor in the Philippines.

With the bad economy and lack of funding to promote the charity and since I do not use professional fund raisers (they can take a 40% or higher cut of donations) I have been thinking of ways to grow. Growth means more money and it is really a catch 22 situation.

Well, I think I have come up with a unique fund raising method and cheap easy way to promote it in the US. One of the steady ever present things I have seen in the Philippines is mass quantities of gays. Not just your typical ladyboy (the butt of many Internet jokes!) but openly gay teachers and store clerks and school boys. As I was raised in the US I am quite familiar with gay bashing and gay parades and a us vs them attitudes. I have seen none of this in the Philippines. Never heard the word queer or fag spoken here. Just a matter of fact spoken 'he is a gay'.

In the US, in addition to being a nurse and now a former gun / pawn shop owner, I am also a air con contractor with a small company. In the greater Ft. Lauderdale area, it is the 3rd largest gay population in the US. As an air con contractor of 30+ years, it is safe to say.... I have met a few..... This started me thinking.... with the big contrast of the US thinking and the very different Philippines thinking on the subject of gays.... how can I make some money here for the charity and help out the local gays here. How can I tap into (no pun intended) the gay money in the US?

The sad thing here on Samar is that there are no real good schools or opportunities. Rich families send their kids to Manila for school. Recently the Teachers Exam for getting the certificate to allow you to teach was taken by 1178 people on this end of Samar. 915 failed..... This is not a student issue but one of multiple schools failing to properly prepare the students for the exam. There are hundreds of gay boys here, many with talent that will never be seen or taken to the next level due to lack of funds and opportunity.

So...... if you have read this far..... here is the next chapter in the short history of the Philippine Basic Needs Outreach Program! I am making an attempt to match gay boys here 13 to 18 with gay sponsors in the US. While there are many 'save-the-children' types of web sites for those kids, I have not seen any gay related or any marketed to gays as potential donors. Well I aim to try and go mainstream with a gay to gay SPONSOR / MENTOR program with the charity offering tax deductions for donations which can be made for a specific kid or the charity general fund. This way perhaps with concerned donors, the local kids here can actually make something of themselves beyond the boundaries of Samar.

While I think this is an unfilled market and lots of opportunities here, it is not so simple! While I have some mechanical abilities in fixing things, I have no idea on how to make a web site. A GOOD web site.....

Sooooooo, I gently approached Tom the owner ( jollygoodfellow ) of the Philippines Expat Forum for his opinion on my idea and how to make it work. I was right, it is not an easy task, not only to design a site but to maintain it and protect it from hackers and to help it grow. Tom has supported the Philippines Basic Needs charity for a while and also maintains and designed that site for me a while ago. While I feel awkward stumbling around the Internet options, Tom knew what to do. He came up with a proper format and design that is suited to the purpose and can be adaptd to what is needed.

Based on his work schedule, he put in many hours getting the site up and running in very good time. I did my part in working with local gay teachers to find boys who actually are poor and at risk of not finishing school and also at the same time, I was confronted by many older gays now over 18 and most likely having missed their chance at a better future came knocking and asking to be on the web site. So, Tom had to do double work and developed a Sponsor Needed category and for the older gays a Friends Wanted category!

Tom and I talked about and came up with some easy to follow rules to protect the under 18 kids from online predators and as for the older kids (18+) since they are adults, a lot less maintenance is involved as they can look out for themselves. I have a couple gay teachers here who are designated resource people for the kids to talk too if there are any inappropriate requests.... It is a balancing act. If the charity does nothing with the gays, then nothing is accomplished in helping these school age kids moving up and on in their quest for a better life. So while there is always the potential for abuse, with reasonable safeguards, I think it will work with older US based gays supporting and mentoring younger gays here via SKYPE and Email. Which is free to the kids in the charity's Internet cafe.

While we (Tom) is making adjustments and tweaking the site as needed, it appears that it is a 1st class site and as far as I know the ONLY gay site to match poor kids and older gays who may be interested in this more so than a simple donate to the Philippines charity because of some reason that they should. ( I must add that Tom has done all of this work for free; even the hosting of both sites)

Here it is! Take a look if you have time. Gay Street Kids Charity

I think once I promote it in the US, it will be a huge success in the greater gay communities. While I might have had the concept, it was Tom who did all the work. Without his time and effort my idea would be just that... An idea and nothing more.

I guess I will have to buy Tom one of those really big Foster's beer cans when I get a chance.....

Bruce

[billten]

I think what you are doing is really really great Bruce, well done for coming up with a concept that can truly help and has a chance of taking off.

My only concern for you is that I hope that the internet police in the places-of-power in the West don't see this as a veiled way of connecting underage youth with older men; and that the internet preditors that are out there also don't see it as some form of opportunity. I am certain that you are aware of the possible vulnerabilities of this aspect of the project but my prayers are with you on this one...

[Bruce]

Yes, I am aware of the issue. But like we all learned years ago, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I assume there will some anti gay noise and word pedophile (paedophile for the Queen's subjects) thrown around. As such I have teken reasonable precautions to protect the younger kids.

The harsh reality is that without outside help, many of these kids will never be able to get a decent job or education if they so choose.

As a nurse, who works only in OB/GYN and being a male, I am used to be 'watched' (I work alone with the patients. I am referrring to watching my conduct) which is rather strange as the majority of the female nurses (in OB/GYN are either bisexual or gay (in or out of that closet) and they seem to think they are invisible!

I have not had sex with a teenager since I was a teenager and have no issues about being 'watched'. However, I am not the one to 'watch' as I don't like kids and am only the administrator of the charity aspect for the kids. I have Philippine volunteers here doing the day to day work with any kids. The government can search all they want in any computer I have ever owned.... no kids are in there!

So I am going to give this thing a good run to see if I can get some support fo the kids....

[i am bob]

You know, Bruce.... If you were dead, you would be up for sainthood.... :tiphat:

Seriously, you truly are doing something special! :AddEmoticons04230:

[Jollygoodfellow]

Its been half decide that the URL will change, suggestions on a URL ??????? www. ????

[jode]

If you decry the us vs. them mentality, then I don't see how seperating who is worthy of help, on the basis of sexual orientation, does not contribute to that dichotemy. Also I can see the situation where when freebies and help are being given out to a particular group, that parents may not try to have their children fake membership in that group, in order to get the benefits that group receives.

Then worthiness of help might come down to a "who is gayer" basis.

If as you say treatment given gays in Philippines is indistinguishable from treatment given anyone else, then why seperate on the basis of sexual orientation? if you think that it is because gays in usa would not be willing to give to regular needy, but only to those with their same sexual orientation, then perhaps to question their motives for doing so is valid.

I think among the general public in U.S. this idea of yours would go over like a lead baloon and be tandamount in their eyes to setting up pedophiles with poor little girls. As both to general public are considered deviants.

Sorry for the downside. I am sure your personal intentions are honorable. I am just a person maybe more pessimistic than some, and not as eager to jump on the bandwagon without giving it more thought. I hope that outlook is useful to u in your worthy attempts at getting help to needy in Philippines.

All of us who are lucky enough in life to be from a rich country should be willing to give a percentage of what we have for ourselves, to those not as fortunate as we are, (hopefully at least 10%). However many are absolutely convinced they need every penny they have and more for themselves. Deciding who among the needy is worthy of help should not be a result of politically correct trends of the moment.

Edited June 8, 2012 by jode

[Bruce]

Your thinking is text book 'in a perfect society' thinking. (insert Obama is a socialist comment here) But I am working on the 'build a better mouse trap' concept.

There are no shortages of save-the-children charities and clones. All competing for that donated dollar. I need to stand out from them. So, rather than simply trying to market my product (gay kids) I choose to work it backwards (no gay joke intended) and looked at the target audience (the US gay population) and noted that 'they' are a large block of people who own homes, have jobs and are politically active and pay taxes. And they DONATE to causes that mean something to them.

When I 1st started coming here in 2009, I saw so much poverty... but a basically happy people. I spent time in Manila, Cebu and out on Samar which I liked better. Working on a limited budget, I realized that I could spend a lifetime seeing the entire Philippines and I can spend money everywhere and make very little impact. OR I could make a decision, set down in one location and spend money helping the locals in THAT location..... Which is what I did.

As for helping the gay kids and not the other kids... same logic applies. Make a decision, make a plan and put that plan into production. The result is the charity's initial attempt at a mentoring plan. I can not help all kids, but I can help some gay kids wayyyy out here on Samar!

But I have a deal for you Jode.... If you go to the site and use that DONATE button and send instructions on how you want your money spent and on whom, (gay or not gay) I shall follow your instructions! Rice, medicine, school supplies, housing materials... you tell me where to apply the funds and I shall send you a pic of the results.

Remember.... Unless a DECISION is made and that DONATE button is used... all the talk and theories of what to do and who to include really don't matter... because a 'theory of what to do' without putting into practice helps no one. Theories have no calories and you can't pay school fees with a theory.

I and my charity are well past the 'theory' stage.... We ain't perfect... be we is trying.....

Edited June 9, 2012 by Bruce

[Jollygoodfellow]

If you decry the us vs. them mentality, then I don't see how seperating who is worthy of help, on the basis of sexual orientation, does not contribute to that dichotemy. Also I can see the situation where when freebies and help are being given out to a particular group, that parents may not try to have their children fake membership in that group, in order to get the benefits that group receives.

Then worthiness of help might come down to a "who is gayer" basis.

If as you say treatment given gays in Philippines is indistinguishable from treatment given anyone else, then why seperate on the basis of sexual orientation? if you think that it is because gays in usa would not be willing to give to regular needy, but only to those with their same sexual orientation, then perhaps to question their motives for doing so is valid.

I think among the general public in U.S. this idea of yours would go over like a lead baloon and be tandamount in their eyes to setting up pedophiles with poor little girls. As both to general public are considered deviants.

Sorry for the downside. I am sure your personal intentions are honorable. I am just a person maybe more pessimistic than some, and not as eager to jump on the bandwagon without giving it more thought. I hope that outlook is useful to u in your worthy attempts at getting help to needy in Philippines.

All of us who are lucky enough in life to be from a rich country should be willing to give a percentage of what we have for ourselves, to those not as fortunate as we are, (hopefully at least 10%). However many are absolutely convinced they need every penny they have and more for themselves. Deciding who among the needy is worthy of help should not be a result of politically correct trends of the moment.

In my opinion most people decide to donate on a basis of something they are familial with or something that has touched their heart. People who work with disabled kids for example are more likely to donate to a cause of supporting disabled kids. If you were a homeless woman half your life them you would probably support some sort of homeless woman's organization.

So what I think Bruce is doing is just tapping people on the should from the gay community and saying, hey, did you know that the Philippines has a lot of gay kids who could use a little help in life.

As for discriminating on who gets what, the Gay street kids charity is only one half of Bruce's charity which the main one being Philippines Basic Needs Outreach program which help any kids or people of the Philippines ,gay or not. So what I am trying to say is its more of a marketing thing, this one is aimed at the gay community dollar. Helping any child is worth while if you are able to do so.

Pedophiles can use any sort of charity to try to gain access to children, Bruce has a screening method to try to protect the innocent, does the local football club BBQ have one?

[JJReyes]

Jode is correct that the reaction from the general population will be negative. But the American gay and lesbian groups will more likely be supportive for this very reason. Their sympathy is toward causes that counter the stereotypical image others may have about them. Yes, they have predators. So does the hetrosexual community. Overall, gays and lesbians are working, tax paying, outstanding citizens.

A good cause is a good cause no matter what, and there is no greater need in the Philippines then helping streetchildren. The source for the funding is immaterial. If a $100 donation can keep a kid, any kid in school, that's fantastic.

[cebu rocks]

Its been half decide that the URL will change, suggestions on a URL ??????? www. ????

Thats a tough call because you want key words for search engines with Philippines being one of the best ones for a forum about the RP .

Maybe a simple reversal expatsPhilippines ? Philippine expat living ? Philippine life for expats ? Philippine expat lifestyle ? Jollygoodfellows happy fun time forum ?

A sh&t load of Philippine info ? ok ok I,m reaching :)