Ding!

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Our country is suffering from a problem called brain drain. Due to lack of acknowledgement, opportunity and support, many of those who have the most to offer our society are choosing to go elsewhere to make a living.

It is our duty to ensure that people with passion and ability are given a chance to use it. The established systems we have do not do enough to inspire, engage and nurture our budding talent, nor give them the right pathways to explore their potential.

After looking seriously at moving overseas, I realised that I too was becoming a brain drain statistic. I don't like running away from problems. I want to be part of the solution, not evidence of the problem. Australia has always punched above its weight, and myself and others like me are part of a new generation who want to carry that tradition forward to the times and challenges our society faces ahead.

Ding! is a movement I am starting that encourages people to grab life by the horns and be all they can be. It's for people who want to put a ding in the universe. It's a place where you can learn from your mentors and your peers. Where you're encouraged to try and allowed to fail. Where learning and experience are the same thing.

But it won't work without a lot of help. A lot of people think that help means money. And money definitely helps. But I'm talking about deeds, not dollars. The will to make it happen. I need people to give some of their time to talk in front of others honestly and openly about their own experience, because other people's lives never fail to teach and inspire. I need businesses to offer work experience so that people with a burning desire to be involved in their favourite industry can spend a week getting to grips with it first hand. It's about making connections and learning through example and experience.

And yes I'll need money too, not to give away or to waste, but so that when we hold a competition to see who can write the best essay on how technology is changing business, we can send the winner to the business technology expo in San Francisco that they would dearly love to attend. Or not even extra money, but simply money that would've been spent anyway but used in a more positive way, like instead of a company spending a thousand or two on a new logo and design, throwing it open for people to submit their own creations and giving the winner a new computer and the prestige of having their design used in the real world. It's about creating real opportunities, and a healthy, supportive community.

That's my vision, and as far as I'm concerned there's no time to lose. There are people right now in schools, at university, at work or sitting at home watching TV who have talent, brains and winning personalities, but who are bored or unfulfilled because they feel they have no outlet. In this community and in others all around the country.

I look around and I see opportunity everywhere. Ding! is about making those opportunities real and something we can all share in. If you're interested in helping me make this happen, or you think you know anyone who is, let me know. All you need to do is tell me what you'd be prepared to do and I'll find a way to make use of you.

And most of all, I'm looking for people who want to be part of this change I'm talking about. People who have something to offer and who want to look back on their life and be able to say 'I gave it everything I had, I have no regrets'. We need you. Just imagine what we could do if we all got together, because to quote one of my favourite sayings...

"Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. After all, it's the only thing that ever has."

If you’re interested in being involved in Ding!, whether as a member, contributor, organiser or sponsor, keep an eye on www.danupoyner.com/ding where I'll be posting news and information as things progress.