Richard DiPilla (Global Goodwill Ambassadors)

“GGA: WHAT WE NEED IS A CIVILIESED WORLD SOCIETY"

Living in peace and creating a global stable society is not very simple in a world with different cultures and growing inequality in economics terms and in terms of access to natural resources. Richard DiPilla, expert in strategy, communication and social media, has been trying to give a solution to this problem by creating an initiative (using the LinkedIn social media forum) called Global Goodwill Ambassadors (GGA). According to Richard, living in peace can only be attained through “understanding and acceptance of a diversified world.” The GGA initiative has a simple mission: to recognize people from every nation, race, color, and socio-economic caste, who do goodwill toward others. The only thing Global Goodwill Ambassadors looks at is the volunteering, charitable, or humanitarian works of any individual. From an initiative, founded four years ago a large structured group has emerged, with volunteers from every country and all walks of life.

Can the Global Goodwill Ambassadors initiative help to create a sustainable society? How? What does a Global Goodwill Ambassador do? How to become a GGA? Richard DiPilla, founder of the GGA, answered to these and other questions

 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-dipilla-4820177/ 

Subject: Steady State Economy   

 

By Dario Ruggiero, Founder of Long Term Economy 

 

 

Thanks go to Grazia Giordano (writer and co-editor at Long Term Economy), Geetha Plackal (Long Term Economy collaborator; GGA India) and Stephen Saunders (Long Term Economy collaborator).

 

 

 Global Goodwill Ambassadors are people from all walks of life who dedicate in full or part of their lives doing good works for the betterment of their community or ultimately, the world.

 

 

1. Question: Dear Richard, thank you for being with us and congratulation on what you are doing with the GGA organization (based on Linkedin social network). Let’s start our interview with the very basics… What is a Global Good Ambassador? what does he do and what are the skills needed to be nominated as a GGA?

 

Goodwill can come in many forms. We try to identify the nominees based on an individual’s heart. The good woman who bakes extra food to send to the less fortunate in her small town is no less giving from the Ambassadors we have who are in the United Nations or heading up countrywide charities or foundations. What we do not ever look at is a person's job or career or primary source of person income.

 

 

 

GLOBAL GOODWILL AMBASSADORS are people from all walks of life who dedicate in full or part of their lives doing good works for the betterment of their community or ultimately, the world. a) Global because media perceptions of Nations is often focused on geo-political reports. This causes the mis-conception that the people in those countries are all one way or another. What I have found is wonderful, peace-seeking, loving, people everywhere on earth. One of the primary goals of this Initiative is to break down stereotypes. b) Goodwill? The things these special people do humble me. Last night I chatted with an ambassador who is in the field working as a United Nations Human Rights worker. She was literally in an active hotspot of gunfire as she paused to send me a message.

 

 

2. Question: You founded this initiative four years ago. How much has the number of ambassadors around the world increased?

 

Although we deny between 50 to 200 requests daily we have just over 1,300 Ambassadors worldwide.

 

 

3. Question: So the GGA initiative “recognizes” people from every nation, race, colour, and socio-economic caste, who do goodwill toward others. Is GGA the proof that social award is becoming as much important as economic award in the current society?

 

Those awarded take great pride in being a part of this group of like-minded people. It goes without saying that they hold this title in very high esteem. Our logo has been worn with pride by several members of the United Nations.

 

 

4. Question: Our current society is proving to be unsustainable, economically, socially and ecologically. As a business man, what is your view about long term sustainable economy? How do you think the GGA initiative could help bring about a change and make our society sustainable?

 

I try to leave the specifics of sustainability to be worked out by people with more knowledge than myself in those areas. The GGA is about humanity. How do we move the needle of evolutionary civility past wars and senseless violence and killing. I do believe that knowledge and understanding of society is stepping in the right direction.

 

 

5. Question: More specifically, how people who are working for sustainability could take advantage of GGA activities for their purposes?  

 

If people are working in any field they require people of passion. When you combine passion with kind-hearted, openness toward others, and an agreement that there is sanctity in the value of human life, great things can happen.

 

 

 

6. Question: Let’s go on with sustainability…Ecology is very beneficial to us. But greed, thoughtlessness, and lack of concern override our daily motivations and actions. As a result, we give scarce importance to ecology. How can this problem be overcome? As an expert in Marketing, strategy and social communication, do you think can socials be used in this perspective? 

 

Going back to my previous answer, the moral human is not one of greed and thoughtlessness. When you accept a notion that these people will always be able to derail the advancement of societal evolution, you can easily take your eye off the advancement of a sustainable world. It's my belief that the primary goal is a civilized world society.  A civilized humanity will be more motivated toward a sustainable world.

 

 

7. Question: Linkedin can reach just a fraction of the global population. Young and elderly generations seem to prefer other specific channels of communication. How can we reach them and what do you suggest to them? 

 

There are so many interconnected media outlets that strong efforts on any media creates tentacles of information that serve messages well the users of LinkedIn. I read an article this morning from a Google search on a topic that was originated on Forbes, went viral and was traced back to a LinkedIn generated source article.  Since you touched on it, I am really surprised that more teachers have not encouraged young people to start building a LinkedIn profile. There are very few job appli-tracking programs that don't include LinkedIn. In a competitive job market, I would think that a person who has built a multi-media resume that highlights early works and study would be viewed very well by employers.

 

 

 

 

8. Question: One of the key factors in the success of the GGA initiative is recognising the worth of diversity. Why?

 

We are a diverse world. Our mission at GGA is to highlight not the things that make us different, but the things that make all mankind the same.

 

 

 

We should all be hoping to see that day. I will not. As a pragmatist, I realize that we are generations away from reaching many of the goals we envision. I do know that history can always trace the onset on evolutionary change. I don't know how significant this initiative is. If however it is inspirational to others they will be the ones who move us to a better world. What I can say to my grandchildren is I did something! I didn't sit idle and hope. I tried to inspire change. Each Global Goodwill Ambassador can say the exact same thing.

 

 

 

 

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