Paying It Forward

[JamilaHossain]

'Its never as simple as it looks....It is never easy' I agree and we are here to help :)

[hollicrombie735]

AIS/D is the best

[stingingtara]

PS: I was hoping I'd get to see more of the campus in the video...

[stingingtara]

I went AIS/D 10 years ago.. Was a wonderful experience!

[b1orb0]

did u know a bangladeshi created Youtube...

P.S. Im not a bangladeshi

[mikeepi11]

thats acctually true, jawed karim he is the co founder

[flawedartist]

Going to see if I can get some friends together to make a response video. I think it's appropriate I do so at this point :P

[UnculturedProject]

Yeah! You should also put any of your Quitting for a Cause videos as a response to this one. Makes it easier to track :)

[flawedartist]

You, sir, are just full of good ideas.

[deathgodespada]

Ok, i'am 14 years old and currently going to school. I get paid to go to school and i was thinking that i should donate some if not all of the money. i was planning to build my self a computer but I found this. I don't want to get your hopes up. I love what your doing. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! =)

[kk7872]

having been to bangladesh myself a few times, you are so right in saying this is "surreal"--it seems SO strange and unbelievable for me to see a high school just like an american one with american/international kids walking around and really nice facilities...in Bangladesh. No wonder it costs $20,000+/yr!

[SibbyA]

wow...seeing foreigners in bangladesh is always so weird...bet the kids are dying to get out

 lol

[sathish1234567890]

nice vid

[betweenblackandwhite]

i know what you mean about american schools. i go to the american school in singapore...

[lukeabout]

I second that cookie9094 -

he is truly inspirational!

[cookie9094]

you are really inspirational... i hear many people out there go hey i hate poverty and all the that ... but your actually out there and attempting to end poverty step by step ... i really wish i could help

[fabbyy02]

Hey Shawn, Being a bengali myself i feel for the b-deshi's who suffer everyday. I know all I can do now is maybe donate money but if you allow me then next time i visit Bangladesh i'm more than willing to help u. I'm currently gr.12 student in Canada and i try to do as much as i can here as an exec.member of "Kids Can Free The Children" at my skewl. But i feel there's alot more i can do to help. To sum it up i wud just like to say thnku again UR AN INSPIRATION!

[UnculturedProject]

Hey - is that with Free the Children? Craig Kielberger is a friend of mine - we went to college together.

[fabbyy02]

Yes it is in our skewl we call it "kids can free the Children". I met Craig Kielbergerand his brother Marc at a Youth and Philanthropy Intiative and Free the Children conference a couple of weeks ago. They are great speakers. You kno i think you should also attend the conference next year as one of the speakers as well! PLEASE DO! i really think you should! If you want i can recommend u for it!? That way u can more ppl to help u.

[saad30111990]

american school suck

[forgottensilent]

Wow..... U doin really Good things dude ...... Hao piao lian.... impressive indeed

[Sniiple]

Srry My name is akbar lol. (bad spelling i know)

[UnculturedProject]

It's a trap! :-)

(I'm sure I'm not the first to make that joke to you...)

[Sniiple]

Hey Shawn! Im one of the students from AISD! I just wanna say that i really like what you are doing here and i want to say thank you for everything you have done here! (in AISD and in all of Bangladesh)

My name is i am in middle school.

[UnculturedProject]

Hey thanks man! Glad I could bump into a few people from AISD here on YouTube :-)

[Franktheman149]

reply me HOW MUCH MONEYED CONNECTION(at least) IS NEEDED TO WATCH UTUBE VIDS WITHOUT BUFFERING. in bangladesh

[PineappleWave]

How should I know?

[willowdoggy420]

the world needs more people like this!!!!

[lesliejs]

one interesting setup I recognized that was used by an Indian church outside of India, assisting the poor back in their home country, was to ask for a letter of recommendation from a community or religious elder that knew of them to be received by a certain deadline. Then a committee of volunteers would gather and read each one, assess the ones with greatest needs and give out as much as possible to as many as possible based on budget. They have done successfully for 3 or 4 years now.

[UnculturedProject]

That's a great point. Church leaders and church charities actually are REALLY great at doing charity work and recognizing the truly in need. Although one thing I noticed that is a problem is that the community may sometimes incorrectly who DOESN'T need help. There were many school teachers in post Cyclone Sidr that I met that were scared to ask for aid because the community felt that since the teachers had salaries that they didn't need help (though they lost everything to the cyclone).

[lesliejs]

That's interesting. I can understand that fear that the teachers have in Sidr. I assume here that you are referring to government-paid teachers.

[UnculturedProject]

Yeah I believe that was a government school I visited and those were government paid teachers. But its not like they were well paid to rebuild their lives from scratch. They needed basic food and shelter aid but didn't go because of community pressure.

[lesliejs]

I know you're doing a great job.

I do want to ask though, how do you filter out those truly needing financial support? I helped an NGO in India once that had an issue with a free school, where the parents stopped sending their kids to school to help with farming at home. Another situation is where a family tries to save up for other non-necessities, and so applies for funding support.

[UnculturedProject]

Hey lesliejs, that's a good very good question. I've seen first hand NGOs that are corrupt as well as a few people that play the system for free stuff. It is very hard to make sure that the help you give goes to those truly in need. NGOs that have a relationship with the community (e.g. know everyone they help year round) have the best chance of minimizing the cheating of the system.

[GreenGrl095]

Ok, ignore me if you like, but I absolutely love the lesson of the book Pay It Forward. The entire concept is absolutely praise worthy, and so are you my friend.

[UnculturedProject]

I absolutely love the movie Pay It Forward. I actually use the phrase "pay it forward" as part of normal English now. Sometimes I even forget it's a reference to the movie and the book.

[GreenGrl095]

Awesome. Once I did something for a friend (I think I let her borrow notes to study for this huge essay we had) and she wanted to pay me back somehow, but I told her to do something for someone else, because it would mean more to me than anything she could have done for me specifically. I'm not sure what she did, or if she even did something, but just telling her that made my week.

[jeehoondevil]

hey look its me....

[b1orb0]

jee hoon!! its me muqri!!!

[choowee]

Give us an update on how much you are raising... that would give those who are still shy more encouragement to get involved with you. You make it feel like we are part of your work, even though all we have to do is click on "donate". Thank you.

[UnculturedProject]

hey choowee, yeah - sorry about that. I would have been posting videos sooner and given a video update - but things have been kind of busy here. And I also recently got sick with something and have been recovering from it the past few days. In total, over $4,000 has been donated from over a hundred donors from over a dozen countries. It's pretty amazing. I haven't touched much of the donations yet as I am trying to setup a process to spend it in the most efficient and responsible manner.

[dougfr007]

I don't have a video camera, but I can tell you I sent in 20$, paypal code 430321152w3879107. I'm a Nerdfighter, that's how I saw your video.I really like the work you're doing and 20$ doesn't go very far for me, but I trust that you'll put it to good use.

Keep up the good work.

[matthewcastillo45]

I really respect what you're doing man.

Continue your great work and don't let anything(or anyone *cough* 1POORMAN1 *cough) discourage you.

keep it up.

[sloth245]

hey dude ,keep goin dont take negative criticism .

o to the students there.

u guys better study that alot money.

[andwhynotgrant]

ignore poorman whatever ur doin something good

[1POORMAN1]

Yeah ignore the truth..

[andwhynotgrant]

Oh, cause saying your telling the truth makes it true

[perfectfalls]

Bangladesh's most privillaged get to go there and often just leave things behind - and become part of the brain drain, forgetting the kind of difference they have the potential to make. It is easy to deem a problem hopeless. It is excellence to persevere and find ingenuity in solving. Being inspired and going there, then publishing your work on youtube were both of these things. Keep up, I hope to join the effort in a different manner in the future.

Respect,

Promit Adnan

[perfectfalls]

Shawn, dont waste any more of your time; I see the need for debate -and to face, and learn from criticism - but this is not that. I actually thought about going to that school for a while, but my parents could not afford it but later went to the Canadian international school in Singapore. I have friends here in Sussex who are from there and I think it was good you gave them an example what can be done. cont'd

[UnculturedProject]

hey perfectfalls - thanks :-) My desire to respond to any concerns raised sometimes means I find myself feeding the trolls....

Thanks again :-)

[amazingIndians]

actually u need to think before u talk..he is not a celebrity and just a common man.How many common people you see doing this? I can understand if you talk about rich people doing things to gain advantage from business but this guy shawn is a young man trying to make a difference and he has a great sense of directing videos and its fun to watch

[guyanaprincess66]

: amazing ...

:)

[Hiijab]

Wow

[stickhrk]

wtf!!! that school is in Dhaka? but why would people go to Bangladesh to learn?

[10rjsd1985]

Does it matter where a school is located? Personal safety concerns aside; the quality of faculty, access to resources, extracurricular opportunities, etc. are, I feel, more substantial determining factors when one considers which educational institution to attend.

[stickhrk]

Personal safety isn't great over there? access to resources either? I will admit tough, its great studying there something about waking up to the bright sun gets you really motivated to learn.

[StarberryCupcakes142]

OMFG. DUDE, THAT'S MY SCHOOL! You don't need to diss it, really. It's a great school, many people enjoy it!

[stickhrk]

Hey i didn't mean to offend, i love bangladesh its the only place where i can actually work properly (siting on the roof in the sun, ITS GREAT) but I was about to go next year with my mates and i realized, they've neva been to a third world country? i dont think theyll cope, the food and environment and all? everything so different it takes some time to adapt to it and ive seen people that cant!

[CeReAlKiLlErIsBaCk]

WOW! THIS VIDEO HIT A WORLD RECORD!

111 (112 including mine) 5 STAR RATINGS!

Never ever seen it before.

[UnculturedProject]

Hey CeReAlKiLlErIsBaCk - you're right. I didn't want to jinx it so I only wanted to comment on this after the streak broke. It maintained a five star rating up to 150 votes! That's incredible...

[healinghandsofgambia]

This is awesome. I am really impressed - and encouraged. That's how the word gets out. Keep it up, Shawn. You're doing an awesome job!

[10rjsd1985]

$26,000 isn't anything - from senior kg to IB2 (gr. 12) my parents had to pay $48,000/yr CAD and that didn't include extracurricular or other incidental expenses.

I paid for my uni education myself and it only cost roughly 50 large. Grad school fees on the other hand are INSANE. KIDS - start saving your money now.

[ReverendSoma]

You have to realize this is $26,000 in Bangladesh not in the USA. Here it is a drop in the hat but there thats more than many families make in years of work.

[10rjsd1985]

I wouldn't say it's a drop in the hat anywhere - many families living in Canada, the US and many other "developed countries" wouldn't be able to afford $26,000/yr in tuition fees to send their kids to top schools.

I'm fortunate and very grateful for all the opportunities I've received.

[10rjsd1985]

One thing that bugs me is that we are so willing to look past the problems that exist in our own neighbourhoods and cities.

In high school my fellow students and I travelled to several countries abroad in order to provide aid in some form or another. We helped build wells, roads and hospitals - this was an awesome experience and one that I was very thankful to be a part of.

[10rjsd1985]

My concern is why we had to travel abroad to make a difference. Sure going abroad makes more "noise" and looks better on university applications; but why can't we devote equal attention to local issues?

Just my two cents...

[aidansmommy]

I understand your frustration with some of the problems we have in Canada, but you can't really compare our issues with absolute poverty. Children in our country have access to free health care, free education, food banks. They are not forced to work at the age of 8 to keep from starving.

Could our communities improve? Certainly! Are we facing absolute poverty? Not even close. I would hope that no one is volunteering to make themselves look good...here or overseas! Shawn obviously is not!

[10rjsd1985]

It is difficult to quantify degrees of poverty; regardless, many people in our country ARE suffering from absolute poverty. The 'hidden homeless' population is substantial. There are many children who are unable to attend school and who have very limited access to health care.

Health care is not free - I work in a major hospital in downtown Toronto - we pay, through our taxes, for health care services rendered.

[10rjsd1985]

As Canada's health care system moves increasingly towards a two tiered system, the average citizen and those who desperately need help are the most likely to fall between the cracks. Access to resources such as health care and education is not equal in our country or in countries less fortunate than our own. I'm not disputing that these resources are available. More than a trillion dollars in aid has been sent to Africa, not to mention foreign personnel but we all know about the misallocation..

[10rjsd1985]

of resources. My point of contention is I could be in Africa poverty stricken and know that some help is available but not actually have access to it. Same in our country - those who need help may not necessarily have access to it. Can we really compare "our" poverty with "their" poverty? No - poverty is poverty.

If I was in a poorer country and had the option to work and make money for myself and my family I would regardless of the conditions. Work and eat or don't work and starve.

[10rjsd1985]

It's easy to judge a situation from a far but if I as a child in Toronto had invalid parents and no real help from outside organizations, I'd have a tougher time in Toronto trying to find a means to support myself and my family. Final thought: altruism - is there really such a thing? I try and help people because I think it's the right thing to do but does anyone really know - including myself on a subconscious level - what motivates my actions?

[10rjsd1985]

I applaud Shawn's efforts! My final question is does it really matter what reasons people have for helping others?

[UnculturedProject]

Some say altruism is just self-interest for the future. You want others to help you down the road so you help others now. I don't completely agree with that - but if thats what gets people to care about poverty, I don't have a problem with that analogy.

And, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs makes a convincing argument that helping the global poor DOES INDEED help us. It reduces terrorist recruitment (terrorists recruit from the desperate) and it can fight the spread of disease (like malaria and bird flu).

[10rjsd1985]

Great final point. From an epidemiological standpoint, the vector for malaria is the mosquito and bird flu is spread as a result of close contact between humans and birds. These diseases afflict the global population as a result of global warming and agribusiness.

[UnculturedProject]

hey once again 10rjsd1985 - I hope your emphasis of Canadian poverty isn't tied to a condescension with those that give importance to poverty abroad.

I very thankful to be fortunate enough to come and help those with "no tier" access (forget about two tier access0 to health care and education.

[10rjsd1985]

@ UnculturedProject/Shawn - Please see my above comments regarding my high school experiences; there is no condescension on my part.

[UnculturedProject]

hey 10rjsd1985 - yeah, I was just replying to your comments as I read them - so I wasn't sure until I read them all. Thanks for making these very thoughtful comments - they were really great to read and reply to :-)

[10rjsd1985]

@ UCP - Thank you for all your hard work! Stimulating dialogue is very important in raising awareness. I hope I don't come across as an ass - it's difficult to perceive comments made on a public forum without reference to context and tone. I'm into debating - maybe that explains my approach. Cheers Shawn.

[UnculturedProject]

hey again 10rjsd1985 - a good contrast is to see how many poor in Canada (vs. third worl) have access to all of the Millennium Development Goals. Free education (K-12), Clean Water (except for Wakerton), Immunizations, Medical Care (basic), Emergency Medical Care, and so on. You compared the two and you'll soon realize that I sometimes wish the poor of Bangladesh had the same benefits as the poor in downtown Toronto...

[10rjsd1985]

@ UCP - As I stated above, the hidden homeless are a substantial population in "developed" countries and their numbers are difficult to quantify. At your convenience, please post a link or reference to the statistics you refer to regarding access to the M.D.G. I'm also curious as to which countries are now referred to as "third world" and what criteria is used to categorize them. Again - it is difficult to quantify degrees of poverty. So is it better to be poor in Toronto?

[UnculturedProject]

Even the homeless guy that hangs out at Bay St. and St. Joseph (the crazy one with the knife) has access to a toilet (albeit maybe in a public library). He also has access to running water that meets global safety standards (albeit in a shelter). When he was younger he also had access to free K-12 education (albeit maybe in an under funded school). He also has access to emergency medical care where doctor's won't send him a bill for any surgery. Most here don't. Simple as that.

[10rjsd1985]

Please see my most recent post - BTW - do you have access to iChat or another IM app?

[UnculturedProject]

hey 10rjsd1985 - great point. We don't "have" to go abroad to make a difference. You can do so right in your own town - there are those who need help there too. But, there is a reason poverty in this part of the world is called "extreme poverty". There is the greatest need here and it's so easy to make a difference and impact here.

Universities might like foreign experience better than local experience due to the diverse int'l and cultural experiences that come with foreign service work.

[hyrcan]

Keep up the good work.

peace.

[lori1831]

i liked how you talked about Paying it Forward.. quite coincidentally.. im wearing a Pay It Forward wrist band now.. we went over it in our school and i think it really has made a difference.

what you're doing is Amazing.keep up the awesome work.

[shehanagins]

thats pretty surreal seeing that school i thought you were at my school

[DjKiba]

Great job

We are all proud

"never as simple as it looks"... thats a fact man

Much support and respect to ya

[puffer813]

Hey, I don't really do the video thing yet. I am a teacher in brooklyn that is really impressed (think i have said that before). In my head my $20 bought a few mosquito nets in your last project. Thanks for the honesty about your own apprehension about accepting our money.  Keep of the good work. Eileen

[UnculturedProject]

Yeah - it took nearly ten months of convincing from friends for me to change my stance against accepting donations...

[puffer813]

I think you made the right choice. Stay focused on your goal and the right use for the money you raised will present its self. Last night the HS i work for held a gala scholarship fundraiser and much of the talk in that room reminded me of your work.  "hand up vs hand out" "never simple" Hard work and bravery go along way. The theme of our night was "audacity to dream". You have given me a few one line pep talks, i thought i would share that little one with you.

Eileen

[kalaway]

You're almost at 3000 subscribers! Awesome--and amazing, lol! I love how candidly you speak about everything. I hate how corporate and insincere so many charities feel--especially when talking about poverty.

[VirgoVixen9]

As soon as I get a chance I'm gunna send you money; I'm so proud of you! :)

[bryantomal]

great jobbb

dude do u no where is this school located?

cuz i wanna go there lol

or its only for foreign people?

greak job keep up your good work

[UnculturedProject]

It's for those who can afford $26,000 US Dollars a year (which unfortunately is why I never was able to go to a school like this). There are some local Bengalis in that school - you don't need to be a foreigner...

[achar89]

wow is it really 26 grand? Dollars?

[UnculturedProject]

Yeah! $26,000 US Dollars. Definitely out of my price range - although I wish I could have gone to a school like tbat.

[missdivinestalls]

Congradulations on your partnership. Totally deserved. I have you and the citizens of Bangledesh with whom you work in my thoughts and prayers all the time.

[dark420bishop]

Keep up the great work! Hopefully, I will be able to donate someday in the future. :)

[ExiledMagi]

Wow that one was great as always. its pretty cool how schools are showing your footage to their students. Just another way to make people more aware of what's going on. keep up the good work and i hope you keep releasing videos. Folowing your progress is fun.

[smellyduck3]

great vid i think your a great person.

[ellebelle1988]

I always look forward to your videos because I think what you're doing is incredible! Keep up the amazing work!

[PvAiPsAiZoInAsN]

if you got your md people would respect you and you would realize that you shouldn't get your ideas from movies. only four morons would give you money through youtube. you claim the people around you are rich in dhaka. sell your idea to them

[10rjsd1985]

You're saying that people should respect others based solely on their qualifications? How about irrespective of their actions? Read up on the Unabomber. Ideas come from everywhere as does inspiration. Your final statement may have some merit however - people intimately aware of a situation are more likely to positively contribute than those unaware.

I was very tempted to address your argument ad-hominem, but I'm glad I have some self-restraint.

[10rjsd1985]

"Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper..." - Frost.

[UnculturedProject]

hey PvAiPsAiZoInAsN I would have respected your comment more if you realized that - well before you made this comment - over a hundred people from around the world have already supported this project through donations. And, generally speaking, schools that charge over 20 grand in tuition fees don't usually invite speakers to talk to their students unless they have some modicum of respect for who they are and what they are doing. I dunno... as you point out - I'm not a Doctor. I could be wrong...

[qiranger]

Well done!

[cinderellasCurse]

wow i didn't know american international school of dhaka costs that much! lol my cousin goes there and i had no idea it was this diverse. i have to keep a lookout for it the next time i'm in bangladesh.

[UnculturedProject]

Yeah, it's in the Baridhara area. It's like a little slice of America...

[cinderellasCurse]

nice. quick question, do you just travel from area to area helping people? and do you have someone helping you get around or are you originally from BD?

[UnculturedProject]

I'm not originally from BD. I do try and go to as many areas as I can. But it often requires getting help from others and/or various organizations to reach these locations.

[cinderellasCurse]

so what is your ethnicity?

[UnculturedProject]

Human.

[guaflar]

good answer. i was going to guess martian...

[Elaina43]

I've never felt better about the money I gave to a private citizen - I truly believe it's in very good hands. Keep up your most excellent work!

question: I'm not that tech savvy, wouldn't is be a dangerous thing to include my paypal receipt info in a video?

Peace,

Elaina

[thechico1979]

it's a confirmation number, not can happen with that.

check my video response.

[Elaina43]

OK... kewl!  Thanks, David, for letting me know.

[UnculturedProject]

Yeah, I got the idea for displaying confirmation numbers after Hank Green (vlogbrothers) showed their confirmation number in one of their videos. I would have been worried if I hadn't seen it done before...

[bryantomal]

but one thing that really surprised me is that i didnt know that in dhaka thers so many foreign ppl and why they live in there

not only american i saw asain and other ppl from all over the world

wow......i m curious

[UnculturedProject]

Some work for NGOs, embassies, and international business. Dhaka is getting very multicultural... well... some districts at least.

[chocolatecauldrons]

Yay! I'm so glad you got in to some classrooms :) Your enthusiasm is infectious and your message is soso important!

[wasy35]

cool i went to an international school in india.

[amyvb1]

That's awesome! I donated, so perhaps I'll make a vid sometime...

[AjaxtheGoat]

Great job as usual, I will donate to a good cause, I know what it's like to have a personal project and not be part of a charity, but rather it be a work of passion, it's hard, but it's a way you can make a difference and share your passion immediately and you do it so well, so whole heartedly.

~Mike

[qkn30989]

YOU

ROCK!

[taragolden]

i really admire the work you are doing..i cannot afford much as im trying to get my own worthy project off the ground, but i was moved to donate 5$.. i hope it goes further there than here, and you have my permission to use it for whatever you like.. peace and thanks for your work..

tara

[proteanview]

You have the most interesting videos.

[shazk17]

hay i have a bhaiya who teaches at that school!

nyway its awesome that u got asked to do a talk at the school

i should n will make a donation n video asap

[alicewantstoknow]

i love that you got a chance to reach out to the kids over there XD

[thechico1979]

i will donate and make a video response as soon asap.

[1Day2BeAwesome]

Shawn, how awesome is that!? Did you get good response? What better place to bring news of what you're doing than a school where kids not only have the resources but the location. It also reminds me there is so much to be done wherever we are. YAY! Hope you're doing well and keeping safe! <3 <3

Hugs,

-B

[Chocaz]

I'm glad to follow your progress in Dhaka, and also that you had the opportunity to share your experiences with that school too:)

Amazing job^^;

[hannahjiyan]

good job