Ripple of Hope

David Englin, an MPP 1998 Kennedy School graduate, started his blog, “Ripple of Hope,” www.rippleofhope.net, last July to bring attention to the Darfur genocide and motivate some activism. “Through the blog, we generated scores of letters and phone calls to elected officials,” Englin says. “That was
a drop in the bucket compared to everything else happening in this country, but every drop adds up.”

Englin relaunched the blog as a “group endeavor” in December because he felt his friends had insightful things to say about politics and “their voices ought to be heard.” He and six other Kennedy School alums, including his wife, Shayna MPP 2000, now write regularly for Ripple of Hope. “A blog, unlike a conventional publication, goes where its contributors take it,” Englin remarks. “We don’t have many rules. The main thing is to avoid moaning and groaning about the state of the world
and keep the discussion constructive.”