The Story of The Better World Challenge

The First BWC Website Photo

I can still remember it like it was yesterday, but it was a little over a year ago, April 2019. I was about to go to sleep on a weeknight, but this idea popped into my head; The Better World Challenge. Why The Better World Challenge? Well, at the time, I had just finished reading The Art of Non-Conformity by Chris Guillebeau, and one of the recommendations he had at the end of the book was to start a blog. So that’s what I did.

During the beginning of 2019, I was posting inspirational videos on Instagram trying to add positivity to a more often than not, negative media cycle. The Better World Challenge's original aim was to spread positivity and hope. But as you'll learn below, it has evolved to not only but spreading positivity, but encouraging community action.

I had no clue how to start a blog or anything related to website development. But, I watched hours of Youtube videos discovering how to do it. Eventually, I got my first website up and running. Throughout the first year of The Better World Challenge, I wrote weekly blog posts about what I was learning which usually focused on personal and community development.

A personal value of mine is personal growth, I’m always looking for ways to get better every day. One of the pillar values of The Better World Challenge is and always will be community engagement. A majority of my personal development has come through community engagement experience:

• Volunteered, interned, and worked at multiple Boys and Girls Clubs

• Volunteer Coordinator and Board Member of InspireONE

  • Helped raise $10,000 in a month to continue education for students in Buikwe, Uganda

• VP of Philanthropy and Community Engagement for Alpha Sigma Phi

  • Received Most Outstanding Community Service Award from Fraternity and Sorority Life Award Ceremony

• Coached 7th and 8th grade boys basketball for two years

• Interned with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation in Barcelona, Spain in their Programs and Grants Department

• Worked at the Holden Center for Leadership and Community Engagement coordinating volunteers to nonprofits in Eugene/Springfield

Before we hit the fast-forwarding to where we are now, I want to talk about some of the setbacks BWC has endured so far. Going into 2020, I thought the plan was to turn BWC into a full-time consultant business to help businesses give back to their community. Well turns out I need to be somewhat of an expert in the field I’m trying to consult in.

To be honest, this realization was hard for me to accept. I took a break from The Better World Challenge while working on myself and how to navigate difficult emotions. A story for another day. I was riding a high going into 2020. Soon after that, I felt lost and confused about what I was going to do after I graduated from the University of Oregon.

Once April 2020 rolled around and we were all locked up in quarantine, I decided to dust off the BWC cobwebs. With the help of Colin Jeffers, I revamped the entire website. I decided to start a podcast called The Better World Humans. Now it’s August, and I realize that all the ideas flowing through have built on each other.

The Better World Challenge is heating up like August, and it’s inspiring to see it grow. The Better World Challenge, in a nutshell, is a company that inspires, connects, and challenges people to become more environmentally and socially responsible. How? Inspiring articles on humans who give back, a podcast that highlights people working in public service, and challenges that make it easy to give back to your community.

Why? Because making the world a better place is a community effort. We can choose to accept all the negativity in the world, or we can acknowledge it and grow. Of course, the world isn’t a perfect place, but we must do our best to bring positive change to our communities. How is a change going to happen if we sit back and do nothing? The Better World Challenge exists to be an outlet for hope, action, and change.

Together we can truly make a difference.

Would you like to be one of the founding members of The Better World Challenge? I am currently looking for motivated individuals like you to join the team and help The Better World Challenge grow. If you’re interested, please email me: justin@thebetterworldchallenge.com.

Those of you with busy lives and aren’t able to join are definitely still a part of The Better World Challenge family. I appreciate you for taking the time out of your day to read this. It means a lot to me.

All I ask is to share and tell your friends via social media or in-person socially distanced.

The Better World Challenge wouldn’t be possible without…

My beautiful, patient, and supportive girlfriend Addie

My family who provides me love, friendship, and financial support.

Brodon Creative Media for media content coming soon and podcast editing

Andy Reid for editing the first episodes of the podcast

Colin Jeffers for designing the new website

Small Business Development Center in Eugene

• Roger Wong

• Robert Killen

Those who have taken and are actively taking the challenges

• Addie Lacewell

• Maddy Reznick

• Shalin Shah

• Eilish McNulty

• Amanda Zacharda

• Caitlynn Emick

• Karly Nowak

Podcast Guests and People Who’ve Contributed Blog Articles

• Donald Moore

• Ryan Robledo

• Jaria Martin

• Kellie DeVore

• Shelly Galvin

• Chris Cohen

• Hannah White

• Maddy Reznick

• Kayden Echols

• Matt Cendejas

• Jacki Cahill

• Brendan Adamcyzk

• Savannah Kan

• Shalin Shah

• Addie Lacewell