On Sunday March 18th, I was honored at the Dewey Winburne Community Services Awards at SXSW. Although not knowing much about Dewey, I learned that evening that he taught media skills and storytelling to at risk high school kids- he recognized the power of media as a connecting tool, and as a way for youth to learn entrepreneurial and life skills.  It was a really wonderful community gathering away from the advertising and hype of the convention center. I particularly enjoyed watching the band, and the interpretation in Sign Language which you can  Watch here.

Here is more info about the Award from the SXSW website. Click here to read about all 10 honorees!

“Dewey Winburne served as one of the original co-founders of the SXSW Interactive Festival. A teacher who spent much of his energy training at-risk youth to make use of digital technology, Dewey believed that the new media revolution could help level the playing field between the haves and the have-nots in our society.

Although Dewey passed away in 1999, his legacy continues via the lives of the many digital creatives he touched. Each spring, SXSW Interactive honors his vision with the Dewey Winburne Community Service Award. This award celebrates the spirit of community in Austin that we think is unique to SXSW.

An important change for the 2012 Dewey Winburne Community Service Award is that honorees are no longer restricted to the Central Texas region. To this end, the list of 10 honorees for this year include one international representative (Mexico).”

Also, check out this article from Chronicle of Philanthropy  which profiles the winners and their ‘technology for good’ projects.