Kirsten Sydendal er blevet tildelt The Internet Pioneer Award i kategorien Rethink. Prisen blev 11. maj overrakt af Frida Frost, som er formand for Ingeniørforeningen.
Acceptance speech at The Internet Week Denmark in Aarhus 11th of May 2016
Thank you very much! I am so happy and so proud to receive the Rethink Award!
Seven years ago, I gathered a group of four dedicated women who founded an association called The good life on Lolland-Falster. Our goal was to share the positive stories about people from Lolland-Falster and to create a network of local ambassadors. Our association grew year after year, but something very special happened last year that we had never dreamt of. We started the Lolland-Falster Lovestorm.
The initiative was a reaction to a TV series, but it has become to much more than that. It is the quintessence of our love for and pride in the region of Lolland-Falster. Our love exploded on Facebook and we showed the rest of Denmark that there was – and still is – another story about Lolland-Falster that needs to be told.
We did it without the help of politicians or agencies. We did it without a budget.
Thanks to the Internet and Facebook, we united thousands of voices to one strong, warm and loving message that was heard. With ordinary people’s computers, smart phones and personal stories, we turned everything upside down. 22.000 frustrated people were connected and turned into thousands of inspiring ambassadors.
Today, with Lolland-Falster Lovestorm, we show that we stand together. We care about our reputation, and we love our beautiful islands. That will truly help us grow in the future. On all levels.
We learned that when we gather as citizens and focus on what we can do instead of what wecannot do, we are very powerful. We are not just citizens who vote every few years. We can do more every day – as individuals. We are all ambassadors and agents of change. After the Lovestorm, we know that for sure.
Our movement keeps growing with new initiatives and partnerships. Business people, think tanks, the media, national politicians, lobbyists, associations, educational institutions and even national NGO’s want to know more about us and collaborate.
We have many hopes and visions for the region of Lolland-Falster. It has so many hidden resources and it is time to expose them. But we want to do more than just share our stories. We want to change the story.
The power of love and passion is immense, and I promise you that this is only the beginning. The Lolland-Falster Lovestorm Movement and the new sense of pride and self-confidence represented a turning point, and we believe that the Lovestorm can be a game changer for the whole region.
I hope you will follow Lolland-Falster, discover our resources and successes – on the internet and in real life – and see how the region will grow and evolve in the future.
Thank you to all the members of the Lolland-Falster Lovestorm Facebook group and thanks to all who actively support us. And personally, I will thank you the people who believed in my ideas seven years ago.
This leads me to my final words: It is a quote by Margaret Mead that means a lot to me:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Thank you!