Dowser is an open web platform for changemakers to share stories that inspire positive action, provide practical ‘how-to’ insights, connect potential colleagues and – above all – provide a solution-oriented view of the world that highlights the growing landscape of creative social innovation. For our first project we are recruiting hundreds of students and volunteers across the country to interview changemakers in a range of fields and organize and publish the interviews online. We will incorporate photographic essays, creative nonfiction and video stories as the project progresses.

Dowser is intended to fill a need that has been identified through market research by people who seek to pursue careers of social impact, but don’t know where to look for advice, ideas, encouragement or colleagues. It is also designed to provide a counterpart to the dispiriting view of the world presented by conventional media, which highlights problems and overlooks solutions. We specialize in asking thoughtful questions of people doing creative social-change work, recording their answers faithfully, and organizing the content so that it can be easily retrieved.