Pay it Forward

We’re better, together…

We all know the importance and the power of story, whether in our professional or personal lives. The only thing more powerful is enabling someone else to write their own story, transforming you both in the process. Tools, both physical and metaphorical, are an intrinsic part of the human condition. We’re not born with them, if we’re lucky we’ll learn as we go along, if we’re really lucky, someone will teach us, mentor us. Knowledge is nothing if not shared, whatever form it takes.

One of things that drove me to join the Red Team Plus is their actualization of this, sharing knowledge and giving back to the communities that they’re a part of. One of the more visible parts of this is #payitforward builds. We come across individuals whose lives would be immeasurably improved by a computer, and come together as a group (with the backing of AMD and various other partner companies) to give these individuals the tools they need. We could organize giveaways (and sometimes we do), but there’s something visceral about the bond that forms when it’s done on a personal level.

If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives. — Robert South

It’s a way for us to give back to the communities that support us, and we all benefit from it. I know I wouldn’t be where I am now without the support I’ve received in the past, and back then I made a promise to pay it forward once I was in a position to be able to. It’s incredibly edifying to be able to make good on that promise, and humbling to be able to do it with AMD’s support.