Telling a story simply...

A phone number on your t-shirt could be the only way to inform your family that you didn't make it to #Europe. pic.twitter.com/s71VNNvwcu

— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) May 30, 2016

You've probably guessed that I'm increasingly in awe of the people at MSF.

The humanitarian crisis in Europe has really touched me, so I've been researching and engaging with a lot of organisations who are working there to help.

MSF are the organisation who have impressed me the most for a whole range of reasons.

One of them is they way they are telling the story of what they are doing and the people they are helping.

It's positive when it can be, heartbreaking when it's heartbreaking and most of all - it feels authentic. So whether it's updates from their boat in the Mediterranean or stories from the camps in Europe, they are telling stories in an authentic voice in a way that's grabbing my attention.

I don't know the internal workings of MSF, but I can only assume that to deliver this masterclass in digital communications they've kept it simple. It's clear they trust their staff to tell the story in real time, that they're looking for the human stories and that they recognise that the simple tools of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are invaluable in building communities and support around the issues. We can all learn a lot from them.

More great examples follow...

Around 900 #people may have died in the #CentralMediterranean in the last week alone. #Europe,this is unbearable. pic.twitter.com/j73FsSsO99

— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) May 29, 2016

BREAKING: First goal to Madrid!!!! High excitement for the #championsleaguefinal2016 on the #Argos! pic.twitter.com/CjefL8qR4U

— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) May 28, 2016

UPDATE: The 1sttrain is coming through a cleared out #Idomeni -the eviction of 1000s of #refugees is almost over. pic.twitter.com/CGe4tV2YEB

— MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) May 26, 2016

A child from Syria holds a placard reading: 'EU, Turkey: We are not merchandise' at a camp for refugees and migrants in Idomeni, northern Greece. Two months after the signing of the deal by the European Union and Turkey, the situation continues to deteriorate for migrants and refugees incarcerated on the Greek islands. "Pushing people back to their country of last transit transforms asylum into nothing but a political bargaining chip to keep refugees as far away from European borders and the eyes of the European voting public as possible." - Dr Joanne Liu, MSF international president. #MSF #DoctorsWithoutBorders #Syria #Greece #Refugee #RefugeeCrisis © Gemma Gillie/MSF

A photo posted by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) (@doctorswithoutborders) on May 19, 2016 at 3:36am PDT

Our very own @alvsakaalva is on board the MSF Aquarius for the next couple of months reporting on the refugee crisis. Make sure to follow her for all the latest updates from MSF and @sosmediterranee. #MSF #doctorswithoutborders #aquarius #Mediterranean #MediterraneanSea #Refugeecrisis #Refugee #takepeoplein #sosmed

A photo posted by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) (@doctorswithoutborders) on May 13, 2016 at 1:07pm PDT

Still The Most Shocking Second A Day

I'm a bit late to this as I've been away. Berlin then Warsaw if you're interested.

At some point on that trip I saw this via a tweet and it blew me away.

Very emotional and very believable.

And later I saw this from MSF. It shows yet again what a classy organisation they are. How many other organisations would share another's campaign. Not many, that's how many. It's a small act, but stuff like this gives me hope.

What giving away £1,000 means to me...

This week saw the annual Open charity giveaway. The moment in the year where the owners of the business give every member of staff £1,000 to give to the charities of their choice.

It’s one of the many many reasons why I love working where I do. 

Shared values are very important to me and there is no better way of knowing that you share values with your colleagues than sitting a room with all 57 of them and hearing them explain who they are giving to and why they decided to give. 

For the record I gave £500 to Somerset STAR and £500 to Medecins Sans Frontieres.

The former because I come from Somerset and I know from my first hand experience that if the kids there get a shit start to life it can set their trajectory for ever. So I asked Somerset STAR who work all over Somerset if they’d restrict my gift to my home town. And they agreed. And every time I donate they send me a breakdown of what my money has been spent on over the last 12 months.

Somerset STAR. Where some of my money went. #LifeAtOpen

A photo posted by Paul de Gregorio (@degregoriopaul) on Apr 28, 2016 at 10:58am PDT

It fills me with pride to see this list. It feels me with pride that some kid in my home town has a camera part funded by my donation and is hopefully pursuing their passion with it.

I will give to this organisation for the rest of my life based on the experience that Open gave me.

I gave to MSF for a number of reasons. But mostly because I have been massively impressed by their response to the situation in Syria and the refugee crisis in Europe. It disgusts me that both situations are real situations, but I take reassurance that our species isn’t morally bankrupt when I see the work of organisations like MSF.

I went first this year. And to be honest I felt a little overcome with emotion as I explained my reasons. But what made that OK was the fact that I was sat alongside 57 other people who give as much of a shit as I do.

I wrote the words that sit alongside this picture when I was on the bus home after the event...

Well that was an emotional afternoon. Today was the @lifeatopen charity giveaway. The day when each member of staff is given £1,000 to donate to the charities of their choice. I gave half to a local project in my home town in Somerset who give kids who've had a shit start in life a bright moment. See previous pic. The other half I gave to MSF. Who as I was preparing to speak about my choices WhatsApp'd me to tell me that members of MSF staff were killed yesterday in a hospital in Syria. A timely reminder if one were needed of what an amazing organisation they are, full of incredibly brave staff. I'm so proud to work at Open, an organisation that gives me this phenomenal opportunity.

A photo posted by Paul de Gregorio (@degregoriopaul) on Apr 28, 2016 at 11:34am PDT

Fiona also wrote about the experience here.