Impact the World. Carrie Rich. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Carrie Rich
Издательство: John Wiley & Sons Limited
Серия:
Жанр произведения: Экономика
Год издания: 0
isbn: 9781119848929
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the context that provides a useful background for effective solutions.

      In other words, become a generalist.

      It's rare for any major issue to be purely economic, purely legal, purely environmental, or purely social. Sometimes you want to hear what an entrepreneur has to say about a problem, because fast change and business engagement is key. Sometimes you'll want to connect with a policymaker, because the scope or scale of the problem is too broad for one sector to solve on its own. Sometimes you'll want to use a nonprofit approach because it's less tethered to certain societal pressures or bureaucratic constraints.

      A citizen statesperson is the person who pulls together the threads, people, and resources to solve pressing challenges.

      As co‐founder and CEO of Smart Havens Africa since 2018, Anne is directing her expertise into a mission to end housing poverty for vulnerable Ugandan communities. Her organization helps women and families acquire homes affordably through a rent‐to‐own model, moving homeowners towards legal ownership of the land where their house is built without the risk of being evicted.

      Part of what makes Anne's operation so impressive is that she's addressing multiple objectives through one model. Smart Havens Africa's homes are environmentally friendly, using locally made interlocking blocks that don't need firing to meet climate goals set by the United Nations. At the same time, the homes are outfitted to use renewable energy and incorporate green innovations like rainwater harvesting systems and biodigestors that can turn waste into fertilizer.

      Anne's organization also offers direct economic benefits. It provides training and apprenticeship for women and youth interested in careers in construction or real estate, and supports a local market where women, masons, apprentices, businesses, and clients can operate. According to Anne, building one home creates 13 direct jobs—and so far, Smart Havens Africa has constructed 80 homes for women and low‐income families.

      Anne didn't just find a novel way to increase quality housing in Uganda; she found a way to increase quality housing while also protecting the environment, creating jobs, and ensuring access to important services to generate multidimensional impact.

      Cultivating a multifaceted viewpoint is something that you can do within your organization, within your interest area, and across industries. Just because a challenge doesn't fall within your experiential or academic expertise doesn't mean you can't make a difference; instead, use your diverse network with diverse perspectives to draw on the right support and expertise.

      Dean has an instructive story here.

      California boasts the fifth largest economy in the world, occupying a space between Germany and the United Kingdom. In areas from technology to the film industry, California's activity and leadership set the tone for other countries. And yet, historically, there has been no statewide governmental office in California dedicated to international policy—no secretary of foreign affairs, or minister of global action. To Dean, this felt like an oversight, a missed opportunity for collective problem‐solving.

      So he decided that citizen statespeople like himself should help take up the mantle of this role.

      Did the experience fit perfectly within Dean's area of expertise? No. Did he start with all the right information, and come from the right sector? Nope. But after years of cross‐cutting experience and after developing relationships with other problem‐solvers across the globe, he was able to draw on allies, connect partners, and cultivate supporters to help drive effective change.

      That's citizen statespersonship.

      Dean's example shows how a dedicated citizen statesperson can create change by considering what's missing in a given equation and adjusting one's own actions to fit the moment. But sometimes, opportunities for citizen statespersonship can arrive in a flash of inspiration, even when you're not expecting it.

      While she was traveling in India, she tasted a jackfruit—a tropical tree fruit that Annie compared to an “Indian porcupine.” It was the best thing she had ever eaten—like a combination of mango, pineapple, and banana—but also nutritionally dense, high in fiber, low in calories, and with a meaty texture that can take on many flavors. It is also soy, gluten, nut, and cholesterol free, making it an excellent food source for health‐conscious individuals or people with allergies. Annie learned that, although jackfruit is abundant in India, there is no international supply chain, and so most of the huge, green fruit grown in trees goes to waste.

      The experience made a transformative impact on Annie's focus. Upon returning to school, she researched the U.S. market for plant‐based food, met food experts, and traveled to meet with farmers in India. She saw an opportunity to transform thousands of farmers' lives for the better. And she developed a plan to help farmers in India while developing a market for jackfruit in the United States.

      Today, as the founder and CEO of the Jackfruit Company in Boulder, Colorado, Annie is one of the most successful new entrepreneurs in the consumer food business. The company creates easy‐to‐prepare vegetarian dishes and features jackfruit as the primary ingredient. It works with more than 1,000 farming families in India that supply jackfruit to more than 6,000 retailers in the United States, and has become the largest jackfruit buyer in the world.

      It's one thing to recognize the importance of connecting with disparate cultures and ideologies—it's another thing entirely to achieve it. Whether you are engaging with marginalized populations for a service project or connecting with affluent groups to discuss fundraising for an important issue, you will need to find ways to create comfort and connections with people different from you. Luckily, there are steps you can take, and principles