Skip to main content

Week 2: What connections do you see between Jeffrey Thompson’s article, the Gospel, and social innovation?

Moving right along, already in week 2. This week we learned more about how not everyone should be a social entrepreneur but that everyone can have a part in working in and with the solutions that social entrepreneurs create. We can be a help and work to overcome obstacles, help build or volunteer our time/services. I appreciate this because I am starting to see that this may be where I am best suited to be. Which I am ok with. I think that what I am trying to do is to be involved.
This week’s prompt is: What connections do you see between Jeffrey Thompson’s article, the Gospel, and social innovation?
It is clear that becoming a social innovator is a sort of calling all in itself. However, what I found interesting is that just like in the gospel, we all have a part to play. Heavenly Father will place us in the right place for us to be. For example, I have several times been called to teach in primary. In fact, I have only ever had two callings outside of primary, and both were either dissolved or they called someone else to it nearly immediately. I would love to serve in another capacity, however, it seems I am best suited to teaching the children. Heavenly Father knows this, I now know this, it just works. We learned this week that not everyone can or should be a social innovator because the social innovators need people to implement the plans, to help and volunteer time, expertise or supplies, etc. We see this in the functions of the church and in the way that the Gospel is spread. We have missionaries out there sharing the Gospel, volunteering 18 months - 2 years of their lives to that work. The church helps in the implementation of the plan that Heavenly Father created and Jesus set in motion. Just like the pyramid assignment this week, the innovator is the top, the implementors are in the middle and the volunteers/workers are most abundant at the bottom.

One question that kept coming to mind this week was: How can we best help the innovators? I see a problem, but I am not quite an innovator? What do I do? How do I get involved in that cause? I think that this must be a similar issue with many people. We just don’t know how to solve the problems we see or who the innovator is? I look forward to learning some of the answers to these questions in the coming weeks. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 10: What is it about hybrids that make them so successful?

This week we learned about how some efforts in social entrepreneurialism can actually become more damaging to the very people they are trying to help than they do help. Evaluating our end game is vitally important so that we can make a plan that will really make a difference and change the course people’s lives are on. It reminds me of the talk from Marion G. Romney, that shared the story of the seagulls and the shrimpers feeding them. They learned that they could just get fish from the shrimpers instead of wasting time fishing for themselves. Later generations were only taught to go the shrimpers for fish and didn’t learn how to fish. So, when the shrimpers left, they began to starve. We certainly don’t want to create this type of environment when we are trying to help improve people’s lives. I feel it does beg to be mentioned that there are those who just need a hand. Perhaps there has been a temporary setback and they need a bit of assistance to get back on their way. In these case...
Post a Comment
Read more

Week 12: Reflect on your own personal development in regards to self-reliance.

This week we learned about being self-reliant and how we can help others learn to be self-reliant. I really liked how Mohammed Yunus likened the poor to a bonsai tree and illustrated that everyone is capable to grow to great things. I think that we often forget how much circumstances influence our ability to grow to our full potential. As I think upon this, I reflect on how this is something that I hope my children will understand about people. Just because someone comes from a place that may seem unfavorable doesn’t mean they are unfavorable. I feel this also goes along with respect. Respecting others and their experiences that have led them to where they are and where they are going. Self-reliance isn’t something that only the poor need to learn about. Many a wealthy person has mismanaged resources and found themselves without. Being self-reliant helps us to prepare for these mishaps and to gain the self-confidence that we can pick ourselves up again. It is this knowledge of ourse...
Post a Comment
Read more