Now or Never
An Urgent Call To Action for Nova Scotians*
The report released a few weeks ago by One Nova Scotia is a dire warning to change our behaviour before it is too late, but really this is nothing we did not already know. In fact, the report cited a previous study from 1991 Creating Our Own Future: A Nova Scotia Economic Strategy which had this to say:
“Those changes and others are making Nova Scotia weaker and more dependent economically. If we are to halt the slide, we must change — and quickly — the way we finance our standard of living. We are at a crossroads. The world is changing. We must change too or face the consequences. The only certainty is that the status quo is not an option.”
Maybe, the most important lesson from the “Now or Never” report is captured in the final paragraph of the introduction, which seems to contain the essential and actionable truth that might put us on a path to solving this problem.
“If, as the Commission has come to believe, the critical first step is a shift in attitudes and a greater willingness and capacity on the part of business, key institutions and communities throughout Nova Scotia to join together in the pursuit of shared goals to benefit all, this should be seen as very good news. Such a collective effort does not require reliance on outside investors, shifts in federal government policies, or improved macro-economic conditions — we can do it ourselves.”
These are really big problems, and waiting for them to be solved by government or other super human actors does not seem like a viable solution. After all, we have been waiting for over two decades now. Large “corporate sourced” solutions come and go. Governments too, come and go, all agreeing that this is a big problem. Is government inaction simply a democratic extension of our own inaction, reduced simply to counting those leaving the province?
Over the last decade the world has given us new ways to approach this problem, an opportunity that we need to seize. We live in the age of Kickstarter and crowd sourced solutions. We have the tools we need, the knowledge we need, and even the funding we need. We just lack personal resolve to risk our own comfort and build a new experiment. Stop waiting for change and start creating it.
We can develop our own Start-Up Nation here in Nova Scotia. We don't need to wait for government to sanction this, but rather we need to act now and borrow the ideas that show start-ups how to create a viable business and apply them to engineer a grassroots social solution to engage our youth here at home. It is relatively easy to develop a local, small scale distributed approach that does not need external intervention. Moreover, we can start immediately.
When choosing your path, consider the one we followed at Colibri Software. It might not work for everyone, but it does for us. As a point of departure from the wait and see alternative, it sets small actions against a paradigm of inaction. Variants on this theme implemented across the province might draw us into a new dialogue, and ultimately help us find a solution. It has certainly brought positive change on a small scale, locally, here in Wolfville. It is actionable and sustainable.
This approach starts with one person who commits to organize a laboratory and then builds support for this experiment among a broader community. That community will help build the foundation for a self sustaining enterprise and preferably provide a small amount of financial commitment. Now that you have some momentum and support, government will be more willing to help your venture.
The next step brings new challenges and provides the laboratory with real learning. It juxtaposes experience with enthusiasm and energy, and if done correctly it can lead to an amazing synthesis of ideas and energy. In order to keep bright, enthusiastic youth engaged, build the laboratory for dialogue, not instruction. Avoid unnecessary hierarchy and aim for transparency. People are happier and more motivated when they have a say in the future of their organization.
In summary, start by defining an experiment you would like to try and a community to support you in this venture. Then find an enthusiastic partner with whom you would like to develop the plans and begin a dialogue. This partner will provide the energy to carry the experiment to success. If approached right, the implementation of your ideas will lead to unexpected new strains of thought, so be agile like a hummingbird - open to altering your path as a result of this experience. Be in flux.
The right mixture of energy and enthusiasm, experience and community support (together with some luck) will drive your enterprise to success while providing amazing opportunities to learn.
Colibri Software invites you to join this discussion.
(*) We would like to express our gratitude to the One Nova Scotia commission and Ray Ivany in particular for the tremendous effort made in articulating this problem. A clear statement of the challenges facing us is a critical first step to solving them. Thank you to all involved in developing this report.
[UPDATE: In response to this article, we’ve been hearing from people who are making an effort to keep youth in Nova Scotia. Here is one response we received from Belinda Tupper, who works with the START Program which helps unemployed people find positions in Nova Scotia.
“In 2010 my husband and I started a small business from our home in Scotts Bay to try to address some of the issues of youth unemployment. Over 4 summers we employed 12 youth (no government funding of any kind), and we circulated $20,000 through our local economy. We made no profit, but we made jobs which was our goal!! Times change and 2013 was our final season, but we had a great time doing it and the community benefited in many ways far beyond just jobs.
Thanks for speaking up!!”
Thank you to Belinda and the many others who help to keep youth employed in the province.]
