Symbiosis of Social Change
SAZZAD HOSSAIN·MONDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2015
It is pretty common to hear brutal marketing strategies of big companies trying to take the whole pie. Most even play dirty to get there. They have to have the share of everything. Its the game of “Survival of the fittest” originated from the medieval age. It has almost become natural to see that as part of the process. Thus it was a heartwarming change of ecosystem that we witnessed at the ASEAN Impact Challenge or any Social Entrepreneurship competitions for that matter. The word competition here is replaced with collaboration where instead of competing, we help each other succeed by motivating, sharing tips, contacts, partnering or just by having a good time together.
So what if we did not win, at least we are all great friends now
Social Entrepreneurship is a lonely journey with potholes covering every inch of the long and winding road. We go to the end of the world- sometimes spending consecutive sleepless nights, living on shoestring budget, reading tons of books, going to every seminar in pursuit of knowledge and connections just to make a difference a little faster. While the end result can be rewarding beyond words, the process itself and countless failures make us wonder perhaps the people around us who thought and still thinks we are crazy and naive might just be right. As much as being labelled as crazy has become a lot more sexier than it was a few decades ago, we are human after all. It is only natural for us to fall into these traps and feel depressed. It is at such points just a bit of motivation, just a few pointers, just a little support that can make a difference between rekindling that spirit with extra boost of energy and thus success or a burnt out ex-passionate changemaker. I will be honest, I have been blessed in many ways ranging from finding the best partners in the world, having early successes to a bit of media coverage and support from phenomenal organisations. Of course, things could have been better but then again, they could have been worse as well.
Had the privilege to speak at TEDx Youth @ GIIS earlier this year
Yet, I feel the heat sometimes and that only makes me wonder how do people who face numerous consecutive failures manage to persevere and stick through their mission and some actually make it happen. These are no longer stories we read in the pages of some fiction or autobiography of extraordinary individuals. These are the stories of average individuals like us hoping to create a ripple of change who live it everyday. It is no longer as fun reading it off the pages as it is when you are living it. That is when it helps to meet people who understand your journey and can personally relate because they are living that same life themselves. It does not just end there, you meet people with complementary skills with the same purpose in mind or people who are still not sure how they too can make a difference but they most certainly want to. Being in their shoes once upon a time, you motivate them to start their own social impact journey through either starting their own venture or joining hands to make your impact even more powerful. Not everyone has to start their own venture and neither should they. We are all born with our own niche expertise and we have to make the most out of that talent. Which means if you are an engineer or lawyer (or maybe a future one) you could be better off joining a kickass socially driven organisation/Start-Up which is working on a cause close to your heart. If your end goal is to make a difference in people’s lives, you should do it from a position where you are suited best and can contribute the most. The economical term of “Comparative Advantage” is very much applicable here but I digress…
At Microsoft’s office in Petronas Twin Tower with some cool people who became our best friends
Then sometimes you meet great organisations with resources and connections represented by brilliant individuals with experience and knowledge you can only dream of. Just a few moments with them, can radically transform your thinking, spot blinders you might have never thought on your own. These few moments with them are priceless and you wish you could have had more of such moments with them. Unfortunately, there is only a limited number of these brilliant individuals who are present at these events and every other knowledge hungry changemakers like yourself are competing to get their attention. The economic term of scarcity is again applicable here.
With the director of United Nations Social Impact Fund David Galipeau — Super knowledgeable, brutally honest and fun guy!
These events and summits not only allow you to connect with brilliant individuals from all over the world, it also allows you to see the bigger picture. It is not possible to change the entire world on our own, it shows us how we fit into the bigger picture. Sometimes, this can open up views on greater degree of collaboration and make the dream of expanding beyond the borders a little more feasible. Just imagine, all of us working on our own projects of social change then helping each other climb up the ladder of success and ease the path of bringing the impact across the borders. This will allow us to see the possible impact of our work from different angles and accelerate the change that we are all sacrificing our lives for. The question then is, how do you sustain this spirit, connections and mentorship beyond the few days of summits or few hours of the event? How can you have the curated ecosystem of positivity throughout and share resources such as connections and wisdom instantaneously?