Career Advice in Community Revival from the Arthur Guinness Fund Award

There is no better way to gather responsible career advice than to gather information and gain insights from committed individuals that have turned their passion for doing business better into a fulfilling and financially rewarding career.  Most successful social entrepreneurs have started their social enterprises because they found something that was not working in society and they could not get past that injustice or imbalance, so they committed to do something about the issue that they identified.  Most of thesesocio-eco innovators have chosen not to listen to traditional pieces of career advice of doing what ‘smart people’ do – getting a job with the biggest possible company for the biggest possible salary.  Instead, they have created a new type of career advice – They found a cause they are passionate about and contributed to this cause while generating the income they need to meet their financial obligations.

In a world that has long been driven by special interests and quarterly results designed to generate more wealth for already wealthy individuals and companies, there is no shortage of noble causes to get involved in.  Today we’ll focus on a group of outstanding young UK-based social entrepreneurs that are dedicated to improving their local communities.  These social entrepreneurs, aged 25-35 have all just received the Arthur Guinness Fund Awards.  In association with UnLtd, the Arthur Guinness Fund Award provide funding, training and volunteer support from Diageo Great Britain to translate their brilliant urban regeneration ideas into programs that will make a difference to their local community.  All of these young individuals have rejected the traditional types of career advice to start projects that serve as catalysts for community regeneration in a number of the poorest areas in the UK:

• Tony Colville aims at transforming one of the poorest neighborhoods in Birmingham through enterprise development and support to grassroots and voluntary charities.   His company, TCA, will charge larger organizations for its services, and offer the same services for free to smaller charities and local grassroots organizations.  This process will enable these organizations to grow and increase their impact, which in turn will accelerate the regeneration of the whole community.
• Jamaine Trotman is leveraging a range of interactive activities in East London to foster interactions among the community and help unemployed people find work.  To do so, Jamaine intends to develop an IT Training suite, a mothers’ group, as well as a community café and a community garden that will serve to engage different populations within the local community into a supportive and mutually beneficial dialogue that will serve as a catalyst for change and new employment opportunities.
• Jennifer Nelson is using gift giving to engage young people in learning more about their local charities and community projects.  Jennifer will produce and sell a range of small gift items made out of recycled and environmentally friendly materials.  Each gift will come with information about a community project or a local charity.  These gifts are intended young people and are designed to encourage them to become more proactive in terms of the actions they can take to support their local city as they strive to become more sustainable.  The start of this project will focus on Manchester, with a possible expansion to Liverpool.
• Niina Hartikainen will create a local garden in Brixton.  The local garden will also offer workshops for 7-12 year old children to learn more about gardening and green spaces.  These workshops will be funded by the produce and herbs that will be produced by the garden and sold at the local market.  Beyond the educational value of this project, it will also be an important example of community regeneration by creating and maintaining green spaces in an urban area.

A few key pieces of career advice can be drawn from the profiles of these new award winners.  First, all of them focus on small, scalable projects aligned their vision of building a better world through community regeneration.  Starting with a small project that can be later scaled to more areas or serve more people is a great way to gain experience and visibility as a social entrepreneur dedicated to make a positive impact.  Take this career advice to heart, and don’t be afraid to start doing something.  Maybe you can start as a volunteer, or as a board member.  Each of these activities will enable you to gather more information about your preferences and goals, as well as will enable you to make a positive impact no matter where you live.  A second piece of career advice from these profiles is based on the age of these award winners.  All of them are young social entrepreneurs, aged 25-35.  They are moved by the suffering they see around them and feel compelled to do something about it.  No matter how old you are and what your circumstances are, you can have a positive impact through work or volunteering.

If you are interested in community regeneration, be sure to review the other award winners as well, which of their profiles can inspire you to get more involved in a cause that is dear to your heart.  From these award winners, the main piece of career advice is simple – Everyone can be a positive change agent, so get started today!

Photo Credit.

Original Source: www.justmeans.com/Career-Advice-in-Community-Revival-from-Arthur-Guinness-Fund-Award/32185.html