Social Entrepreneurship – The Future is Open

April 2, 2023

The Library as a Creative Hub: Exploring New Roles in the Age of Broadband Access

Public libraries have been a staple of communities for generations, serving as a place for individuals to access knowledge, literature, and resources they may not have had access to otherwise. However, with the rapid rise of technology, public libraries have become much more than a simple repository of books. In many small communities, public libraries now serve as co-working spaces, offering access to broadband internet, meeting rooms, and other resources supporting economic development and entrepreneurship.

In today’s knowledge-based economy, access to broadband internet is critical for businesses and individuals alike. Unfortunately, many small communities lack the necessary infrastructure to provide high-speed internet access to their residents. This lack of access can be a significant barrier to economic development. Businesses and entrepreneurs may hesitate to establish themselves in areas without reliable internet access. Public libraries can help level the playing field by providing broadband access to the community, making it easier for businesses to flourish in small communities. In addition to providing broadband access, public libraries are well-suited to serve as co-working spaces. These spaces offer entrepreneurs and freelancers an affordable and flexible alternative to traditional office spaces, which can be prohibitively expensive. Public libraries can foster collaboration, networking, and knowledge sharing among small business owners by providing a communal workspace, creating a more supportive and connected business community.

Furthermore, public libraries offer resources and programming that can support entrepreneurship and economic development. Libraries often offer free access to business resources like databases, market research tools, and business planning resources. They also frequently host workshops, training sessions, and networking events to help entrepreneurs develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed. By providing these resources, public libraries can play a vital role in supporting the growth and development of small businesses and entrepreneurs.

In conclusion, public libraries with broadband access are essential to economic development in small communities. As small communities face economic challenges, public libraries can be critical in fostering a more prosperous and connected community. Libraries can help level the playing field and support entrepreneurship and small business development by providing access to high-speed internet, co-working spaces, and other resources.

November 27, 2013

No To An Economy of Exclusion

Thank you Pope Francis for the words of your exhortation, Evangelli Gaudium. You have spoken powerfully. In his own way this pope has touched the lives of millions of people around the world who have been praying for a prophetic voice. When Jorge Mario Bergoglio was selected as the successor to St. Peter few people realized the effect this humble man would have on not only the Catholic Church but the world in general. I remember the morning prior to his selection that I prayed that we could have a pope who spoke with a prophetic voice like John XXIII. My prayers have been more than answered. This is only part of his Apostolic Exhortation, but it’s been getting a lot of press because it challenges the status quo. Many times since March 13, 2013 I have thought, “Gaudium Magnum, Habemus Papam.” Thank you for answering our prayers, Holy Father!

53. Just as the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” sets a clear limit in order to safeguard the value of human life, today we also have to say “thou shalt not” to an economy of exclusion and inequality. Such an economy kills. How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points? This is a case of exclusion. Can we continue to stand by when food is thrown away while people are starving? This is a case of inequality. Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless. As a consequence, masses of people find themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without possibilities, without any means of escape.

Human beings are themselves considered consumer goods to be used and then discarded. We have created a “disposable” culture which is now spreading. It is no longer simply about exploitation and oppression, but something new. Exclusion ultimately has to do with what it means to be a part of the society in which we live; those excluded are no longer society’s underside or its fringes or its disenfranchised – they are no longer even a part of it. The excluded are not the “exploited” but the outcast, the “leftovers”.

54. In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting. To sustain a lifestyle which excludes others, or to sustain enthusiasm for that selfish ideal, a globalization of indifference has developed. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own. The culture of prosperity deadens us; we are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase; and in the meantime all those lives stunted for lack of opportunity seem a mere spectacle; they fail to move us.

November 2, 2013

Compassion is the fuel for a new economy

Chade-Meng Tan’s talk gave renewed hope to an idea I had for a model economic development and empowerment for youth that promotes the greater good. Last summer I participated in a course at St. Bonaventure University’s Franciscan Institute. It was called, “Retrieving a Franciscan Philosophy for Social Engagement.” As part of the course I was required to come up with a timely application of the principles which we were studying. The following is taken from a paper I wrote this summer.

“Life reduced to its simplest equation is about relationships. Implicit in these relationships is contract. Most of the time the contracts are implied and at other times in the are complex legal agreements governing business transactions. We live at a time and in a culture that is desperately looking for a response to life that is grounded in principles that respect both the buyer and the seller. Principles that invite not only common property but value for what we can call the common good? Some might argue that such ideas are too idealistic and that nowhere is there any evidence that anyone has successfully applied such an approach.”

Chade-Meng Tan’s talk provides evidence that such principles are used very successfully at Google. Glad to have found this talk and thank you to TED for publishing it.

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