Social Innovators---ch 4

Social Innovators-----

I really liked this chapter because I have always felt that giving back through service is one of the best ways to participate in the community. I think I get that from my family, as my father was quite active when I was small in several service organizations and I always knew that he was involved in one fundraising scheme or another as I was growing up. He was active in one group at the University of Cincinnati where he was Physical Plant Director that I recall in particular, a group called Sigma Sigma, where at the Bearcat football games we attended during the football season the members of Sigma Sigma had a special manner of inviting new members. Annually at one football game my father would join the other active and alumni member on Sigma Sigma in attendance at halftime and form a huge circle on the field with several hundred men. The public address announcer would call out to the stadium, "Sigma Sigma calls so and so to the circle..." over and over with different people's names each time. The invitees would come out of the stands one by one from their seats and, dressed in their topcoats and old-fashioned felt hats (as was the custom in that day, the 60s) join the circle as the alums and actives swayed side to side. For a kid, me, the halftime routine was all rather mysterious, but I always knew the outcome, the new people would help the group raise money for different causes; the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, attached to the UC medical center complex, was one of the agencies receiving money from the group annually as I recall. I think one year my dad was even president of the alumni group. So when I started reading about the ways in which social innovators are created I was a bit familiar with the entire process of creating people who work to give back. We have to nurture social innovators the exact same way that we help tech innovators, with support and guidance and encouragement. In this chapter one can see that the innovators had learned by examples from their parents and from other supporting adults. The education system can encourage social innovators as well by modeling the social innovation experience via planned activities and programs where helping others is foremost. We need to have more social responsibility and the upcoming generation seems to haeve a lot of community spirit for aiding others and for producing projects aimed at bettering the lives of others. All in all, I liked the chapter and I will likely go on to finish the entire book.