“Part of building resilience in complex systems is strengthening cultures of innovation.”
“In 1972 Bunker Roy and a small group of colleagues set up the Barefoot College in Tilonia, Rajasthan, India. Their vision was an interesting and catalytic one, joining old and new, traditional and radical. Informed by the teachings and philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi—giving the poor and the dispossessed the means to produce their own necessities—the Barefoot College trained the poor to build their own homes, to become teachers in their own schools, and to produce, install, and operate solar panels in their villages. Roy and his colleagues also emphasized empowering women in general and grandmothers in particular. As a result, “professional” expertise was placed in the hands of the poorest of the poor and the weakest of the weak: village women. In one way, Barefoot College’s innovations were deeply radical—challenging the conventions of village life, professional associations, and traditional culture.”
Click here to read the full article by Frances Westley…
https://ssir.org/articles/entr...e_enhances_the_other
- What are some possible social innovations that would be useful in our community to help build social resilience and change complex systems?
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