Let’s start with a preamble:
There are many great things about working out of The Hub Halifax. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, The Hub is an international social enterprise of collaborative workspaces, hubs, in four continents and 12 cities for people who want to make things happen. From The Hub’s website, “We set out to create places that borrow from the best of a member’s club, an innovation agency, a serviced office and a think-tank to create a very different kind of innovation environment”. We are lucky to have a Hub in Halifax, and it is thanks to co-founders Joanne Macrae (alumna of our 2010 Emerging Leaders Summit) and Tracey Boyer Morris. When you’re in the neighbourhood, you should definitely pop by for a visit. Even if you are based outside of Halifax, you should consider getting a membership at the Hub so that you have a friendly and comfortable work space between your meetings when you are in town on business.
Okay, that was the preamble. Now to the story:
So, yesterday was lining up as a usual day at the Hub when Joanne, mentioned above, said to me that someone named Reece Harley was going to be hanging his hat at the Hub later in the day and that I should try to connect with him. Reece is Perth (Australia)’s International Youth Ambassador for 2011, an honorary appointment by the City of Perth, in association to their Youth Advisory Council. Youth Advisory Council? Youth Ambassador? Are you impressed yet? Just wait!
The City of Perth, through their Ambassador Program has sent Reece to visit three cities to learn and get inspiring ideas to make the city a better place to live, looking at issues ranging from homelessness to culture and creativity, to economic development and beyond. Reece is visiting Houston (Texas), Washington (DC) and our very own Halifax, Nova Scotia. Now, didn’t I tell you that it got good? His reflections, discoveries and findings will be brought together in a report that will be distributed to the four municipalities and its contributors.
I connected with him in the afternoon at the Hub. I wanted to chat with him about 21inc, as well as to gain some insight about the youth-focused initiatives in Perth.
He talked to me about Youth Tree and Big Help Mob, essentially a rent-a-mob service (you must check out the video on their front page), and the Left Right Think-Tank, as well as Azaria Media and Young Social Pioneers (check out their video). You should check out Reece’s website for a link to more inspiration organisations doing great work in Perth.
Example after example, organisation after organisation, I was impressed at how Perth has its stuff together. Or at least, how they’re investing in people, in social enterprise, in young people, in innovation to overcome the challenges that they do have (they are a commuter city, the cost of purchasing property is very expensive, etc.)…yet, the City has invested in a young person to go on a research mission to three cities on another continent all to bring back cool ideas to make their city better. Come on!
The obvious question I had for Reece, upon realizing that people and institutions are investing in young people and social enterprises, was “Where did that come from? How did it start?” I was expecting a complex answer – an explanation involving seismic shifts and dynamics that was decades, or at least years, in the making.
“It’s because of the Mayor”, he told me simply – a Mayor who recognizes the importance of investing in people and social enterprise.
Of course! Yet another example that leadership is at the core…a fundamental principle for us at 21inc and the reason why we are trying to unleash and unstick leadership excellence – the awesome – of our region’s emerging leaders.
So, there you have it, folks - yet another example that the Hub Halifax is a place ripe for meeting people, exchanging knowledge and ideas and creative collisions. I can’t wait to see who I meet next.
0 comments:
Post a Comment