This is a blog post I wrote for the non-profit organization Community Empowerment Network I intern with.
One of CEN’s main goals is to end dependency and create self-sufficient communities. CEN helps people to develop not only the tools to be a successful business owner but the mind-set as well. Communities that are able to rely on their own innovation and adaptability will be thrive and be less prone to economic downturns. This is why CEN works to create entrepreneurs.
Entrepreneurs are problem-solvers firstly. They are the ones working to make a society better by solving everyday problems. Thus an entrepreneurial workforce is crucial to sustained economic welfare and the evidence is abundant. A country of entrepreneurs does not wait for an economy to bounce back. They do not wait for more jobs to be created. Entrepreneurs innovate when times are hard and they create their own jobs and income through their own companies. A country of entrepreneurs do not wait for things to get better, they are the ones proactively changing life for the better. The self-sufficiency and proactive attitude are incredibly important attributes for a strong society to possess and is what CEN tries to instill.
America is a good example of a highly entrepreneurial country. America’s entrepreneurial spirit and small business are often cited as the backbone of America’s economic strength. No matter how bad dim an economy seems, America is always expected to rebound precisely because its citizens are so entrepreneurial. Companies such as Microsoft, GE, HP, Fed Ex and Wikipedia were all created during recessions. But being entrepreneurial is not mutually exclusive to America. Brazilians have just as much ability as Americans. CEN helps to foster the entrepreneurial minds that every Brazilian has.
Stopping urban overcrowding is one significant benefit of entrepreneurial people. People in villages that have the entrepreneur mind-set are more likely to contribute their energy and talents toward making their local communities economically vibrant. The people CEN works with are thus self-sufficient and do not depend on jobs that the big cities are more likely to have. CEN wants smaller communities to become independent so that they are not looking outward for opportunities but looking inward to recognize their own community’s benefits.
CEN hopes that by building a more entrepreneurial culture in Brazil citizens will be less dependent on others. A more entrepreneurial Brazil will be less dependent on foreign aid, jobs in big cities and money that tourists bring. Citizens will start to utilize their natural abilities in productive ways that create sustainable communities and create economic wealth not in a few centralized large cities, but disperse the wealth across all regions of Brazil.
Cameron Plommer 