Just turn on the TV or read the diary to realize the number of problems that surround us: unemployment, poverty, food shortages, deterioration of the ecosystem and a number of other things. We go to work and the problems continue: low productivity, little collaboration in your group, disorganization, etc. in addition to complaining about the situation, have you ever wondered: How can I help overcome these problems? If you are reading this article, it is because you are one of those who believes that you can make a difference, that you can contribute something more to improve your environment. Well congratulations, you have taken the first step and what you are looking for is: Innovate.
Manuel Jalón Corominas defines innovation as the action of improving something already existing, rather than creating it. Given the various eventualities that may arise, the option that allows to obtain short-term benefits is innovation; while invention generates them in the long term. This inventor applied his definition to the creation of products, but undoubtedly his methodology has a much greater scope.
Innovation can be applied to the improvement of products, services or methods. It can be run on a small and large scale; that is, a person can innovate from his home, company, neighborhood or even country. By adding the word “Social” the concept lands a little more and indicates that it is focused on improving the community.
Social Innovation brings together a set of creative strategies, with the purpose of solving a problem of society, which has not been solved by public or private entities, nor by particular initiatives.
It is important that the solution to the problem or challenge posed is not temporary, but lasting over time. The innovation process can be started by an ordinary person, an NGO or a private company, there is no restriction of any kind to start innovating. However, for an idea to become a process of Social Innovation, you must adhere to the following plan:
- Identify the problem affecting the community. It must not necessarily be something tangible, that is, it can be the repair of a bridge, as well as the reintegration of people in situations of social exclusion.
- Imagine the answer to the problem. Imagination is what makes the difference in the most successful projects, since sometimes the craziest and creative ideas are the ones that actually lead to the best end. Look for collaborators, remember that everyone has an important quality that can contribute positively to the development of the plan.
- Once a working structure is in place to achieve the objective, it is important to put the plan to the test so that weaknesses can be identified and strengthened before the project is launched.
- Now visualize the project in the future, once the plan starts, how will it continue its course? who would be the people in charge? what amount of income does it need to function? Once the idea is self-sufficient it could even migrate to other cities or countries to help many more people.
- Now that you have put your plan in place, with a view to solving a specific social challenge, make your project known. Get in touch with other people who pursue the same purpose, because in this way you can learn new strategies that can serve to improve your project, improve its impacts, identify new ones or even start other new proposals linked to your initial proposal.
While Social Innovation solves the problems of the community, the most significant impact is the change that it generates in people, because it forces them to think beyond their limitations and to have the confidence that a “crazy” idea can become a large project; thus, forming more confident people and stronger societies.
This is the basis of the training in the methodology of Solución Creativa a Problemas Sociales (SCPS) tested by Jovesólides through the Red Creactiva. This method tests our young people in the training actions of Social Entrepreneurship Laboratories, and youth and public administration technicians from Social Innovation laboratories, working from dynamics and creative games, with a challenge in hand and the objective of finding creative solutions that can facilitate social processes, where people are benefited.
We start from the creativity and individual capacity of each, of each, to collectively build small-scale proposals that can later become great solutions, in great social innovations.
