The arts, and in particular, music, help stimulate creativity. They help foster great ideas. So when my company set forth in aligning ourselves with nonprofits I did not think twice about supporting The Music National Service Initiative and their mission to launch MusicianCorps. MusicianCorps is an international youth service music movement that expands the use of music in: 1) Underserved schools and communities to develop more successful students and youth; 2) Health care and therapeutic settings for recovery and improved functioning; 3) the public domain for increased civic engagement, advocacy, volunteerism and diplomacy.
I have the great fortune of calling one of the founders of the Music National Service Initiative, Jim Kurtz, one of my friends. His passion for music is infectious and his vigilance towards raising awareness about the importance of music is second to none. Jim and I once attended an event for social entrepreneurs and his eyes lit up with delight when he talked about his passion project. He told me that President elect Obama and other leaders in Washington had supported projects for the arts and he was confident in its ability to achieve the desired results. I have absolutely no doubt that it will.
The numbers don’t lie. Schools with music programs have significantly higher graduation rates than those without programs – 90.2% as compared to 72.9% (Harris poll of high school principals, 2006). Nearly nine in ten people (88%) with post-graduate degrees participated in music education. Further, 83% of those with incomes of $150,000 or more participated in music (2007 Harris Poll). Not only does music increase graduation rates and lead to an increase in annual salary but it also builds self-confidence. For at-risk youths, the arts contribute to lower recidivism rates for crimes; increased self esteem; the acquisition of job skills; and the development of much needed creative thinking, problem solving and communication skills (Impact of Art Ed, on Workforce Prep., 2002, NGA).
Service is the way of the future. National Service attracts energetic and talented young people at a fraction of the cost. Approximately 8% of the graduating class of Yale, Dartmouth, and Harvard apply to Teach for America. National Service develops long-term resources and leaders. 72% of AmeriCorps members continue to volunteer after their formal service periods end. 90% go on to pursue careers in public service (S. Sagawa, Center for American Progress, Sept. 2007).
Given our country’s current economic malaise, fostering creativity is possibly more essential now than ever before. The Peace Corps has had tremendous success since its inception in the 1960s and MusicianCorps can spawn positive results this century. The Millennials are highly motivated and they are quick to mobilize. They are the perfect agents for the innovative change that we seek. “America needs a workforce that is flexible, adaptable, and highly creative; and it needs an education system that can develop these qualities in everyone. The arts teach many of these skills, aptitudes and values that are at the heart of America’s growing ‘creative’ economy and beyond”, says Sir Ken Robinson, Senior Advisor of the Getty Foundation. I could not agree with Robinson more. Music encourages participation in groups and teaches kids the importance of collaboration. If we are to succeed in the future then we will need to nourish these characteristics. I am not blessed with much musical talent but I love music and hope that one day other people will see it for what it is: a creative refuge that can help stimulate positive emotions. John Logan once said that music is medicine for the mind. I agree. So lets do our part and make sure that we give everyone a chance to receive his or her necessary dosage by supporting MusicianCorps.
So far, this blog has focused a lot on microloans, philanthropy and so forth. More largely it supports the notion that real growth is spurred by opportunity, not blind aid, and that dignity is more important than wealth. But, while reading a recent article from the New York Times, I realized that perhaps it would be a good idea to explain exactly why we believe these ideas to be true.
The article, “If You’re Open to Growth, You Tend to Grow”, is a fascinating primer on the work of Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist. Her years of research have led her to the conclusion that talented individuals achieve their maximum potential when they believe their talent is flexible. This means that individuals who believe that we work our whole lives with the talent we were born with are actually going to make less use of that talent than those who believe that growth is possible. She says that individuals with “growth mind-sets” achieve more than those with “fixed mind-sets” because they are more open to risk and learning from the mistakes that inevitably come from risk-taking behavior. In short, these people instinctively know that you miss all the shots you don’t take.
What does this have to do with aid and microfinance? Well, I think it informs the way we look at poverty and human potential. I agree with Dweck’s assertion that, “Society is obsessed with the idea of talent and genius and people who are ‘naturals’ with innate ability.” This obsession is found in sports, business and practically every other field, but not many stop to question whether it is a productive perspective to hold. It lends itself to a belief that the world is a meritocracy and frames the developing world as void of talent when it is anything but. Anyone who has read Diamond’s “Guns, Germs and Steel” would agree that the current state of world affairs actually has more to do with the distribution of resources and geography than anything else and would certainly agree that the division of power is not the sole indicator of distribution of human talent.
The bottom line is that belief in one’s self and belief in one’s ability to adapt and learn are just as important as IQ. This is what microfinance capitalizes on because loans are not given just on need or even talent, but also on the confidence that the recipient has in him or herself. The recipient has the sort of “growth mind-set” that Dweck champions.
This sort of research is refreshing to hear because it helps untether humanity from the notion that the world is split into winners and losers. Understanding “growth mind-sets” allows us to look at the world, especially the developing world, and our notions of poverty and potential in a much more realistic way.
Who invited Gordon Gecko to the microfinance party? Is greed good again? I’m not qualified to answer that, but the Mexican based CompartamosBanco is making that bold claim and it’s ruffling some feathers in the microfinance world. After receiving some flack, the company has begun to defend itself and they seem to make some good points. The Economist reports that “[Compartamos] has become convinced that by pursuing profits it will be able to provide financial services to many more poor people far more quickly than it would if it had continued to act as a charity.” Read the full story in The Economist here
This is a bit old, but still very relevant to me considering my newfound obsession with MicroPlace. A press release announcing their “Small change. Big change” campaign.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080602/20080602005989.html?.v=1
I came across a great new opportunity for my company today going through the Social Actions Blog. Peter Deitz wrote a quick synopsis on a company called MicroPlace and how it differs from Kiva.
As he puts it, MicroPlace is essentially Kiva without the “warm glow”, which is a pretty good way of putting it I think. What he means by this is that whereas Kiva does not provide a return on investment to its lenders, MicroPlace does. At first, I thought to myself, “Well that just seems like a more selfish form of Kiva.”
When I thought about it a little more, though, I realized that if lender behavior at MicroPlace is anything like I imagine it is with Kiva’s lenders then this is actually a really good thing. I know that a lot of Kiva lenders just put their repaid loans right back towards a new loan. If MicroPlace lenders do the same thing then not only would they put the money straight back in, but they would have accrued a return as well to supplement a larger loan or put towards multiple loans.
Even if lenders do not re-invest the money, it’s still a fantastic thing to have another company reaching out to developing world entrepreneurs. Any investment in these initiatives is good investment. Click the link below to check out Peter Deitz’s full analysis on his blog.
http://blog.socialactions.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2062983%3ABlogPost%3A2361
