I am back in Phoenix and boy is my brain tired! Actually, I think its reshaping. It will take me some time before I am able to adequately describe my sabbatical experience. What I know for sure is that my Fellowship is not over…it has just begun. The traveling I did took me many places to learn, observe, and gather a wealth of ideas and information. The reaping of rewards starts from here.
St. Joseph the Worker could not be better situated to take advantage of new opportunities. In preparation for my leave we created an organizational management plan. Responsibilities were divided and tasks reassigned. While I was out of the office for over 6 weeks, the crew at SJW masterfully ran the show. The team connected to each other in new ways. They increased their communication and confidence. They were empowered and relied upon to manage the organization at a whole new level. My leave created capacity in the organization. I am relieved to say they welcomed me back with open arms but the truth is my being gone was as good for them as it was for me. And SJW is stronger than ever as a result. Watch out world…here we come!
Social Enterprise was one of my main learning objectives for my travels. I observed some pretty ingenious ideas out there. One thing that is clearer to me is that you cannot learn about great social enterprise options just by observing what another agency does. You must consider the options in the context of the entire community. What are the characteristics of that community - its demographics, culture, geographic layout, industry & business leaders, climate (political and weather!), infrastructure, population and government role in issues such as homelessness, for starters? Where are there gaps in community services? How can we provide a product or service our community needs, while providing an experience that is desirable, dignified, and useful for the individuals doing the work?
Please, contact me if you are interested in exploring social enterprise. I know there are many of you out there doing it and we look forward to learning from your insights. This is a conversation we’ll be having for a while; please join in!
In the meantime, thank you for reading my blog and caring about these issues. I am so grateful to St. Joseph the Worker, the Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust and the multitudes of people living and working in the zone…wherever you are…for upholding human dignity and spreading the love. I thank God for the abundance of blessings He has showered me with. I will keep working to make the most of them!
Yours truly,
Amy
acaffarello@sjwjobs.org
602-417-9849
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