Imagination: One of The First Keys to Creating Value
Since my initial training was in graphic design, which is one part technical and one part art, I have become acquainted with the creative process and the key role that imagination plays in the creation of value. Most designers are problem solvers and use imagination to do so. Over the years, I have come to appreciate the value of certain solutions to a given problem. In the charitable sector, some people stand out of the crowd as they have come up with simple and efficient solutions to some pretty big social issues.
In the province of Quebec, there is a significant number of children who go to school every day without having eaten breakfast. This is probably also true for other areas of the developed world, not to mention developing countries. Nevertheless, children trying to learn to read have a much harder time focusing on the task at hand on an empty stomach.
Noticing this problem, Daniel Germain developed an organisation whose sole mission is to make sure that children have something to eat before starting school in the morning. Following is an excerpt from their Web site:
The Quebec Breakfast Club opened its doors in 1994 at the Lionel-Groulx elementary school, located in an underprivileged Longueuil neighbourhood. The Club's founder, Daniel Germain, wished to offer all the children the chance to have a nutritious breakfast before going to class.
The project had such a positive effect on the children's academic achievement that, soon, other schools were knocking at the Breakfast Club's door.
Since 1994, thanks to the support of a growing number of partners from both private and public sectors, the Breakfast Club has been able to set up kitchen facilities in 199 elementary and high schools throughout the province of Quebec.
Daniel Germain is a perfect example of one my favorite quotes from Albert Einstein: "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
Do you have stories like this one about people using imagination to come-up with creative solutions to social problems and make a difference?
Since my initial training was in graphic design, which is one part technical and one part art, I have become acquainted with the creative process and the key role that imagination plays in the creation of value. Most designers are problem solvers and use imagination to do so. Over the years, I have come to appreciate the value of certain solutions to a given problem. In the charitable sector, some people stand out of the crowd as they have come up with simple and efficient solutions to some pretty big social issues.
In the province of Quebec, there is a significant number of children who go to school every day without having eaten breakfast. This is probably also true for other areas of the developed world, not to mention developing countries. Nevertheless, children trying to learn to read have a much harder time focusing on the task at hand on an empty stomach.
Noticing this problem, Daniel Germain developed an organisation whose sole mission is to make sure that children have something to eat before starting school in the morning. Following is an excerpt from their Web site:
The Quebec Breakfast Club opened its doors in 1994 at the Lionel-Groulx elementary school, located in an underprivileged Longueuil neighbourhood. The Club's founder, Daniel Germain, wished to offer all the children the chance to have a nutritious breakfast before going to class.
The project had such a positive effect on the children's academic achievement that, soon, other schools were knocking at the Breakfast Club's door.
Since 1994, thanks to the support of a growing number of partners from both private and public sectors, the Breakfast Club has been able to set up kitchen facilities in 199 elementary and high schools throughout the province of Quebec.
Daniel Germain is a perfect example of one my favorite quotes from Albert Einstein: "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
Do you have stories like this one about people using imagination to come-up with creative solutions to social problems and make a difference?
posted by GRK at 10:02 p.m.
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