Social Innovation

What is Social Innovation?   I feel that social innovation is an opportunity to make a difference or to encourage change. It is an opportunity to share our light and to help others to find their own, and to seek opportunities to love and to serve, and to lead and to guide others to become better.  

I am a Marriage and Family Studies major at BYU Idaho, and after the 3 classes this semester, I have only 1 more class to take to graduate!  This semester I am taking  Social Innovations,  Social Media Marketing Advertising and Advocacy, and Child and Family Advocacy.  This is the first week of class, I was planning to see how the workload was going to be and consider dropping one and taking it in the fall with the last class I need.  As it is shaping up... these three courses seem to have been designed for me to take them together.  (I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe in tender mercies and divine intervention.)  

While I am really looking forward to graduating, I have loved being back in school and learning! While the grades and the degree are obvious motivators, I have truly been motivated by my love of learning.  "Learning to love learning is vital to our ongoing spiritual and personal development" (David A Bednar Learning to Love Learning, Feb 2010) He taught that "learning to love learning equips us for an ever-changing and unpredictable future. Knowing how to learn prepares us to discern and act upon opportunities that others may not readily recognize."  I love this principle, and I believe, I have only recently realized the truth of this.  (Also, understanding our motivation is so intriguing!  Watch this: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us)

I enrolled in Pathways, which is a year-long introductory program offered by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in conjunction with BYU Idaho. Upon completion, I was able to enroll with BYU-I and pursue my degree as an online student.  I signed up for Pathways when I was really in need of some self-care, and the opportunity to focus on my interests and learning with accountability and extrinsic expectations, it was truly a gift from God that helped me through some traumatic events and depression. And now, as I am nearing my goal, I am beginning to feel a mixture of excitement and anxiety about what's next on my journey.  

I wasn't sure what to expect about the Social Innovation class, but jumping in this week I am very excited about the opportunities and the expected outcomes of the class.  One of the requirements is to write a weekly reflective journal and we are encouraged to blog and share what we are learning and reflecting on.  This is the nudge I needed to create my blog, which I anticipate using for my family and life coaching.  I anticipate that many of the things that I am learning in this class will be relevant and hopefully interesting for others to read.  

As I scrolled through the modules for this class, I was reminded of a prompting I had several years ago that God needs me to be prepared, that he has something big in store for me.  I hadn't thought about this for a long time, but over the past few days, there have been some unmistakable patterns and promptings that THIS will help me prepare. Next week's topic is Become the Change You Wish To See.  This is a powerful concept.  Because of my love of learning along with my prompting to be prepared, I am excited to see what this semester has in store for me!  While there have always been 'social entrepreneurs,' the innovation, engagement, and recognition of new opportunities is being driven by a vision of how to improve and a determination to make the vision a reality. In our social-media-driven world, the marketing and sharing that is available creates so much more awareness, opportunity and allows for greater contributions of ideas and resources than ever before.