Putting time to good use

If we spend less, or waste less, then we don't need to trade away so much of our lives for dollars.

So what are the other options for our time? Recently I've been looking at social enterprises - businesses whose primary goal is a social outcome rather than a profit.

Last month I reviewed the Fruit Butcher. Today I'm looking at the ground-breaking work of Green Fox Studio - who I also discovered at a local social enterprise showcase.

Who are Green Fox Studio?

Green Fox Studio trains and employs people to do graphic and digital design.

By itself that sounds unremarkable but Green Fox has a difference. Their students and designers are serving time.

How does that work?

We like to think prison somehow sets people straight. But 46% of people in prison end up re-offending and returning to prison. Others end up homeless. Many have reduced employment prospects due to their record.

Most organisations aren't willing to train or employ people with a criminal record. Green Fox studios is.

So how's it going?

Green Fox is now an award-winning studio and has trained 60 people. Less than 2% have returned to jail (compared to the usual 46%).

The cost of a studio which trains and employs 28 people is less than the cost to keep one person in jail.

They now operated in two states in Australia and are looking to expand, and help more people turn their life around.

In short

I was really touched by this initiative. It makes such an amazing difference. I wondered why something like this hasn't happened earlier.

I guess it's because Amanda and Kelly had the time and space to come up with this idea and make it happen. I guess this is what you can do when you're not spending every hour earning money to buy stuff you don't need.

Comments

You know what to do. Ignore this ad!

Yes, jewellery stores pump out the ads around valentine's day - that's no surprise. After all it's a made-up day designed to sell more stuff at higher prices. But this year they seem extra desperate to sell stuff we don't want, with the "You know what to do" campaign. I reckon the sales team are scared by the number of couples that have realised that love is not in physical merchandise but in quality time. So they've made an ad exactly about these people. The message seems to be aimed straight at guys to say "even if you and your partner agree not to waste money on jewellery, you should buy her some anyway". Apparently in a relationship it's important to ignore what your wife or partner says and do what profit-motivated corporations tell you to do. I tend to disagree. If you're interested have a look - it's interesting to see how transparent it is.

Less Clutter More Cash - now available

Do you feel like you have too much stuff? Is your home full of things you never use? Would you like to swap them for cash? We did My wife and I have sold more than 550 items online as we downsize and we've learnt a bit along the way. I've put some of our best tips into this handy ebook. I hope you can use these tips so you too can have less clutter and more cash. Enter your email address below to receive the book for free. Less Clutter More Cash Get my new ebook for free. PS. This will subscribe to the But Wait There's Less email list, so you'll know when the new updated version of the book is available. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Happiness: 13 science-based hacks

I've recently been doing a happiness course through Yale University and am excited to find so many proven methods for increasing our happiness. Here's a brief summary of some of them. You can find out more and go deeper by doing the free online course . My previous article was about our brain often making mistakes in picking the things it thinks will make us happy. So the first part here is quick happiness hacks to get around that. The second part is about wanting the right parts of the things our brains think will make us happy. Then there's the course experiments I did - to 'rewire' our habits for greater happiness. 1. Quick happiness hacks Experiences make us happier that things Stuff doesn't make us as happy as we think. "A new car sticks around to disappoint you. But a trip to Europe is over. It evaporates. It has the good sense to go away, and you are left with nothing but a wonderful memory." Studies show that (compared to material pur...

But wait... there's less!

Search This Blog