Skip to main content

Putting time to good use

Image
By

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.

Read more about:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Big motivator for small living

By
It's been a while between posts here - mainly because we've been moving house. It's been a real motivator for downsizing. Packing each and every item we owned, really makes me wish there were fewer of them. Moving everything from the old apartment to the new one made me envious of those people who live in a "tiny house on wheels". For them moving house simply means towing it to a new location. No packing required. The whole process has reaffirmed our commitment to owning less stuff. So we're going to be intentional about downsizing. It will be an ongoing activity. My environmental heart couldn't stomach a spontaneous dumping of things into the garbage, but it's also more fun this way. Selling things online brings in some handy pocket money. Giving items away is also a great community activity, whether it is to friends and family, to charity or to people in the neighbourhood. I'm looking forward to it as a lifestyle rather than a task to do....
Post a Comment
Read more

Colour me happy

By
One of the great things about reducing possessions is thing called 'helper's high' . It's that fuzzy feeling you get from helping someone else out. I got one recently by helping an old man lift heavy groceries into his car boot when he was struggling. But this is not about that. I was about to put some watercolour paints online for anyone who wanted them. Then I remembered a local community group where people do art therapy. I gave the paints to a contact who passed them on to the group. The next day my contact called me to say how much they were appreciated. One of the participants wanted to do some watercolour painting, but couldn't afford the paints. When my contact walked in with free paints the participant was overjoyed to be able to do her art. As far as 'helper's highs' go, this was a slightly removed one - I never met the actual person I helped. But still it was a buzz.
Post a Comment
Read more

Top 5 articles of 2019

By
As we wrap up 2019, here are the most-read posts here on But Wait There's Less . 5. Books. Do we need them anymore? Why do we keep books? To read them again? How many do we ever read a second time? I worked it out .For me not many. This lead to a second post on my technique for streamlining my book collection . 4. Living in a converted barn. This was something my wife and I tried on a trip away this year. Check out the pictures . I still reckon it could be possible long-term. We really don't need as much space as we have. 3. What's your retirement age? It's not 67. At least it doesn't have to be. If we spend less, compulsory work can become optional at a very early age . It could even be in your 30s. 2. The automatic guest room On the same trip as number 4, we stayed with a friend who (with some clever furniture ) converts her living room into another bedroom. It's a clever way to be able to have guests, but without paying a heap of money for a bigge...
Post a Comment
Read more