Pillar 1 - Vision
Vi·sionˈ/viZHən/ – Noun: Faculty of perception; forming a picture in the mind about the past or potential nature of things.
Vision, the ability to see something clearly, is the first of seven key pillars in our Seven Pillar Methodology for Social Entrepreneurship. In a nutshell, the pillars are: vision, special skills, nonduplication,partnership, credit sharing, feedback and staying power.
Vision can refer to a deep understanding of the flaws of a current situation, a recognition of a shadow of an undesired event on the horizon, or the possibility of a better tomorrow. Lack of vision – especially in our leaders – is dangerous, even deadly. We all can see many things that could use improvement, in our world. By vision, we don't just mean identifying what's wrong, but also being able to see where we fit, exactly, into the solution. Although there are common themes – house the homeless, feed the hungry, free the captive, help the "widows and orphans" of the world, heal the earth, strengthen community – people have wide ranging visions on how to help. You can also have a vision for a short-term project, such as getting done with high school, or graduating college. Education is critical, to having vision. Imagine trying to read this page, if you didn't know how to read! Learning to read – like learning about any subject – forever changes the way you see the world. And once something is seen, it cannot be unseen.
Examples
Here are three examples of how social entrepreneurs came to have a vision for change, and then what they did about it. You may highlight one or all of these, or choose an alternative from our spreadsheet [PDF]:
About these Pages
Students, educators, nonprofit leaders... no matter where you are in your journey, The Elfenworks Foundation wants to help you to be successful with making a lasting, positive change. Educators, we hope this subpage helps you as you equip your students with this effective "life tool." It's useful in many realms beyond social entrepreneurship. See the book, entitled Intelligence & Compassion in Action; The Seven Pillars for Social Entrepreneurs for additional factors that influence staying power, and for teachable questions. Also, for more on "The Seven Pillars of Social Entrepreneurship" (this page is a subpage) then please visit the main subject page.