CREATIVE ESCAPES - Marjorie Yang: innovation is the key to lifting people out of poverty

Um texto de Marjorie Yang para reflexão... (com uma referência ao Scratch, no final...) 

A ler com atenção.

28 Oct 2011-South China Morning Post

CREATIVE ESCAPES

Marjorie Yang says that innovation is the key to lifting people out of poverty, and women are often best placed to find creative solutions to seemingly intractable economic problems

Women can play a much more active role in incubating and promoting change...
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Such examples exemplify how women can play a much more active role in incubating and promoting change. Women’s keen abilities in observing, relating and questioning are important skills for an innovator. Society needs to provide women with an empowering environment with opportunities for exposure, networking, taking risks and experimenting with new ideas and initiatives.
In the long term, at a macro level, education is key for innovative environments. Much is done to foster creativity at college level, but this will only have a limited effect if the effort is not extended to education at secondary and even primary levels.
 
Fortunately, bright innovative minds are working to address this problem. One project of note is Scratch, computer software developed by MIT Media Lab, that allows young children to create programs and multimedia content. It is now used by many schools worldwide. Education systems should seek to nurture and reward the creative, problem- solving mind.
Those who innovate hold the greatest potential to bridge societal gaps. In particular, women, who are the core on both domestic and professional fronts, are in a position to build a culture for innovation at home, work, and across society."

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Marjorie Yang is chairwoman of Esquel Group and a non- official member of the Executive Council. This article is part of a monthly series on women and gender issues developed in collaboration with The Women’s Foundation