Lex Schroeder is a connector. As the co-founder of The New Prosperity Initiative she connects organizational leaders and community members who are tackling poverty, community development, and public health in order to identify ideas and solutions. She connects individuals with networks, provides strategies and offers tools to create meaningful work. Lex connects people through her written work for organizations such as The Berkana Institute, NPi and Bostinnovation.com. Lex and fellow co-founder, Jeanne Dasaro are traveling from Boston to connect with you at the 2nd Annual Passion Into Action Women's Conference.
In their workshop: "Navigating a Path to a Career in Public Service: A Roadmap for Creating Social Impact" The New Prosperity Initiative team will answer pertinent questions such as, how do I fund my passion to create social change? How do I navigate a career that has meaning and value yet still pays the bills? Lex and Jeanne have created tools and ideas to help you find rewarding work even in times of widespread change.
Lex Schroeder shares her significant moment that inspired her career, the biggest take-aways from her workshop and the importance of connecting your passion with your work.
1. What is your personal mission or passion that is helping to re-shape the future?
I’m passionate about getting good ideas out there in a way that feels accessible and energizing to people, and connecting folks doing similar work in the world. As a writer, I’m passionate about encouraging others to write. There are a lot of writers who have incredibly valuable things to say, but who aren’t writing for one reason or another. As an entrepreneur, I’m passionate about helping other people find or create meaningful work. Part of this is just about finding the courage to do what we really care about and part of it is about learning practical strategies for how to connect into the networks/communities that interest us.
2. Describe a significant moment or experience that inspired your personal mission or passion to make a difference?
I believe everyone has the right to earn a living wage and a right to healthcare. Since I’ve always cared deeply about these things, I thought I’d do build a career around civil rights law or public policy. One of the most significant moments in my life came when I realized that my work wouldn’t necessarily directly correspond with those issues I cared most about intellectually. Creating a rewarding career has to do with much more than that; it has to do with what our natural talents and skills are, where we live and what networks we feel a part of, what we enjoy doing on a daily basis, what kind of work environment we need. I know now that I can make a contribution to social justice through other means than I thought possible early on. Knowing this makes me want to help others begin doing work that not only improves the world, but is work they enjoy.
3. What do you hope will be the biggest take-aways for the attendees who participate in your workshop?
I hope they leave the workshop feeling like they have practical ideas for taking the next step in their career, whether that’s doing the job search differently, taking the leap and becoming an entrepreneur, or changing their line of work. I hope they leave feeling inspired, like they’re part of a much larger conversation about how work and career development are changing. All of the things that don’t work anymore—whether at the personal level, in the economy, or in society—all of these serve as tremendous opportunities for creating whatever we want to come next.
4. How do you see women and girls in the local and global communities affecting the future?
Like any group of people with a shared history, familiar with discrimination, women and girls offer an incredibly valuable perspective on the challenges we face right now. We still have a long way to go, but thankfully most of the world acknowledges a need for women’s unique brand of leadership as well. Women’s leadership is essential to eradicating poverty, ending hunger, creating good jobs, and rebuilding and strengthening communities in general.
5. Why is it so important to participate in groups and events that connect women and feature their talents, ideas and solutions right now?
We gain knowledge, strength, and joy from one another. All of these things keep us going personally and professionally.
6. What is your message to women around the world?
Be your own advocate. Support yourself as much as you support your friends and colleagues. Connect with mentors and elders who have things to teach you and are interested in what you have to say as well. Surround yourself with people who inspire you, who are kind, who challenge you, who help you find your way, and perhaps most importantly, people who are comfortable with change—people who see problems as opportunities rather than simply reasons for despair. Be willing to take some risks and trust your gut.
The New Prosperity Initiative Workshop: "Navigating a Path to a Career in Public Service: A Roadmap for Creating Social Impact"
“In a recession, when major institutions are dramatically changing/failing (and technology is changing the way we work), how do we find jobs we enjoy that also pay the bills?”
This is the big question NPi’s workshop, “Navigating a Path to a Career in Public Service,” aims to address.
The path to a successful career in public service has never been more confusing. Yet more and more people seek to do work that is ultimately for the public good. Whether we enter the for-profit or nonprofit world or take the leap and become social entrepreneurs, we are stepping into new and different jobs tackling a wide variety of social and environmental problems.
Rooted in the belief that the best career opportunities come through relationships, not job boards, this workshop provides a powerful new framework for taking ownership of one's own unique and often winding career path. In a highly interactive session, participants learn how to identify and communicate their own unique offerings as well as how to establish and cultivate strong work relationships both online and offline. Attendees will be presented with ideas for getting started on the job search or entrepreneurial endeavor, thoughtful tips for moving beyond the roadblocks they will inevitably encounter, and inspiration by way of real life stories. In a quickly-changing world full of new opportunities and possibilities, this workshop is dedicated to helping women begin to find or create meaningful, rewarding work during times of widespread systems change.
To register for Lex Schorder and Jeanne Dasaro's workshop click here to register for the 2nd Annual Passion Into Action Conference
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