Common Purpose inspiring people in...
Cork, Ireland
Dr. Alvina Grosu immigrated to Cork in Ireland from Moldova, where she founded Culturewise, a company that fosters mutual understanding between immigrant and local communities in Ireland. She took part in Focus Cork in 2004 and says: “I started Culturewise as a direct result of my experience with Common Purpose. I remember one evening on the programme when we were in a restaurant discussing diversity, and some of the other participants were asking me about the foibles they’d noticed in people of different backgrounds. I found myself explaining it all to them! Some of the other participants were interested in using my knowledge for their own businesses and immediately I spotted the opportunity.”
Johannesburg, South Africa
Kuben Naidoo is the Head of the Budget Office in the National Treasury in South Africa. He took part in Matrix in 2002. During the course, Kuben says that he was given the chance to talk to people and go to places that greatly broadened his perspective: “We went to visit a recycling plant in Soweto, a police emergency call centre, a prison and a stock exchange where we got to see how markets work". The broader perspective that Kuben got from Matrix not only changed the way he thought about his own job but it also encouraged him to think about what could be done on a local level: “During my time on the course I learned about the Starfish Foundation which runs aids hospices in South Africa. I was very interested in what they were doing and I subsequently decided to help by attending their strategic planning meetings, helping them to become more efficient.”
“The participants from the private sector left a big impression on me. I came back determined that I would run my own organisation more like a business. This would help us to set clear goals and to present a more professional image to our partners. With this in mind I’ve set about making a number of important changes to my organisation.” Louise Opperman, Facilitator, Community Timebank (Graduate of Focus Cork 2007)
