Mauro Libi Crestani: Shared value initiative and success

The concept of share value initiative is a recent concept. It is the idea that if an organization helps others it will also gain in the process. it is the concept that a group of professionals can do so much more than any one organization by pooling their talents to help societies problems. Programs such as this have been successful over the years, well before anyone understood the concept of shared value initiative.

One such example is the Peace Corps. 

On March 1 1961 President John Kennedy signed an executive order That created the Peace corps. It was to be a group of professionals who would volunteer in areas of the world to help them with their problems. The USA was hoping to gain a better image in the world. At that time the USA was being branded , "ugly Americans" or "yankee imperialist", especially in the emerging nations in Asia and Africa. 

After the 9/11 attacks, The USA was alerted to the growing anti-American sentiment in the middle east.  President Bush doubled the size of the Peace corps as part of his war on terrorism. 

Presently, the peace corp are in 68 countries. The concept is that wherever there is an undeveloped nation, the peace corp will be there.  The peace corp has not just helped the nations that it enters and helps American image, its volunteers have gained so much. As a volunteer, they make about $300 a month to live in horrible conditions. That is all, but if you ask, a volunteer if they would do it again, most will say yes.It helps you with the entrepreneurial spirit, leadership qualities and teaches you how to get things done. they also get to see a world different than the one they live in the USA.