Dignity Diary, April 1, 2021 | Issue 24
VALUING VALUES: CHANGING THE LENS & LANGUAGE
So how does Goonj use the world’s so-called ‘waste’? Goonj’s model is about shifting from a fragmented to an integrated systems model. It’s nudging for a cultural leap that our society needs to take – through framing and understanding the interrelationships between cities and villages in an integrated way. The model creates a whole system of mutually beneficial relationships from cities to villages. By doing so, the potential of this model moves beyond sustaining the cities or villages or the environment to one that can regenerate the well being of all three. This is a peer to peer networked model – going from common citizens in cities to common citizens in villages on a pan-India level. It’s making and circulating value rather than using any new resources. In the last 22 years, we have tried to create a platform and source of exchange and value-creation while growing in our work by finding new ways for our stakeholders to create and retain more value.
In this issue, we talk about the need to change the language and lens around the work and issues the world faces today. Here’s a brief glimpse into how we at Goonj talk about and understand people, material, charity and development. We hope this encourages our readers to also reflect upon their own language and lens.