INTERNATIONAL CREATING A NEW MOVEMENT IN ENTREPRENEURISMMeet Patti DeSante by Marilyn R. Wilson The last decade has seen a growing number of individuals leave the corporate world to follow their passion. One striking example is Patti DeSante. At the pinnacle of her career, she walked away to launch her company, and then 13 years later made the life-altering decision to embrace a Zen Chaplaincy and Ujamaah. Ujamaah is a conscious business working to create Dream Spaces in developing countries that would utilize tools such as indigenous Hip Hop to ignite each person’s entrepreneurial spirit. The goal – to resource, re-energize and reroute the story of development. DeSante was a solitary child who loved spending time in nature. As a teenager, her independent spirit chose to embrace widely diverse friends from all school groups. Working in a hospice at the age of 14 opened the door to the pursuit of a career in medicine, but several things changed her direction – a love of play, the grind of uninspiring studies and a handsome geophysicist. After taking a geology course, the appealing vision of a lifetime spent outdoors called. Geology, it was. When DeSante graduated, gas deregulation was being introduced in parts of Canada. Working as a Natural Gas Broker became the holy grail. Although lacking the required MBA in Engineering, an innate ability to connect with the right people landed her the job and she quickly became one of the top sales agents. The position came with a lot of creative freedom. “I always worked in non-traditional businesses and we were there to do everything non-traditional we could. It was a blast!” This was the high life of big paychecks, fishing trips, corporate excursions to Disneyland and more. The impetus for change came with the birth of her daughter. DeSante remembers, “As far as I knew this was just a two week blip in my life. But once I gave birth, I put every part of my soul into it. It was the biggest turning point in my life.” The family’s move to a small community on Bowen Island was also profound. The island offered deep friendships with many educated, creative individuals including the executive director of the local Dali Lama Center where she joined an organizing committee. Then came two key mentors – Anne Ironside, a brilliant woman who helped to found the University of British Columbia’s first Women’s Resource Center, and Roshi Joan Halifax who started the Upaya Institute where DeSante would earn her chaplaincy. What drew DeSante to study at Upaya was Roshi’’s focus on using the discipline of meditation to affect change in existing world institutions. Opportunities arose to learn from leading edge neuroscientists, organization gurus out of MIT and international policy makers while working with street kids added a different perspective. All meshed to ignite a new fire. “I felt a growing desire to give a greater voice to these under-represented street-wise youth.” Her world expanded again when Silas Balabyekkubo of Bavubuka Foundation and James Kamau of Canada Youth Initiatives entered her life. The concept of Ujamaah began to take shape. Then came a cutting edge forum where visionary Otto Scharmer from MIT shared, “The future of the world is building enabling spaces to cultivate creative capital.” The term Ujamaah means my economic well-being is interdependent on your economic well-being. Simply put, we grow our wealth together. Ujamaah’s vision on how to accomplish this globally is Dream Spaces. In these centers, language would be maintained, culture respected, creativity and passion encouraged and success defined locally. “These are spaces to celebrate each person’s uniqueness and resource their skills, so individuals can become true leaders in their community. It’s about an entrepreneurial movement that will work to affect change in their relationships and lives – a movement that will shift the political and educational systems that are maintaining the status quo.” To this goal, DeSante brings her extensive 20-years of experience in the corporate world. “I am a clearing house. I know how to form an organization that would connect people, put all their resources in one place and maximize the efficiency of where those resources go – a place of sharing and networking.” On June 15 th , Desante launched “InspiredDrive”to generate seed capital for her work. Accompanied by a Hip Hop artist and a Molecular Biologist, the tour will feature dynamic interviews with individuals on how being engaged with something you love can transform your life. Daily written and video updates will be available on the InspiredDrive website and virtual followers are challenged to help the tour reach a goal of 1000+ people offering $10 each and every day. To follow and be a part of the “InspiredDrive” tour, go to www. inspireddrive.com. More information on Ujamaah’s Dream Spaces can be found on their website at http://ujamaah.tumblr.com/ Image by Peter Jensen Photography 78 Raine Magazine - <strong>Volume</strong> 15
INTERNATIONAL PRESERVING 3,000 YEARS OF TRADITION THROUGH FASHION Meet Adriana Santacruz By Marilyn R. Wilson Photography: Hernán Puentes (www.hernanpuentes.com) Styling: Ana María Londoño - Revista Fucsia Make Up and Hair: Alex Ospina Model: Ariadna Gutierrez from Contacto Básico (www.contactobasico.com) Raine Magazine - <strong>Volume</strong> 15 79
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