Social Business The Balancing Act Between Head and Heart
[Applause]
if you would have told me that one day i
would be paying ex-prostitutes a salary
every month
i would have told you that is
unimaginable
well
hopefully in about 15 minutes from now
you will be thinking of employing one
too
what do you see
a bag
if you look closer you’ll see the
material it’s made of
if you’re a kite surfer you’ll even
recognize the material
you might see the label
and then
probably go looking for the price tag
then you may immediately come up with a
conclusion
we often
judge people and things by their outward
appearance
we also often label people by their
behavior and characteristics
just like the guy who labeled me
at a christmas market in a small town in
switzerland
i was 10 years old
and i was roaming around that said
christmas market with my sister speaking
in english thinking out loud how
expensive everything was
when suddenly a really rude merchant
interrupted us
he spoke in swiss german to my sister
and asked her who i was
and why my sister kept translating to me
he then concluded that
if
we really did have the same father
then my father must have had several
women in his life
i wanted to strangle the man
labels end up conveying something
absolute
and it’s time to get rid of them
that guy made me so mad
i believe we all have a righteous anger
that drives us or propels us into our
purpose
by that i don’t mean getting upset about
everyday things
we’re all annoyed about slow speed
internet but somebody already responded
to that all we have to do is install it
but there won’t always be someone else
to resolve that
which offends our minds and disturbs our
hearts
it’s a matter of what we do with what
we’ve been given
to take on
what
triggers our uncontainable discontent
when i first heard about the rampant
crime of human trafficking in 2008
my righteous anger was sparked off for
real
didn’t we get rid of slavery in the 18th
century
the buying and selling of human beings
the numbers figures and statistics had
passed me by
i was deeply disturbed
how
how did i know not know about this
it was not until i came
face to face with a victim in downtown
zurich that these figures suddenly
revealed
a face
and a name
that day
i had my six-week-old daughter in my
arms and i was walking down the streets
to a meeting
at a street work organization in
downtown zurich
totally unexpectedly
a woman crossed the road
pointed to my newborn
and asked if she could kiss her
this wasn’t exactly the woman that you
would like to have kiss your newborn
baby girl
alcohol was heavy on her breath
her lips were swollen and smeared with
bright red lipstick
my head said no but my heart immediately
said yes
she bent down to touch her lips on my
daughter’s pure soft cheeks
and said
crying
i have three children of my own and i do
not know where they are
this woman not only left a mark on my
daughter’s cheeks
she left a mark on my heart
there was no way i could stand on the
sidelines any longer
i felt so helpless but my mind was
reeling
you really have to own an injustice to
eradicate it
with anything in life actually
you must own it
to get rid of it
when injustice takes over
ownership drives the change for justice
it suddenly dawned on me that there was
more to this form of modern day slavery
i was responsible for some of it too
not in the sex industry but in the food
fashion toy and gadget industry
i was a victim of trends for myself and
for my kids and i had bought into the
lie that
if i was paying too much it was
definitely
overpriced i bought stuff off the
internet
not thinking
who made it
and where was it sourced were these
people treated fairly paid fairly
i bragged on my latest bargain
dismissing the fact that
if it’s cheap for me
someone else is paying the price
not everyone has a choice
like you and i have
the more i got involved in uncovering
the crime of human trafficking and
exploitation the more i got the facts
if these women and men really did have a
choice
they wouldn’t choose to have other human
beings rule over their body treating
them like trash
and stripping them daily of their human
rights
so what choices do these people really
have
and what could i do to give them a real
choice
the ones i have
like from the simple question of
what do i want to eat today
to
the more complex one of
what do i want to be one day
in the sex industry
every single sex worker i encountered
wanted out
in the words of a victim we don’t need
pity
we need jobs
but who was giving these people jobs
who was creating jobs for these
individuals who had nothing to write in
their cv but prostitute
in discussing all these questions with
my husband and a handful of trusted
people
the idea of a social business was born
and eventually
our social enterprise kite pride was
established in tel aviv israel
to offer employment
training and empowerment to exactly
these people
pride exists to restore the purpose of
those who have never really been given a
chance to succeed in life
in a safe work environment
survivors of forced prostitution and
human trafficking are offered a real
choice
we train them
and equip them
for a brighter future
we upcycle kite surfing sales yacht
cells parachutes and turn them into
beautiful handmade unique one-of-a-kind
bags
our employees come with their own rich
story of
triumph
power
trauma
and complexities
what they’ve had to endure in their life
affects productivity
efficiency
economic sustainability
and stability as an employee
which obviously no startup can afford or
wants to risk going for
so how did we do it
or better said
how are we doing it
because to tell you the truth
i’m still figuring out many of the
answers as i’m learning but by doing
we all fail
but as long as we fail forward
we’re moving in the right direction
like many other startups
there was a idea
a business plan
a team and funding
unlike many other startups
kite pride had no investor
we had donors
we fundraised
because
our company was more of a social cause
to donate to than a business promising
profit
chi pride exists
to be a catalyst for change and the
future dream job of our employees
figuratively speaking
we give them a landing place
allow them to unload
refuel and take off
i’d like to break it down for you what
it means
to employ people with a traumatic past
what they need in a first work
environment
first of all they need a safe
place
you need to sit down with them
and work out an individual work contract
tailored to their ability
they also need
defined goals
to achieve in a set time frame
they need clear rules and boundaries
and they also need a close coach to work
with on the job
kite pride has done very well to be a
safe place
however
there is room for us to grow in pushing
those babies baby birds out of the nest
to truly see them fly
we don’t do them a favor
by excusing no shows at work with no
further consequence
they’re not sick
they may have a bad day
but that doesn’t give them permission to
hide
they don’t need pity
they need jobs
and they need to be treated like any
other team player
one of our employees
who felt like
we weren’t doing that very well said to
me
you make me feel like a victim all over
again
your kindness and your lack of
discipline make me feel like i am less
than
you don’t need to feel sorry for me
i want this job and i want to succeed
but one company alone
can’t employ them all
we need many more enterprises
to open their doors
to create at least one more job
for someone who yes
may not have the perfect cv
but given the nurturing environment
will soon have that complete cv to
present to their next employer
let’s take the example of a health
research company in israel
they became part of the solution after
they learned
who we were and what chi pride was all
about
they gifted their their employees
with unique one-of-a-kind bags made by
kite pride
and not only that
after hearing ari’s story
offered her a job in their nurturing
work environment
ari
grew up in a very abusive home in
jerusalem
she ran away when she was 12 and
survived on the streets as a male
prostitute
now
at the age of 22
she finally found a place that believes
in her more than she believes in herself
all ari needed
was an opportunity
to heal
and prove herself
kai pride has helped more than 35
individuals along the way
but we know we can do better
my desire is to inspire people and
businesses to live and act with purpose
to unlock second chances
your next talent
might be an ex-prostitute
drop the label
see the person
see the potential
so this bag
what you see now
behind every product
an active service
all over the world
there is a person
you can become part of a story
i invite you to join a radical
revolution of justice and freedom for
all
because you have a choice
and you can give him or her one too
you really can