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The Practical Idealism Project was officially born in November 2005
when Dr. John Hammock and Alissa Wilson began gathering
the stories of practical idealists--people who express their values and
passions through their career and life choices. As a professor at Tuft’s Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy and the former head of Oxfam America, John often talked to students who told him about their own
desire to work for social change at an organization like Oxfam. Their
hopes, however, were usually accompanied by anxiety about paying
student loans, achieving financial stability, and having enough time
for families and personal lives. Alissa, a graduate student with a background in conflict resolution, was one of those students. Alissa and
John knew from their conversations with students and friends that
many people wanted to be practical idealists. They just didn’t know
where to begin and lacked examples that could help them. Practical
Idealists: Changing the World and Getting Paid was written with those
friends and seekers in mind. If you are on the path of practical idealism,
then this book was written for you too.
The practical idealists interviewed for this
book are international development workers, lawyers, business people,
artists, social workers, computer techs, union researchers, activists, stayat-
home parents, health outreach workers, and city managers, just to
name a few. They are all working to transform society and getting paid
to do it. These are not trust fund beneficiaries. They paid rent, bought
houses, paid off student loans, had families, and made comfortable
lives for themselves. They knew that the naysayers who had told them
that they could not work for social change and survive financially were
wrong.
In reading the stories of practical idealists, you will become familiar
with the many possibilities and challenges of practical idealism.
It is not always easy, but it is doable. Practical Idealists: Changing the
World and Getting Paid is intended to encourage and inspire, as well
as provide concrete tools for making the kinds of choices and decisions
necessary for the practical idealist life. Through examples and exercises,
the book explores how you can:
clarify your values and passions;
learn relevant skills;
find work;
understand money issues and personal finance;
create supportive community; and
use college and graduate school effectively. --exerpted from Chapter 1: Choices Matter.
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