“Actually, the thoughts, the questions, the theories that people on the ground create as a result of doing the work isn’t that far off from what the research is studying.” ~ TeRay Esquibel

Do you have a sense of purpose? What does that mean to you?

And what place does curiosity have in finding and living one’s purpose?

There’s a lot of research going on around purpose.

Purpose Commons is moving that research into practice.

The folks at Purpose Commons believe purpose unlocks the full potential of young people and their communities. They’re building a dynamic learning network where collaborators from across the youth development ecosystem can work together to ask the questions that matter to young people — and put those ideas into action. 

This gives us a chance to demonstrate how community wisdom — the wisdom that we already have in our spirits, our souls, our stories and our lived experiences — can actually drive rigorous, relevant, meaningful academic research. And that’s the meta goal here: can we reframe how knowledge is cultivated and whose questions count?

Purpose Commons’ executive director TeRay Esquibel and I talked about authentic conversation and “the commons”, animating questions, maintaining (not obtaining) purpose, the wisdom of youth, the surprising impact of simply contemplating our own contributions, facing depletion, bridging research and practice — and the transformative power of a tiara.

Listen to #321: Curiosity & Purpose Commons, with TeRay Esquibel

Check out Purpose Commons, Purpose Science & Innovation Exchange and The Contribution Project.

Meet social entrepreneur TeRay Esquibel.

TeRay mentioned Ednium, In Tandem and This Teenage Life.

If you enjoyed this purpose-focused conversation, try these C2BC Classics: Curiosity, Values & Financial Planning, with Rebecca Borton, A Mile In Their Shoes: Friends of Mount Vernon Trail, Curiosity in Ending Period Poverty, with Eva-Marie Carney and CheapNFreeDC: Curiosity, Passion & Purpose, with Estee Levine.

Theme music by Sean Balick; “FasterFasterBrighter” by Ray Catcher, via Blue Dot Sessions.

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