We could begin this year thinking about all the challenges we face whether in the UK, Australia or any part of the world. But to list and re-list these again is akin to what might be called the ‘pornography of pain’. Alternatively, we can focus on solutions. We’ve pulled out five solutions from our blogs over the last few years, as a reminder that there is hope everywhere.

1. Resilience

In January 2017, we posted a blog with this introduction: given the political, economic and cultural earthquakes of 2016, the year ahead could look pretty terrifying and uncertain. We may feel anxious. We may have visions of moving to a remote island where we could block out the worry and anger about the increasingly unattractive western world. But there is another option. Resilience. With a big dose of hope.

It can feel like not a lot has changed – except it has! Climate change activism is alive and well. Real poverty in the two-thirds world has been reduced significantly. While democracy is under attack, those committed to its survival are active across the world.

Raymond Williams said that “to be truly radical is to make hope possible, rather than despair convincing”. Resilience is our best antidote to fear, anxiety and withdrawal.

There are four types of resilience (psychological, political, economic and spiritual). Let’s draw on them all in the year to come!

2. Collaboration for collective impact

Working alone, in isolation, as rivals, in silos or as competitors has reduced impact in the social sector where it is most needed. Over the past year we published a series of blogs and articles focused on collective action as a solution that successfully addresses key challenges both locally and globally.

We must work together, not against each other. Poverty for example is one real challenge, but so is distrust, polarisation, competition and personal ego amongst those wanting to end poverty. We could all do with a dose collective impact. Not for our own health, but the health of an economy that works for both people and planet.

3. Leadership

We will have all seen quotes on LinkedIn or Facebook about the attributes of leadership. And we can always look to others to lead. We can also look at our own lives and figure out where we can authentically lead and be part of a solution.

At the risk of being negative (in an effort to be solutions-focused), we’ve all experienced a lack of leadership whether at an organisational level, a national level or a global level. We know what bad leadership is. Ego, hubris, greed, power, control as well as the out-of-fashion attributes of envy, jealousy, malice and pride all figure highly in bad leadership.

A simple act of leadership can change the world, whether it is local or global. Speak the truth even if your voice shakes – is a simple beginning for all of us.

We don’t have to be courageous, charismatic or a white man to be a leader. We can all lead in finding solutions and be inspired by the ‘not what you’d expect’ examples of leadership – thanks Greta!

4. The social economy

For many in our neoliberal world it is abhorrent when the word ‘social’ is associated in any way with the word ‘economy’. There is plenty of opposition and misunderstanding – it all sounds too ‘political’, and isn’t ‘social’ part of that word ‘social’-ism (short-hand for communism)? Despite this, the ‘social economy’ is maturing and becoming much more than yet another ‘bloody coffee cart social enterprise’ (although we can’t get enough good coffee is our way of thinking).

At its heart, the social economy works for people and profit. Or people before profit – not profit before people. Just like in the market focussed economy, businesses in the social economy seek to make a profit. The difference being that in a social economy, the profit is used to meet social objectives, not generate individual wealth. It’s that last bit which makes this type of economy different. Wealth is more evenly distributed.

By prioritising social objectives, the social economy is an innovative way to tackle social, economic and environmental needs in society that have been overlooked or inadequately addressed by the private or public sectors.

Supporting the social economy in 2020 means purchasing with a purpose and well as selling for a purpose. A simple example is choosing to purchase from a social enterprise even though it might cost more than in the general market. The purchasing provides the economic stimulus to drive the social economy with its social objectives to create greater benefit for more and more people, not just the few.

There are plenty of opportunities to engage with the social economy. Who you buy from as well as what you buy can make a difference. There are social economy businesses everywhere. See what you can find in 2020. Spend your money wisely and make an impact!

5. Discipline and focus

Being a ‘change agent’, wanting to ‘do good’ and have ‘purpose’ is all well and very good and way better than the alternative. But we need to be clear about what we want to do and what impact we want to make. We need to be disciplined and focused in measuring and achieving those outcomes.

Whether it is a social business/enterprise, an ethical business for a social purpose, a cooperative, an employee owned business or an attempt at ‘conscious capitalism’, we need the disciplines of strategic planning, social business modelling, theory of change analysis, impact measurement, good governance and generating profit. Generating profit, as we have argued before, is crucial for the survival of all the above – it is how profit is distributed and who benefits from the profit that’s the central justice issue.

In 2020 we will be working in all these areas. We will be resilient, we will lead where we can, we will collaborate with others fighting for the same cause, and in doing that we hope we will help the social economy to thrive.

Join in! We can all be part of the solutions for 2020.