When Selene Biffi put out a call a few months ago for a storytelling collaborator, something within me did a little leap. She was about to launch Plain Ink, a new social enterprise combining writing, literacy development, education and books- an enticing combination, which I found myself eager to dive into.
I’d met Selene a few years back over a lunch in Dublin and had been virtually keeping in touch- following her progress from Youth Action for Change and then on to Afghanistan, seeing her involvement in setting up Forgotten Diaries and later Young Innovations Europe, and now admiring her own leap to start Plain Ink, a new social venture with intercultural education at its core.
It all seemed appealing. However, aside from the educational and development elements to Plain Ink, what also appealed was the organisational model they had adopted. By simultaneously setting up a publishing company in Italy (Selene’s home country), Plain Ink is able to generate profits from the sale of educational books and then use the profits to fund international projects, including the production of educational comic books (see below)
In the ‘non-profit’ world, I find it refreshing to talk about profits. By modeling sustainability principles from the outset and thinking about the organisations’ longevity (and not the race for the next grant) Plain Ink are already making important strides in generating channels of revenue that can then both sustain and spark overseas projects. India and Afghanistan are first ports of call for Plain Ink with Luna, their first book, released last week helping to kickstart it all. You can view it in their bookshop here
Selene oozes dedication and commitment. Over the last few months I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with her on helping to launch the website for Plain Ink (I worked on the copy), and have witnessed her commitment and passion in action. So even though it is just the beginning, I already feel Selene has set the organisation off on a good and steady start.
So to co-inside with the website launch and to cheer her along, I asked Selene a few questions about her own motivations, insights and lessons from her leap.
Over to Selene:
Tell us a little about Plain Ink?
Plain Ink is a publishing social enterprise that harnesses the power of books, media and storytelling to spark change globally and empower children and communities to create a better future.
Or, to put it in a nicer and more inspiring way ‘At Plain Ink we work write a better story for all, compelled by the transformative potential of storytelling, imagery and books’.
What motivated you to start it?
In 2009-2010 I had the chance to work on a textbook for children in Afghanistan, on behalf of the UN. Owing to the fact that the literacy level in Afghanistan is very low – around 25% according to the Human Development Index – the textbooks would prove less useful than thought at the beginning, and so I decided to complement it with a series of comics (on health, agriculture etc.). After my stint in Afghanistan, I returned to Italy and decided I wanted to continue with the work that I had first initiated in Kabul, and created Plain Ink to produce engaging comics teaching a variety of skills to those with limited or no literacy skills, starting in Afghanistan and India, two countries I know well.
What skills or mindset do you think you needed to have the courage to launch Plain Ink?
I credit stubbornness for being a trait of mine. I was determined to use my newly-acquired skills – and was ready to work hard to improve them – to do something good, continuing on the path I had chosen for myself while in Kabul. Coming home, however, things turned out to be more difficult than I had imagined: it took a whole year to launch Plain Ink, with a lot of trial and error. I had to switch two website companies, change a few illustrators working on a project and look for translators, while also taking care of all the bills. Things have not been easy but I guess that nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time as finally come. Amidst some difficulties, I also managed to put together a great team and Board, who have guided me and encouraged me every step along the way. A supportive family also helps to complete the picture…we’ve barely started and there is so much more that needs to be done, but I am confident that things will work out, eventually.
If you could do one thing differently, what would it have been and why?
I think that, if I could do one thing differently, that would certainly be planning. Throughout the past years, all of my plans for Plain Ink have changed dramatically, new ideas were shaped and others were just dropped. My planning had to be revised a lot due to the inputs I received from the staff and Board, which is something I getting used to, as generally I’m the one running the show. Opening up the process and sharing concerns and perspectives with people joining in from totally different background has allowed me to appreciate flexibility and be more open-minded.
What advice would you have to other people thinking about starting their own projects?
Never, never, never give up. If you have an idea for change, don’t wait for other people, think out of the box and go for it! In my opinion, all it takes to change is an average Joe with a passion for change; you don’t have to be extraordinary to accomplish extraordinary things.
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You can also read a little more about Plain Ink here, in a recent GOOD Magazine Article, and feel free to have a wander around their beautiful new site www.plainink.org
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