By Miriam Espaillat

My Gambrell Foundation research trip experience — from experiencing new cultures to enriching relationships with folks from Charlotte, and basking in moments of personal reflection – is multilayered.

To start off, I chose not to do much research before going to keep the element of surprise and minimize my personal biases and expectations. At first, I was intimidated to even say “Helsinki” because I was afraid to pronounce it wrong! The culture in Finland constantly kept me on my toes — from the beautiful architecture, to the connection with the forests, to the investment in hobbies, and of course, saunas and cold plunges. As we explored the Finnish way of life, my curiosity kept growing and I needed to discover what makes Finland a happy country. The theme I heard over and over from them was that the access to free healthcare, free early education, and free higher education relieved the financial burden on what they considered as basic needs. Being relieved from these burdens allows the Finnish community to invest in hobbies, which leads to happier lives. We had the chance to explore a few of their hobbies and ways of life through saunas and connecting with nature. The sauna experience was truly unique — from the vulnerability of being in a small space with other women, to building the courage to take the cold plunge in the Baltic Sea. I mean, it was cold! The vulnerability I experienced in that moment allowed me to feel physically and emotionally safe and relax in that space. It allowed me to giggle and be silly. I felt I became playful.

The transition from Helsinki to Amsterdam felt like a complete contrast of culture. Amsterdam is fast-paced, racially diverse, busy, and let’s not forget the bikes — they have the right of way over pedestrians, yikes! As a person who grew up in NYC, this felt like home! The culinary diversity, hearing all types of languages while waiting to cross the street, the crowded streets — I felt myself say, “Yes! I belong here.” After getting through all the over-stimulation and excitement, especially as we visited parts of Amsterdam where most immigrants lived, I felt my heart get heavy. As we learned about the inequities that people of color and immigrants face in Amsterdam, I couldn’t help but say to myself, “Here, too? Is this truly a worldwide issue?”

Later, we went on a bike tour, and it was beautiful to ride through the neighborhood and learn about its history. When we stopped at a historic site where a plane crash destroyed homes, families, and lives, I became overly grieved. Our tour guide said something that just broke me, something along the lines of, “All areas in Amsterdam have a name, an identity, and it is legally registered and named. Yet, this plane crash site does not, leaving the community seeking identity.” Something about this brought me to tears. It made me think of African slaves and immigrants throughout the world who desperately seek to create roots and identity because they either were forced to give up their identity or made a choice to leave their community behind in search of a better life. I think of myself as an immigrant in the U.S. and how storytelling, food, language, and music are crucial to my identity. It is a human desire to belong, and so many times we neglect it in our efforts to fit in or avoid discrimination and oppression. This experience will live with me forever.

All aspects of this research expedition were impactful. However, spending time with Charlotte folks that I would have never fathomed spending this much time with is one of the greatest treasures that I hold onto. The ability to exchange ideas, to laugh, play, cry, and disagree has now become a natural dynamic for us. We connected in ways that ensure we know we can share resources, seek counsel, and collaborate with one another in different spaces. It has increased my sense of belonging in Charlotte, and even though being vulnerable is a risk, I know that there are people in different spaces who have my back and vice versa.

My final reflection from this trip is that I now embrace seeking moments of awe and wonder. I am finding them almost everywhere — from my child hugging me, to a flower that captivated my attention; to hearing stories of others, that sometimes are painful but take immense courage to overcome; to being still, watching the trees sway and allowing a breeze to kiss my face; to steaming my shower to very hot and then turning it very cold to shock my body like the sauna and cold plunge. The biggest lesson I learned: stay curious! Stay curious to learn and try new things. Stay curious about people and their choices. My new sense of constant curiosity has increased my ability to be compassionate with and extend grace to myself and others.

By: TeRay Esquibel

Purpose. A word that sparks reaction and emotion, opinions and theories, and hope as well as dread.

Lately, I’ve been having a lot of conversations about purpose with high school students, college students, mentors, executive directors of youth programs, staff of youth programs, researchers, funders, parents, my grandmother, and so many more. Purpose has been a big conversation topic, both because of my work, and because, well,it’s something people are thinking about whether they realize it or not.

My goal for these conversations has been mostly to get a sense of people’s natural reactions and reflections. Through all of these conversations, I’ve noticed that when you ask someone about purpose, it often raises more questions than answers.

What is purpose, really? Who has it? Who doesn’t? What does it mean to have purpose? Where does it come from? Why has nobody talked to me about purpose? Why is everybody always talking about purpose? 

Some people light up with excitement: Yes! This is what we should be talking about! Others meet the topic with skepticism: You can’t measure purpose, or, we need (insert vital and reasonable gap) before we even think about purpose.

However, nearly everyone agrees it’s important — especially for others and for youth. But when asked to reflect on their own sense of purpose? Things get even more complicated.

A lot of people say they wish they had a sense of purpose earlier. Some feel like they lost it along the way. Some are living fully in their purpose and will tell you as much. Others hesitate to claim it out loud. Many people say they found and sustained their sense of purpose despite the systems they navigate; while others credit those same systems for helping them cultivate it.

For some, purpose is deeply personal, something that doesn’t need external validation. Others believe it’s not purpose unless there is impact beyond the self. Some worry that defining purpose in rigid terms — especially through institutions or traditional power structures — could be dangerous. Some think purpose can be developed through a structured process, a specific curriculum, or a toolkit. Others believe it’s something that emerges over time, through experience, trial, and error.

So what do we do with all of this?

To me, these conversations make one thing abundantly clear: purpose matters. It resonates with people across backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. And yet, we don’t have a shared understanding of what it really means, how it’s cultivated, or how to best support it.

So how might we explore some of these questions? Who determines what questions to ask, how to ask them or to whom? And, maybe most importantly, what do we do with what we learn?

These are the questions we are asking ourselves every day at Purpose Commons.

An Opportunity to Explore. Together.

Purpose Commons is building a collective that collaborates with the brilliance of young people, the wisdom of the organizations and communities that support them, and leading researchers committed to purpose science so that we may have an opportunity to transform and expand the way purpose is understood, accessed, and cultivated.

We are doing this work in deep partnership with our sister organization, the Purpose Science and Innovation Exchange at Cornell University (PSiX). One of the nation’s leading purpose researchers, Dr. Anthony Burrow, co-founded PSIX and is building a collaborative, dynamic network of researchers in purpose science.

This collaboration is our foundation, enabling us to turn cutting-edge research into action through nationwide partnerships, while also providing the infrastructure needed to break down stubborn silos of networks to bring together groups whose work can have a profound impact on improving the lives of young people but rarely work together — researchers studying purpose, youth-serving organizations running youth programs, educators, funders, policymakers, and young people themselves, just to name a few.

What We Have Learned So Far

What we do know so far is that the research — yes there is already a world of purpose science research — indicates that purpose is a powerful leading indicator as to whether or not a young person is able to achieve and sustain the outputs our systems seek to measure. Things like, physical and mental well-being, resilience, and social connection all improve with a sense of purpose. Research also suggests that purpose leads to greater academic achievement and persistence, as well as greater work satisfaction and career clarity.

In other words: purpose seems to be an amplifier of opportunity.

Research thus far defines purpose as “a forward-looking intention or life aim.” It’s the sense that we know the direction we are headed. It’s the capacity to see ourselves in the future — that we’re going somewhere, even if the details change or get recreated over and over again throughout the course of our lives.

Purpose is not a destination that we can reach. It is not even, contrary to popular belief, the journey it takes to get there. A sense of purpose is our ability to see ourselves further and further down the road, even if our destination is blurry. It provides a compass that orients us as we get lost, change paths, or face challenges along the way.  Purpose does not require a specific destination; you don’t need to know where you’re going, it just matters that you’re looking.

This is what research has shown us to date. But if I’ve learned anything through my time connecting with communities, students, and scholars it is that we all hold only a piece of this puzzle.

Building the Ecosystem 

What I love about this work is that we don’t claim to have all the answers; we are simply building the connections and creating the space to ask better questions, connecting an ecosystem to explore them, and moving collaboratively to put what we learn into action.

Through this new partnership, we have the potential to break down the traditional silos that often get in the way of building a collective vision and understanding. We can bring together groups who are often under pressure to have all the right answers into a community that embraces asking new questions, then doing something about what we learn.

It all starts with questions. I hope those of you reading this will come on this journey with us.

A new report by Tommi Laitio recommends a path to ensuring that every child in Charlotte has something in their life that makes their eyes light up: a hobby.

By Tommi Laitio

Last August, my husband and I had to empty the attic of our Helsinki apartment. We discovered a dozen broken suitcases, a box of old notebooks, a coffee table, a step ladder, half empty paint cans — and my old army-style rucksack.

I got the rucksack as a teenager for longer scouting camps. It still smelled like smoke after three decades.

I was a chatty kid who got good grades, was liked by teachers and volunteered in school clubs and plays. But I did not quite fit in with other boys. I seldom managed to hit or catch the ball in pesäpallo, the Finnish national sport. I was usually among the last to be selected to teams.
Being a scout helped me carve my way. I loved packing the ruck-sack for weekend camping trips and spending time outdoors. Our group was led by a teenager who knew how to make a kid like me feel seen. His leadership built my confidence to eventually lead my own group and start training other youth leaders. At the age of 16, I was asked to manage the outdoor kitchen of a week-long camp for 100 participants. While I did that under the supervision of adults, I felt responsible that everyone had enough to eat, the kitchen was clean, and that everyone washed their hands.

The scouting movement created numerous opportunities for learning without the pressures of grading or competition. In 1996, at the age of 19, I was chosen to be a news reporter for the camp radio of a national scouting jamboree. Our editorial team was led by a professional journalist who taught us how to check facts and use our voice on radio. I loved getting up every morning, sorting through the bulletins from news agencies, editing and reading them on air. I don’t know if anyone listened to the channel, but that was not the point.

I have since worked as a journalist for Finland’s largest newspaper and overseen everything from arts education and youth clubs to soccer fields for Finland’s capital. I know now, nearly 30 years later, that the childhood and teenage experiences of feeling seen were instrumental for my career, confidence and wellbeing. But I did all this learning because I just loved it. It was my hobby.

During the last year, I have talked with more than 40 Charlotte leaders about hobbies. This work resulted from a trip to Helsinki in 2023, organized by The Gambrell Foundation, where many of the Charlotte leaders fell in love with Helsinki’s simple policy goal: every child should have a hobby. This research was based on my experience as Helsinki’s Executive Director for Culture and Leisure, where I was accountable to the City Council for making sure that every kid has a hobby. According to the School Health Promotion Survey, 94% of 4th and 5th graders and 96% of 8th and 9th graders in Helsinki report that they have a hobby that they engage in at least once a week. Helsinki believes that this is a powerful and resource-smart way to increase belonging, wellbeing, and happiness.

The discussions in Charlotte ranged from puzzled to excited. “A hobby. I don’t think I have ever used that word,” a nonprofit leader reacted. Many said that this is exactly what we should be talking about. As another nonprofit executive said, ”We often convene around problems. It is wonderful to convene around something hopeful, simple, and exciting.”

I define a hobby as something done voluntarily and regularly by oneself or with others for enjoyment, relaxation, and pleasure. In its softness and simplicity, a hobby is a radical idea. While hobbies might and do have proven benefits like physical health, career, networks, or extra points in a college application, at their core, hobbies are defined by motivation. A hobby is something you do for the sake of itself. In a world of increasing uncertainty, social isolation, and division, hobbies can be something that help us build and hold onto a sense of self and build positive connections to others. Using philosopher Isaiah Berlin’s language, they turn us from a nobody to a somebody.

The hobby conversations in Charlotte have resulted in the Acts of Purpose report we are sharing today. The research and interviews I carried out with two brilliant UNC Charlotte students, Emmanuella Assem and Sophia Gerz-Escandón, point to racial and economic divides in recreational opportunities, especially for children. Barriers like transportation prevent many Charlotteans from accessing opportunities. Fragmentation and lack of coordination among nonprofit providers make it difficult to find the offering or know where the gaps and needs are. However, Charlotte has strengths to build from, such as a collaborative civic culture and existing data-sharing infrastructure.

In the report, I suggest seven practical actions to make Charlotte the hobby capital of the United States.

1. Collect data on children’s experiences, needs, and hopes.
2. Distribute microgrants for exposure to fun and creative things.
3. Create universal experiences of wonder and belonging.
4. Spark collaboration between hobby providers.
5. Tell the story of the power of hobbies.
6. Spur place-based youth investment.
7. Link hobbies to the vibrancy and prosperity of Charlotte.

Over the next few months, we are looking for partners to turn these recommendations into practice. I am convinced that by adopting these strategies, Charlotte can improve the well-being of its children and youth; create both systemic change and concrete action now; foster creativity and purpose in every individual; tackle loneliness; and build a more socially and economically vibrant city.

Understanding the importance of hobbies is something that we adults have catching up to do. Children and youth get it already. As Ava, a 14-year-old Charlottean we talked to put it:

“I like to make jewelry, and I like to do a bunch of things that are creative. I like helping people, so I use those skills to help. It has helped a lot with my public speaking skills. And I use art to help me be creative.”