«The first time I heard about it from a colleague at the university where I teach. Intrigued, I visited Francesco’s Economy (EoF) website and found the topics of the workshops interesting. Although the interventions were scheduled for 11 pm in the Philippines, I decided to participate due to the opportunity they provided to learn from experts in my field of study and also to expand my network of contacts and meet my peers with my own guidance and with a deep respect for economic controls. At some point in the programme, the EoF suggested showing projects and studies. I decided to give it a try, too, at a time when it was the right time for me since I was working on my Ph.D.”
Talking about his meeting with Francesco Economy, Fiore Ganio, a young professor at the University of Asia Pacific based in Manila and one of the leaders of the Kalinangan Youth Foundation, an organization committed to training young people who aspire to a role of leader. Since last July also part of the Francesco Academy of Economics.
His participation in EoF was immediate and compelling. At one of the first meetings he attended, he asked to be part of the group tasked with discussing the topic “Poverty and Misery,” inspired by him to outline a sustainable capacity building project that could help tackle poverty in the Philippines through funding education and value formation. “It has always been my hope—he remembers—that the beneficiaries will be empowered, adequately motivated, with a view to improvement, share the knowledge gained with others, and in doing so, activate the spirit of Bayanihan (“cooperation” or”) in each of us. A joint effort “in our language)”.
“Participation in EoF has positively affected my view of the world. Being part of a global community allows me to learn from the experiences of others working in different fields and situations. This opens our eyes to the fact that the challenges we face in our country are not our specialty. More developed nations face the same institutional obstacles that prevent us from reaching our full potential as a society. Moreover, the participants’ determination inspired me to help those who are often neglected and disadvantaged.”
What is interesting is the relationship identified by Fiore Gagno between economic sciences and faith which, if drawn from his studies, teaching experience and social commitment, is confirmed in Francesco’s economics initiatives. “My interest in mathematics and science, an outgrowth of my secondary education, also influenced my decision to enroll in an industrial economics course at the university at which I am currently working. Here I developed both technical and human skills that eventually helped me understand the power of economics as a system and the dimensions of the impact of the concepts I taught on economic policies, real-world concerns, and humanity in general. “
Hence the full understanding that the social sciences have the basis of a higher cause that directs them towards the common good. Could this reason be faith? “I see it this way—definitely—for if some schools of thought see science and religion as distant if not opposites, I have personally come to the conviction that they are indeed compatible. I am convinced that every human enterprise must be guided by something which originates in natural law and that this It is where science and religion intersect I believe.While economics seems to be concerned only with indifferent characters, the fact that it is a social science indicates that these numbers ultimately have an impact on society.In short, all that is human must be elevated to a higher level. Specific in the realm of religion or dogma and the guiding principles of religion are what can make any scientific research more humane.
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