Laying blame for the financial crisis that has helped push the global economy into recession is an exercise being played out daily in newspapers and broadcasts around the world.

The economy was bad in 2008 and we are not at the bottom yet; TD bank chief economist Don Drummond called it early and called it right. Recent economic shocks hit hard and caught most of us off guard. We have raised a generation that has never even seen a recession, let alone a collapse of this scale. The global economy is in full-blown crisis and the good news is that people are questioning everything. It's time for that overused story about the single Chinese character for crisis and opportunity. What if we act on it, harnessing the economic shocks to make the world and our home communities better?

Whether it is through empowering aboriginal youth to produce films about their struggles or spearheading an online tool that links employees to wellness services, two leading Canadian social entrepreneurs are being recognized today for their efforts to promote change in social sectors directly impacting people’s lives. Both from Montreal, Manon Barbeau and Lucie Chagnon are the newly-elected Ashoka Fellows in Canada, joining more than 2,000 Fellows in 63 countries.