Social Entrepreneurship is one of the fastest-growing and most inspiring fields of entrepreneurship. Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize - primarily for founding the Grameen Bank and spawning the concept of microfinance, suggests: "Social Entrepreneurship is a very broad idea . . . any innovative initiative to help people may be described as social entrepreneurship."
There is a growing appreciation that entrepreneurial approaches are most powerful in unleashing the skills of millions of people in some of the most economically challenged areas of the world. Similar to the concepts expressed in C.K. Prahalad's book, "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid," social entrepreneurship is premised on legitimizing that sector of the world's population as economically important and viable.
Student interest in social entrepreneurship at CU-Boulder has never been more enthusiastic. CU Boulder was recently selected as an Ashoka Changemaker Campus, and cross-campus, multidisciplinary student groups are forming and convening activities pertaining to social entrepreneurship.
The Deming Center has responded to this student interest by becoming involved in various efforts on campus. For instance, we are a part of SEED@CU - Social Entrepreneurship for Equitable Development -- an interdisciplinary field research project on social entrepreneurship.
The Third Annual Business/Social Entrepreneurship Event
The Third Annual Business/Social Entrepreneurship Event was held in Colorado Dec. 1 & 2. Peter Kellner, named Young Global Leader in 2009 by the World Economic Forum, was the featured guest and speaker and was accompanied by Justin Rockefeller, another social entrepreneurship proponent. During this event, the City of Denver announced its partnership with Ashoka through its participation in Ashoka's "Change Your City Initiative."
Our University hosted a follow-up event in Boulder featuring Peter as the speaker- and discussed the meaning of CU-Boulder's recent selection as an Ashoka Change Maker Campus.
Peter's lifelong mentor has been Bill Drayton, Founder of Ashoka, a "global association of social entrepreneurs," and based upon his years of association with Bill he developed a model for fostering social entrepreneurship through the creation of an organization called Endeavor.
Peter Kellner's presentation on Endeavor's accomplishments in the 11 years since its founding provided extraordinary evidence of the power of social entrepreneurship models. Endeavor has screened over 19,000 applicants and has chosen to support 420 in the creation of their businesses - to whom they provide mentorships, networks, strategic advice, talent, skills and inspiration.
I hope you continue to share with me the excitement and deep appreciation of the enabling power of entrepreneurship. We're privileged in our mission of educating the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders who will find great opportunity in solving some of the world's great challenges in energy, health care and nutrition, and in innovating solutions for the world's developing economies.
Please share your thoughts and insights on how we can best nurture social entrepreneurs here in Boulder.
There is a growing appreciation that entrepreneurial approaches are most powerful in unleashing the skills of millions of people in some of the most economically challenged areas of the world. Similar to the concepts expressed in C.K. Prahalad's book, "The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid," social entrepreneurship is premised on legitimizing that sector of the world's population as economically important and viable.
Student interest in social entrepreneurship at CU-Boulder has never been more enthusiastic. CU Boulder was recently selected as an Ashoka Changemaker Campus, and cross-campus, multidisciplinary student groups are forming and convening activities pertaining to social entrepreneurship.
The Deming Center has responded to this student interest by becoming involved in various efforts on campus. For instance, we are a part of SEED@CU - Social Entrepreneurship for Equitable Development -- an interdisciplinary field research project on social entrepreneurship.
The Third Annual Business/Social Entrepreneurship Event
The Third Annual Business/Social Entrepreneurship Event was held in Colorado Dec. 1 & 2. Peter Kellner, named Young Global Leader in 2009 by the World Economic Forum, was the featured guest and speaker and was accompanied by Justin Rockefeller, another social entrepreneurship proponent. During this event, the City of Denver announced its partnership with Ashoka through its participation in Ashoka's "Change Your City Initiative."
Our University hosted a follow-up event in Boulder featuring Peter as the speaker- and discussed the meaning of CU-Boulder's recent selection as an Ashoka Change Maker Campus.
Peter's lifelong mentor has been Bill Drayton, Founder of Ashoka, a "global association of social entrepreneurs," and based upon his years of association with Bill he developed a model for fostering social entrepreneurship through the creation of an organization called Endeavor.
Peter Kellner's presentation on Endeavor's accomplishments in the 11 years since its founding provided extraordinary evidence of the power of social entrepreneurship models. Endeavor has screened over 19,000 applicants and has chosen to support 420 in the creation of their businesses - to whom they provide mentorships, networks, strategic advice, talent, skills and inspiration.
I hope you continue to share with me the excitement and deep appreciation of the enabling power of entrepreneurship. We're privileged in our mission of educating the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders who will find great opportunity in solving some of the world's great challenges in energy, health care and nutrition, and in innovating solutions for the world's developing economies.
Please share your thoughts and insights on how we can best nurture social entrepreneurs here in Boulder.
That's why I think there in no doubt that entrepreneurship has to start earlier and it has to happen in schools.
''The YES Movie'' created by Louis Lautman
www.TheYesmovie.com