This is a partner column in conjunction with Ashoka’s Change InSight blog. Every week I’m covering the top news, highlights, events and opportunities in the realm of social entrepreneurship.
Everyday changemakers are addressing the hard questions of local, national and global quandaries. This weekly article accentuates those individuals and organizations creating systematic and lasting change through social entrepreneurship and enterprise. The column’s been out for a couple weeks, but we’re coming back strong with stories from BusinessWeek, Haiti, Philly, Minnesota and more.
What Is a Social Entrepreneur, Really?
The term “social entrepreneurship” began its spread in the 1980s and the field has steadily grown. This has led more people to ask, “What is a social entrepreneur?”—a question to which you will find many different responses. As a newly elected Fellow, Ashoka USA Fellow David Castro is often asked that question and he shares with us his quest for an answer.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup and Change-Making
As World Cup soccer grabs the headlines this month, you too can get in on the action. Share your enthusiasm with some 300 Changing Lives Through Football entrants on how they are harnessing the power of futbol for positive change.
Nonprofit Organization Highlights Local Changemakers in Haiti
“People in poverty are championing the way out of poverty,” declared Daphne Nederhorst, Ashoka Fellow and founder of Sawa Global, an organization highlighting local changemakers in their home communities. Learn more about Nederhorst and her team’s trip to Haiti in search of social entrepreneurs.
Minnesota Social Entrepreneurs Combine Business, Philanthropy and Personal Involvement
Nearly 400 social entrepreneurs and social investors from around Minnesota met to discuss how they and their organizations could build an environmentally sustainable economy.
America’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs by BusinessWeek
Social entrepreneurship isn’t a niche corner of the business world anymore. The idea of using business to create social and environmental value alongside profits has reached nearly every sector of the economy—and that breadth is evident in Bloomberg Businessweek’s second annual U.S. roundup of promising social entrepreneurs.
How to Deprogram Bullies: Teaching Kindness 101
How do we stop the escalating amount of violence and bullying in schools? TIME magazine asked Ashoka Canada Fellow Mary Gordon to address this question.
Young Champions for Maternal Health: The Next Generation of Ideas for Maternal Health
Since December Ashoka and the Maternal Health Task Force have been partnering to identify 16 young leaders—called Young Champions—from around the world. They are the next generation of leaders in the maternal health field, all with innovative ideas to end the cycle of maternal death and disability globally.
Big Ideas as Echoing Green Announces 2010 Winners
Winning an Echoing Green fellowship is one of the great aspirations of young social entrepreneurs. After months of applications, interviews, and a finalists weekend, they’ve just announced the 16 entrepreneurs or teams who make up this year’s fellowship class.
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