Social Entrepreneurship

I have been thinking a lot about entrepreneurship lately. Today, I thought it would be interesting to read someone's take on social entrepreneurship. Here is a brief article from PBS describing just what social entrepreneurship is. I hope to be an entrepreneur who transitions into a social entrepreneur down the line.


What is Social Entrepreneurship?

"Social entrepreneurs identify resources where people only see problems. They view the villagers as the solution, not the passive beneficiary. They begin with the assumption of competence and unleash resources in the communities they're serving."

David Bornstein, author of How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas

"Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish or teach how to fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry."

Bill Drayton, CEO, chair and founder of Ashoka


A social entrepreneur identifies and solves social problems on a large scale. Just as business entrepreneurs create and transform whole industries, social entrepreneurs act as the change agents for society, seizing opportunities others miss in order to improve systems, invent and disseminate new approaches and advance sustainable solutions that create social value.

Unlike traditional business entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs primarily seek to generate "social value" rather than profits. And unlike the majority of non-profit organizations, their work is targeted not only towards immediate, small-scale effects, but sweeping, long-term change.

The job of a social entrepreneur is to recognize when a part of society is stuck and to provide new ways to get it unstuck. He or she finds what is not working and solves the problem by changing the system, spreading the solution and persuading entire societies to take new leaps.

Identifying and solving large-scale social problems requires a committed person with a vision and determination to persist in the face of daunting odds. Ultimately, social entrepreneurs are driven to produce measurable impact by opening up new pathways for the marginalized and disadvantaged, and unlocking society's full potential to effect social change.

The past two decades have seen an explosion of entrepreneurship and a healthy competition in the social sector, which has discovered what the business sector learned from the railroad, the stock market and the digital revolution: Nothing is as powerful as a big new idea if it is in the hands of a first class entrepreneur.

This revolution is fundamentally changing the way society organizes itself and the way we approach social problems.

The stories featured in The New Heroes showcase the work of social entrepreneurs whose innovations are bringing electricity, water, medicine and other life-changing tools and resources to people in the developing world. Each story illustrates the results possible when an innovative idea is coupled with a strategy for action and an entrepreneur's indomitable will.

Creativity for the World of Youth

Who: 36 Youth's from Slovenia, Turkey, China and Vietnam
Age: Teens
What: "Creativity for the World of Youth".

This event gave the opportunity for these youth's to get creative and learn from each other. Reading this got me to thinking: in the near future, I hope more Intercultural Dialogue can include American Youths.


Youths join int'l project "Creativity for the World of Youth"
18:17' 22/04/2008 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge - Thirty six youths from Slovenia, Turkey, China and Vietnam had a chance to show their talent and solidarity in world youth spirit in a project called "Creativity for the World of Youth".

The project is a youth activity of youth of the European Union. The EU has designated 2008 as the year of Intercultural Dialogue. The project gave participants a chance to share experience and learn from each other. Creative and coordinated methods were applied for youths to learn skills and promote their activeness and ability.

Mr. Robert Krizanic from Slovenia, head of the project, said that he was very surprised at Vietnamese and Chinese youths' pleasure and enthusiasm toward the project. "They joined the project very quickly," he added. "I hope to see many other programs like this project for Asian and European youths to exchange and learn from each other."

A preparatory seminar was held in Shanghai, China in late February. The second phase of the project was held in Vietnam. Each country sent 9 youths to participate in the project.


Thirty six participants were divided into four small groups working in different activities such as painting, music, circus, puppetry and community games.

The groups visited and took part in youth activities in Hanoi, Quang Ninh and Hai Phong. They contributed ideas on developing street art, worked out activities for the project in Slovenia in August, and prepared for a project review in Izmit, Turkey which is expected to be held in late December.

Volken Muderrisoglu from Turkey and Wei Chao Bin from China said that members did not meet any obstacles even in such an international activity as all used English as a common language and they joined the project with a fervent spirit and enthusiasm and saw no big difference between Asia and Europe. "This is a great opportunity for us to know more about the cultures of other countries," they added.

This was also a good environment for youth and youth leaders to exchange knowledge in youth work. The project has introduced some new and effective tools to apply in youth work, including street arts and community painting.

Tran Anh Duc, 23 from Vietnam said: "I think programs like this are very practical. I have myself learned a lot from the project, and hope that Vietnamese youth will have more chances to integrate and learn more from international youths in the next steps of the project."

Although "Creativity for the World of Youth" is only in the second phase, it has greatly contributed to establishing long-term relationships and cooperation among international youth. It has created a foundation for regular and harmonious coordination in youth activities in each country.