Recently in Social Entrepreneurship Category

By Keren G. Raz, 2008 Fellow, NYU Law

There's a discussion taking place on the following website about how to define social entrepreneurship: http://whiteafrican.com/2009/09/01/social-entrepreneurs-and-socap-09/comment-page-1/#comment-154490

Yul-San Liem, a 2009 fellow, found a very interesting article that also included a definition of social entrepreneurship that I like...and it's also concrete enough to make sense to those who do not like buzz words or abstract vocabulary.

The definition is: Social entrepreneurship is the use of business to achieve social gain, as well as financial gain.

Here's the link to the article: http://www.acupuncturetoday.com/mpacms/at/article.php?id=31448

By Nathan Maton 

I recently interviewed Nathaniel Loewentheil (NL, pictured left) about the Roosevelt Institute, a student run policy organization he founded that now has over 7,000 students on 70 campuses. I think it represents a unique kind of social entrepreneurship, a type of which we have not heard much about in the NYU Reynolds Program-policy entrepreneurship. The Roosevelt Institute started as a national student-run think tank to inject young people's voices into the national policy debate and brought it to DC, where they have earned a place at the table on many progressive issues. I hope you enjoy the interview.

 

A reflection on Greg Mortenson, Three Cups of Tea, and CAI.

by Lizzie Hetzer

With a meek, modest, humble nature, Greg Mortenson radiates with a passion for education that bubbles just below the surface. Perhaps it's this mild and humble manner that allows Mortenson to so gently observe and respect the communities with which he has worked.

Mortenson's Central Asia Institute has the unique posture of working with communities to build ideal schools where much of the educational philosophy can be imagined, rather than fitted within an existing bureaucratic structure. While Mortenson could have taken any approach to education, CAI appears to have done the opposite of what is happening in the U.S. As hyper-standardization and rigid structure appear to be at the forefront of "education reform" in the States, Mortenson's organization builds community-owned schools in which communities have actual decision-making power, where spending is transparent. There is a contract with communities in which they decide how the schools will be governed.

Mortenson knows about the importance of listening. Asking: What are your community's priorities? Acknowledging the lived expertise of community members. While we privilege certain types of education and expression--for example written expression--these don't define education, knowledge, or intelligence. The ability to "read the world" can be just as powerful. Community members are experts in their lived experiences and can contribute to prioritizing and planning.

Educational theorist Paulo Freire pushes towards a theory of "dialogical action" when working with communities. He warns against falling prey to "cultural invasion" in which development workers and professionals come to solve all problems and develop solutions on their own. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, he argues that often times, "professional" or "educated" individuals "do not listen to the people, but instead plan to teach them how to 'cast off the laziness which creates underdevelopment.' To these professionals, it seems absurd to consider the necessity of respecting the 'view of the world' held by the people." In order to be with communities rather than over or inside, we must recognize the importance of dialogue (sharing and listening) and appreciating the expertise of all participants in the process.

Mortenson made it clear that he believes communities are capability of running schools (tell this to the NYC Department of Ed!)

CAI schools are formed with community input that includes a focus on storytelling, culture, and languages. Storytelling can be a major stronghold within a community--in sharing and shaping history. In Local Acts, Jan Cohen Cruz, an Associate Professor at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and community-based artist, comments, "storytelling as a traditional form of education passes on values, practices, experience, and knowledge that affirm the collective identity of the group." Education and schooling have the potential to distance students and participants from their communities or allow them to form connections with the community, explore the community's history, and recognize the beauty and struggle that lies within. Often, schooling drives students to leave the community if we place a negative focus on the community. The only desirable possibility is to escape. It's important to recognize education's potential to build up communities and preserve and share their important histories.

Mortenson describes education as an act of engagement and experience. He references the need to smell, taste, touch, and feel. Theater of the Oppressed author, practitioner and theorist Augusto Boal translated Freire's popular education theories into participatory and theatrical games and exercises. Through participatory techniques, Boal challenges us to truly listen to what we hear, feel what we touch, and see what we are looking at. With the development of these senses, we can pursue Freire's concept of literacy, not only learning to read words, but to read the world through sensory experience and emotion. And finally, by reading and recognizing the world, we are called to challenge, transform and re-name it.

When we hear Greg Mortenson's story, his quest to build schools to promote peace, we are touched. Why can't education be like this in the States? Do we think we are too advanced for an education that promotes community and peace? How can we re-imagine education?

by David Russell

But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay...

Craig Newmark, who spoke at the NYU Reynolds Programme in Social Entrepreneurship as part of the Social Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century Speaker Series on Wednesday joked that he was revealing his age by sharing this, one of his favourite lyrics. The relevance though is not his stubbornness in keeping to his original conception of a free online classifieds and listings service with no banner or pop-up advertising - despite the large sums of money that have been offered to him through the years from the likes of Microsoft. Some may see him as stubborn, but as he revealed in referring to the lyric, it is democracy that is his driving force.  

Founder and Customer Service Representative of Craigslist - Craig is a social entrepreneur with a difference. A self-confessed nerd, he is a man who enjoys not having to arise from his seat. But as he is showing, it is possible to change the world and start a revolution without necessarily leaving one's computer in this internet age.

Cragislist evolutionised the ability of people to connect online - a full decade before facebook was even a twinkle in Mark Zuckerberg's eye. The secret of the site's success - which clocks up over 10 billion page views a month - is its simplicity and dedicated focus. As Craig revealed "we know what we do well, and we treat people like we want to be treated."

Humble and modest, he spoke honestly about his ineptitude in managing people - and his realisation that it would be best for all concerned if he were to just concentrate on what he knows and does best, and enjoys most, responding to and helping Craigslist users. And as he admitted, with the site carrying his name, he has a vested interest in doing the job well..!

Craig admitted that it was partly by accident, rather than design, that he has created a concept that perfectly matches the Reynolds definition of a social entrepreneurial venture. It is scalable - now in 570 cities worldwide and continuing to spread, recently to Ramallah as Craig explained, due to the request of the mother of the owner of the coffee-shop at which he is a regular. It is sustainable - overheads are covered by the revenues generated by the only sections that charge for postings, brokers that post flat listings and businesses that post job vacancies (to which "erotic services" will soon be added, though with revenue raised going to non-profit organisations). And it is pattern breaking - democratising the paid-for classifieds section of newspapers.

It is this last point that has led to the often hostile reception that Craig has received from traditional media. He is now supporting the burgeoning field of citizen journalism - naming NYULocal, the venture of Reynolds Scholar Cody Brown, as a great example - but which no doubt will endear him even less with the old guard.

But the world is changing, for which Craig can claim some credit in his role as a technology advisor to Team Obama. As is media. And it is Craig that is helping to pave the way.

As Leonard Cohen went on to sing, which no doubt Craig wanted us to recognise....

I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

by Lizzie Hetzer

by Lizzie Hetzer

Trabian's post got me thinking about how change happens and why we do it. Social entreprenuership is neither a motivation, a means, nor an end.

I began to make some connections in a book called "Mime Spoke Here" by Tony Montanaro - one of the most celebrated mimes. Yes, it is a book about mime, and yes, it does connect to social change. 

Premise: Feeling the "tug"

The key to being a good mime (or an actor) is the understanding of the premise of our actions in everyday life. Yes, it's the actor's annoying question: "What's my motivation?" Motivation and premise determine an actor's credibility. In mime, the premise changes how you do something. In the SE world, the motivation for doing certain work will change how you do it.

A person who has mastered mime isolations (exercises) won't be a perfect mime until they've gotten the premise right. A mime attempting to create the illusion of a tug of war, needs to feel the tug before moving; if not, the movement looks fake. 

The premise is critical. As a changemaker, it's the tug of oppression, disparity, and inequality that influences the movement. WIthout the tug, the integrity of the movement is affected. 

Your premise also affects your wider audience. Montanaro says, "My ability to believe these things, these images, determines the clarity of my gestures and the integrity of my sketch. My belief ignites my audience's belief, and they join me in my adventures." Isn't that what social movements are all about?

Doing: There is no blueprint

The inventors of mime work and those great illusions that we enjoy - the tug of war, the ladder climb, the wall - didn't read a book to figure out how to create them. Instead, the inventors of this work studied real-life situations to understand the tangible forces causing the physical effects. 

They understood the importance of understanding not only the wall, but its forces. In fact, the physical object--for example, the wall--isn't what is most important at all in the mime illusion, but rather what that physical object does to you. Likewise, in the SE world, it's not just about understanding systems, markets, institutions, but what those things do to people. Understanding the effects help us to better interact with the object.

Montanaro talks about the good that comes from not reading the instructions. And the ability to "trust" and "thrust" -- feeling the outside force and "thrusting" against it. A just do it approach.

Character: Giving in to the work

In mime work, one has to create and thrust oneself into character. The character (like a cause or your work) has no life of its own - the actor breathes life into the character. 

Montanaro points out: "...when you do not loan all of yourself to your character, you have to treat your character as a separate entity and speculate on his/her feelings, thoughts, and behavior. While you're busy speculating on your character's behavior, you can never move and speak spontaneously. But if you "give in" to your character, if you let the character "get to you," then the correct thoughts, words, and actions will occur to you, as if by magic."

If we keep ourselves distanced from the work, we risk losing the spontaneous and invaluable actions and thoughts that can occur to us when we delve in, despite the risk.

In Short:

If Montanaro were asked about social change, I think he might say: Give in to the work and the risk, let it get to you, feel the tug, forget the instructions and use your experience as expertise.

by Trabian Shorters

Are Social Entrepreneurs indeed Earth's next best hope for survival, prosperity, utopia? Sure, why not. Believe what you choose to believe about it. It is just a term. It doesn't ultimately matter what you call the people who would rather do it than define it.

As someone who has been labeled a social entrepreneur, and then was asked to find social entrepreneurs for Ashoka, and now is asked to coach emergent social entrepreneurs for NYU's Reynolds Program in Social Entrepreneurship, I am most surprised by two things:

1. How fast one goes from 20-something aspirant as I was, to mentor material. That time flies much faster than you would imagine.
2. How calculated, cautious, and afraid the current generation of "changemakers" appears to me.

So maybe, as a mentor, I can earn my chops by having an opinion on that.

The desire to simultaneously "make a difference" and "earn a living" is admirable and good - but you do have to prioritize one over the other. There is no "program" for social change nor a meaningful life. You must already have that desire kindled inside of you. It is the root of courage. For some, the desire to make a difference smolders and for others it burns. The rest are faking. Like any true love, it is impossible to embrace "social change" from a safe distance.

So let's talk about "risk-management."

Your willingness to risk normally decreases as you age. That's why all those people who tell you that they will make their money first and then commit to changing the world are proven wrong 99% of the time. If you are too afraid to risk it now, that usually means that you plan to have far more to lose in the future.

I know that the many people who want to make social entrepreneurship a "field" say that we should have many levels of tolerance - from charismatic prodigy to nonprofit paper shuffler. Fine by me but let's not confuse wage-making with changemaking.

Social change is NOT a field. It is a calling - a profession in the original meaning of the word. You may be called by your faith, your conscience, your ancestors, or your circumstances but the optimistic belief and integrity of a zealous changemaker (by whatever label) is vital to human progress. That makes it sacred.

I like the way that John Gardner described it.

"[People] of integrity, by their very existence, rekindle the belief that as a people we can live above the level of moral squalor. We need that belief; a cynical community is a corrupt community."

I often encourage young people to fail big as soon as they possibly can because learning how to get back up is far more useful than learning how to never fall down. You would still be crawling if this were not inherently true. Think how limiting that life would be.

Time flies so how long should you crawl? Are you a changemaker by any name?

 
 

By David Russell 

There are as many questions raised, as answers I have found, in social entrepreneurship.

As a Reynolds Fellow at NYU, I am fortunate to have the opportunity to explore some of these questions as they pertain to the projects on which I am presently engaged.

How does one optimally prioritise scarce resources? What are the most effective means to secure support for a cause? Where can greatest value be added?

Such questions are not unique to social entrepreneurship, but they are just some of the issues that I am addressing on work with the Rwandan Survivors Fund (SURF) and HelpAge International (HAI).

With the 15^th Anniversary commemoration of the Rwandan genocide next year, the needs of the estimated 400,000 survivors in Rwanda are still great. SURF's approach to the support it delivers to survivors, through raising awareness and funds internationally, is defined by a holistic philosophy. It recognises that it cannot address any need in isolation - whether that be shelter, healthcare, education, employment. There is a necessity to develop programmes that are integrated to provide the comprehensive support that many survivors still require.

For SURF, how does one optimally prioritise scarce resources? By listening to the needs of the survivors, and prioritising resources dependent on the issues that are most pressing as determined by them. What is most effective to secure support? Giving a voice to the survivors, empowering them in the process to speak out for themselves. Where can greatest value be added? Through channelling funding through local grassroots survivor's organisations, to enable them to own and deliver the programmes.

With the UN International Day of Older Persons approaching on October 1^st, the challenge for HAI is how to engage the international community to address our aging society. The approach I helped to develop is an adaptation of community organising, to mobilise older persons across countries to empower them to meet with their respective Governments and call for improvements in national policies on aging - through a programme called Age Demands Action.

For HAI, how does one optimally prioritise scarce resources? By developing a programme of direct action, which for a minimal cost can deliver a maximum impact. What is most effective to secure support? By identifying and engaging those in policymaking positions, and empowering the older persons to demand action directly from them. Where can greatest value be added? By leveraging the Government to deliver services that otherwise would not be met by the private sector.

But often answers lead back to further questions. And when the questions relate to social entrepreneurship, they ultimately lead back to how the work is sustainable; scalable; pattern breaking?

And therein lies another question: How many socially entrepreneurial acts make a social entrepreneur? And another: Does it matter what the work is called, as long as it doing good?

By Tylea Richard

A year before I enrolled at New York University and the Reynolds Program, I entered a crash course in Social Entrepreneurship at the Nueva Vida Fair Trade Zone in Nicaragua. Most of the Fall was spent with my eye pressed into a tiny plastic magnifying glass, using the tip of a sewing needle to count each thread in a square inch of unbleached organic cotton fabric. Once Angel and Aguila, the men I worked with at the cutting table, gently unrolled the oatmeal colored cloth across the long surface, I would lean forward and adjust the magnifying glass until the tiny jersey knit came into focus. I would count, write down the results, and the process would begin again. This glamorous job taught me that it was easy to dream about a high quality, fair trade, organic cotton T-shirt produced in a cooperative. It was quite another matter to make that happen.

Several months later, I co-founded the Nicaraguan Garment Workers Fund with this knowledge in hand. At times, applying for 501c(3) status and negotiating with customs brokers felt more painstakingly tedious than counting threads. But with a little patience, the NGWF has blossomed. We sell the organic cotton tees made at the Fair Trade Zone to individuals as well as wholesale to organizations, businesses, schools, and artists. Proceeds from the sale of the shirts are used primarily for employee training programs, technical capacity building, and product development in the factory. We are in the process of investigating how to take the factory off the grid. With rolling blackouts wiping out power in Managua for hours everyday, solar panels would not only reduce the factory's footprint but it would also save money and improve productivity. 

The Worker-Owners of the Nueva Vida Fair Trade Zone are working tirelessly towards autonomy. My goal is to help them get there through the increased revenues and exposure that we can generate through the NGWF. But we are not designed to be a perpetual "crutch" for the Co-op. Because we are consultants and not factory managers, the NGWF will meanwhile work tirelessly to be superfluous. In fact, it was only under these conditions that the Fair Trade Zone and the Nicaraguan Garment Workers Fund agreed to work together. Amazingly, the NGWF has already received similar requests of support from numerous cooperatives around the world and from apparel companies wishing to source from them.

I strongly believe that viable alternatives to sweatshop labor are possible, but there is still a gap between consumers and producers of socially and environmentally responsible clothing. As smart shoppers, strong advocates and savvy businesspeople, together we can continue raising the bar for workers everywhere.

------------------------------------------------
Check out the NGWF in the Shop With a Conscience Guide and look for us soon on Ebay's World of Good!