Ashoka President at Brown!
Nov 12 by Kyla Wilkes
What is social entrepreneurship, where is it headed, and how can young people break into the business? Diana Wells fielded these questions and more from Brown Student, Charlie Harding, in front of a group of about 60 other student and faculty members Wednesday night.
Social entrepreneurship is a difficult term to pin down. It means many different things to many different people. Wells and Ashoka describe it like this:
“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”
Wells said that when she graduated from college, the term social entrepreneur did not exist, but now the field is growing and there are many entry points for young people. She said to check out Ashoka’s website for ideas on how to get involved.
What does Ashoka do? Wells said that Ashoka came out of the idea that “folks working for the social good are as entrepreneurial as their counterparts in business.” Ashoka builds a global network of social entrepreneurs through their fellowship program. Ashoka doesn't consider itself a funder, but they do provide a living stipend in order to allow fellows to get by while working on their social change project.
The video (ignore the ridiculously intense music) includes awesome stories of Ashoka fellows who have done incredibly impactful projects around the globe!
Wells finished up by discussing how Obama has taken an interest in social innovation. Wells hopes for exciting headway to be made in the field of social enterprise during this administration!
Wells suggests you also check out:
Social Ventures and Echoing Green
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