Youth Social Entrepreneurship:

Youth Social Entrepreneurship: “Leading Innovation with Ethical Inspiration” Diego H. S. Baptista cooperacao@sociedadeglobal.com

Entrepreneurship  life attitudes courage to actbeing innovative. • Entrepreneurial qualities or behavior: • creativity and curiosity • motivation by success • willingness to take risks • ability to cooperate • identification of opportunities • ability to be innovative and tolerate uncertainty. Cultures that value and reward such behavior promote a propensity to develop and introduce radical innovations, whereas cultures that reinforce conformity, group interests, and control over the future are not likely to show risk-taking and entrepreneurial behavior.(P. A. Herbig and J. C. Miller, 1992).

Social Entrepreneurship • Leadership + Entrepreneurship = solutions for global challenges. • Social entrepreneurship is first of all about being a sustainability leader and driving systemic change trough innovation! EC Principle 14: Integrate in formal education and in life long knowledge, the skills, knowledge and values needed for a sustainable way of life.

Definitions ofSocial Entrepreneurs • Social entrepreneurs are driven by asocial mission, implying that: • Success is defined by creating the intendedsocial impact, not simply by • Economic value creation for owners, managers, and employees, or • Consumption value for customers “Social entrepreneurship can lead to a new, socially responsible business model that focuses beyond market liberalism and profit maximization” (Bornstein 2004; Yunus 2008). Social entrepreneurship is addressing social needs using sustainable innovative solutions that make an impact on a community and ultimately society as a whole!

Definitions ofSocial Entrepreneurs • Ashoka: social entrepreneurs are the engines of social change and role models for the citizen sector. • Skoll Foundation: creating innovative models that can spark large-scale change for seemingly intractable social problems. • The Schwab Foundation: about applying practical, innovative and sustainable approaches to benefit society in general, with an emphasis on those who are marginalized and poor. • Echoing Green:are those exceptional individuals who dream up and take responsibility for an innovative and untested idea for positive social change, and usher that idea from dream to reality. “Social entrepreneurship can lead to a new, socially responsible business model that focuses beyond market liberalism and profit maximization” (Bornstein 2004; Yunus 2008). These organizations identifies and invests in leading social entrepreneurs and helps them achieve maximum social impact. Social entrepreneurship is addressing social needs using sustainable innovative solutions that make an impact on a community and ultimately society as a whole!

He elaborates that there are five essential ingredients for a social entrepreneur: • A powerful, new, system change idea; • Creativity; • Potential for widespread impact; • Entrepreneurial quality; • Strong ethical fiber.

DO YOU HAVE THE ?

Characteristics of Social Entrepreneurs • There are a number of characteristics commonly displayed by successful social entrepreneurs. These include: 1. Risk Takers: Social entrepreneurs try to avoid risk by having other people involved in the activity who can assume much of the risk. However, they do take moderate risks that are shared with other people. These are risks that have a reasonable chance of success. 2. Achievement Oriented: Social entrepreneurs are self-starters who have a strong desire to succeed in whatever they do. 3. Leadership: Social entrepreneurs lead by example. They have a natural ability to lead and exert influence on other people. Leaders are responsible and accountable people. 4. Deal with Change and Uncertainty: Social entrepreneurs must tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty. Changes in the community and environment create uncertainty that entrepreneur must deal with. 5. Use of Feedback: Social entrepreneurs use feedback to learn their mistakes. They know the value of information and they are always seeking. Acting on feedback enables them to improve their performance. 6. Problem Solver: Social entrepreneurs possess a high level of determination to solve problems and reach their goals. They are extremely persistent but also realistic in knowing what they can and cannot do. 7. Always Optimistic: No matter what the situation, social entrepreneurs are always positive and determined to achieve success. They are not easily disappointed, discouraged or depressed by setbacks. 8. Goal Oriented: Social entrepreneurs usually set attainable goals. Having attainable goals helps entrepreneurs set priorities and provides them with measures of performing their activities. 9. Self Confidence: Social entrepreneurs have high personal standards of integrity and reliability. They are self-confident. 10. Time Management: Social entrepreneurs have a strong sense of personal commitment to meet deadlines. They perceive time as an important resource and therefore try to use in the best possible way. 11. Opportunity Orientation: They are able to see an opportunity where others don’t. They are able to see the future and stay prepared to change. 12. Long-Term Involvement: Social entrepreneurs are committed to their business ventures that are usually long term undertakings.

Social entrepreneurs play the role of change agents in the social sector, by: • Adopting a mission to create and sustain social value (not just private value), • Recognizing and relentlessly pursuing new opportunities to serve that mission, • Engaging in a process of continuous innovation, adaptation, and learning, • Acting boldly without being limited by resources currently in hand, and • Exhibiting a heightened sense of accountability to the constituencies served and for the outcomes created. Social entrepreneurs are the democratic engines of society: they combine entrepreneurial engagement and innovative pragmatism with a desire for revolutionary social change.

Why EntrepreneurshipEducation?? • Stimulates young people to think about entrepreneurship and the role of the business community in economic and social development. • Students also get an opportunity to analyse the changes taking place in their countries and are encouraged to consider self-employment and enterprise creation as a career choice. Entrepreneurship education will not only contribute to the creation of new and innovative sustainable enterprises but also benefits society as it creates social entrepreneurs and green entrepreneurs who provide solutions to current societal and environmental challenges.

“Empower young people to create and launch their own enterprises, and through these enterprises, to take greater responsibility for their lives and communities.” • More and more young people from various socio-economic groups around the world are challenging and rejecting old notions of jobs and searching for more meaningful ways to earn a living. • Young people today wants to have a professional career that they can earn a living and at the same time contribute to society. • Taking initiative, creating a project, conceptualizing and launching one’s own venture are exception’s, not the rule in most young people’s experience. “If the Earth Charter can mobilize young professionals in leading corporations, and make use of the pulling power of those corporations as well, those professionals can carry the wisdom, and the excitement of the Earth Charter further." Herman Mulder, The Value of Values: Global Ethics and the Future of Sustainable Development Seminar Report

Some look at things that are, and ask why? I dream of things that never were and ask why not? - George George Bernard Shaw

Capacity for Innovation • Capacity for innovation searching for and developing new solutions • Sustainability leaders + innovation = decision-making across disciplines + understands interdependences + open to new ideas. How entrepreneurial skills can be used to find solutions to problems facing people in your community or enhance opportunities of existing local capacities?

What’s the way???

Passion, Skills andOpportunities Begin with your personal passions. What do you love to do? How would you like to make an impact? If you could do anything to make a change, what would it be? • Passion:What do you love to do? Do you love sports? Do you love to read? Do you like to volunteer and help people? Do you like to work with nature and the environment? What are you passionate about? • Skills & Experience:What are you good at doing? Are you good at presenting in front of a group? Do you enjoy using computers or working with people? Are you good at teaching others? • Social & Environmental Issues:Given your passion and your skills, what social or environmental issues could you address? Who would you like to help in the community? • Earth Charter Principles:Which principles do you feel more close to? How could you use your idea to promote The Earth Charter? What are the principles that your solution is contributing to? The second step in deciding what type of social venture you would like to start is to look at your skills and experience. What are you good at? What skills do you want to have one day? The last step is to look at your personal passions and your skills and think about different social issues you could address.

Systemic Change involves the interaction of ideas, movements, models and interests. Systemsonly change when people think and see in new ways… “The goals of ecological protection, the eradication of poverty, equitable economic development, respect for human rights, democracy, and peace are interdependent and indivisible” (The Earth Charter)

If you have a good idea, how are you going to be heard? What is your strategy to engage key individuals in supporting you or joining you? Exercise Elevator Speech: prepare a 90 seconds speech addressing: 1- Problem/Opportunity 2- Audience/Beneficiaries 3- Solution/Innovation 4- Impact/Systemic Change

The Theory of Change

The Charter “can be utilized as an instrument of designing professional codes of conduct that promote accountability and for assessing progress towards sustainability in businesses…” Use the Earth Charter as an ethical guide and implement its principles in your ideas of social enterprises… The Earth Charter as an Ethical Framework for Social Entrepreneurship Mission and vision statement, values descriptions, codes of conducts, strategies, projects, activities… “How to create Social Enterprises inspired by The Earth Charter?”

Sustainable Enterprises andThe Earth Charter Respect Social Equitable economic development UniversalResponsbility Human Rights Interdependency Peace and Non-Violence Community of Life Common but Differentiated Responsability Democracy Common Good Economic Environment Eradication of poverty “By taking the Earth Charter principles as a reference the necessary synergies between economic activities and other human activities are created in a spirit of respect and harmony with the planet and with the whole community of life” (The Ethos Institute).

The Earth Charter International encourages all businesses to use the Earth Charter in one or more of the following ways: • Engagingemployees with the Earth Charter for the purpose of learning, training, and inspiration. • Assessingthe activities of the business in the light of Earth Charter values and principles, using the Global Reporting Initiative's Guidelines. • Incorporatingit’s values and principles in the business mission statement and its core operations with the goal of developing a more socially and ecologically responsible business • A simplifying and unifying platformfor the increasingly complex demands of meeting new standards, assessing progress, and reporting on results. • An inspirational and educational toolfor informing and engaging employees and communicating a company's aspirations to its shareholders and stakeholders. • A stimulus to innovation and changeas companies continue to evolve their products, services, and business models to meet the emerging realities of a globalized world facing numerous social, environmental, and ethical challenges. “The challenge today is no longer to convince the business sector to recognize that sustainable development practices need to be adopted but rather to support businesses in bringing about the needed change in organizational cultures and practices”. Source: Earth Charter+5 Progress Report

To encourage its acceptance and use by the business sector, the Secretariat has developed a document entitled,“What Can I do with the Earth Charter in Business?”

“The key challenge in cultivating an entrepreneurial culture globally among young people is figuring out the best ways to unleash their potential to innovate, create, catalyze, be resourceful, solve problems and take advantage of opportunities while being ethical”. What is going to be your innovative solution for this challenge?

Resources Links: • http://www.seedinit.org/apps/self-assessment/ • http://www.empowering-partnerships.org/ • http://www.entrepreneurstoolkit.org/index.php/Main_Page • http://www.ysei.org/ • http://www.fyse.org/ • http://www.sproutecourse.org/ • http://www.genv.net/staples-yse • http://genvcampaigns.org/ • http://www.changemakers.com/ • http://www.socialinnovationexchange.org/ Videos: • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-wuZv2NJ9c&feature=player_embedded#! • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eQ139stW6w&feature=player_embedded • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk5LI_WcosQ • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGbYzRrLR6Y Start Up and Change The World: Guide for Young Social Entrepreneurs • http://www.ysei.org/node/71 The Earth Charter • http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/invent/images/uploads/Earth%20Charter%20Youth%20Toolkit%205%206%2009.pdf • http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/invent/index.php?cat=69

Books

Youth Social Entrepreneurship: