Date: Thursday, May 1, 2008
Time: 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Location: Faunce 201
There will be FREE FOOOOOOOOOOOD

This kickoff is to more formally introduce social entrepreneurship on Brown’s campus and the exciting mysteries in the works for next year, the agenda is:

1. Introduction to SE on campus by Alan Harlem, Director of Social Entrepreneurship

2. Quick session on skill building, key resources to encourage SE @ Brown you should be taking advantage of (fellowships, grants, mentoring & more)

3. Brief presentations by our very own rockstar student entrepreneurs

4. Presentation by Brown GISP that has been designing a network of social entrepreneurship alumni

5. Brown Social Enterprise Club

****FREE Antonio’s PIZZA & Meeting Street COOKIES*****

Come. Bring friends.

The Brown Social Enterprise Club is holding a mixer event with Commerce, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship and the Engineering departments. We’re planning on having both faculty, social entrepreneur experts, and students at this function to just allow people of all different disciplines to interact and exchange ideas and thoughts.

Monday, April 7
6-8pm
Crystal Room, Alumnae Hall, Pembroke Campus

A taste of who’s to come:
Dean Gregory Crawford of Engineering
Dr. Maria Carkovic, Head of COE
Professor Barrett Hazeltine, Engineering

AND FREE FOOD! Mmm

Spend an afternoon with Paul Polack, Founder of International Development Enterprises and Expert on Sustainable Economic Development

Thursday, April 3 (TOMORROW)
4:00PM
Barus and Holly room 751

Paul is the founder of IDE (International Development Enterprises) and an expert on sustainable economic development. In his new book, Out of Poverty – What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail, this impassioned and iconoclastic author, entrepreneur, inventor and self-identified “troublemaker,” tells why mainstream poverty eradication programs have fallen so sadly short and how he and his organization developed an alternative approach that has already succeeded in lifting 17 million people out of poverty.

“If we learn to listen to poor people, understand the
specific contexts in which they live and operate, and
find ways to harness their entrepreneurial energy
to increase their income, I have no doubt that at
least 500 million families now surviving on less than
a dollar a day will find practical ways to end their
poverty within one generation.”
PAUL POLAK, OUT OF POVERTY

Sponsored by the Division of Engineering, Program in Commerce, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship and the Swearer Center for Public Service

David Brooks wrote an Op-Ed in the New York Times that discusses what social entrepreneurs do. Check it out!We’re super happy that social entrepreneurship is making such big headlines lately! 

The Swearer Center invites you to a special lunch presentation and
discussion on “Strategic Philanthropy and Social Change” with John
Kania, Managing Director, FSG Social Impact Advisors, this coming
Tuesday, March 18, from 12:30-2:00 pm at the Faculty Club.

FSG, itself a nonprofit organization, has been a leader in working with
foundations, nonprofits, governments, and corporations to advance social
change, by providing consulting, evaluation, research, and the
development of new tools and initiatives.  For this session, John will
provide an overview of FSG’s work and engage in a discussion of projects
they’ve undertaken and broader trends in the field.

John has worked on scenario planning, adaptive leadership, change
management, and corporate social responsibility, in fields such as
international health, U.S. health care, U.S. education, and the
environment.  John has been published in places such as the Stanford
Social Innovation Review and The Journal of Business Strategy.

Space is very limited – please RSVP ASAP and no later than 9 am Monday, March 17, to Amy Doyle, amy_doyle@brown.edu.

The discussion will take place in the Kapstein Room at the Faculty Club.

For more background:
Info on FSG Social Impact Advisors: www.fsg-impact.org
Brief bio of John: http://www.fsg-impact.org/app/content/people/item/325

Lessons in Social Enterpise
Date: Tuesday, March 18
Time: 4-5:20
Location: MacMillan 115

Venkatesh (Venky) Raghavendra is currently the Chief Philanthropy Officer of the American India Foundation (www.aif.org) and works out of AIF’s New York office. He will share best practices in the social entrepreneurship field, drawing upon case studies from South Asia.

Prior to joining AIF Venky worked in Washington DC with the global citizen sector organization “Ashoka: Innovators for the Public”. While at Ashoka Venky promoted social entrepreneurship in India and several other Asian countries. He engaged leading business entrepreneurs in the U.S. to invest in social entrepreneurs and their innovations as Director for Global Partnerships with Asia. Earlier, in the late 80s and early 90s Venky co-founded an organization in the rainforests of South India to create livelihood opportunities for indigenous communities through eco-tourism and adventure-tourism. Through activities such as hiking, canoeing & rock-climbing Venky was able to build awareness about the rich but fragile ecosystem of the Western Ghats of South India. He played an active role in replicating this new paradigm of community-owned eco-tourism enterprises across the country.

(Co-Sponsored by Brown South Asian Students Association)

Corporate social responsibility, philanthropy, young social entrepreneurs, and celebrities all in this weeks New York Times Magazine!

Check it out here! Make sure you also check out the slideshow here.

Harvard is willing to subsidize the cost of attending their Social Enterprise Conference (http://www.socialenterpriseclub.com/conference/) on March 2, 2008 if we can get 10 students to go! This is a tremendous opportunity to become immersed in the social enterprise sphere. And, as Rukesh will tell you, it is worth every penny and minute to go.

Additionally, we will continue to negotiate subsidies AND search for other sources of funding from Brown in order to allow for as many of you to come as possible.

Date: Sunday, March 2
Time: 7:30-5pm (we can go whenever we want)
Location: Harvard Business School’s Spangler Center

Interested in attending? Leave a comment or e-mail us at brownsec@gmail.com

Rukesh compiled a list of video profiles of people who do really cool things in social enterprise. Check out the webpage here: Social Enterprise in Practice.