Ashoka U: The Social Entrepreneurship Conference
By way of introduction, my name is Josuel Plasencia and I am a junior at Babson College. I am passionate about inclusive leadership and strategic consulting. I express my interest in inclusive leadership by running Project 99 (99leaders.org) along Yulkendy Valdez and Paulina Zarate (both juniors at Babson). Project 99 is incubating the new face of entrepreneurship, inclusive leaders that can work with all kinds of people, no matter who they are or where they are from. In terms of strategic consulting, this summer I will be interning with Accenture Consulting in NYC.
Thanks to the Babson College Professional Development Fund, I was able to travel to Ashoka U. The annual conference of Ashoka, which is the largest network of social entrepreneurs worldwide, with nearly 3,000 Ashoka Fellows in 70 countries putting their system changing ideas into practice on a global scale. Founded by Bill Drayton in 1980, Ashoka has provided start-up financing, professional support services, and connections to a global network across the business and social sectors, and a platform for people dedicated to changing the world. Ashoka is considered to have launched the field of social entrepreneurship and has activated multi-sector partners across the world who increasingly look to entrepreneurial talent and new ideas to solve social problems.Based on my interest in social entrepreneurship and inclusive leadership, there is little doubt that attending Ashoka’s annual conference, Ashoka U provides value in terms of learning about the newest and most innovative ideas in
Based on my interest in social entrepreneurship and inclusive leadership, there is little doubt that attending Ashoka’s annual conference, Ashoka U provides value in terms of learning about the newest and most innovative ideas in industry, along with networking with mentors and the overall social impact community. This year Ashoka U was hosted at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans is a very interesting city as it relates to social innovation because after much of the destruction and devastation of Hurricane Katrina, it has both sought after socially entrepreneurial solutions, while exercising them in the ideal environment to implement them (which are places with little to no existing frameworks or organizational involvement).During the conference, the most impactful panel I went to was during the Ashoka U awards ceremony, where Scott Sherman from the Transformative Action Institute (TAI) was honored. Scott Sherman is one of the pioneers on teaching social entrepreneurship and TAI has influenced some of the current leading organizations in social entrepreneurship, like StartingBloc, Unreasonable
During the conference, the most impactful panel I went to was during the Ashoka U awards ceremony, where Scott Sherman from the Transformative Action Institute (TAI) was honored. Scott Sherman is one of the pioneers on teaching social entrepreneurship and TAI has influenced some of the current leading organizations in social entrepreneurship, like StartingBloc, Unreasonable Labs and Watson University. All three of these organizations have previously worked with Babson students and I am happy to become a StartingBloc fellow this May when I visit New Orleans for their quarterly social entrepreneurship and leadership training.In the world of social entrepreneurship, even though seeking creative solutions for the world’s largest social problems is at the center of people’s minds, networking and being part of a larger community is always helpful. This is exactly what the Lewis Institute has helped me with, introducing me and exposing me to the world of social entrepreneurship as a whole. Thanks to the Lewis Institute, its Executive Director, Cheryl Kiser and its Associate Director Emily Weiner, I have been able to attend the Clinton Global Initiative, two years in a row and also receive tremendous support to attend Ashoka U and StartingBloc (along with funding from the Babson Professional Development Fund). So what is the main lesson of this blog? Often times in entrepreneurship, and especially in social entrepreneurship, we neglect the importance of learning from others and also of making ourselves visible as part of a larger community. Social entrepreneurship is at the core no different from other industries like Finance, where it helps your mission and goals to visit conferences like Ashoka U. I encourage the Babson College social entrepreneurship community to attend next year’s Ashoka U in Miami, Florida. It will occur during February of 2017. By attending Ashoka U and similar conferences, you will soon find out that your idea, project or startup will mature and provide greater value.
In the world of social entrepreneurship, even though seeking creative solutions for the world’s largest social problems is at the center of people’s minds, networking and being part of a larger community is always helpful. This is exactly what the Lewis Institute has helped me with, introducing me and exposing me to the world of social entrepreneurship as a whole. Thanks to the Lewis Institute, its Executive Director, Cheryl Kiser and its Associate Director Emily Weiner, I have been able to attend the Clinton Global Initiative, two years in a row and also receive tremendous support to attend Ashoka U and StartingBloc (along with funding from the Babson Professional Development Fund). So what is the main lesson of this blog? Often times in entrepreneurship, and especially in social entrepreneurship, we neglect the importance of learning from others and also of making ourselves visible as part of a larger community. Social entrepreneurship is at the core no different from other industries like Finance, where it helps your mission and goals to visit conferences like Ashoka U. I encourage the Babson College social entrepreneurship community to attend next year’s Ashoka U in Miami, Florida. It will occur during February of 2017. By attending Ashoka U and similar conferences, you will soon find out that your idea, project or startup will mature and provide greater value.
Babson Undergraduate Professional Development Fund: Provides opportunities for undergraduate students to pursue professional development opportunities outside of Babson College provided programs and events. Specifically, it will fund costs associated with student participation in external/off-site experiences such as conferences, trainings, trade shows, forums, case competitions, panel presentations, etc.