Social Entreprenuers = 21st Century Activists
The Activists of the 1960’s and 70’s saw groups of individuals taking to the streets demonstrating against the establishment, the government. They picketed and destroyed property to make their voice heard that they were not happy with the status quo of the time.
Fast forward to 2015 – social activists are still present taking to the streets, boycotting and occupying but there is a new face in the playing field: “In less than a generation, we have witnessed a tectonic shift in the way people think about and work toward social change. And this new social phenomenon is SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP – these are innovative change makers who create new solutions to entrenched social, economic, and environmental problems.” (Keohane 2013)
Some may argue that social entrepreneurs aren’t really activists but I disagree. They take risks, they go against the grain, they rarely take no for an answer, they’ve got the same drive and tenacity as all entrepreneurs but at the heart of all their activities they use their influence and their innovation to make an impact for society as a whole.
As a result of the positive impacts social entrepreneurs are having, barriers to finance and legal restrictions are bring brought down allowing the industry to thrive. The social entrepreneur model is different from the traditional entrepreneur business or social change agency. They sit on the realms of the 2 worlds, collaborate with non traditional partners and are often happy to share their victories. The most famous Mohammed Yunus, a Nobel Prize winner, brought about a revolution in the finance market through the Grameen Bank, providing microcredit and microfinance to the unbankable – those too poor to have a bank account in Bangladesh.
For me one of the highlights in social entrepreneurship are the innovations coming out of Africa. For too long Africa has been forced to look outside for ideas to solving their problems when maybe the solutions had been inside the continent. Africans tend to already have the entrepreneurial spirit within them coupled with various social needs equals endless opportunities. Kenya for example is often described as the silicon savannah with entrepreneurs jetting in from all over the world creating social enterprises using primarily mobile technology addressing issues ranging from health, to education, agriculture and financing, making a direct and beneficial impact to the communities they interact with.
Social entrepreneurs see opportunities where others don’t. And they bring innovation to situations where others have tried and failed. And because of that I believe they have the power to change the world.
Bibliography
Keohane, Georgia Levenson (2013) Social Entrepreneurship for the 21st Century: Innovation across the non-profit, private and public sectors , McGRaw Hill Companies, e-ISBN 978-0-07-180168-3
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14 May 2015
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amwai
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