Social Entrepreneur Workshop

"Social entrepreneurs must have the same commitment and determination as a traditional business entrepreneur, plus a deep passion for the social cause, minus an expectation of significant financial gains." -- The Process of Social Entrepreneurship, Dees et all

Class Description

Becoming a Social Entrepreneur: A Laboratory for Innovative Social Change (WSP 137)

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
—Mary Oliver, THE SUMMER DAY

This workshop is a concise version of the Social Entrepreneurship Collaboratory (SE Lab), a course and incubator created at Stanford and Harvard for the design and development of innovative social change organizations. The SE Lab fuses theory and practice and has two parts: 1) introduction and discussion of key aspects, frameworks, and examples of social entrepreneurship, supplemented by readings. 2) workshopping of your ideas or plans, and brainstorming through your challenges. Do you have an intention, idea (formed or unformed), vision, or plan (new or old) that would benefit from feedback and reflection? We will collaborate in workshopping participants’ ideas and plans in order to advance your initiatives. This workshop will inspire and support you in creating social value utilizing innovative and entrepreneurial approaches.

Gordon Bloom
Founder, Social Entrepreneurship Collaboratory, Harvard University
Gordon Bloom teaches about, and inspires the development of, innovative social change organizations. He has taught on the faculties of Harvard, Stanford, New York University, and the Esalen Institute, focusing on social entrepreneurship and organizational strategy and vision.

Mark Nicolson
Director, Ventana Group
Mark Nicolson leads the Ventana Group, a research, training, and consulting project for organizations committed to cultures of learning and high performance. His work focuses on leadership development and the creative potential of breaking the "rules." He was formerly a partner in Alexander, the pioneer in executive coaching in the UK, and received an MA from Oxford and an MBA from Stanford.

Quotes

• Listen with the intent of understanding not responding.
• Don't try to push out a change to the world that you really need to make within yourself.