Organizational News
October 2010
Social Entrepreneur Corps Featured in F&M's Weekly Newsletter
The Diplomat, Frankly & Marshall's weekly online newsletter, featured an article on Social Entrepreneur Corps on October 28, 2010. The piece chronicles the life-changing experiences of the F&M students who traveled to Ecuador and Nicaragua to participate in internships for credit with Social Entrepreneur Corps this summer. Click here to read the article!
October 2010
Co-Founder Greg Van Kirk Meets with Muhammad Yunus about the MicroConsignment Model
On October 17th, Social Entrepreneur Corps Co-Founder Greg Van Kirk met with Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank and developer of microcredit, to discuss the MicroConsignment Model and its implementation in Bangladesh. Greg and Howard Weinstein of Solar Ear met with Yunus in Milan, Italy about the possibility of using the MicroConsignment Model to distribute low-cost solar hearing aids throughout Bangladesh.
This past summer, Social Entrepreneur Corps interns implemented a feasibility study of Solar Ear's low-cost solar hearing aids in Guatemala. We are very excited to be moving forward in our partnership with Solar Ear.
August 2010
Co Founder Greg Van Kirk is interviewed by CNNMoney about The MicroConsignment Model
Social Entrepreneur Corps Co Founder Greg Van Kirk was recently interviewed by CNNMoney reporter Poppy Harlow about our unique MicroConsignment Model. This interview was part of CNNMoney's ongoing "Conscious Capitalism" series. To view the interview click HERE. If this link does not work for some reason you can find the interview at the following URL:
http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2010/08/13/n_cc_microconsignment_model.cnnmoney/.
August, 2010
Social Entrepreneur Corps' sister organization, "Soluciones Comunitarias", has been selected as a WINNER in the Ashoka Changemakers' "Leveraging Business for Social Change" competition
Thanks to your vote, Social Entrepreneur Corps' sister organization Soluciones Comunitarias (SolCom), has been chosen as one of three WINNERS out of 448 submissions from 78 countries in the Ashoka Changemakers' and Artemisia "Leveraging Business for Social Change: "Building the Field of Social Business competition. Six years ago this started with a question, "How do we create sustainable access to essential products and services in remote villages?". What a testament to the commitment of our team in Guatemala!
"The online community has honored the CE Solutions and Soluciones Comunitarias team for the outstanding demonstration of innovation, social impact, and sustainability. This winning entry will be permanently archived and open to the public as an example of innovative leadership toward social business."
To learn more about Ashoka Changemakers, Artemisia or Soluciones Comunitarias (in Spanish) please click on the organization.
July 2010
Social Entrepreneur Corps Co-Founder, Greg Van Kirk, Invited to Join Ashoka Social Business Development Group
Greg Van Kirk has recently been invited to join a select number of global Ashoka Fellows in the Social Business Development Group (SBDG) as part of new global program called "Technology for Human Needs." A collaboration between Siemens Stiftung and Ashoka, SBDG is comprised of Ashoka Fellows working in community empowerment through the use of humanized technologies in developing countries.
To learn more about this initiative please click here.
July 2010
Social Entrepreneur Corps Co Founder, Greg Van Kirk, Invited to Participate in Clinton Global Initiative 2010!
In recognition of the work of Community Enterprise Solutions and Social Entrepreneur Corps, Greg Van Kirk has been invited to attend the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in New York City.
CGI was created by President Clinton in 2005 in an effort to translate ideas into action. The Annual Meeting brings together heads of state, government and business leaders, scholars, and NGO directors. Participants analyze pressing global challenges, discuss the most effective solutions, and build lasting partnerships that enable them to create positive social change.
For more information about the Clinton Global Initiative please click here...
May 2010
Social Entrepreneur Corps working with the University of Pennsylvania Microfinance Club to develop our village microcredit/savings initiative, CrediCapaz
This initiative has been in the research stage since last summer, when Social Entrepreneur Corps interns investigated implementation models and made recommendations to Social Entrepreneur Corps leadership. We have now partnered with the Microfinance Club at UPenn to further explore options for the initiative. They have created a proposal based on the work of last year's interns which will be tested this summer by our 2010 interns.
The CrediCapaz initiative seeks to to create and support informal and formal groups form of saving-based community banks so that they can create a new or additional financing and counseling mechanism to generate family income. CrediCapaz hopes to encourage the habit of saving and building a safe, easily available financial cushion to soften the blow of life’s unexpected emergencies -- a habit extremely valuable to the poor in improving their economic condition.
For more information about the Microfinance Club at UPenn click here...
April 2010
Social Entrepreneur Corps at the Clinton Global Initiative - University
Co Founder George Bucky Glickley had the opportunity to represent Social Entrepreneur Corps at the 2010 CGI -U conference in Miami. The third annual CGI U meeting brought together students, university presidents, and national youth organizations to create and implement Commitments to Action across five Global Challenge Areas : Education, Environment & Climate Change, Peace & Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health.
The CGI U 2010 meeting was arranged around plenary sessions, working sessions, and skill sessions, all of which allow members to interact with one another and formulate commitments and productive partnerships. Whether discussing the education of marginalized populations or the worldwide struggle against infectious diseases, each session was informed by university leaders, student activists, heads of leading NGOs, topic experts, and others who have created positive change in the global community. Social Entrepreneur Corps was also invited to participate in CGI U Exchange, an exhibition allowing meeting attendees to learn more about the commitments and organizations present at the CGI U Meeting.
Click here to learn more about the Clinton Global Initiative - University
March 2010
Social Entrepreneur Corps at the Social Enterprise Symposium at the University of Maryland
Co Founder Greg Van Kirk will be speaking at the Robert H. Smith School of Business' Social Enterprise Symposium at the University of Maryland on Thursday March 25th.
He will be participating in the "Global Patent" panel, which "highlights entrepreneurs who are developing products and services geared towards developing countries and to introduce students to the idea of using everyday, relatively simple technology in innovative ways to change people's lives."
For more information on the symposium and how to get involved, visit http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/ses/.
January 2010
Join Social Entrepreneur Corps – Get Academic Credits!
The Miami University (Ohio) Center for Social Entrepreneurship, part of the Farmer School of Business, is in the process of creating a way for students to earn academic credit associated with participation in Social Entrepreneur Corps four and eight week programs in Guatemala, Ecuador and Nicaragua. Presently, up to six (6) credit hours are being planned. This option is contemplated to be open to both Miami University students and those students from other universities (assuming institutional credit transfer requirements are met). To earn academic credit, students would participate in online instruction (readings, videos, blogs, discussion boards) prior to starting their Social Entrepreneur Corps program. After returning to the US, students would then be responsible for completing a research paper related to the topics of social entrepreneurship, informed by their academic preparation and their time on the ground in Social Entrepreneur Corps. Further details are forthcoming in the weeks ahead.
January 2010
Honored to be Selected as Ashoka Globalizers!
With our MicroConsignment Model and Social Entrepreneur Corps as the basis, we were recently very honored to be selected one of the inaugural 25 practitioners to participate in the new Ashoka Globalizer (www.ashokaglobalizer.org) program. “After defining and developing the practice of social entrepreneurship around the world, Ashoka now aims to leverage its global reach, selection process and network of social and business entrepreneurs to link initiatives ready for global scale to the strategic, intellectual and financial support to go global.”This new program seeks to identify Ashoka Fellows within the network of 2,500 world-wide with the greatest potential for catalyzing global systems change. Amongst other aspects, these Fellows “will be aggressively marketed throughout the Ashoka network to ensure that their compelling social innovations are recognized by the broadest possible global audience”. We will all be meeting in Vienna in April.
Learn more by clicking here...
December 2009
INVENNOVATIONS LAUNCH - Sign up for our newsletter and spread the word!
Invennovations.com, our new free development resource, is up and running - check it out at www.invennovations.com.
Get more involved by:
SIGNING UP - for the Invennovations monthly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/eKeN.
SPREADING THE WORD -Tell your friends! Send an email to campus groups!
Have questions/feedback on the site? Send us an email at [email protected].
October 2009
We are excited to announce that Social Entrepreneur Corps is officially expanding into Nicaragua for Summer 2010! We will be replicating our highly-successful programs developed in Guatemala and Ecuador in order to serve vulnerable populations and innovative development organizations and initiatives in five regions of Nicaragua. Find out more information about Nicaragua by clicking here...Apply now if you are interested.
October 2009
On October 1st, together with Global Citizen Year (www.globalcitizenyear.org), Social Entrepreneur Corps launched its latest program, Emprendedores Juveniles, geared towards recent high school graduates.
Emprendedores Juveniles offers gap year students a seven month long internship focused on youth helping youth. Participants engage as apprentices who, as a consequence of focusing on achieving goals that help others, will gain unique knowledge, indispensble skills and a more sophisticated global perspective. They will support CESolutions and Soluciones Comunitarias initiatives as well as partner with local schools and organizations to create programs and projects for rural youth. Click here to learn more about this new GAP Year Program.
October 2009
In July, President and Co-Founder Greg Van Kirk was asked to write an article/case about the development of the MicroConsignment Model for INNOVATIONS Journal. INNOVATIONS is a quarterly journal about entrepreneurial solutions to global challenges. It is published by MIT Press, and jointly hosted at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, George Mason University's School of Public Policy, and MIT's Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship.
Authors published in INNOVATIONS to date include Larry Brilliant, Rita Colwell, Bill Drayton, Peter Eigen, Frank Fukuyama, Mary Robinson, Klaus Schwab, and Tim Wirth. The full text of selected articles from INNOVATIONS are available for free download at http://www.mitpressjournals.org/innovations/.
October 2008
Social Entrepreneur Corps establishes a strategic partnership with The College of William and Mary. William and Mary will potentially support up to five students for the Guatemala and Ecuador eight week and four week programs.
October 2008
Social Entrepreneur Corps renews its strategic partnership with Duke University’s Duke Engage program. Duke Engage will support 15 students who qualify for the eight-week Guatemala program.
September 2008
Social Entrepreneur Corps renews its strategic partnership with the University of Notre Dame. Notre Dame will support up to five students who participate in the MicroVenturing program and qualify for the Guatemala and Ecuador eight week and four week programs.
September 2008
Social Entrepreneur Corps renews its strategic partnership with the University of Connecticut. Up to 15 UConn students will have the opportunity to earn nine credits as participants in our Guatemala eight week program.
September 2008
Social Entrepreneur Corps renews its strategic partnership with the Columbia University. Up to 15 Columbia students will have the opportunity to participate in o Guatemala and Ecuador programs through the EDGE Latin America program.
August 2008
After a rigorous selection process Greg Van Kirk was named an Ashoka Fellow in March 2008 for his work leading the team in the design, development and implementation of our unique "MicroConsignment Model" in Guatemala. In August he was invited to Mexico City for the formal induction ceremony.
“Ashoka is leading a profound transformation in society. Ashoka strives to shape a global, entrepreneurial, competitive citizen sector: one that allows social entrepreneurs to thrive and enables the world's citizens to think and act as changemakers. Rather than leaving societal needs for the government or business sectors to address, social entrepreneurs are creating innovative solutions, delivering extraordinary results, and improving the lives of millions of people. Ashoka Fellows are leading social entrepreneurs who we recognize to have innovative solutions to social problems and the potential to change patterns across society. They demonstrate unrivaled commitment to bold new ideas and prove that compassion, creativity, and collaboration are tremendous forces for change. Ashoka Fellows work in over 60 countries around the globe in every area of human need. All Ashoka Fellows must undergo a rigorous search and selection process in which they demonstrate that they fully meet Ashoka's selection criteria.”
– Courtesy of Ashoka website
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