Non-Profit Boot Camp 2007

This past weekend I attended a non-profit boot camp, sponsored by Craigslist Foundation. I went there expecting nothing and ended the day getting everything I wanted. I will post more detail later on today, but it's enough to say at this point that I am realizing that social innovation/entrepreneurship really is a movement. There were many people there is either have started non-profit organizations or are about to start them, and dropped out of the corporate world in order to do this. I was one of the few academics there, and I kept telling people about the political club I am starting at Lehman College.

The club just got the green light, and will focus on a three-pronged approach to politics:
1. Raising awareness about important issues (documentaries, guest speakers, etc.)
2. Linking students to these issues through internships at non-profit organizations
3. Teaching students how to organize their own campaigns and organizations

If you have participated in an internship, a non-profit, or a campaign that you are proud of and would like others to know about, please describe it here.

Thanks.

Who are you?

As I ask my students at the beginning of every class, if you want to contribute to this forum, please tell us (1) who you are, (2) where you are from, and (3) what area of life you are interested in for social innovation and entrepreneurship.

Thanks

What is a Social Entrepreneur?

A social entrepreneur is a practical idealist. He or she uses business skills, common sense, and organizing skills to develop innovative solutions to problems concerning the environment, health care, unemployment, and other issues that directly affect people's lives.

Watch Jeff Trexler, Wilson Professor of Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University, discuss the philosophy of social entrepreneurship at the Innovators in Social Responsibility awards gala, Sept. 4, 2007, sponsored by the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University and Americans for Informed Democracy.



Seth Green, founder and former president of Americans for Informed Democracy, at Innovators in Social Responsibility awards gala, Sept. 4, 2007. The ceremony was sponsored by the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University and Americans for Informed Democracy.



Watch Beth Brooke, Global Vice Chair of Strategy, Ernst and Young, LLP, discuss Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship as Master of Ceremonies at the Innovators in Social Responsibility awards gala, Sept. 4, 2007, sponsored by the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University and Americans for Informed Democracy.


Beth Brooke discusses Social Innovation and Entrepreneur ship



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Awards in social Innovation

Here are examples of people who decided to "be the miracle".

Young Innovator in Sustainable Living Award: Katherine Wingfield

Caroline Kemp, Former AID Chapter President and Student, Northwestern University, presents the Young Innovator in Sustainable Living Award to Katherine Wingfield, President, Christopher Newport University Chapter of AID, at the Innovators in Social Responsibility awards gala, Sept. 4, 2007, sponsored by the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University and Americans for Informed Democracy.



Innovator in Sustainable Living Award: Erik Blachford

Stephanie Cochinos, AID Board Member and Manager, Alvarez & Marsal LLC, presents the Innovator in Sustainable Living Award to Erik Blachford, CEO, TerraPass, and Former CEO, Expedia, via a Skype video link at the Innovators in Social Responsibility awards gala, Sept. 4, 2007, sponsored by the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University and Americans for Informed Democracy.




Young Innovator in Smart Investing Award: Matthew Martin

Jonathan Seeber, AID Board Member and Associate, Updata Partners, presents the Young Innovator in Smart Investing Award to Matthew Martin, President, Bowdoin College Chapter of AID, at the Innovators in Social Responsibility awards gala, Sept. 4, 2007, sponsored by the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University and Americans for Informed Democracy.




Innovator in Smart Investing Award: Michaela Walsh

Morgan McKenney, Americans for Informed Democracy Board Member and Chief of Staff to COO, Citigroup, presents the Innovator in Smart Investing Award to Michaela Walsh, Founder of Women's World Banking, at the Innovators in Social Responsibility awards gala, Sept. 4, 2007, sponsored by the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University and Americans for Informed Democracy.





Young Innovator in Coexistence Award: Radeyah Hack

Marceline White, President of Americans for Informed Democracy (AID), and Zeeshan Suhail, AID Board Member and Student, CUNY Grad Center, announce the creation of the Seth Green Fellow Program in honor of AID founder and former president Seth Green. Next, Zeeshan Suhail presents Radeyah Hack, President of the Stony Brook University Chapter of AID, the award for Young Innovator in Coexistence. The event occurred Sept. 4, 2007, and was sponsored by the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University and Americans for Informed Democracy.




Innovator in Coexistence Award: Ronald Bruder

Beth Cohen, Senior Director, Global Philanthropists Circle, Synergos Institute, presents the Innovator in Coexistence Award to Ronald Bruder, CEO, Education For Employment, at the Innovators in Social Responsibility awards gala, Sept. 4, 2007, sponsored by the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University and Americans for Informed Democracy.




Innovator in International Development Award: Jonathan Greenblatt

Cheryl Dorsey, President, Echoing Green, presents the Innovator in International Development Award to Jonathan Greenblatt, Founder, Ethos Water, at the Innovators in Social Responsibility awards gala, Sept. 4, 2007, sponsored by the Helene & Grant Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University and Americans for Informed Democracy.


Innovator in Intl Development Award: Jonathan Greenblatt



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Demonstrations of Miracles

As a teacher of college students, community college students, and high school students, I have always approached the classroom with 2 basic principles that I articulate to my students. 1. It is my firm conviction that the classroom must operate as a platform for both scholarship and activism, and so it is my intention to turn my students into activists. 2. In order to be effective activists, my students need knowledge of the world around them and a specific set of skills, including writing, debating, and organizing.

Up until this semester, I have focused on the writing in the classroom and the debating inside and outside of the classroom. I have held the occasional salon to hone our conversational and debating skills. Now, I am focusing on the organizing aspect.

To this end, I will be writing about and posting video concerning my organizing efforts, both in the college setting and through non-profit, civic organizations. I suspect many of my students are engaged in similar efforts. Thus, I encourage them to write about their activities, advertise events, and post video of their activities here.

Marriah Star