To give you an example of just how similar our challenges are, I want to focus on a recent and wonderful publication called “Breakthrough Business Models: Exponentially More Social, Lean, Integrated and Circular” by Volans.
Bow Valley College and Women In Need Society (WINS) have partnered to launch a new on-campus thrift store that combines affordability, sustainability, and hands-on learning. The initiative gives students access to low-cost essentials while creating real-world learning opportunities in social enterprise and community impact.
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We define social entrepreneurship as using business models (selling a good or service) to enhance social impact. This reflects most Canadian definitions.
Many see the social and the entrepreneurial as being in opposition, like two sides of a scale that needs to be balanced. Instead, we see the social and the entrepreneurial as partners in progress.
We support a social entrepreneurship movement that dares to ask, “How far could we go in solving the world’s problems, and even fulfilling our potential as human beings, if we fully harnessed the power of business models to enhance social impact?”
To give you an example of just how similar our challenges are, I want to focus on a recent and wonderful publication called “Breakthrough Business Models: Exponentially More Social, Lean, Integrated and Circular” by Volans.
A report by the British Council found that across 12 countries, 75% of the higher education institutions surveyed were involved in social enterprise. The strong placing of the UK (third at 89%) and Canada (5th at 85%), to say nothing of their rich historical links, suggested the two countries were ripe for collaboration and cross-pollination in this emerging field. The British Council seized that opportunity with its Students for Social Impact (SSIM) program.
There are a growing number of events connected to social entrepreneurship. Many of them happen in our home city, demonstrating what an incredible hub of activity Calgary is. The Trico Foundation team is pleased to attend many of them and wish we could attend more.
NOTE: This article was originally published on the RECODE website and has been cross-posted with permission. Written by: Susan Grossman Director | Centre for Community Engaged Learning, The University of British Columbia