Youth Social
Entrepreneurship:
“Leading Innovation with
Ethical Inspiration”
Diego H. S. Baptista
cooperacao@sociedadeglobal.com
• Entrepreneurship  life attitudes 
courage to act being innovative.
• Entrepreneurial qualities or behavior:
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creativity and curiosity
motivation by success
willingness to take risks
ability to cooperate
identification of opportunities
ability to be innovative and tolerate uncertainty.
Cultures that value and reward such behavior promote a propensity to develop and introduce radical
innovations, whereas cultures that reinforce conformity, group interests, and control over the future are not
likely to show risk-taking and entrepreneurial behavior. (P. A. Herbig and J. C. Miller, 1992).
Social Entrepreneurship
• Leadership + Entrepreneurship = solutions for global
challenges.
• Social entrepreneurship is first of all about being a
sustainability leader and driving systemic change
trough innovation!
EC Principle 14: Integrate in formal education and in life long knowledge, the
skills, knowledge and values needed for a sustainable way of life.
Definitions of
Social Entrepreneurs
• Social entrepreneurs are driven by a
social mission, implying that:
• Success is defined by creating the
intended social impact, not simply by
 Economic value creation for owners,
managers, and employees, or
 Consumption value for customers
“Social entrepreneurship can lead to a
new, socially responsible business
model that focuses beyond market
liberalism and profit maximization”
(Bornstein 2004; Yunus 2008).
Social entrepreneurship is addressing social needs using sustainable innovative
solutions that make an impact on a community and ultimately society as a whole!
Definitions of Social Entrepreneurs
These organizations
identifies and invests in
leading social
entrepreneurs and helps
them achieve maximum
social impact.
•
Ashoka: social entrepreneurs are the engines of social change
and role models for the citizen sector.
•
Skoll Foundation: creating innovative models that can spark
large-scale change for seemingly intractable social problems.
•
The Schwab Foundation: about applying practical, innovative
and sustainable approaches to benefit society in general, with an
emphasis on those who are marginalized and poor.
•
Echoing Green: are those exceptional individuals who dream
up and take responsibility for an innovative and untested idea for
positive social change, and usher that idea from dream to reality.
“Social entrepreneurship can lead to a new, socially responsible
business model that focuses beyond market liberalism and profit
maximization” (Bornstein 2004; Yunus 2008).
Social entrepreneurship is addressing social needs using sustainable innovative
solutions that make an impact on a community and ultimately society as a whole!
He elaborates that there are five essential
ingredients for a social entrepreneur:

A powerful, new, system change idea;

Creativity;

Potential for widespread impact;

Entrepreneurial quality;

Strong ethical fiber.
DO YOU HAVE THE
?
Characteristics of Social Entrepreneurs
•
There are a number of characteristics commonly displayed by successful social
entrepreneurs. These include:
1. Risk Takers: Social entrepreneurs try to avoid risk by having other people involved in the activity who
can assume much of the risk. However, they do take moderate risks that are shared with other people.
These are risks that have a reasonable chance of success.
2. Achievement Oriented: Social entrepreneurs are self-starters who have a strong desire to succeed in
whatever they do.
3. Leadership: Social entrepreneurs lead by example. They have a natural ability to lead and exert
influence on other people. Leaders are responsible and accountable people.
4. Deal with Change and Uncertainty: Social entrepreneurs must tolerate ambiguity and uncertainty.
Changes in the community and environment create uncertainty that entrepreneur must deal with.
5. Use of Feedback: Social entrepreneurs use feedback to learn their mistakes. They know the value of
information and they are always seeking. Acting on feedback enables them to improve their performance.
6. Problem Solver: Social entrepreneurs possess a high level of determination to solve problems and
reach their goals. They are extremely persistent but also realistic in knowing what they can and cannot
do.
7. Always Optimistic: No matter what the situation, social entrepreneurs are always positive and
determined to achieve success. They are not easily disappointed, discouraged or depressed by
setbacks.
8. Goal Oriented: Social entrepreneurs usually set attainable goals. Having attainable goals helps
entrepreneurs set priorities and provides them with measures of performing their activities.
9. Self Confidence: Social entrepreneurs have high personal standards of integrity and reliability. They
are self-confident.
10. Time Management: Social entrepreneurs have a strong sense of personal commitment to meet
deadlines. They perceive time as an important resource and therefore try to use in the best possible way.
11. Opportunity Orientation: They are able to see an opportunity where others don’t. They are able to
see the future and stay prepared to change.
12. Long-Term Involvement: Social entrepreneurs are committed to their business ventures that are
usually long term undertakings.
Social entrepreneurs play the role
of change agents in the social
sector, by:
 Adopting a mission to create and sustain social
value (not just private value),
 Recognizing and relentlessly pursuing new
opportunities to serve that mission,
 Engaging in a process of continuous innovation,
adaptation, and learning,
 Acting boldly without being limited by resources
currently in hand, and
 Exhibiting a heightened sense of accountability to
the constituencies served and for the outcomes
created.
Social entrepreneurs are the democratic engines of society: they combine
entrepreneurial engagement and innovative pragmatism with a desire for
revolutionary social change.
Why Entrepreneurship
Education??
•
Stimulates young people to think about entrepreneurship and the role of the
business community in economic and social development.
•
Students also get an opportunity to analyse the changes taking place in
their countries and are encouraged to consider self-employment and
enterprise creation as a career choice.
Entrepreneurship education will not only contribute to the creation of new and innovative
sustainable enterprises but also benefits society as it creates social entrepreneurs and green
entrepreneurs who provide solutions to current societal and environmental challenges.
“Empower young people to create and launch their own enterprises, and
through these enterprises, to take greater responsibility for their lives and
communities.”
More and more young people from various socio-economic groups around
the world are challenging and rejecting old notions of jobs and searching for
more meaningful ways to earn a living.
Young people today wants to have a professional career that they can earn
a living and at the same time contribute to society.
Taking initiative, creating a project, conceptualizing and launching one’s
own venture are exception’s, not the rule in most young people’s
experience.
“If the Earth Charter can mobilize young professionals in leading corporations, and make use of the
pulling power of those corporations as well, those professionals can carry the wisdom, and the
excitement of the Earth Charter further."
Herman Mulder, The Value of Values: Global Ethics and the Future of Sustainable Development Seminar Report
Some look at things that are, and ask why?
I dream of things that never were and ask why not?
- George George Bernard Shaw
Capacity for Innovation
• Capacity for innovation  searching for and
developing new solutions
• Sustainability leaders + innovation = decisionmaking across disciplines + understands
interdependences + open to new ideas.
How entrepreneurial skills can be used to find solutions to problems facing people
in your community or enhance opportunities of existing local capacities?
What’s the way???
Passion, Skills and Opportunities
Begin with your personal passions. What
do you love to do? How would you like to
make an impact? If you could do anything
to make a change, what would it be?
The second step in deciding what type of social
venture you would like to start is to look at your skills
and experience. What are you good at? What skills
do you want to have one day?
The last step is to look at your personal
passions and your skills and think about
different social issues you could address.
•
Passion: What do you love to do?
Do you love sports? Do you love to
read? Do you like to volunteer and
help people? Do you like to work
with nature and the environment?
What are you passionate about?
•
Skills & Experience: What are you
good at doing? Are you good at
presenting in front of a group? Do
you enjoy using computers or
working with people? Are you good
at teaching others?
•
Social & Environmental Issues:
Given your passion and your skills,
what social or environmental issues
could you address? Who would you
like to help in the community?
•
Earth Charter Principles: Which
principles do you feel more close to?
How could you use your idea to
promote The Earth Charter? What
are the principles that your solution is
contributing to?
Systems only change when
people think and see in
new ways…
Systemic Change
involves the interaction of ideas, movements,
models and interests.
“The goals of ecological protection, the eradication of poverty, equitable economic
development, respect for human rights, democracy, and peace are interdependent
and indivisible” (The Earth Charter)
If you have a good idea, how are you
going to be heard? What is your strategy
to engage key individuals in supporting
you or joining you?
Exercise
Elevator Speech: prepare a 90 seconds speech
addressing:
1- Problem/Opportunity
2- Audience/Beneficiaries
3- Solution/Innovation
4- Impact/Systemic Change
The Theory of Change
Resources
Activities
Outputs
Social
Value
Social
Impact
Start with
Resources
List Activities to
Accomplish
Results Expected
Outcomes
Achieved
Long Term
Outcome
“How to create Social Enterprises inspired by
The Earth Charter?”
The Charter “can be utilized as an instrument of designing professional codes of conduct that promote
accountability and for assessing progress towards sustainability in businesses…”
Use the Earth Charter as an ethical guide and implement its principles in your ideas of social
enterprises…
The Earth Charter as an Ethical Framework for Social Entrepreneurship
Mission and vision statement, values descriptions, codes of conducts, strategies, projects,
activities…
Sustainable Enterprises and
The Earth Charter
Respect
Social
Equitable economic
Universal Responsbility
development
Human Rights
Interdependency
Peace and Non-Violence
Community of Life
Democracy
Common but Differentiated
Responsability
Common Good
Economic
Environment
Eradication of poverty
“By taking the Earth Charter principles as a reference the necessary synergies between economic activities and
other human activities are created in a spirit of respect and harmony with the planet and with the whole community
of life” (The Ethos Institute).
The Earth Charter International encourages
all businesses to use the Earth Charter in one
or more of the following ways:
•Engaging employees with the Earth Charter for the purpose of learning, training, and
inspiration.
•Assessing the activities of the business in the light of Earth Charter values and
principles, using the Global Reporting Initiative's Guidelines.
•Incorporating it’s values and principles in the business mission statement and its
core operations with the goal of developing a more socially and ecologically
responsible business
•A simplifying and unifying platform for the increasingly complex demands of
meeting new standards, assessing progress, and reporting on results.
•An inspirational and educational tool for informing and engaging employees and
communicating a company's aspirations to its shareholders and stakeholders.
•A stimulus to innovation and change as companies continue to evolve their
products, services, and business models to meet the emerging realities of a
globalized world facing numerous social, environmental, and ethical challenges.
“The challenge today is no longer to convince the business sector to recognize that
sustainable development practices need to be adopted but rather to support businesses
in bringing about the needed change in organizational cultures and practices”.
Source: Earth Charter+5 Progress Report
To encourage its acceptance and use by the business sector, the
Secretariat has developed a document entitled,
“What Can I do with the Earth Charter in Business?”
“The key challenge in cultivating an
entrepreneurial culture globally among
young people is figuring out the best ways
to unleash their potential to innovate, create,
catalyze, be resourceful, solve problems and
take advantage of opportunities while being
ethical”.
What is going to be your innovative
solution for this challenge?
Resources
Links:
•
http://www.seedinit.org/apps/self-assessment/
•
http://www.empowering-partnerships.org/
•
http://www.entrepreneurstoolkit.org/index.php/Main_Page
•
http://www.ysei.org/
•
http://www.fyse.org/
•
http://www.sproutecourse.org/
•
http://www.genv.net/staples-yse
•
http://genvcampaigns.org/
•
http://www.changemakers.com/
•
http://www.socialinnovationexchange.org/
Videos:
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwuZv2NJ9c&feature=player_embedded#!
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eQ139stW6w&feature=player_embe
dded
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk5LI_WcosQ
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGbYzRrLR6Y
Start Up and Change The World: Guide for Young Social Entrepreneurs
•
http://www.ysei.org/node/71
The Earth Charter
•
http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/invent/images/uploads/Earth%20Ch
arter%20Youth%20Toolkit%205%206%2009.pdf
•
http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/invent/index.php?cat=69
Books