Social Entrepreneurs Newsletter
June 2007, Issue No. 1
Edited by K K Tse
Some Perspectives on Social Entrepreneurs
“Social entrepreneurs are real visionaries – people who want to change the
world. That doesn’t mean they necessarily develop complex, global
solutions to large-scale issues; often, social entrepreneurs simply take a
problem in their own community and make a commitment to tackle it. This
may lead to something bigger, or it may not; what makes a true social
entrepreneur is that they have the will to make a difference, the vision to
know how to go about it and the determination to make that vision happen.
Distinctive characteristics commonly found among social entrepreneurs:
 vision
 determination
 passion
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self-motivation and self belief
flexibility
resourcefulness”
Source:
UnLtd, the UK nation-wide organization promoting social entrepreneurship
www.unltd.org.uk
“Social entrepreneurs are individuals with innovative solutions to society’s
most pressing social problems. They are ambitious and persistent, tackling
major social issues and offering new ideas for wide-scale change. Social
entrepreneurs are often seen to be possessed by their ideas, committing
their lives to changing the direction of their field. They are both
visionaries and ultimate realists, concerned with the practical
implementation of their vision above all else.
Social entrepreneurs are not content just to give a fish and teach how to
fish. They will not rest until they have revolutionized the fishing industry.”
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Source:
Ashoka Foundation, the premier organization promoting social
entrepreneurship worldwide
www.ashoka.org
“Social entrepreneurs identify resources where people only see problems.
They view the villagers as the solution, not the passive beneficiary. They
begin with the assumption of competence and unleash resources in the
community they’re serving.
Social entrepreneurs are people with new ideas to address major problems,
who are relentless in their pursuit of their visions, who simply will not take
‘no’ for an answer, who will not give up until they have spread their ideas as
far as they possibly can.”
Source:
David Bornstein, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the
Power of New Ideas (Oxford: OUP, 2004)
Chinese translations published by
天下文化: 志工企業家: 提昇人類社會的力量 (台灣 2006)，
新星出版社: 如何改變世界: 社會企業家與新思想的威力 (北京 2006)
(All three titles are available from The Commercial Press Book Center at
Miramar Hotel Arcade, 2/F, Nathan Road, Tsimshatsui)
http://www.howtochangetheworld.org/
(The website also gives a good summary of the book)
“A social entrepreneur identifies and solves social problems on a large
scale. Just as business entrepreneurs create and transform whole business,
social entrepreneurs act as the change agents for society, seizing
opportunities others miss in order to improve systems, invent and
disseminate new approaches and advance sustainable solutions that create
social value.
Identifying and solving large-scale social problems requires a committed
person with a vision and determination to persist in the face of daunting
odds. Ultimately, social entrepreneurs are driven to produce measurable
impact by opening up new pathways for the marginalized and disadvantaged,
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and unlocking society’s full potential to effect social change.”
Source:
The New Heroes, a four-hour documentary on social entrepreneurs
worldwide hosted by Robert Redford, produced and aired by PBS in the US.
(I have a copy of this DVD and will share it with you in the near future)
http://www.pbs.org/opb/thenewheroes/
How you could contribute to this Newsletter:
This Newsletter represents a tiny step in the direction of realizing the
overarching aim of
Creating a civic movement for
social entrepreneurship
in HK and ultimately in China
Any ideas and suggestions from you to help advance towards this cause will
be greatly appreciated.
You could, for example,
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give me feedback on the contents, format, style, etc
pass this on to someone who you think may be interested in becoming
part of the movement
contribute short articles, notes, comments to future issues
raise any questions you may have about the subject of social
entrepreneurs, how to promote it, where to find them, etc. (although I
cannot guarantee that answers could be found to all of them)
recommend to me people who you think should be on the mailing list of
this Newsletter (just send me their email addresses, or ask them to
do so)
I will produce this 3-page Newsletter every two to three weeks, each
focuses on one topic only. If you do not wish to receive this, please let me
know via email.
KK Tse
kakuitse@gmail.com
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