This article originally appeared on the blog Speak Up For Change
- November 24, 2008
Laurel Centre conference featured Marc Kielburger keynote
By Suzanne Gardner
The Laurel Centre for Social Entrepreneurship hosted their second Annual Conference on Social Entrepreneurship from November 14-16, 2008. Over the span of three days, roughly 200 people came together in Waterloo, Ontario to talk, learn, and live social entrepreneurship.
The weekend kicked off on Friday night with a lecture from Free the Children’s chief executive director Marc Kielburger. After an engaging and impassioned speech about his own experiences living and working in developing countries, Kielburger stayed for over an hour longer to chat with each and every attendee waiting in the massive line up to meet him!
Photo by Michelle Attard
Throughout the rest of the weekend there were talks about keys to success, attracting and retaining talent, decreasing high school drop-out rates, (the ever important) revenue generation, and much more. Key leaders in the areas of health, education, and international development came together to talk about their efforts, successes and challenges. With non-stop keynotes, workshops, and panel discussions, it was no wonder everyone was tired out by the end. Tired, but inspired.
“We are pleased to see such an overwhelming interest in social entrepreneurship, and we embrace the opportunity to inform, engage and connect our delegates in such an inspiring field,” says Andrew Dilts, Chair of the Laurel Centre.
“We find that knowledge of social entrepreneurship techniques is in great demand in today’s economic climate, and take pride in helping our delegates work towards positive change in the world.”
The Laurel Centre’s leadership team would like to thank all the delegates, speakers, and volunteers for joining us for the weekend, bringing along their energy, enthusiasm, and passion for changing the world. We’d also like to thank our sponsors for their generous support without which this event would not have been possible.
Suzanne Gardner is the Director of Communications at the Laurel Centre for Social Entrepreneurship in Waterloo, Ontario. The Laurel Centre features business-minded discipline with passion for social change.
Suzanne Gardner, the Laurel Centre’s Director of Communications, has a guest post over at SocialFinance.ca discussing the 2nd Annual Conference on Social Entrepreneurship which took place at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University last weekend.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Karim and Michael, the guys behind SocialFinance.ca, at the Social Finance Forum in Toronto last week and they are working hard to build SocialFinance.ca as the place to discuss the advancement of social finance in Canada.
Their website is certainly a great resource, and if you have not already checked it out, I would encourage you to do so.
That being said, with social finance and sustainable revenue generating models being such hot topics in Canada and around the world right now, the themes for next year’s 3rd Annual Conference on Social Entrepreneurship hosted by the Laurel Centre may focus on these two topics.
Watch this space for more details.
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Photos and online media coverage
(With Marc Kielburger at the 2nd Annual Conference on Social Entrepreneurship)
Jessica Flannery(above), Co-Founder and CEO of Kiva I am so excited that Kiva is represented here at the Social Finance forum. Kiva is a great example of an online, hi-tech social innovation tool that has revolutionized the way people the world over engage in the microfinance model championed by Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank. The social innovation in this case? Changing the mindset and getting people in the developed world to think about people in the developing world in a completely different manner – see the example of the woman in sub-Saharan Africa below. If you haven’t had the chance to check out Kiva, I would encourage you to do so. Notes on Jessica’s talk:
Jessica started talking about her background story, her first exposure to poverty on a trip to Haiti (please correct me if I am wrong)
Took philosophy and political science in college in order to a) think strategically and b) understand who was making the rules in order to change the rules.
After a few years out of college, trying to figure out what to do (as I am sure with every other twenty-something college grad)…
Heard Muhammad Yunus speak and the rest, as they say, is history.
Kiva sometimes thinks like a tech company (being located in San Francisco), and sometimes like a development company
Stressed that Kiva is about people, sharing their stories – each story is significant and meaningful – expanding shared possibilities
Loans do a lot to alleviate poverty – Kiva’s hope is to changes the way we think about and see what is possible in our lives.
Example:
Lender comes across the story of a woman in sub-Saharan Africa. They would not see this woman as needing ‘help’ in the traditional sense, but as an equal, as a business partner. The woman receives funding, not just money but money with heart – that allows her to grow her small micro-enterprise. In turn, this woman starts to think about herself and how the global community sees her in a much different way.
Kiva has managed to raise $50 million in micro-credit loans in the past three years, transforming hundreds of thousands of lives all over the world.
Through a bold and innovative Charity Banking Initiative (CBI), Citizens Bank of Canada and Vartanawill offer a full suite of financial products and servicesand provide education and outreach that supports organizational capacity-building for the not-for-profit sector (NFP) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Ontario.With retail banking services delivered through our Front Street branch location and National Contact Centre, the successes and opportunities learned through this pilot program will support the development of other Charity Banking Initiatives across Canada.
The official launch of CBI is scheduled for early 2009 And although I have linked the CBI to a job posting on the Citizen’s Bank website, I am told that they have already filled the position of Community Business Manager. Notes on the CBI presentation:
- Founded in 1946 – Working with people and communities to help them thrive and prosper – Largest credit union in English-speaking Canada – $14 billion in assets – 400,000 members – 60 branches
- Retail banking transactions via the internet, national contact centre, and selected boutique branches – Citizens Bank of Canada remains the first and still, the only bank with an ethical policy that states position on key social and environmental issues
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UPDATES on all of the other sessions at the Social Finance Forum will be coming soon…
What the Social Finance Forum currently looks like…. The Social Enterprise Summit took place here yesterday as well, at the MaRS building in downtown Toronto. On a side note, Im currently sitting in a panel discussion called “Creating Canada’s Social Finance Marketplace” and one of the topics of discussion revolved around the Canadian Revenue Agency and how they are ‘cracking’ down on charitable organizations making a ‘profit’ because of the success of their social enterprise, since they are no longer operating like a ‘charity’ within the framework defined by the CRA. This is unfortunate and it will be interesting to see how this plays out in Canadian society, and whether there will be pressure on the CRA to update the tax code as it relates to social enterprise. A rep from MBAs Without Borders stood up and mentioned that his organization was facing a similar challenge as well… On another note, its great to see direct audience participation at this forum.
Opening remarks are being made right now by Ilse, talking about MaRS as well as introducing the two Tim’s, Tim Brodhead and Tim Draimin. Notes on discussion: Tim B – Visionary, one of those Canadians who can see the future clearly and then acts on it
Joke – He can see the future more clearly sitting down
Challenge: How do we mobilize new sources of financial support for organization, namely non-profit organizations?
To do this, we need to get rid of the notion of non-profit, instead use public benefit or community-benefit organizations
Need to look for new solutions – in Canada, we need to be much more creative in identifying ways in which the work of these groups can be supported financially
Causeway – PLAN, Ashoka, Carleton University, MaRS, McConnell Foundation, Social Capital Partners and a number of other partners, who set themselves the task in doing some research in other areas (US, UK), and created an advocacy plan – government, community-benefit sector, private sector – path that we have been on for the past two years
This past year has been Causeway’s start up year – helped by Michael Lewkowitz and Joanna Reynolds
“One hand in the soil, the other hand reaching for the stars” – Al Etmanski
Told the story of a Major General looking at the stars and realizing how small humanity is in comparison to the universe. The Major General then turned to his Deputy for his thoughts, and the Deputy exclaimed that their tent was stolen…
I guess the moral of the story is to dream big (reach for the stars, etc…) but to have that dream grounded in reality
We are living in remarkable times: No one could anticipate two years ago the financial crisis in the stock and housing markets today – which is about to make itself in the job market and the real economy. Many references to the 2nd Great Depression today
Reality: An increase in demand for social services, fewer government dollars. Lingering effects of insecurity over the economy (loss of jobs, homes, etc.) will be felt for many years to come
Conclusion: Work started two years ago even more urgent now
What we should remember: Lots of experience out there that we can learn from, instead of yes we can do it….. yes, we ARE doing it….
SiG is a collaborative effort on the part of PLAN, UW, MaRS and McConnell to create in Canada a culture which supports and sustains a continual process of social innovation that address intractable social problems
Causeway is time bound, 3 year limit – Within this time period, goal is to support and work with organizations that are working in social finance, help facilitate and support a national movement for change.
1. Engaging mainstream financial institutions
Outreach in terms of discussion with financial institutions
Collaborating with social investment organizations – Social Investment Organization, Canadian Association for Socially Responsible Investment
2. Support mobilization of knowledge
Actively trying to build a network of academic and training institutions interested in social finance
Difficult year to work because of the national election that took place recently
Federal inquiry – find out how much the federal government knows about social finance, recognize the levers within this community to place social finance on the agenda
Social Finance movement in other parts of Canada:
Emergence of new Social Finance fund called the Resilient Fund(can’t seem to find a web link)
Online platform for both individuals and organizations to use to discuss emerging thoughts and trends on social finance
Causeway is looking to build their platform through SocialFinance.ca - open to other organizations to link into it – ability to support email, calendars, sharedocs and email
I am a 20-something young person keenly interested in learning how transformative social change happens, and passionate about building resilient communities. I also have a strong background in student and youth engagement, and I am convinced that young people have the power and opportunities like never before to affect positive change in the world.
Jessica Flannery
