THE MOOD AT DAVOS
Social Entrepreneurs take on Business and Political Heavyweights!
Renee Horne-London 28 January 2012
One of the most prestigious events at the start of each calendar year is the World Economic Forum (WEF). Since its inception in 1971, the event is by invitation only and associated with billionaire corporate and powerful political heavyweights. But these heavyweights are finding it difficult to silence the critics who question the relevance of such an event, Greenpeace Executive Director, Kumi Naidoo, stated, “If I bump into Professor Klaus Schwab, who started and still runs the World Economic Forum here in Davos, I will challenge him on the purpose of the event. Schwab has described the WEF as ‘a platform for collaborative thinking and searching for solutions, not for making decisions’ ”. Indeed, the “Davos meeting may not be a bastion of democratic or transparent democracy and participation, but it is a place where solutions should be discussed and plans made to tackle the cacophony of crises that our planet faces. But important decisions can also be taken here, decisions by corporations, politicians or CEOs.” stated Naidoo. This year, there are more than 2600 participants which include close to 40 heads of state, 1600 business leaders and 1000 member companies. Joining the heavyweights are the more than 30 social entrepreneurs - the new members of this exclusive club but can they take on the long-standing members- the business and political heavyweights?
WORLDWIDE SELECTION
Social Entrepreneurs came from around the world: 7 from Latin America, 4 from the USA, 3 from Africa, 5 from Europe, 9 from Asia and 2 from the Middle East and North Africa. These social entrepreneurs have been selected by the Schwab foundation for ‘innovative and proven solutions to tackle a range of issues such as financial inclusion, malnutrition, access to renewable energy, waste management, health care services, housing for the poor and education’. If you feel you can join this list of prestigious social entrepreneurs, you will need to be nominated, the selection is strict and on an annual basis. Part of the selection criteria is a proven track record in bringing about social change as well as the sustainability of the enterprise. Your organisation should be set up as a non - profit entity, and if set up as a profit entity, the orientation of social change should precede the financial rewards. The winners in their respective region should also demonstrate that the enterprise can be adapted successfully to other settings globally and is also willing to share his/her success techniques. You may be a winner, but to get an invitation to WEF, the Schwab Foundation then nominates the social entrepreneur winners as Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum.
THE JOURNEY
Indeed it has been a long and arduous journey for a social entrepreneur to engage with the heavyweights. Felipe Vegara's journey to Davos involved a 9,000 kilometre, flight from Bogota to Davos followed by a few hours on a train snaking its way through Switzerland's snow covered mountains. Vegara was invited to Davos by the Schwab Foundation to speak about his work in Lumni, Colombia. His organization provides young people loans for university and other training courses. Lumni is similar to many other cities around the world, where the youth cannot afford education unless they have wealthy parents. Vegara states, "Capitalism is in crisis. The gap between rich and poor must be bridged. Education is the best way forward." Indeed millions of youth around the will are unemployed, because they simply do not have the skills, hence educating the youth, can alleviate the social problems.
RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS
In the business world, staying out of the red is crucial, investments should pay off, so is business responsible for investing in youth education? Essma Ben Hamidia appears to believe so. She is head of the company "Enda Inter Araba", which provides microloans in Tunisia. “Microloans could alleviate the situation by giving young people the resources to do something positive. The potential is there." She received a social entrepreneurship award in 2010 for her work and is at Davos to advocate the message, that business should become more hands-on in the youth’s future, this in turn can lead to budding entrepreneurs. She is particularly concerned about the lack of economic opportunities for young people in Tunisia. "70 percent of our clients are women who don't have regular access to banks because they live in isolated rural areas. We give them loans to start small businesses, which often feed their families." Most of the social entrepreneurs have come to Davos to promote ethically and ecologically responsible business practices. British social entrepreneur Sue Riddlestone, a "Bio Regional Development Group" a consultancy specialising in ecological issues with its projects adopted by the Olympic Games in London. The Riddlestone organisation may focus on the environment but she too raised concern about social problems which are attributed to income disparity, "We have to change our economies so they respect ethical and social concerns." She added that business and government leaders must combat wastefulness and the "disposable" mentality prevalent in many societies.
This year social entrepreneurs emphasised a changing economic climate, with emphasis on educating the youth as the entrepreneurs of the future. At Davos, social entrepreneurs were few in number but they attracted a growing audience. The question is: Will their calls for change be heard and action taken beyond the forum? Have your say…….