Social Enterprise Week 2014 (SOCENT Week 2014) has been announced to take place from March 4 -9 in Dubai, and aims to invite aspiring social entrepreneurs to meet, network and learn from experts and seasoned investors in the vast emerging field of social enterprise. The week-long celebration of the social enterprise ecosystem comprising individuals and businesses will feature a series of panel discussions every evening, from prominent guest speakers representing a spectrum of business sectors to encourage new and emerging entrepreneurs to share their ideas on doing “Business for Good.”
Social entrepreneurship is the process of developing self-sustainable businesses that simultaneously benefit those in the society and community in which the business operates. SOCENT Week 2014 is being held for the second consecutive year following last year’s success which was attended by over 300 social entrepreneurs and business leaders from varying backgrounds. The event aims to unite people across cultural boundaries from all walks of life who share a common desire to help humanity through practical self-sustaining business ventures.
“Doing business for good goes beyond corporate social responsibility; it’s about creating sustainability, encouraging social innovation, and re-investing into the community,” says Fereshteh Amarsy, founder of SOCENT Week. “At SOCENT Week we want to give the public a path towards fulfilling this mission by giving them the network, resources, encouragement and guidance needed to partake in the Social enterprise ecosystem.”
Rama Chakaki, co-organizer of SOCENT Week and Communications Strategist for Baraka Advisors believes that awareness levels and opinions towards social entrepreneurship has changed, she says: “In 2009 when I said Baraka is supporting social entrepreneurs, the public’s reaction was “What’s that?” I’m delighted to see growth and a real vibrant community come together. Being in the business of investing in social enterprise and promoting Good News from the Middle East, we envision the week turning to a year-long event.”
SOCENT Week was founded by an optimistic but pragmatic group of UAE-based professionals; Fereshteh Amarsy, Rama Chakaki, Medea Nocentini, and Iman Odeh, who are eager to make a difference by nurturing social entrepreneurship at the grass-roots level. “Social Enterprise is a new sector, and our event seeks to highlight building a cohesive community, education and awareness about the resources available in terms of expertise and investment. We believe that by bringing people together, their ideas, contacts and knowhow we can start to collectively make a difference,” adds Amarsy.
SOCENT Week 2014 will kick off on March 4 with a panel discussion on Impact Investment titled ‘Business as Unusual’ which delves into whether or not businesses should view investments in social enterprises as an extension of their regular portfolio or as a philanthropic exercise. The list of speakers for this topic include; Alex Pitt, Senior VP at Mubadala Development Company; Khaled Al Gazawi, GM of Grameen-Jameel; Ali El Idrissi, JP Morgan Social Finance, and Srikrishna Ramamoorthy from Unitus (India).
March 5 begins with the first of a two-part workshop on starting one’s own social enterprise by educating one through the steps needed to take an idea through to its deployment in the real world, hosted by Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3), SOCENT Weeks Knowledge Partner.
“For this edition of the SOCENT Week, we have received an incredible response from speakers, sponsors and contributors. More and more people believe businesses can play a key role in solving the most pressing social problems. The C3 team is thrilled to continue supporting the UAE’s growing community of emerging social entrepreneurs,” said Medea Nocentini, Founder and CEO of C3.
This will be followed by talks from established social entrepreneurs who are already making huge waves in the environmental and healthcare sectors. They will speak about their journey in creating profitable businesses that address genuine problems while simultaneously doing good, as well as expected trends. The healthcare discussion will identify and address practical issues and regional cultural considerations. The environmental social enterprises will focus on alternative energy technology and recycling to help reduce and counteract the effects of over-consumption.
On March 6 the region’s creative community will get the chance to participate in an interactive panel discussion on ethical design. Dynamic speakers from the fields of fashion and architecture will describe their efforts and vision for helping people in the region and beyond acquire shelter and livelihoods in places where it seems like all hope is lost. These businesses are examples of successfully harnessing creative design skills to profitably produce high quality goods or structures.
Similar to last year, The Hult Prize will be held on March 7& 8. This year’s challenge specifically asks teams of students from across the region to build sustainable and scalable social enterprises to address non-communicable disease in slums. Finally an informal gathering on March 9 invites attendees to recap the week, share their experiences and showcase local talent.
“When fuelled by a mutual vision for societal good, we feel that the relationships and commitments formed during SOCENT Week 2014 will start to transform ideas into action. Consequently we want to appeal to all aspiring parents, students, professionals and everyone who shares our passion about making the world a better place to join us as we embark on this global transformation of our society from the age of individualism to the age of the community,” added Amarsy.
To know more about SOCENT Week, panelists, locations, schedules, and to register, attendees can visit www.socentweek.me
SOCENT Week is sponsored by ABAN Investments, Grameen – Jameel, Booz & Company, Philips, Hult International Business School, The Meydan Theatre, The Change Initiative, and Barakat Travel Co, and supported by knowledge partners Baraka Advisors, BarakaBits, Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3), and The Sustainability Platform.
