PennSEM Summer Experiences

Vicky's Green Innovation

2009-09-04T20:10:00.001-07:00

Green Innovation Even though the two social enterprises that Ventures in Development has incubated so far are yak-related and seem to solve the social problems in rural China only, ViD is interested in both rural and urban challenges, and is open-minded to conducting all types of program as long as it has the potential to grow into a sustainable social enterprise that can promote economic

Goodbye to Jaipur

2009-09-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Corey: My internship at Jaipur Rugs Foundation has come to an end. Despite a couple bouts of food poisoning and a malfunctioning computer, my time at JRF has been nothing short of incredible. I have worked alongside a highly dedicated group of individuals in JRF; their passion and work ethic are unparalleled. I have also had the opportunity to work under Mr. N.K. Chaudhary.

Final Words from Sagar

2009-09-03T23:59:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, this is my last post, and I have tried to summarize my learning with respect to Social Enterprise.Disclaimer: Please note that the thoughts below are my own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the PW or its founder. Definition of Social Enterprise · Different people define Social Enterprise in different ways, my original one was that of “a

Self Help Groups at Jaipur

2009-09-03T23:57:00.000-07:00

Corey: I have spent the past couple weeks analyzing the data I collected through the surveys I conducted. I interviewed 48 self-help group (SHG) members individually and 10 SHGs as a whole. Through my surveys, I wholeheartedly believe that Jaipur Rugs Foundation’s (JRF) SHG initiative is benefiting the lives of weavers. I believe that the SHG initiative has tackled three

Taking the small steps forward...

2009-08-25T02:24:00.000-07:00

From Danielle...Most of my work in Shanghai focused on marketing initiatives for Shokay, while other interns were more directly involved in the work of Ventures in Development, the nonprofit that is the main shareholder of Shokay. However, I did attend two of Ventures in Development’s Social Innovation Salons, at which a mix of Shanghai professionals and students gathered to brainstorm solutions

Adopt a Yak!

2009-08-25T02:12:00.000-07:00

Back from Shanghai...! Apologies for falling behind on my updates - my last few weeks in Shanghai were pretty busy and I recently arrived back at home in the United States. In the last few weeks, I learned a lot as I helped launch Shokay’s new Yak Around the World Campaign, as well as in various conversations with my mentor, Carol, about the challenges of founding and running a social

Haywood's love for books and its powers...

2009-08-18T19:42:00.000-07:00

Equity & Access Please take a moment to ponder this question: what was the first book that you owned that triggered your interest in reading? Was it the magical intrigue inherent in the Harry Potter series, which you or a loved one stood in line to buy on its first day of release (or electronically bought online weeks in advance as I did)? Was it the epic mystery

Social Innovation Salons in China!

2009-08-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

Social Innovation Salons When I first learnt from Carol (my PennSEM mentor) that one of my responsibilities this summer will be to host Ventures in Development’s salons, I was a bit confused. Firstly, I don’t possess any hair-cutting skills; secondly, I thought ViD only deals with yak fur, not human hair? The official definition of ‘social innovation salon’ from ViD’s webpage is “a monthly

Watch this amazing video/documentary on Ventures in Development!

2009-08-13T00:08:00.000-07:00

Click the title above to watch, and watch out for our intern Danielle Matsumoto! However, it's in Chinese and we apologize for that.

Sustainable Urban Farms?!

2009-08-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

Sustainable Urban FarmsThis past Sunday, I helped out with an interesting social enterprise here in Singapore called Ground Up Initiative. As a little background - GUI’s Mission is 1. To foster connection between Man and Earth through sustainable activities.2. To grow a flourishing community that drives local and global humanitarian, social and environmental initiatives.3. To nurture members and

The Importance of Good Governance

2009-08-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, I attended a talk on Charity Governance. It was very insightful and interesting. Whether you’re talking about the private sector or the public sector, governance is an issue that is absolutely critical to the success of an organization.Why is Good Governance Important?In the public sector, good governance is incredibly important, because a charitable organization is often entrusted

Greetings from Emily and Gina!

2009-08-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, May 27 2009 Greetings from Bloomsbury Place! Right off the British Museum and on a row of white bricked buildings, 2 Bloomsbury Place is the home of Volans’ London Office. It might only be the second day at the Volans office, but Gina (the other PennSEM intern) and I have found ourselves suddenly immersed in a new London—one that is an energetic hub of

Halfway through Sagar's journey...

2009-08-02T09:49:00.001-07:00

In my first post, I broached the idea of working at an organization specific level, or working at the sector level. I convinced myself that getting the latter experience was better for me, because I know what conditions on the ground are like. Having lived in Mumbai all my life, having travelled around the rural countryside, having made trips through the slums, I thought I knew the conditions and

Final Post from Michael, Rubicon!

2009-07-30T08:29:00.000-07:00

A Summer Intern’s Thoughts on Social Enterprise Before I became an intern at Rubicon National Social Innovations, I honestly had no idea what social enterprise was or of any organizations that existed. Being only a sophomore in college, my knowledge of social enterprise was limited to the notion that social enterprise somehow uses business skills to try to solve injustices

Reflections from Sagar

2009-07-26T03:47:00.000-07:00

The more I think about it, the more I realize that PW and PennSEM was the most ideal thing to happen to me this summer. When I was smitten by the concept of social enterprise two years ago, I was romanticizing it. I thought that I would be able to figure out all the answers and magically change everything that was wrong with this world. At some point however, idealism hits a brick wall, and you

Fog City Updates!

2009-07-19T00:31:00.001-07:00

Bay Area Brief: Since my last update, there has been a lot of talk on Capitol Hill and around the world with implications not only for the energy efficiency retrofit social enterprise we’re developing here at RNSI, but also for the world. On June 26, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a historic piece of legislation intended to curb greenhouse gas emissions and spur

Welcome our Twitter Queen... Danielle!

2009-07-15T05:18:00.000-07:00

Having been named “Twitter Queen” the second week of my internship, I have spent many hours researching how social media can be used as a marketing tool and building up Twitter followings for Ventures in Development and Shokay. Prior to arriving in Shanghai, I knew very little about Twitter – I was one of those many people who made Twitter accounts, got confused by all the #

Catherine's Greetings from Singapore

2009-07-15T05:12:00.000-07:00

Hi guys,Hope you'll enjoy Catherine's stories!*~*~*~*Last week, a project at work involved researching the best practices of venture philanthropy. I really had no idea what this topic entailed besides the fact that “it had something to do with venture capital.” Even knowing that meant very little, because my knowledge on venture capital is quite limited to begin with. After two days of research,

Vicky!

2009-07-08T01:10:00.000-07:00

First entry from Vicky Lam!*~*~*~*Greetings from Hong Kong! Actually, I am already halfway through my summer internship with Ventures in Development , but there are so many interesting projects going on with ViD that I don’t have much time to spare and share my exhilarating experience in the past month. Apologies for the delay!As you have probably learnt from Danielle, another PennSEM intern, ViD

Living and Working in the Tropics

2009-07-06T01:42:00.000-07:00

Greetings everyone, and hope you've enjoyed your July 4th tremendously. Here's a warm update from Sagar from the tropical island of Singapore.*~*~*~*Hey everyone!To start with, let me just give a shout-out to everyone who helped make PennSEM possible: the board, the professors, the university, the mentors and us! It's hard to believe that I am immersed up to my nose in a field that I hadn't even

Speech by President Obama!

2009-07-01T00:23:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends, President Obama recently made a speech to highlight innovative non-profit and social enterprise programs that are transforming communities across the nation. We hope it'll come as a great encouragement to you guys who are out there exploring and developing this field. Here's the speech.*~*~*~*THE WHITE HOUSEOffice of the Press Secretary_______________________________________________

Shanghai!

2009-06-28T04:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone, Danielle is going to thrill us with some lovely stories and pictures from her internship in Shanghai!*~*~*~*Hello from Shanghai! I can’t believe I’ve already completed my first two weeks at Ventures in Development (www.venturesindev.org), a nonprofit that promotes social entrepreneurship in the Greater China region. Ventures in Development’s work spans two areas, Knowledge

Weaving through the villages...

2009-06-23T07:00:00.001-07:00

Updates from dear Corey!*~*~*~*~*I traveled to the field last week to interview approximately 10 Self-Help Groups (SHGs) as a whole and 50 SHG members. I spent three days in Thanagazi, trekking from village to village and conducting interviews. Unable to speak Hindi, I was accompanied by Priyanka, another JRF employee, who served as my translator. Neetu, the Thanagazi

Greetings from San Francisco

2009-06-23T06:51:00.001-07:00

Greetings from dear Michael in San Francisco! *~*~*~*~*Greetings from Fog City! That is, of course, the nickname given to San Francisco, CA for the blankets of fog that roll into the city through the golden gate. Unbeknownst to me, San Francisco has very mild summers, and I made the mistake of packing mostly t-shirts and shorts. Oh well. These past three weeks have gone by

Arrival at Jaipur, India!

2009-06-07T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, here's our first post from Corey in India! We wish her all the best in her internship with Jaipur Rugs.*~*~*~*Surviving 28 hours of traveling, I arrived in Jaipur, India a little over a week ago, eager to start my mentorship under Mr. N.K. Chaudhary at the Jaipur Rugs Foundation (JRF). Registered under the Public Trust Act 1959, JRF was established in 2004 as a welfare initiative of

Hi

2009-05-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hi,This is a test entry for me to figure out configurations. Will make announcements later.Thanks!-Aaron