April 7, 2016
In September 2015 Erin Krampetz from Ashoka U facilitated a workshop around Creating and Managing a Social Venture at The Amani Institute Brazil. Besides being Chair of Amani Institute’s Board of Directors, Erin is the Co-Founder and Community Director of Ashoka U, where she fosters the strategic development and growth of the Ashoka U community of practice with the goal of supporting colleges and universities everywhere to become hubs of social innovation. Click here to find more information about Erin.
The course she gave in São Paulo was part of the Social Innovation Management Program where the 23 Fellows, for three days, focused on innovative approaches to social challenges through social enterprise tools and methodologies. Erin also brought to the class different sources of inspiration to build, manage and measure results in the social sector.
After the three-day course, we asked Erin a few questions:
1. Why did you join Amani Institute? Amani is about self-actualization. Yet reaching your full potential and making change is not easy. We all deserve a support network to help us become our best selves — for ourselves and also for the world.
2. Why do you teach “Creating and Managing a Social Venture” at The Amani Institute? Giving the course of Creating and Managing a Social Venture was a special opportunity for me to share my own experience. I`ve been managing a social venture for over 8 years, but to get started and to keep going day after day can be daunting. With the course, we went step-by-step towards the change we all plan to achieve (both personally and professionally). The idea is to make something that can seem impossible, possible.
3. How was your experience teaching for 23 Amani Fellows here Brazil? It was amazing to meet 23 powerful people! I want each Amani Fellow to take action by taking what they have learned and apply it!
4. What impact do you want to see in this group? I want to see all their projects succeed — that young people become changemakers through Aporé; changemakers change policies in Engajamundo; vulnerable populations, including waste pickers and others, contribute fully to society through Cicla; and older adults get meaningful work through MaturiJobs — and much more!
A few hours before Erin returned to her home in Washington DC, after a week in São Paulo with the Amani Fellows, she closed our conversation with the following thought:
“All of this results from a group of 23 people: imagine if we were all changemakers? I would invite other social change leaders to consider giving back by teaching at Amani and those looking for a support network to make change to consider applying as a Fellow.”
Learn more about Erin at www.ashokau.org or join their annual conference by applying for the 2016 Ashoka U Exchange here (www.ashokau.org/exchange).
Learn more about The Amani Institute at www.amaniinstitute.org or get in contact: [email protected]
Here are some of the projects further developed during the course:
