Social Innovation Management
The Certificate in Social Innovation Management is a 6-month intensive program where you will learn by doing, train with master practitioners to unlock your potential, gain skills and build networks for the career YOU truly want.This blended program runs twice a year, with a 2-month Foundation online, followed by 4-month Immersion phase in a global hub of Social Innovation. for the upcoming programs, you can choose whether to do your immersion in São Paulo (Brazil) or Nairobi (Kenya).
You can attend and complete the Post-Graduate Certificate in Social Innovation Management even if you are currently working.
The Social Innovation Management program runs in English.
| Next Program | Locations | Final Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn 2020 (TBC) | Brazil | - |
| Autumn 2020 (TBC) | Kenya | - |
*** COVID-19 UPDATE AND SIM SPECIAL EDITION ONLINE
We believe more than ever that a new generation of changemakers will be needed to shape the way we live after this disruptive experience. This is why we are keeping applications open for the next class of the Social Innovation Management program, even as we closely monitor the status of the pandemic and restrictions on travel.
Once you apply, we will process your application while keeping you informed about any updates regarding changes of dates or program structure. We will proactively identify solutions to run the program in its entirety, while always prioritizing health and safety of all our stakeholders. We will continue to update this section in the weeks to come.
In the meantime, given the unknown ramifications with regard to travel, we have decided not to lose a year of impact and we have launched a Special Online Edition of the Social Innovation Management program that you can join no matter where you are located. This is not going to be a typical online course where you just watch video lectures and comment online. This is a high-intensity interactive experience. THIS PROGRAM IS SOLD OUT!
Who we are looking for
You want your work to have meaning and impact and are a person with the courage, empathy, vision and determination needed to create change. You want to:
Explore your future
You feel restless in your current job or and are ready to understand and pursue your true purpose.
Read Emilia’s story and Gabriel’s story
Unlock your entrepreneurial potential
You want to create your own social venture or are looking to apply creative skills inside an organization.
Read Krisstina’s story and Richard’s story
Have a positive impact in the world
No matter the sector, you want your work to have an impact and build a career you are proud of.
Read Nikhil’s story and Tainà’s story
Accelerate your Career
You want to build a strong global network of like-minded professionals who are contributing to systemic change on a larger scale.
Read Renelyn’s story and Ayush’s story
Formal Requirements
- A university degree (undergraduate/Bachelor’s)
OR - At least two years of practical experience (either working or volunteering) in the social sector
- Alignment with our core values: Vision, Courage, Empathy, Changemaking and a Global Mindset
Where our Fellows come from
Diversity
Diversity is one of the foundations of the Amani experience. The vastly different backgrounds of our Fellows are critical to the program, which thrives on the stories and perspectives they bring with them.
While we look for diversity in terms of personal and professional backgrounds, all of our Fellows go through a competitive selection process and share the Amani values.
Private Sector
Corporation, Start-Up, etc.
Public Sector
Government, UN, etc.
Recent Graduate
Social Sector
NGO, Social Enterprise, etc.
The Program
Program Elements
Through this innovative program, you will gain both systemic and granular understanding of the sector, build cutting-edge 21st-century skills with the help of global practitioners who are masters in the fields of Leadership, Entrepreneurship & Management, Communication, and Innovation while becoming part of an engaging global community of impact professionals.
The intensity and practical nature of the program means that you gain as much as 2-year Master’s in just 6 months.
You will also think deeply about your own goals and motivations, align who you are with what you want to do, and create a new strategy for your career.
- 10 skill-building courses from globally recognized master practitioners
- A 250-hour+ apprenticeship in a local organization (for those who are not already working) to immediately apply your learning on the job and make sense of the impact sector
- A wide range of networking opportunities to introduce you to the community of changemakers in the city of your immersion, with guest speakers, events, social gatherings
- 2 intensive learning trips with your classmates to amazing destinations in your immersion country
- ‘Global dialogue’ video calls with peers from other countries and webinars with Amani alumni to strengthen your connection to the community and learn from peers
- 6 individual coaching sessions during and after the program to support you in accelerating your career
Our promise
You will build the global network, professional experience, self-awareness, leadership capacity, and innovation skills you need to create change.
'Today I believe that the Philippines is a place where I can make the most difference. This program has given me the space to apply and practice what I’ve learned in the SIM program and I couldn’t have been happier for the chance to bring impact home.' - Mia Tengco, Kenya 2016
Program Structure (July 2020 program)
Foundation (7 weeks)
Starting June 29th, 2020
- 2 webinars per week, at fixed times and dates that will be announced in advance
- Independent remote work that will require an average of 15 hours per week
- Main topics of each week:
- Intro to the program and getting to know the other Fellows (1 week)
- Course: Inner Journey of the Changemaker - online phase (2 weeks)
- Course: The Practice of Social Innovation - online phase (2 weeks)
- Course: Building Intrapreneurship Skills - online phase (1 week)
- Course: Managing your Career in the Impact Sector - online phase (1 week)
Immersion (17 weeks)
In São Paulo (Brazil) from August 17th until December 13th, 2020
In Nairobi (Kenya) from August 15th until December 13th, 2020
- One 4-day trip at the beginning of the immersion phase
- One 3-day trip at the end of the program
- Apprenticeship (for those who don't have already a job): 25 hours a week, usually from Monday to Wednesday or as agreed with the apprenticeship host organization, always compatible with Amani Institute courses
- 10 highly interactive and practical skills courses with global master practitioners
- The Practice of Social Innovation
- Self-Development: The Inner Journey of the Changemaker
- Bio-Empathy: Learning Innovation Tools from Nature
- Storytelling as a Leadership Skill
- Turning an Idea into a Program or Venture
- Leading and Managing Social Impact
- Measuring Social Impact
- Building Intrapreneurship Skills
- Managing your Career in the Impact Sector
- One surprise course in each Location
- Classes in Brazil run:
Every Tuesday from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm, every Thursday from 6pm to 10 pm, and approximately two Fridays and Saturdays per month from 9am-6pm
- Classes in Kenya run:
Every Thursday and Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and approximately two Saturdays
per month from 9 am to 5 pm.
EXPERIENCE Learning by doing - Practice
Acquire solid work experience in one of the most exciting global hubs of social innovation.
1. You will work a Minimum of 24 hours per week throughout the 4 months of the Immersion Phase, to practice what you are learning.
You can keep your own job (if they allow remote working) or work on a startup (roughly 25% of each class are aspiring or current social entrepreneurs). Alternatively, Amani Institute will place you in a local host organization that matches your interests and your learning needs for an apprenticeship. This is a key pillar of the program for those looking to better understand the social sector.
SEE EXAMPLES OF APPRENTICESHIP HOSTS
LEARN ABOUT HYE MI AHN’S APPRENTICESHIP AT ASHOKA.
You will experience first-hand the immense challenges and possibilities involved in social innovation. No matter where you are doing your practice, you will need to create a solution inside the organization. We refer to this as the “intrapreneurship challenge”.
2. You will develop your own Social Innovation Project
During the program, you will develop a new idea to address a social problem or opportunity that you personally care about. Through our innovation methodology, we will guide you through a structured process for generating creative ideas. You will prototype a new idea for social change, see how the world reacts, and present your project to complete the program.
READ ABOUT JON’S EXPERIENCE WITH HIS INNOVATION PROJECT
3 - You will build a special connection to the country of your choice, and beyond!
The program includes two multi-day field trips to beautiful parts of the country, site visits, and local field experiences through which you get the chance to dive deeper into the local realities of India, Kenya, or Brazil.
A networking event specifically designed for you, and a series of opportunities to deeply connect with Amani Institute’s alumni community and to engage with local and global impact experts and practitioners will provide you with a powerful lasting professional network of support.
EXPERTISE - Professional skills courses
Gain cutting-edge 21st century professional skills from global experts.
You will take part in 10 courses and workshops designed to develop professional skills in high demand by leading employers. But this is no theoretical or academic program! These courses are run by master global practitioners at the top of their fields who will teach you practical tools they use in their own world-changing work on a daily basis.
The courses provide practical tools and methods to help you master the topics – in total, you will learn more than 70 new tools/frameworks that you can apply immediately in your work.
The courses are so practical. Each week I find myself applying what I learnt the previous week into my current job." NATALIE LUKKENAER (Netherlands), Kenya 2015.
Read more about our approach to building skills for the 21st century.
INSIGHT
Align who you are with the work you want to do, and prepare for the road ahead.
One of the most distinctive elements of this program is our focus on you, the individual embarking on this transformational journey. Throughout the program, you will understand who you are as a leader and changemaker and how to manage yourself to be an even better professional.
Personal Leadership Development
Our signature personal leadership development curriculum, called The Inner Journey of the Changemaker, is a unique component of the program relative to other educational institutions. The course features many tools and practices of self-development to help you align your passions and purpose, understand how to manage yourself in a demanding field of work and thrive in a constantly changing world. Several past Fellows have called this course life-changing!
Individual Support
Throughout the program, you will have regular meetings with Amani staff to assess your progress and ensure you are continually learning and growing, coaching you to make the most of the experience and strategize about your career path. You may also have up to two additional coaching sessions after the program ends.
In Pictures
A Glimpse Into Our Classes
Our learning approach is project-based, working in teams – like how work actually happens in the real world. The content is always built on real world case studies, both local and global examples. Close interactions with leaders and role models in the same field as well as peer-coaching are part of all our classes.
See full gallery in Flickr
Getting to Know the Social Change Sector
Field trips and apprenticeships in Social Enterprises or NGOs can show you the vast opportunities in the social change sector and what it takes to actually make change happen.
See full gallery in Flickr
Diversity
At Amani Institute people from all over the world come together to learn. We are proud of the diversity represented in our team, Fellows, instructors and guest speakers!
See full gallery in Flickr
Faculty and Guest Speakers at Amani
Our faculty has included a Nobel Peace laureate, experts in leadership development from McKinsey & Company, an award-winning documentary producer, a leading foundation director, and many others.
See full gallery in Flickr
Life in Bengaluru, Nairobi, and São Paulo
What is it like to live in Bengaluru, India, Nairobi, Kenya or São Paulo, Brazil? These emerging hubs of social innovation offer a rich cultural offering and both countries feature some of the world's most amazing natural beauty.
See full gallery in FlickrCertifications and Accreditation
Lynn University, Florida, USA
Completing this program means you complete 25% of an MBA through Lynn University. The rest of the MBA can be done either online or at Lynn’s campus in Florida, USA.
University for Peace, Costa Rica
Become eligible for the United Nations-mandated University for Peace Diploma in Social Innovation by only completing two additional online courses.
Awards
Ashoka U – Cordes Award for Innovations in Higher Education
Since 2011, Ashoka U and the Cordes Foundation have recognized outstanding programmatic innovations that transform how colleges and universities foster changemaking education on campus. Amani Institute was awarded in 2017 in the category “Student Pathways”.
World Education Congress
In 2017, Amani Institute also received the World Education Congress Award for Leadership in Education.
Learn About Our Alumni
Nelson Ole Reiya
Nelson Ole Reiya is a champion for the Maasai community in Kenya and runs a successful safari business. During the program, he developed a concept for a "stories cafe" to capture and share ancient Maasai heritage. Since he graduated, he has also created a new conservancy for wildlife protection and was awarded the prestigious Global Good Fund fellowship.
Irene Wu
Being an immigrant in multiple cultures - from China, to Japan and USA - Irene wants to increase social cohesion and peace. Experienced in designing youth social innovation programs across Southeast Asia, Irene wanted to work at a larger scale. Post her apprenticeship in the program with Ashoka, her stellar work led to a job offer to work with Ashoka in their Washington D.C. global headquarters.
Gianmarco Marinello
Gianmarco came to Amani Institute looking to shift his career from HR in the private sector to making an impact for young marginalized people. During the program in Kenya, he created his social enterprise, Nai Nami, now featured as an inspirational "off-the-beaten-track" experience by AirBnb and as #1 Tour in Nairobi on Tripadvisor!
Andy McBride
Andy came to Amani after a career in consulting with Accenture. After Amani, his own consulting practice Amzuri has worked with social enterprises, charities, and governments in the UK, Kenya, Angola and Tanzania, on organizational design, leadership and innovation.
Tainá Costa
Tainá was working at Rede Globo when she joined the program, with the intention of transitioning to a career of meaning and impact. After the program, she was hired as the Brazil Chapter Program Coordinator for the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE).
Giulia Balestra
Giulia came to Amani to further her interest in working with refugees. After a successful apprenticeship and innovation project on supporting refugees, she was hired by Refunite, which uses new technologies to serve refugees.
Vladimir Olarte
During the program, Vladimir, father of 5-year-old Sophia, became a Partner at Prissma (Projects of Social Innovation and Environmental Sustainability) Group and as soon as he graduated he went on to become the Growth Program Manager for Latin America at the global Impact Hub Network.
Luis Miguel
When he joined Amani Institute, Luis Miguel was working as the Innovation Manager at Recidar, a Peruvian social enterprise. In 2018, he became Innovation Lead at the Center of Innovation at the Lima Council, driving impact through innovation in the public sector.
Cali Livingstone
Prior to Amani Institute, Cali worked in China with Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian NGO. After the program, she returned to Mercy Corps with a promotion to be the South-East Asia Regional Head for Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning.
What distinguishes Amani Institute Graduates
Costs and Scholarships
Your Investment
Program Cost: USD 7950 (including a non refundable deposit of USD 1000 upon acceptance into the program).
Note: This fee does not cover your airfare and entry visa to India, Kenya or Brazil nor your daily expenses while there. Living costs can vary widely depending on your lifestyle choices. Anyway, our monthly estimate for an international fellow is around 800$ in São Paulo and Nairobi, and 500$ in Bengaluru.
(The program) is one of the greatest experiences of my life. It has a totally innovative approach addressing a variety of topics, e.g. design thinking, systems change, and at the same time you will have the chance to practice that in different organizations to make a positive social change. Trust me this is the best social innovation learning-by-doing experience I’ve ever had.JERRY ZHU (China), Kenya 2013.
I was looking for something aligned with my career, impact driven and with practical solutions that I could immediately apply to my work. I got all of that with an additional element that was the inner journey!AMANDA SEGNINI (Brazil), Brazil 2015.
What You Get
The tuition fee covers the following:
10 courses to build professional skills in high demand by leading employers, taught by global experts, who will be forever part of your personal network.
A 4-month apprenticeship in a leading organization in your field of interest and management of the relationship with the host organization. This also includes securing your legal status to volunteer.
A personalized leadership development journey through coaching, peer coaching and interactions with guest speakers who are leaders of social change from around the world.
All travel expenses associated with field visits, including the two 4-day trips, which are a highlight of the Immersion Phase.
Advice and connections to enable your next career step, ongoing alumni support, further learning activities, and network building.
From the Foundation Phase to the end of the Program, we take care of you and your personal and professional development.
The True Cost of the Program
Providing a world-class educational and life-changing experience is expensive to do. Amani Institute, as a social enterprise, depends on program fees to sustain itself. But we are committed to being accessible to as many people as possible. The true cost of this program at global market rates is over $16,000; we subsidize 50% of this through our consulting and training work.
Scholarships
Amani Institute understands that the cost of the program may still be difficult for some of our participants. As a result, there will be limited financial aid available in extreme cases of need. Please note that any scholarship offered only covers the cost of the Program. We do not sponsor airfare and housing.