FYSE http://www.fyse.org Building entrepreneurial ecoystems that empower high-potential social entrepreneurs. Sat, 05 May 2012 14:07:55 +0000 en hourly 1 SparkHer Incubator- Meet our Social Entrepreneurs: Zhang Zhe http://www.fyse.org/2012/05/sparkher-incubator-meet-our-social-entrepreneurs-zhang-zhe/ http://www.fyse.org/2012/05/sparkher-incubator-meet-our-social-entrepreneurs-zhang-zhe/#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 14:17:30 +0000 Andrea http://www.fyse.org/?p=3829

I was born in a small city called Benxi, which is in the North-East part of China, famous for its steel industry but also notorious for the air pollution. When I was 10, my family relocated to Beijing in central China. Living close to the Capital Steel Factory in Benxi, my friends and I grew up singing songs about “Blue Sky” Beijing. To my dismay this was not what I discovered when I arrived in Beijing.

I remember the very first time I saw a starry sky. It was in Baoding (200km south-west from Beijing) during high school military training. At that moment I realized I have missed such a wonderful part of my life because I lived in the city.

I felt ill. I had nature deficit disorder.

I began to embark on my journey to explore ways to bridge this missing link so future generations growing up can experience the wonders of nature.

During my four years in college I studied Environmental Engineering where I learnt about all sorts of pollution data and waste treatment technologies. The numbers and technologies however did not make me feel any closer to nature.

After I graduated, I worked for 8 years at Roots & Shoots, an environmental education program for youth founded by the Jane Goodall Institute. For those 8 years, I was at my dream job working with young people who love nature and share the same dream as I did to being connected with the environment.

Two years ago I started a family. Becoming a mother has intensified my journey to build a connection between people and nature. I want to create more opportunities for city families to be able to enjoy the beauty and develop a genuine connection with nature.

I am very excited to be one of the 7 Spark:Her incubees for the 2012 spring cohort. I remember my heart beat really fast when I first came across the Spark:Her program. I want to have my own business and the Spark:Her program provides a great opportunity for me to ignite my idea to life.

I have chosen to focus particularly on  nature education for children  Although I am still in the idea phase, after two sessions with the Spark:Her program I have learnt concepts such as conducting market research to make my idea feasible. After 10-weeks of Spark:Her training, I aim to have a clear business plan and also build up a support network to share ideas and experiences to help me with my business.

Before I submitted my application, I spent the entire week trying to identify what my strengths are and what it is that I really want to do in my life. How much time was I willing to commit into my business idea? Will my family and friends understand and support me with this idea?

For your business idea, you need to determine what problem it is you’re trying to solve and what resources you have to help address these problems.

I will end by saying that if you have a dream to make this world a better place and you have an idea to solve a problem, then it’s time to take action! Go out and begin your journey as a Changemaker!

]]> http://www.fyse.org/2012/05/sparkher-incubator-meet-our-social-entrepreneurs-zhang-zhe/feed/ 0 Growing importance of social innovation in China http://www.fyse.org/2012/04/growing-importance-of-social-innovation-in-china/ http://www.fyse.org/2012/04/growing-importance-of-social-innovation-in-china/#comments Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:57:27 +0000 Andrea http://www.fyse.org/?p=3847 After over 30 years of development and social transformation, China now has a completely new social pattern. Three sub-systems, namely the State system with its officials and government agencies, the market system with its entrepreneurs and enterprises, and the civilian system with its citizens and various non-governmental organizations, have formed, interacting and confronting each other.

The government has said they will construct an “innovative country”, but an innovative country needs not only innovations in government and enterprise systems, but also in society.

Social innovations are creative ways to meet social needs, and they are indispensable in maintaining social vitality, encouraging civilians’ enthusiasm to participate in social affairs, and helping form a sense of self-governance.

The past several years have already seen social innovation play an increasingly important role in the development of China, and there are some noticeable trends for the future.

Social innovation will become an essential cooperative platform for the State, enterprises and civilian groups. The State should provide general institutional support, enterprises should provide material support, while civilian groups should provide human resources, which is the leading part. However, all three are indispensable; only with the cooperation of all can social innovation take place.

NGOs and social enterprises will play an increasingly essential role in this process. Unlike ordinary enterprises, social enterprises provide public services for the common good, and only seek revenue to cover their running costs. As key providers of services to society, they have done much to promote social welfare and propel public participation.

……

Read full article in China Daily here

]]> http://www.fyse.org/2012/04/growing-importance-of-social-innovation-in-china/feed/ 0 SparkHer Incubator- Meet our Social Entrepreneurs: Zhong Na http://www.fyse.org/2012/03/sparkher-incubator-meet-our-social-entrepreneurs-zhong-na/ http://www.fyse.org/2012/03/sparkher-incubator-meet-our-social-entrepreneurs-zhong-na/#comments Mon, 19 Mar 2012 14:00:28 +0000 Andrea http://www.fyse.org/?p=3774  

My name is Zhong Na! Ten years ago I came to Beijing from a rural village in Shandong province. I had always dreamed of being a teacher, but my limited education meant this dream was unlikely to ever come true. Back then I could only find work as a housekeeper and waitress.

 

One day I saw Caroline Watson, founder of Hua Dan, on the CCTV program “Women Hold Up Half the Sky”. She talked how she wants to help migrant girls unfolding their creative potential through theatre. Inspired by her enthusiasm and warmth, I started to attend Hua Dan workshops. In this atmosphere of mutual respect and equality, I began to express my thoughts in front of everyone and started to uncover my hidden talents and abilities. I then joined Hua Dan, and received training to become a drama teacher and today my dream has come true – I became a teacher!

After six years working for Hua Dan in Beijing, my aspiration is now to go back to Shandong and share what I have learned by using Hua Dan’s approach to empower school children in local schools. Hua Dan has filled me with love and warmth, and I now feel confident I can share this love with others through my work.

I know there are have lots of things, I still need to learn more such as writing a business plan and improving my leadership skills.

 

Now I’m truly appreciate got the Spark:Her’s incubator. I believe that as social entrepreneur I can lead my own live and my community with integrity, courage and confidence. It will also help me to increase my understanding and collaboration with people and groups from different backgrounds and also help me to explore new ways how to apply participatory arts for personal growth and social transformation.

 

]]> http://www.fyse.org/2012/03/sparkher-incubator-meet-our-social-entrepreneurs-zhong-na/feed/ 0 Caroline Watson- “I want to be Muhammad Yunus in participatory theatre” http://www.fyse.org/2012/02/caroline-watson-i-want-to-be-muhammad-yunus-in-participatory-theatre/ http://www.fyse.org/2012/02/caroline-watson-i-want-to-be-muhammad-yunus-in-participatory-theatre/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:42:04 +0000 Andrea http://www.fyse.org/?p=3751

“I want to be Muhammad Yunus in participatory theatre,” Caroline Watson, kicked off the Spark:Her Talk with an audience of nonprofit leaders and young people interested in social innovation.

 

In 2004 Caroline founded Hua Dan to empower migrant women and children through participatory theatre Hua Dan , and since then, she has overseen the growth of the organization. For her work she has received numerous awards including be names a Young Global Leader at the 2011 World Economic Forum, furthermore she became Architect of the Future at the 2007 Waldzell Meeting and was a 2010 Paragon Fellow, a fellowship for young social entrepreneurs offered by the FYSE.

 

The event turned out to be a mutual learning experience with the participants getting to know how Hua Dan has been able to address social issues using the theatre approach, and to brainstorm on possible ways to sustain Hua Dan ’s operation on its way to become a social enterprise.

 

Hua Dan  has managed to achieve amazing results by working directly with its beneficiaries. As sited its Annual Report, some of its key achievements since its inception to date included:

- 714 core community workshops
- reached more than 20,000 participants
- provided CSR consulting programs to 13 corporate clients

 

As a nonprofit Hua Dan so far relied on funding from foundations for its programs and shard tht she has found it difficult to seek core funding to enable scaling up. Therefore in 2008 Caroline and her team began to generate income from consulting services to private sector clients on team building and corporate social responsibility as an additional source of income.

 

“My greatest challenge was that I did not have managerial expertise. So far I have been learning by doing”, Caroline said at the event.  However, having a mentor was the best way for her to cope with many of her challenges as a social entrepreneur. Having succeeded as a pioneer in introducing an innovative approach to address social issues in China, Caroline now addresses the challenge to scale the organization through a model that is sustainable and replicable internationally. By encouraging migrant workers working for Hua Dan to set up their own Hua Dan centers around China, Caroline aims to reach more beneficiaries and to spread her impact.  However, the biggest impediment for scaling is funding and finding the correct partners for it. Therefore many comments during the Q&A focused on providing suggestions how to raise funding and how to approach more corporate donors.

 

In February 2012 Spark:Her launches a one-year incubator program to provide capacity building, mentoring and networking resources to high potential Chinese women social entrepreneurs. Zhong Na, a former migrant worker who turned out to be Hua Dan’s children program manager, will participate the program with the intention to replicate Hua Dan in Shandong Province of China. The Spark:Her incubator will not only benefit Zhong Na, but also to guide Hua Dan in its transition to a full fledge social enterprise through her knowledge transfer from her.

 

About the Spark:Her Speaker Series
The Spark:Her speaker series provides an place for women to hear inspiring, informational and empowering stories of how other women have succeeded as social entrepreneurs. The Spark:Her Speaker series is an important part of meeting the Spark:Her goal of inspiring more women to consider social entrepreneurship as a career choice by connecting them with role models as well as by supporting them building a peer-network of like minds.

 

]]> http://www.fyse.org/2012/02/caroline-watson-i-want-to-be-muhammad-yunus-in-participatory-theatre/feed/ 0 @FYSE Weekly Twitter Roundup http://www.fyse.org/2012/01/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-36/ http://www.fyse.org/2012/01/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-36/#comments Sun, 08 Jan 2012 12:40:00 +0000 Andrea http://www.fyse.org/2012/01/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-36/

]]> http://www.fyse.org/2012/01/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-36/feed/ 0 @FYSE Weekly Twitter Roundup http://www.fyse.org/2012/01/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-35/ http://www.fyse.org/2012/01/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-35/#comments Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:40:00 +0000 Andrea http://www.fyse.org/2012/01/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-35/

]]> http://www.fyse.org/2012/01/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-35/feed/ 0 @FYSE Weekly Twitter Roundup http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-34/ http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-34/#comments Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:40:00 +0000 Andrea http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-34/

]]> http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-34/feed/ 0 Spark:Her Community- January 2012 http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/sparkher-communtity-events-in-january-2012/ http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/sparkher-communtity-events-in-january-2012/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 04:03:29 +0000 Andrea http://www.fyse.org/?p=3535 We are very excited to roll out our Spark:Her community in Beijing from January onwards!

The Spark:Her community is an essential part of our movement building around the world with the aim to inspire and connect women around social entrepreneurship.

Local chapters around the world provide a engaging opportunity for women to learn about social entrepreneurship, to meet the movers and shakers in the field and to build a peer network of like-minded women passionate about entrepreneurship and social impact.

Get Involved! We need your vision, your leadership, and your energy. Channel your passion for women empowerment and social entrepreneurship and join or start a new chapter today! For more information email us at Sparkher@fyse.org

January 2012 Community events- Beijing/China

Spark:Her Community Dinner

Wednesday January 4, 2012
Time: 7:30-9:30pm
Cost: 50RMB
Location: Dongsishitiao / Beijing
Language: English + Chinese

Do you have an idea or currently run your own social venture? Are looking for a peer network of like-minded women passionate about entrepreneurship and social impact?

Join the Spark:Her community dinner, and informal opportunity to meet and connect with an supportive circle of fellow females interested and involved in social entrepreneurship!
RSVP required: please email: events@fyse.org

Spark:Her with Echo Liu- Finding your Passion to Change the World

Thursday January 5, 2012
Time: 7:30-9:30pm
Cost: 50RMB
Location: Sanyuanqiao/ Beijing
Language: English

Ms. Echo Liu finds her inspiration from a quote by Bertrand Russell, “Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and the unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.”

In this talk Echo Liu, founder of the social enterprise Hand Affection, will share about her experience of starting and growing her social enterprise and how she overcame various challenges by being driven by her passion.
RSVP required: please email: events@fyse.org

Spark:Her with Guangshen Gao- Philanthropy in China and the emergence of “new donors”

Thursday January 12, 2012
Time: 7:30-9:30pm
Cost: 50RMB
Location: Sanyuanqiao/ Beijing
Language: English

China is facing various economic and social inequalities, and NGOs are regarded as one of the most effective way to support marginalized groups and promote social inequality. To support CSO, one of key issue is to provide stable and systematic funding sources.

While many “traditional donors” including international foundations and international organizations such as the World Bank and UN agencies, have ceased or are in the process of phasing out support for Chinese social development, “New donors” in China are emerging. Local philanthropists and companies through their philanthrophic giving are increasingly important sources for fund raising and project support for Chinese CSOs.

Guangshen Gao will share about the profile and giving practices of those “new donors”; what opportunities and challenges the Sun Life Foundation faces in working with them and their key learnings about philanthropists in China.

Come and learn about an exciting new field in social development in China. RSVP required: please email: events@fyse.org

Spark:Her with Feng Yuan- Fighting Domestic Violence in China

Tuesday January 17, 2012
Time: 7:30-9:30pm
Cost: 50RMB
Location: Sanyuanqiao/ Beijing
Language: English

Did you know that up to 60% of women in China experience domestic violence?

Feng Yuan is a pioneer in fighting for women rights and marshaling coalitions and people to fight against domestic violence.  During her presentation she will share about her experience of starting her organization, her ups and downs as an NGO in China and how she works with other NGOs, the police and students to fight domestic violence.

Get inspired and learn about social entrepreneurship by her story and experience! RSVP required: please email: events@fyse.org

Speaker
Feng Yuan – Founder and Chair Anti Domestic Violence Network
Feng Yuan has been involved in research and action on women’s rights and gender issues since middle 1980s. A former journalist, she has co-founded several NGOs and initiatives, such as Media Monitor Network for Women, Beijing-Tianjin Facilitators’ Team on Gender and Development an the Anti Domestic Violence Network. She is the author and co-authors of many publications on women empowerment. She was a visiting scholar of Lund University, Sweden (1998) and Nieman fellow of Harvard University (2001-2002).

Anti-Domestic Violence Network / Beijing Fan Bao
Anti-Domestic Violence Network / Beijing Fan Bao was initiated by a group of professionals, scholars, activists, and several NGOs in Beijing with the mission to develop policy and systemic reform, enhance and refine multi-organizational intervention collaboration, and to promote women’s rights and interests through research, training, and advocacy. The network now has 121 individual members and 72 group members from 28 municipalities, provinces, and autonomous regions of China.  www.stopdv-china.org

Spark:Her Women2Women (W2) Idea Lab

Wednesday January 18, 2012
Time: 7:30-9:30pm
Cost: 50RMB
Location: Sanyuanqiao/ Beijing
Language: English + Chinese

Do you have an idea for a social enterprise and are looking for a peer network of like-minded women passionate about entrepreneurship and social impact?

Join the W2 Idea Lab, the opportunity to pitch your idea for a social enterprise to an supportive circle of fellow women. Enjoy a glass of wine and receive honest and valuable feedback and suggestion how to move from a good to a great business idea. RSVP required: please email: events@fyse.org

]]> http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/sparkher-communtity-events-in-january-2012/feed/ 0 @FYSE Weekly Twitter Roundup http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-33/ http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-33/#comments Sun, 18 Dec 2011 12:40:00 +0000 Andrea http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-33/

]]> http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/fyse-weekly-twitter-roundup-33/feed/ 0 Register now: Winter Mastermind Session (Beijing) http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/register-now-winter-mastermind-session-beijing/ http://www.fyse.org/2011/12/register-now-winter-mastermind-session-beijing/#comments Thu, 15 Dec 2011 02:52:15 +0000 Andrea http://www.fyse.org/?p=3506

Download Registration form or click here to register online!

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