International Social Entrepreneurship:
The Minerva Fellows
Mission
2009-2010 |
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Minerva Fellows' Blogs
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To instill in some recent graduates of Union College an entrepreneurial approach to social problems and a lasting commitment to the poor in developing countries with an important spillover impact on current students.
The Program
All students and faculty members at Union College belong to one of seven Minerva Houses that serve students’ social and academic interests. A selection committee will select seven graduating senior per year to receive a scholarship to devote eleven months to working with a social entrepreneurial organization in a developing country and to educating Union College students upon their return.
The students will apply in the fall, be selected in the winter, take a social entrepreneurship course in the spring, graduate in the middle of June and report to work in the middle of July. The students will return to Union on May 1 of the following year and live in their Minerva House for one month. During the month of May, the students will participate in an ongoing course on social entrepreneurship, which will focus on international examples for the final four weeks. In addition, the students will informally interact with their former student colleagues (many of whom will be friends), give presentations at Minerva Houses and to classes.
dBased upon the demonstrated success of the one-year pilot, the College is committed to sustain the effort with a combination of undergraduates and newly graduated students. The Minerva Council voted to contribute $10,000 per year to the program.
The Goals
It is important for the College to make a commitment to alleviating poverty in developing countries and to make a commitment to its students after they graduate beyond asking for their support as alums. Perhaps globalization will pull up the destitute eventually, but in the meantime, this program exposes young people to the human side of poverty and provides them with the opportunity to have a positive impact.
The social entrepreneurship course that students take in their final term at Union will open their minds to the possibilities for managing social initiatives better. The entrepreneurial perspective will establish an inquisitive, creative, questioning, skeptical and ambitious mindset. Students will provide a critical analysis of their experiences when they revisit the social entrepreneurship course upon their return.
Many students care deeply about the less fortunate, but know little about opportunities to help. This program provides an opportunity. The program will probably have a larger impact on participating volunteers than on participating communities; the volunteers will be changed for life. Most will undoubtedly return to a conventional career path, but they will be sensitized to the ravages of disease and poverty and will support its eradication. It is even possible that some will become social entrepreneurs, devoting their careers to finding innovative ways to improve the world.
Effective programs leverage the benefits. This program directly impacts seven students and indirectly impacts many more. The students will return to Union College immediately after their time abroad to share their experiences with their colleagues before it dissipates with time. Other students will rethink their career plans and values as a result.
Our Collaborating Partners
Engeye located in Southern Uganda Welfare Society for Destitute Children located in Mumbai, India
Partners in Health located in Southern Malawi The Global Child located in Siem Reap, Cambodia
CASE located in South Africa