The New Engines of Reform

A nice article about the rise of -- and importance of -- social entrepreneurship.

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The New Engines of Reform

By David Gergen, US News & World Report

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/biztech/articles/060220/20gergen.htm

2/20/06

 

Students at a KIPP school in Houston benefit from social entrepreneurship.

 

There won't be any sleek limousines drawing up at the door, no red carpets, no paparazzi, no Vanity Fair afterglow, and, alas, no Annie Leibovitz. But when dozens of people roll into the Mohonk Mountain House in the Hudson Valley this week, they'll be holding their own Oscar party--one celebrating the stars of a new group of emerging leaders in the United States.

They're called "social entrepreneurs," and if you haven't heard the phrase yet, you're missing one of the hottest movements to ripple across college campuses and into young urban communities. Among them is Gillian Caldwell, who cofounded Witness, a nonprofit that provides video cameras to people in other lands who film human-rights abuses and bring them to public attention. Jonathan Schnur, CEO of New Leaders for New Schools, is seeking to transform urban schools by training leaders to be principals. J.B. Schramm runs a group called College Summit Inc. that helps high school seniors from low-income schools enroll in college. So far, it has served more than 6,000 students.

Social entrepreneurs do more than treat society's ills--they envision widespread, systemic change that could prevent those ills from ever occurring. They tackle social problems with entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. As the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship says, this new breed is part Richard Branson, part Mother Teresa...