Name:
Finger Lakes Social Entrepreneurship Institute
Date:
November 15, 2013 - November 17, 2013
Event Description:
Learning how to create a thriving local economy through social entrepreneurship
Contact: CTA Director Anke Wessels, 607-255-5027, or email akw7@cornell.edu.
The Center for Transformative Action (CTA) is hosting the second annual “Finger Lakes Social Entrepreneurship Institute” to be held at Cornell University and at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center from Friday, November 15 to Sunday, November 17, 2013.
Anke Wessels, CTA’s executive director, explains that, “Social entrepreneurs are people with system-changing ideas that help resolve a social problem. They take their ideas and make them a reality by applying entrepreneurial skills---such a passion, persistence innovation, solutions and results-orientation, and an ability to create something from nothing. Their ventures, which can be for-profit businesses or nonprofit organizations, focus both on financial viability and social impact. ” This two and a half day event will be filled with valuable workshops for new and experienced social entrepreneurs to help them build their for-profit or nonprofit social ventures. Benefiting also from the advice of consultants and practitioners, participants will walk away from the Institute with a new set of tools as well as relationships with which to move forward with their plans, no matter the stage of their venture. The theme of the Institute is "Creating local economies that are socially just and ecologically sound."
For more information about the event, scholarships, and the schedule, visit our website at www.centerfortransformativeaction.org
The Institute opens on Friday, November 15 at 2:00 pm. At 7:30 pm, Delmonize (Del) Smith will give the keynote address on “Creating a Thriving Local Economy through Urban Entrepreneurship.” Del Smith is the Director of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s new Center for Urban Entrepreneurship. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship is creating a new culture of entrepreneurship in the region, with a particular emphasis on the most underserved populations. Dr. Smith's research focuses on the growth of minority-based businesses. This keynote will be held in the Anabel Taylor Hall Auditorium at Cornell University, and is free and open to the public.
On Saturday, participants will hear from Judy Wicks, an entrepreneur, activist and author working to build a more compassionate, environmentally sustainable and locally based economy. Her memoir Good Morning, Beautiful Business: the Unexpected Journey of an Activist Entrepreneur and Local Economy Pioneer was published in March 2013. Judy is founder of Philadelphia’s landmark White Dog Café known for its leadership in the local food movement, as well as community building and environmental stewardship. She founded several non-profits including Fair Food Philly and the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, and co-founded the nationwide Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), a network of 30,000 local independent businesses in 80 communities. In 2009, Judy sold the White Dog through a unique agreement that preserves local, independent ownership and maintains sustainable business practices, including buying from local farmers and fair trade purveyors, composting and using renewable energy. She will be speaking on “Creating value chains and collective impact in food systems.” She will also assist in our small working group sessions, and will no doubt be a huge asset to the institute.
On Saturday evening, participants will attend the screening of “The Barefoot Artist” at Cinemapolis. This film explores the methods and motivations of Lily Yeh and her revolutionary, community-based public art. It documents the two sides of Lily’s life: her international ventures mending the broken and helping to heal weakened spirits in communities in North America, Africa, China, and India, and a personal journey within, to repair her own fractured family. Lily Yeh will be attending the entire Institute, and will give a “talk back” along with the film director at Cinemapolis after the screening.
The fee for the entire three-day Institute is $225 ($100 for students), and includes a local foods breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday, plus snacks and drinks throughout the weekend. It also includes a ticket to “The Barefoot Artist” showing at Cinemapolis on Saturday evening, and the Post-Institute event on Sunday afternoon that features 18-minute presentations by 9 innovative social entrepreneurs* who will be speaking on “Creating communities that work for everyone.” Limited full scholarships are available by application. An early bird discount of 10% is available until October 9, for a total price of $202.50. After November 1, online registrations will be closed.
Register here: http://www.centerfortransformativeaction.org/SE-Institute-panels-and-workshops.html.
*List of the nine social entrepreneurs speaking at our post-institute event:
Lauren Braun '11, Founder, Alma Sana
Kirby Edmonds '99, Senior Fellow, Dorothy Cotton Institute
Natalie Bridgeman Fields '99, Founder, Accountability Counsel
Rob Garrity '05, Founder, Finlo Solar Powers
Ben Justus '08, Founder, EGBOK
Bill Myers '73, Founder, Alternatives Federal Credit Union
Liz Ngonzi '98, Founder, Amazing Taste
Meredith Ramirez Talusan, Founder, The Ricefield Collective
Lily Yeh, Founder, Barefoot Artists
Financial Sponsors: Engaged Learning and Research; Entrepreneurship@Cornell; Iscol Family Program for Leadership Development in Public Service; Cornell Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Park Foundation.
Supporters: Alma Sana; Alternatives Federal Credit Union; Amazing Taste; Barefoot Artists; Building Bridges; Business Alliance for Local Living Economies; Celia’s Ice Pops; Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise; Center for Urban Entrepreneurship at RIT; Challenge Workforce Solutions; Community Foundation of Tompkins County; Diaspora Gallery; Dorothy Cotton Institute; EGBOK; eLab; Finlo Solar Powers; Groundswell Local Food and Farming; Illume Projects; Local First Ithaca; Nonprofit Finance Fund; Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives at National Credit Union Administration; Peaks; Ricefield Collective; Social Ventures; Sustainable Passion; Syracuse University NGO Clinic; THRIIVE; Wide Awake Bakery
Contact: CTA Director Anke Wessels, 607-255-5027, or email akw7@cornell.edu.
The Center for Transformative Action (CTA) is hosting the second annual “Finger Lakes Social Entrepreneurship Institute” to be held at Cornell University and at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center from Friday, November 15 to Sunday, November 17, 2013.
Anke Wessels, CTA’s executive director, explains that, “Social entrepreneurs are people with system-changing ideas that help resolve a social problem. They take their ideas and make them a reality by applying entrepreneurial skills---such a passion, persistence innovation, solutions and results-orientation, and an ability to create something from nothing. Their ventures, which can be for-profit businesses or nonprofit organizations, focus both on financial viability and social impact. ” This two and a half day event will be filled with valuable workshops for new and experienced social entrepreneurs to help them build their for-profit or nonprofit social ventures. Benefiting also from the advice of consultants and practitioners, participants will walk away from the Institute with a new set of tools as well as relationships with which to move forward with their plans, no matter the stage of their venture. The theme of the Institute is "Creating local economies that are socially just and ecologically sound."
For more information about the event, scholarships, and the schedule, visit our website at www.centerfortransformativeaction.org
The Institute opens on Friday, November 15 at 2:00 pm. At 7:30 pm, Delmonize (Del) Smith will give the keynote address on “Creating a Thriving Local Economy through Urban Entrepreneurship.” Del Smith is the Director of the Rochester Institute of Technology’s new Center for Urban Entrepreneurship. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship is creating a new culture of entrepreneurship in the region, with a particular emphasis on the most underserved populations. Dr. Smith's research focuses on the growth of minority-based businesses. This keynote will be held in the Anabel Taylor Hall Auditorium at Cornell University, and is free and open to the public.
On Saturday, participants will hear from Judy Wicks, an entrepreneur, activist and author working to build a more compassionate, environmentally sustainable and locally based economy. Her memoir Good Morning, Beautiful Business: the Unexpected Journey of an Activist Entrepreneur and Local Economy Pioneer was published in March 2013. Judy is founder of Philadelphia’s landmark White Dog Café known for its leadership in the local food movement, as well as community building and environmental stewardship. She founded several non-profits including Fair Food Philly and the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, and co-founded the nationwide Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), a network of 30,000 local independent businesses in 80 communities. In 2009, Judy sold the White Dog through a unique agreement that preserves local, independent ownership and maintains sustainable business practices, including buying from local farmers and fair trade purveyors, composting and using renewable energy. She will be speaking on “Creating value chains and collective impact in food systems.” She will also assist in our small working group sessions, and will no doubt be a huge asset to the institute.
On Saturday evening, participants will attend the screening of “The Barefoot Artist” at Cinemapolis. This film explores the methods and motivations of Lily Yeh and her revolutionary, community-based public art. It documents the two sides of Lily’s life: her international ventures mending the broken and helping to heal weakened spirits in communities in North America, Africa, China, and India, and a personal journey within, to repair her own fractured family. Lily Yeh will be attending the entire Institute, and will give a “talk back” along with the film director at Cinemapolis after the screening.
The fee for the entire three-day Institute is $225 ($100 for students), and includes a local foods breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday, plus snacks and drinks throughout the weekend. It also includes a ticket to “The Barefoot Artist” showing at Cinemapolis on Saturday evening, and the Post-Institute event on Sunday afternoon that features 18-minute presentations by 9 innovative social entrepreneurs* who will be speaking on “Creating communities that work for everyone.” Limited full scholarships are available by application. An early bird discount of 10% is available until October 9, for a total price of $202.50. After November 1, online registrations will be closed.
Register here: http://www.centerfortransformativeaction.org/SE-Institute-panels-and-workshops.html.
*List of the nine social entrepreneurs speaking at our post-institute event:
Lauren Braun '11, Founder, Alma Sana
Kirby Edmonds '99, Senior Fellow, Dorothy Cotton Institute
Natalie Bridgeman Fields '99, Founder, Accountability Counsel
Rob Garrity '05, Founder, Finlo Solar Powers
Ben Justus '08, Founder, EGBOK
Bill Myers '73, Founder, Alternatives Federal Credit Union
Liz Ngonzi '98, Founder, Amazing Taste
Meredith Ramirez Talusan, Founder, The Ricefield Collective
Lily Yeh, Founder, Barefoot Artists
Financial Sponsors: Engaged Learning and Research; Entrepreneurship@Cornell; Iscol Family Program for Leadership Development in Public Service; Cornell Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Park Foundation.
Supporters: Alma Sana; Alternatives Federal Credit Union; Amazing Taste; Barefoot Artists; Building Bridges; Business Alliance for Local Living Economies; Celia’s Ice Pops; Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise; Center for Urban Entrepreneurship at RIT; Challenge Workforce Solutions; Community Foundation of Tompkins County; Diaspora Gallery; Dorothy Cotton Institute; EGBOK; eLab; Finlo Solar Powers; Groundswell Local Food and Farming; Illume Projects; Local First Ithaca; Nonprofit Finance Fund; Office of Small Credit Union Initiatives at National Credit Union Administration; Peaks; Ricefield Collective; Social Ventures; Sustainable Passion; Syracuse University NGO Clinic; THRIIVE; Wide Awake Bakery
