Social Enterprise Development for Communities

      Partner people’s organizations and communities of De La Salle University (DLSU), social enterprise (SE) advocates including faculty members and other delegates from twenty-five 25 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) representing 10 countries from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)  plus Japan, China, and Korea participated in the September 9-18, 2019  # WeCAN  International Boot Camp.   The International Boot  Camp and Research Colloquium hosted by DLSU through the Lasallian Social Enterprise for Economic Development  Program of the Center for Social Concern and Action (COSCA) was supported by the government’s Commission on Higher Education.   

     The 10-day learning and mentoring sessions, cultural appreciation, social enterprise / social  incubation and innovations exposure aimed to equip participating HEIs  to contribute to the  localization of the  United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through social entrepreneurship.  The international boot camp also included a research colloquium co-organized by the Social Development Research Center.  DLSU showcased in the research colloquium studies on SDGs undertaken by faculty members, students and researchers. 

      Also, COSCA pushes to engage more community partners in the series of sessions for the LSEED SE Fellowship Program.  Women members from the following partner community organizations participated in the  series of  workshop held from July to  August 2019: a)  Bukluran ng mga Migranteng Manggagawa at Kapamilya, Inc., b) Kababayan Samahan ng Bagong Barrio, Caloocan, Inc., c) Erinyes Community  Kaingin I Chapter, Inc. and d) Kayumanggi Valenzuela City Chapter Association, Inc.  The  program capacitates more community members to  help  them  prepare themselves in their  social entrepreneurship  journey.  The series of workshop  introduce them  the concepts of  “social entrepreneurship and the SE landscape, organizational development, conflict management / resolution, social business canvass and creating and  developing the  SE idea and  business incubation.

      SE workshop sessions aim to deepen understanding  of the opportunities and challenges identified during community business scoping as well as facilitate the identification of immediate action plans that will enable partner communities and students to create / develop social enterprises that are relevant, sustainable and impact-driven.