Poverty is a global phenomena. There isn’t a single community that is not affected by the deprivation of capabilities. Income poverty affects 10% of the world population. It is mostly concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Individuals in these parts of the world live on $1.25 a day. Closer to Wooster, in Wayne county, 2014 data shows that poverty went up after 2008, especially in women-headed households. One in three families with children are in income poverty. When you couple this information with an awareness that 62 of the worlds richest people have the same amount of wealth as half the world, one does have to pause. What is the Social Entrepreneurship program doing to address this global problem?
In the Fall of 2015, Todd Jasin, the new Executive Director of United Way (UW) of Wayne and Holmes County asked the Social Entrepreneurship program to help its stakeholders define poverty locally. Four students, Maria Atala, Amadou Bah, Macy Conrad and Gillian Spangler working with UW trustee, Cameron Maneese, suggested a multidimensional measure of poverty.
Amadou, Maria, Gillian, and Macy
Students helped research measures of poverty. They completed a business plan that included implementation ideas and a risk assessment. The goal of the project was to use a multidimensional understanding of poverty to guide policy decisions and strategic philanthropy.
Another team, was asked to develop a plan for an entrepreneurship and leadership school for foster children. The majority of foster children end up in a cycle of dependance and poverty as two students Allie Haines and Gabe Lopez found with the interdisciplinary summer research project funded by a Mellon Foundation grant written by Professor’s Anne Nurse and Moledina. After these findings, Kat Bochtler, Emily Foley, and Gabe Lopez worked with Professor Thelamour and the Village Network to write a financial plan for an entrepreneurship/leadership academy.
Professor Thelamour, Emily, Gabe, and Kat
Dave Paxton of the Village Network hopes that the project will begin its implementation phase next year. Similarly, Todd has already started using the student-designed framework to move ahead with their bold goal of 10,000 out of poverty. We are grateful to our partner organizations that keep returning to us with projects that strengthen our communities. But what about globally?
This spring, 10 student have been selected into the Global Social Entrepreneurship program, a seven month program that includes a seminar and field experience in India. In the seminar, students are learning about the unique nature of poverty in India. There are no textbooks in this seminar – just live case studies of social enterprises trying to alleviate poverty, student/organization guided research, and learning. Our ten Global Social Entreprenerus will travel to India to work on innovation projects that have been designed by their host organizations, Dream a Dream and Sattva Media and Consulting in May. In preparation, the Global SE students also screened a new documentary film for the community called “Driving with Selvi” in the hopes of raising community awareness about the intersection of gender roles and livelihoods. Read about their experiences here . If you are inclined to support them financially so that they may offset their travel expenses, please do so by bidding in their silent auction. For more pictures, visit our Flickr site.