Social entrepreneurship signals the imperative to drive social change. It is this potential gain, with its transformative benefits for society and the environment, that we wanted our students at HsKA to experience. The camp was unlike a regular study program. It was a three-day workshop, organized by Hilfswerft, GoodThinks, and xLab, where students could work on ideas, new products, and services that could (dramatically) improve people’s lives and drive social innovation. In the end, the ideas were presented to a diverse jury of experienced founders and social entrepreneurs.
Here are some insights:
Christian Kroll, the CEO of Ecosia, encouraged the students to work enthusiastically on unconventional ideas that could succeed against all odds – even if it takes several attempts. After this motivational boost, the participants were divided into teams in which they developed different solutions to social, cultural, or environmental problems. For example, one group of students worked on the idea of creating safe spaces for homeless people from the LGBTQ community. One developed the concept for a platform to help experts with charity projects related to the water supply. Another team came up with the idea of reimaging the weekly market as a digital platform where local food producers can sell their products.
In summary:
All participants received valuable feedback and were engaged in developing purpose-driven ideas and validating the business model of their solutions. Unlike nonprofits, social entrepreneurs aim to develop sustainable solutions but are still concerned with profits. After all, success is defined by how companies improve the world.
To learn more about this project, click here.
