Before the mix of festivities and chaos hit the streets of Toronto this past weekend, YSEC joined a panel of young entrepreneurs representing the city at the G20 Youth Summit. Known as MY SUMMIT, the event convened youth delegates from all the participating nations.
Moderated by Gavin Sheppherd of The Remix Project – a community organization with several budding social enterprises – the panel was prodded on their thoughts about the challenges and opportunities the city holds for young entrepreneurs.
Their verdict? Canada needs more community hubs and informal associations dedicated to young entrepreneurs, but stands to gain significantly from looming transformations in all social systems – from energy and agriculture, to healthcare and education.
As the delegates spoke about means of influencing the future, social entrepreneurship seemed to captivate their interest.
A delegate from South Korea contemplated the distinction between social enterprise and corporate social responsibility, while another from Mexico was concerned that developed nations were yet again dictating a prescribed development path for emerging economies by suggesting that they develop in cleaner ways. The latter point was an important cue in establishing a framework for collaboration among nations, but misses the point that a global full press of social innovation is needed to adapt to a rapidly shifting world. While it is entirely reasonable to demand that developed nations assume much of the burden of ensuring better social and environmental practices, it is also vital for all nations to do what they can to stimulate, aid and practice wide scale social innovation.
The event revealed the depth of interest young leaders from around the world are taking in social entrepreneurship as a concrete way forward. In contrast to the weekend’s moments of despair in the streets, the sense of promise was palpable. And that’s a very good thing.
