Mike Edwards, Preparing the Trail

Mike Edwards is the Project Coordinator of Preparing the Trail, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to making exercise fun and productive, anytime, anywhere, for anyone, in the most sustainable way possible.

1) What are you working on and why does it matter?

In my spare time, I have taken the initiative to satisfy my personal passion for athletics and the environment – I have developed a website and a not-for-profit program called Preparing the Trail.

Preparing the Trail is using the power of athletics to drive environmental and socially oriented messages in our communities.  This matters to me because in today’s environment, we need to find innovative solutions that engage the public and educate our communities, understanding that accurate unbiased knowledge is the key to stimulating proper action and behavioural change.

I am also currently working full time as a Mechanical Engineer and Green Building Specialist at Enermodal Engineering, helping to make the world a better place by designing energy and resource efficient buildings.  I am also working with YSEC to track the financial and social metrics of our Preparing the Trail program.

2) What motivates you?

I am motivated by optimistic, passionate, hardworking individuals that take the road less travelled.  I think it is important to look back at your accomplishments every few months, and set new goals after you complete the last, using each achievement as a stepping stone towards the next.  I am also slightly masochistic - I feed adversity, and hard work.

3) What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned recently?

The biggest lesson that I have learned recently is that opportunities often present themselves when you least expect it.  Small lessons can be learned from every experience, good or bad.  Adversity can bring out the best in people, and can teach you a lot about yourself.  Know your limits, and test them each and every day!

4) If you could invite 5 people dead or alive to dinner, who would they be?

If I could organize a dinner with 5 people, dead or alive, I would invite individuals that have inspired me and shaped the person that I am today.  I have always been inspired by great leaders that can make others around them better people.

As a kid I was obsessed with Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky, there was something about the way they handled themselves in the most stressful situations, leading by example, and elevating their teams’ performance.  I would have a few questions for Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and I would also invite Bradley Nowell, the ex-lead singer of Sublime, the first CD I ever owned and my favourite band, his lyrics have always intrigued me so I would definitely have a lot of questions for him. I would round out the table one of my best friends so that they could enjoy the experience with me, and remind me to stop speaking with food in my mouth.

5) Best resource people don’t know about?

I have recently stumbled upon Mashable.com and Wired.com – lots of good resources for those of you that want to stay up to date with the fast paced technology and social media movements.

Renjie Butalid is the Communications Coordinator at Social Innovation Generation at the University of Waterloo.

1) What are you working on and why does it matter?

I am currently working on a speaker series beginning May 5 in Waterloo, hosted by Social Innovation Generation at the University of Waterloo.

This speaker series will apply the ideas of social innovation to a number of specific sectors and issues – education, youth mentorship, inclusion, collaboration and fostering a culture of change – where each of the five speakers in the series will discuss and share their experiences of operating at the national level to identify and address the root causes of intractable social problems.

For each of these talks, all of which are free to attend and open to the public, we are strategically inviting people from sectors and organizations dealing with each of the issues mentioned above, to begin facilitating discussions within communities of practice around new ways of thinking and taking action, in ways that are more meaningful (especially for young people) and have a deeper impact within the community.

2) What motivates you?

The way I see it, people are inspired by role models, but are motivated by their peers. With that said, I am motivated by the excitement and energy found within this emerging field of ’social innovation’, especially among young people today.

Social innovation in this case, for me, involves new ways of thinking and acting within government, education, healthcare and even more so in the non-profit/charity and business sectors, that will ultimately lead to transformative and meaningful change within our local communities and across society as a whole.

3) What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned recently?

To always say ‘yes’ to things that scare me and to never be afraid to learn something new, you never know what opportunities may arise from these experiences.

Case in point, I am extremely claustrophobic and I’m afraid to be in tight, confined spaces.  That being said, I was always afraid to go scuba diving because of the claustrophobic feeling I assumed I would get being underwater and relying solely on a tank of oxygen to breathe. I went and got my scuba diving license at the end of last year, and found that rather than feeling claustrophobic underwater, it was the most liberating feeling I have had in my life.

This has opened up some new possibilities for me, from pursuing underwater photography as a hobby to exploring sunken wrecks and cave diving.

4) If you could invite 5 people dead or alive to dinner, who would they be?

I would invite US President Barack Obama and the late Philippine President Cory Aquino, my late grandfather Romeo Butalid (whom I never met since he passed away when my dad was in his teens), the late British explorer Wilfred Thesiger whom I have always admired growing up in the UAE, and of course Barney Stinson from ‘How I Met Your Mother’ to lighten the mood. It would certainly make for an interesting evening and great conversation.

5) Best resource people don’t know about?

I am a firm believer in life-long learning and as a result, I find myself watching TEDTalks online very often. By now, most people would have heard of TED and if you haven’t, I would encourage you to check out www.TED.com.

Some other great resources that are very similar to TED that I would highly recommend, include Academic Earth (http://academicearth.org/) and the Khan Academy (http://www.khanacademy.org/).

 For many of us at YSEC, David Bornstein’s book, How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas, was one of our first introductions to social entrepreneurship.

As a result, we were thrilled to have David as the keynote speaker at our recent conference, re:Vision 2010.  (For some great reflections on Bornstein’s remarks, read the following posts by Nathaniel Whittemore (one of our other exceptional keynotes), Cheryl May, and Ruby Ku).

David’s newest project is Dowser, a multi-media site committed to exploring, “Who’s solving what and how?”, which profiles the ways in which people are making a positive impact on the world. 

Recently, Nogah had the opportunity to ask David some questions about his new book, Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know.

Below are David’s insights on his book, current trends in social entrepreneurship, and his advice for young social entrepreneurs:

In the introduction of your new book, Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know, you describe the current social entrepreneurship landscape as ’social entrepreneurship 3.0′, which focuses on the “change-making potential of all people and their interactions.” Do you believe anyone can be a social entrepreneur?

I don’t believe that everyone should be a social entrepreneur. You know what they say about too many chefs in the kitchen. There is a clear role for the entrepreneurial author in any change — but there are hundreds of other roles that must be played or nothing happens. However, everyone can be a changemaker and be a powerful one at that if they see the possibilities and learn the skills.

You also describe social entrepreneurship as “contagious”, claiming that “every person who starts a social change organization emboldens others to pursue their ideas and solutions…” What role does inspiration play for social entrepreneurs?

Inspiration is overrated. You obviously have to care very very deeply to cause a change, because it usually takes years to get something big done. When people engage in prolonged, concerted action, it’s usually grounded in a connection rooted in relationships, experiences and ethical values — often influenced by childhood teachings. Inspiration can add energy, but it’s not enough.

Most young people I speak with tell me, ‘Please don’t inspire us. We’re already inspired. We want to change the world. We want to know how to be effective.’

So the more important role is to demonstrate the pathways that exist for people to act on their ambitions and have impact. These career paths are opening up but we need to make them more visible.

In your book, you claim that ’social entrepreneurship 3.0′ is “concerned with building platforms that enable more people at every age to think and behave like changemakers and to help them work together powerfully in teams and in teams of teams.” What do these building platforms look like / consist of?

The platforms are ahead of us. We don’t know exactly what they look like. We need to imagine them. We can refer back to platforms of past generations and see how they got people to work together effectively.

For example, in the 1990s, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines brought hundreds of groups together globally using what was then a relatively new technology: email. These groups aligned and coordinated their efforts and produced the first international treaty in human history pushed through by citizens. They even overcame opposition from the United States and other governments – and they did it in a year. How did they do it? And how did they do it so quickly?

The Microcredit Summit Campaign figured out all the pieces that had to come together for microfinance to become a truly global movement. They recognized roles for practitioners, governments, funders, multilaterals, banks, academics and others, and they got thousands of groups to coordinate. They got individuals to work together as teams, and then got them working as teams of teams. As a result, the Microcredit Summit Campaign which had the goal of reaching 100 million poor families with microcredit, was one of the only global summits to actually achieve its goal, and now it has expanded on that goal to reach 175 million families.

Today with the vastly expanded reach of technology, especially cell phones and handheld computers, as well as crowd-sourced language translation platforms, it’s impossible to imagine how much farther people can go working together.

Why do you think teams and teamwork are crucial to this current phase in social entrepreneurship?

So many changemakers are emerging in so many different fields at once around the world. For example, one group may be teaching empathy to kids, another may be improving math education in middle school, another may be focusing on college access, another may be creating new Green Job pathways. And so on and so forth. To create whole solutions, we need to integrate many different solutions being developed independently. And we have to get everyone working across sector and cultural boundaries, too.

What new or different opportunities for social change did ’social entrepreneurship 2.0′ bring to the table?

If you think of the business services that popped up in the 20th century, we really figured out how to build great for-profit institutions. They may not always behave wisely, or with kindness, but they function well, and they often improve as they grow, which is different from many social and government organizations. What the business sector hasn’t figured out is how to achieve social benefit as a primary objective, rather than a secondary objective. So business and social entrepreneurs have something to teach one another.

Do you think there are any downsides to social entrepreneurship?

The downside is the way it is often interpreted. People see it as a celebration of the individual. What is not fully appreciated is that it is less a story of individuals than a description of a process.

What I mean is that for people to come together to create a new social configuration — something that can add value to the world — you need at the outset a very strong focus, great energy, and a deep belief that something is possible before the evidence is in. A social entrepreneur provides these things, which is why they’re essential for getting things going, building the momentum, and navigating change, especially in the early years.

But social entrepreneurs don’t cause change. Lots of people together cause change. We miss the point when we focus on social entrepreneurs as rock stars as opposed to social entrepreneurship as a process by which people come together and align their efforts.

Do you have any advice for social entrepreneurs who are trying to pursue their ideas and/or launch their own social enterprises?

The most important thing is to know this history of the problem you are solving. How have other people tried to solve it? What are they doing today? What are the 3 or 5 most innovative ideas in the world today in your area of interest? There are very few ideas that are wholly new. Usually, the key question is, ‘What are you doing differently than the people who tried this before you?’

The second is to realize that everything that gets built in the world gets built because of relationships — strong, enduring relationships that are based on deep connections, mutual affinity, respect, and trust. One caveat: there are people who go out with an eye to ‘network.’ Networking can be very crass if it’s done in an opportunistic spirit. Better to live in the world and be open to finding your true colleagues – people who care about the same things you do and whose ideas compliment yours. People who you want to be part of your life. That’s building community. It’s a different way of looking at things.

Why write this book? Why now?

We’ve gotten so many requests from students and professors for a general introduction to social entrepreneurship. We saw there were many people who didn’t necessarily want to be social entrepreneurs. They were in business, or policy, or journalism, or other fields. But they wanted to understand how social entrepreneurship would be relevant to their lives and why they should learn about it.

We think that social entrepreneurship is going to influence society from every angle. It’s going to change government and business, to be sure, but it will also affect the professions: health, education, law, etc. So we thought that a general introduction that doesn’t take up too much time to read would be a valuable addition. We also wanted to make it affordable, so it’s only being published in paperback.

Anything else?

There are so many opportunities that will be emerging in the next 5 to 10 years. Career paths that we can’t even envision will be coming up. It’s like when the internet took off in the mid 90’s. Nobody imagined the landscape of new work that would come. Who could have foreseen people with full time jobs advising companies how to use Twitter?

The field of social entrepreneurship will make it possible for large numbers of people to pursue careers that blend their interests, values and talents and really have an impact. And they won’t have to be entrepreneurs themselves to do that.

So if you’re a writer, a researcher, an academic, a computer programmer, a film maker, there is a role in advancing this field, where you can work with colleagues who turn you on, do work that is challenging and fun, and help improve the world. It is a hopeful time and an exciting time to be embarking on a career.

David Bornstein’s new book, Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know will be on sale at the YSEC MeetUP on April 22, 6 -8 pm at the Centre for Social Innovation (215 Spadina Ave., 4th Floor).

Possibly because nothing teaches you about running an organization like actually running an organization. – Scott Warren, young leader

Read From Student to Leader: Taking the Leap and discover how one young leader is making things happen.

What are YOU doing to be a change maker? Comment and let us know!

Assaf...not so patiently waiting for the tasting session

Drool

Getting Busy in the Kitchen

Choco-Drink Time!

The Truth!

More pictures available on our Facebook page: Young Social Entrepreneurs of Canada

Were you on this tour? Share your thoughts with a post

This will be a unique experience that challenges the way we view community and social entrepreneurship and you’ll never see or taste chocolate the same way again. Guaranteed.

Click here for more info and to RSVP. There are very limited spots so sign up now!

As per the FUEL website:

The organization has been founded with the core principle of making a difference in the lives of many students across the country who need a definite and concrete support to plan their career.

To learn more about the Paragon 100 fellowship – Asia’s most inspiring entrepreneurs and social changemakers – click here.

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YSEC are always on the lookout for young social entrepreneur projects (especially Canadian ones) to spotlight so if you know of any other great ideas or stories (and it could be your own) feel free to share them with us and we may post them on our blog!

Take small food producers that are gems of their local communities and give them an online presence, thus expanding their reach, market base and margin. It also allows these small-time folks to battle the bigger guys.

The bigger goal? To help change the way people eat.

Here’s the business model:

Local producers can set up a storefront for free and include information about themselves and the philosophy behind their food. Foodzie, the people providing the service, gets a 20 percent commission for every sale. The customers get access to the good food. It’s a win-win.

According to their website: We are an online marketplace where you can discover and buy food directly from small passionate food producers and growers.

Foodzie were recently profiled on Inc.com’s 30 Under 30.

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YSEC are always on the lookout for young social entrepreneur projects (especially Canadian ones) to spotlight so if you know of any other great ideas or stories (and it could be your own) feel free to share them with us and we may post them on our blog!

Help support "Green it Up", an awesome initiative by Dom Kawa

The Aviva Community Fund is a three round process and YSEC is proud to announce that two members of the YSEC community have made it to round 2.

Dom Kawa’s Green It Up project’s mission is to transform every flat roof in the GTA into an ecologically-friendly green space. Green It Up roofs sustain vegetation and fresh produce and house solar panels that generate clean energy.

Susheela Ramachandran’s Elephant Tale organization is all about engaging Canadian high school students in a dialogue about human rights.  The sooner we are exposed to global issues, the sooner we can take a stand and start to make a difference.

Dom and Susheela are great examples of what innovations young Canadians bring to the table and the determination we all have to make a living making change. Both projects are sure to have a positive impact in the world.

Only the most popular ideas, as chosen by Canadians, will have a chance at sharing in the $500,000 Aviva Community Fund. So we all have to pitch in and vote for our YSEC community members. The best news? You don’t have to choose, you can vote for both ideas once a day, EVERY DAY!!

Follow the links and let’s cast those votes and help these ideas get the seed money required to advance their current actions. We’ll keep you posted on their progress. Happy Voting!

As part of YSEC’s mission to promote social entrepreneurship and to provide case studies of people and organizations making things happen, this is the story of the Fertile Grounds Project.

The Fertile Grounds Project is a bold, not-for-profit educational organization that aims to provide youth with learning opportunities in unconventional and dynamic settings, to enhance their academic and social development, and provide them with the tools and space they need to build an identity in a world where they belong.

One fascinating program Fertile Grounds developed and is rolling out across the USA is “The Hallway” project. Take a look at this short seven minute video that outlines the project:

Hallway Project from Eyal Dimant on Vimeo.

For more info on Fertile Grounds and the Hallway project refer to www.fertilegrounds.org.

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YSEC are always on the lookout for young social entrepreneur projects to spotlight so if you know of any other great ideas or stories (it could be your own) feel free to share them with us and we may post them on our blog!