Author: Rachel Levitt

In our Social Enterprise program, we believe that intrapreneurship can bring together the best of both worlds: the innovation and dynamism of entrepreneurship, and the resources and market platform of existing organizations. Research has repeatedly demonstrated the benefits of intrapreneurship, and an increasing number of organizations are implementing programs to proactively and intentionally encourage intrapreneurship, especially in the business community. Social intrapreneurship is a more recent and somewhat lesser-known concept. Social intrapreneurship combines social entrepreneurship, the mindset of pursuing bold ideas and innovative solutions to address social and environmental problems, with intrapreneurship.

Since launching the 2021 Social Enterprise cohort at the beginning 2021, each of the four social intrapreneurs has made significant strides in pursuit of their transformational ideas for a climate-smart and inclusive economy. As this semester comes to a close, we want to highlight their progress.

Pharr Andrews

Ms. Andrew’s project aims to find solutions to address the energy poverty gap. In March, she served as a panelist at ImpactNights® and helped spark the discussion around reducing the energy burden for LMI households. Throughout the semester, she has worked to increase awareness of the issue and the urgent need for action. This month, the Hunt Institute and Pharr will be hosting a virtual workshop to bring together key stakeholders to collectively develop clear next steps to get more homes weatherized. If you are in a position to assist with this project, don’t hesitate to contact Pharr Andrews via LinkedIn.

Dr. Candice Bledsoe

Dr. Bledsoe’s work is focused on developing youth as change agents and young entrepreneurs. Last month, the Action Research Center, founded and directed by Dr. Bledsoe, hosted the annual Cutting Edge Youth Summit, bringing together students, parents, teachers, and community leaders to learn about the importance of leveraging cultural wealth to become agents of change. To date, the program has supported 2,513 students and 785 parents. This summer, Dr. Bledsoe will be working to connect her various initiatives under the Action Research Center umbrella in order to expand her impact.

Julianna Bond

Julianna Bond’s project focuses on enabling the enablers: how can consulting firms use their unique position – straddling organizations, industries, and sectors – to accelerate innovation and amplify social impact? Ms. Bond spent the semester conducting a deep dive into the processes and resources that already exist in this space. Over the summer, she hopes to develop an initial draft of a framework for empowering consultants to serve their local communities and champion sustainability.

Matt Sheldon

Matt Sheldon’s initiative aims to create a circular system to recover food waste and bioplastics and convert them into energy. This system has many benefits, namely: diverting waste from landfills, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and creating new revenue streams. This semester, Mr. Sheldon has held numerous meetings with stakeholders across DFW who are interested in partnering with him on this type of solution. Over the summer, he plans to conduct the economic analysis necessary to move the project forward.

“From governments to leading think-tanks, foundations and global corporations, we have been observing expressions of support and anticipation that social entrepreneurs and social enterprises will play a critical role in rebuilding after the pandemic and steering our society towards a more sustainable and inclusive economy.  But the challenges faced by social entrepreneurs and enterprises remain significant.  The purpose of our program is to help understand these challenges, identify proven best practices to tackle them and to empower the most promising social entrepreneurs in our local community to put their ideas into action and to maximize their impact.” Dr. Eva Csaky, Executive Director of the Hunt Institute and founder of the Social Enterprise program in the Institute.

Stay tuned to the Hunt Institute Digest for more updates on the 2021 Social Enterprise Cohort of social intrapreneurs as they continue working on their initiatives this summer.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

On Saturday, April 10, 2021, The Action Research Center hosted the annual Cutting Edge Youth Summit. The legendary event celebrates over 12 years of building youth leaders. This year, student leaders from many regions of the United States connected for the virtual Cutting Edge Youth Summit. Students and parents attended from Texas, South Carolina, New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Illinois, and California. During this leadership conference, students, parents, teachers, and community leaders learned about the importance of leveraging cultural wealth to become agents of change.

“During these unprecedented times, we continue to transform lives and help build youth leaders,” said Dr. Candice L. Bledsoe (pictured above), executive director of the Action Research Center and founder of the Cutting Edge Youth Summit.

Dr. Michael Waters, lead pastor of Abundant Life A.M.E., served as the keynote speaker and shared an inspiring message entitled, “Be Great!”  Speakers gave tips to help prepare students for college and community leadership opportunities. Panelists also included Ana Rodriguez from SMU Latino Leadership Initiative, Lisa Winkley, President of United Nations Association-Dallas Chapter, Latrisha McDuffie, Social Emotional Learning Coordinator of Big Thought, and Jin-Ya Huang, Founder of Break Bread, Break Borders. “Raise your voices, and use your superpowers for good,” said Huang.

During the summit, two Young Innovators & Young Social Entrepreneurs participants were highlighted for their work. Kortni Foreman (pictured to the left), Townview Magnet School Class of ‘2023, shared her STEM initiative entitled, “Kits by Kortni.” The project is designed to provide an inclusive STEM Curriculum about women of color.

Jeremiah Bledsoe (pictured to the right), Nolan Catholic High School Class of ‘2022, received the Youth Service America/Hershey Heartwarming Hero Award for his social enterprise, J8 Creative, supporting the elderly in senior healthcare facilities.

A virtual online exhibit website includes additional information from subject matter experts. Ed Gray of WFAA, MacKenzie Jenkins, founder of Justice She Wrote, Eva Csaky of the SMU Hunt Institute, and many more provide digital lessons in the exhibit. Visit the online exhibit at  www.virtualceys2.com. The Action Research Center’s Cutting Edge Youth Summit provides an opportunity for students, parents, and community leaders to execute leadership strategies, problem solving, and design to become agents of change.

This month, we want to shine the spotlight on some young social entrepreneurs that are doing amazing work around the world.

1. David Yeung, Green Monday

Through a multi-faceted approach, Green Monday is working to encourage the widespread adoption of a plant-based diet to combat climate change, food insecurity, and public health issues. The social side of the organization, Green Monday Foundation, raises awareness around the environmental and health impacts of our food choices. The venture side focuses on increasing the supply of sustainable choices through impact investing, food tech innovations, and corporate consulting.

2. Bryan Pape, MiiR

Founded in Seattle in 2010, MiiR sells stainless steel vessels for coffee, beer, wine, and food. A portion of the revenue earned from every product sold is contributed to a project focused on clean water, a healthy environment, or strong communities. MiiR is Climate Neutral certified, a Certified B Corporation and a member of the 1% for the Planet organization. To date, they have granted $1.5M towards 71 projects in 26 different countries.

3. Shreya Shukla, Vatsal Shukla, and Abhinav Jaiswal, Parched Foodworks

Parched Foodworks’ mission is to reduce food waste in India. They provide customers with safe, healthy, versatile, and affordable packaged dehydrated foods straight from the farms of rural producers. They also empower the rural farmers to earn fair value for their produce.

4. Victor Zhu, Jean Chew, and Sharon Li, HATCH

HATCH empowers young adults to find a fulfilling career by offering skill building courses and supporting them through the job hiring process. Since their beginning in 2018, they have impacted 249 students across 7 countries. Through its strong community partnerships, HATCH is able to support all students, regardless of their socioeconomic backgrounds, in taking their careers to the next level.

5. Wawira Njiru, Food4Education

Food4Education was founded to address the child nutrition crisis in Kenya. The organization uses technology to efficiently deliver nutritious, subsidized meals to primary school children. To date, they have supplied 5,000,000 meals, leading to improved nutrition and school performance for these students.

6. Roberto Patiño, Mi Convive

Patiño, an expert in citizen security and conflict resolution, founded Mi Convive, a Venezuelan NGO. Through their violence prevention workshops and victim care network, Mi Convive has helped to reduce violence in over 70 communities in Caracas. They have cared for over 300 victims of violence and trained over 50 community leaders to support their efforts.

As stated in the United Nations World Youth Report, youth unemployment is one great challenge the world is currently facing, particularly in developing countries. Social entrepreneurship is a sustainable solution.

The report further explains, “Fundamentally, youth social entrepreneurship has the potential to act as an inclusive development strategy. It represents both a vehicle for youth development and an outlet for youth engagement in the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals. In leveraging the talents and capacities of youth, youth social entrepreneurship services the goal of employment while activating youth as agents of change.”

As established above, encouraging youth to pursue the path of social entrepreneurship has many benefits. However, youth entering this field face numerous challenges related to structural factors as well as their individual characteristics. How can we reduce the barriers that youth face in starting social enterprises so that they can contribute positively to society?

To read more about these inspiring young social entrepreneurs, check out the articles they were featured in by The Forum of Young Global Leaders, EcoWatch, and Singapore International Foundation.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

As we close out the month of March which celebrates and honors the contributions of women throughout history, we want to shine the spotlight on some women social entrepreneurs that are doing amazing work around the world.

1. Maya-Camille Broussard, Justice of the Pies

Justice of the Pies is a low-profit limited liability company (L3C) that serves sweet and savory pies, quiches, and tarts. Broussard founded the company to honor her later father, a criminal defense attorney and passionate baker who believed that “everyone deserves an opportunity to reform their lives”. Justice of the Pies partners with various nonprofit organizations to carry out this mission.

2. Audrey Cheng, Moringa School

Working with Savannah Fund in Kenya, Audrey noticed a shortage of qualified software developers. Audrey thought she could help tackle the high unemployment rate in the country if she were able to close that skills gap. She co-founded Moringa School in 2014 to teach students key technical skills and provide them with practical experience. To date, Moringa School has enrolled over 3,000 students and has an 85% success rate of placing students into employment.

3. Vera Cordeiro, Instituto Dara (formerly Saúde Criança)

Founded in Brazil in 1991, Instituto Dara uses a unique, integrated approach to fight poverty and promote health and human development. The organization offers training and support to help families within the areas of health, education, housing, citizenship, and income. To date, they have impacted the lives of more than 75,000 people in Brazil.

4. Alice Emasu, Terrewode

Terrewode, which stands for The Association for the Rehabilitation and Re-orientation of Women for Development, is a Ugandan NGO focused on improving the livelihood of women. Specifically, Terrewode supports more than 200,000 women in Uganda that are affected by obstetric fistula by providing them with access to surgery. The organization also works to prevent obstetric fistulas through partnering with various health organizations and hospitals.

5. Brit Gilmore, The Giving Keys

The Giving Keys is a jewelry company that sells re-purposed keys engraved with inspirational messages. The company encourages customers to wear the jewelry until they find someone else who needs that message more and “pay it forward”.  The Giving Keys partners with local LA organizations to employ people transitioning out of homelessness.

6. Ruth Ibegbuna, RECLAIM

Ibegbuna founded RECLAIM in 2007 “out of frustration at seeing so much wasted potential in young people, often written off due to their postcodes or through appallingly low expectations of their outcomes.” RECLAIM empowers those from middle-class backgrounds to make their voices heard and fight for social change.

7. Etka Jaju, Onganic Foods

Onganic’s vision is to achieve “a better livelihood for farmers, health and wellness for consumers, and a sustainable planet.” The organization does this by working directly with organic, smaller holder, certified grower groups and supporting them from procuring their seeds to accessing premium markets to sell their products. To date, they have positively impacted over 2,000 farmers and 23 villages within East and North East India.

8. Servane Mouazan, Ogunte

Ogunte is a Community Interest Company and certified B Corp based in the UK that supports women social entrepreneurs with customized services that address the unique challenges they are facing in scaling their impact. The purpose of the organization is to create an inclusive ecosystem where women are empowered to contribute their social innovations and support one another in creating a better world.

9. Kendis Paris, Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT)

Truckers Against Trafficking was founded with the idea that transportation professionals could help “assist law enforcement in the recognition and reporting of human trafficking in order to aid in the recovery of victims and the arrest of their perpetrators.” Through their program, more than 1 million truckers have been registered as TAT trained and over 1,200 victims have been identified.

10. Sakena Yacoobi, Afghan Institute of Learning

Founded in 1995, the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) “provides education, training, and health services to vulnerable Afghans in order to foster self-reliance, critical thinking skills, and community participation throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan.”  With 48 learning centers and 6 health clinics, AIL has been able to educate 26,000 students.

In the article we shared on social media last week, the World Economic Forum posits that female social entrepreneurs, like the ones shared above, are essential to shaping a sustainable and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When we reframe the definition of success in a way that better includes and celebrates women social entrepreneurs, we curate an ecosystem that is more likely to inspire and nurture women changemakers,” says Iman Bibars, founder, Women’s Initiative for Social Entrepreneurship, Ashoka.

So let’s empower and celebrate women social entrepreneurs not just in the month of March, but all year long.

To read more about these inspiring female social entrepreneurs, check out the articles they were featured in by Change Creator, Forbes, and Ashoka.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

Last month, on February 22, 2021, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) convened representatives of its 193 Member States and other stakeholders to discuss how to build back better as we begin the return to a post-pandemic world.

In preparation for UNEA-5, the United Nations Environment Programme’s North America Office (UNEP North America) led a series of workshops to explore ways in which nature is already being used to address climate change and other issues. Over 400 North American stakeholders including governments, the public and private sectors, NGOs, and youth came together to share best practices, success stories and challenges with implementing and scaling nature-based solutions. Some important takeaways emerged that we should keep in mind as we aim to foster a climate-smart and inclusive economy:

1. “Both top-down and bottom-up approaches must work in tandem to achieve effective, long-term solutions to the climate and biodiversity crises.”
2. “Co-designing nature-based solutions with stakeholders at the local level, particularly with indigenous communities, is key.”
3. “Cross-sector collaboration is required to implement and sustain nature-based solutions.”
4. “Empowering youth and communities through education can inspire the sustainable lifestyle transition and behavior change needed to achieve the SDGs.”
5. “Innovation, data, and technology have an unprecedented role to play in designing and demonstrating the benefits of nature-based solutions.”
6. “The standardization of language and metrics around nature-based solutions is needed to define collective rules and impact.”
7. “Stakeholders must invest in nature, financing and derisking nature-based solutions.”
8. “Private sector entities should rise to the challenge of integrating sustainability into core business values.”

These best practices for implementing nature-based solutions were echoed during the UNEA-5 conference. UNEA emphasized the importance of taking action now in their final statement:

“Human health and wellbeing are dependent upon nature and the solutions it provides, and we are aware that we shall face recurring risks of future pandemics if we maintain our current unsustainable patterns in our interactions with nature.”

To read more about the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, click here. To learn more about each of the workshops held by UNEP North America prior to the conference, click here.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

How do you define failure? Do you let the fear of failure prevent you from taking risks, or do you view failure as an essential part of learning and growth? If you see failure as part of a feedback loop leading you toward success, then failure is not final. Maybe that feedback is to make changes to the innovation so it will work better. Maybe it will end up saving you time and money in the future while your innovative idea is helping people. Then, maybe that rejection or failure is success – hidden.

Jean Case, CEO of The Case Foundation, said, “To find solutions — and we desperately need new solutions to old problems — we’re going to have to take risks. If you’re going to innovate and you’re going to take risks, there’s a chance you’ll fail. Every great company and every great entrepreneur you’ve heard of … guess what? Their path is riddled with failures. It’s just not reality to think you can innovate without risking failure.”

The Case Foundation persists that in order for entrepreneurs to create meaningful societal change, they must approach failure fearlessly. Based on research conducted around the world, the foundation uncovered 5 common principles among change-makers. Below is an explanation of each of the principles, along with an example of a social entrepreneur who has embodied that principle.

1. Make big bets and make history – instead of making incremental changes, organizations should set audacious goals.

Between 1984 and 2009, Share Our Strength worked to bring attention to the issues of hunger and poverty in the U.S. and raised more than $300 million dollars in support of that effort. However, the leadership of the organization did not feel that they were doing enough to address the problem. They set an audacious goal to not just reduce childhood hunger in America but end it completely. This led to the creation of the No Kid Hungry campaign, which focuses on achieving this bold, new goal.

2. Be bold, take risks – experiment early and often in the constant pursuit of a better solution.

The founders of Sanergy developed a solution to address the sanitation crisis in the developing world using a “decentralized capture, centralized treatment” model. Yet, they challenged themselves to think even more boldly about how they could make waste valuable and thus, scale their solution faster. This involved re-imaging the entire sanitation value chain. Since implementing their unique approach, Sanergy has safely removed more than 7,878 metric tons of waste from the community in Kenya and created more than 750 jobs.

3. Make failure matter – organizations should admit their mistakes and learn from them.

Community Voices Heard is a member-led organization that works to secure racial, economic, and social justice for all New Yorkers. In 2010, the organization approached the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) to propose implementing a process called participatory budgeting which would allow public housing residents to participate in budget decisions. Despite being rejected, the organization did not give up the fight. Through a partnership with the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP), they organized a panel about the topic where they convinced some city council members to get on board with the initiative.

4. Reach beyond your bubble – collaborate and forge partnerships with those outside of your network and across sectors.

Global Health Corps was started by six individuals from different backgrounds who share a passion for improving global health. By leveraging the unique skills they gained from working across various fields (tech, education, politics, etc.), this group created a paid fellowship program for young professionals to serve on the frontlines in the fight for global health equity.

5. Let urgency conquer fear – instead of overthinking and overanalyzing each decision, act with a sense of urgency.

Propeller is an accelerator that supports social entrepreneurs in New Orleans. While the organization had experienced success, the leaders wanted to make a bigger impact, so they set out to revamp their incubator model. In the process of determining how this could look, the team at Propeller “risked falling into an analysis paralysis trap.” The founder, Andrea Chen, developed a systematic decision-making process to help guide her team through this. After running a successful pilot, Propellor rolled out the fully restructured program, increasing their social impact across the community.

How can you embrace failure to make a positive difference in the world? Robert Schuller is quoted asking, “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” Think what this world would be like if all the innovative positive change-makers just did it.

For more case studies and examples, stay tuned to the Hunt Institute Digest.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

Many Americans celebrate Thanksgiving every year by gathering with their family and sharing a hearty feast. As such, it seemed an appropriate time to discuss the issue of food insecurity, which Feeding America defines as, “a household’s inability to provide enough food for every person to live an active, healthy life.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2019, 10.5% of all U.S. households (more than 35 million Americans) “were either unable to acquire enough food to meet their needs, or uncertain of where their next meal might come from.” The pandemic has only exacerbated this issue of food insecurity, with the number of U.S. households affected more than doubling this year.

Here in Dallas, the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) is one organization working to help alleviate the hunger that many families are currently facing. Ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, on November 14, 2020, NTFB held its “fifth and largest mega-distribution of food during the coronavirus pandemic” at Fair Park. The Storehouse of Collin County is another local organization providing Thanksgiving Food Boxes for families in need.

So how can we as a society address the many root causes of food insecurity?

About a month ago on October 21, 2020, Incubator@SMU and United Way of Dallas’ Social Innovation Accelerator hosted a roundtable discussion about tackling food insecurity through social innovation, moderated by SMU Meadows Professor Dr. Doric Earle. The Stanford Social Innovation Review defines social innovation as, “a novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable, or just than existing solutions and for which the value created accrues primarily to society as a whole rather than private individuals.” Each of the individuals who participated in this panel has developed creative, sustainable solutions to address the problem of food insecurity, specifically in Dallas, Texas. Below is a short description of each of their efforts with links provided to read more.

Chad Houser of Café Momentum

Café Momentum, a nonprofit restaurant opened by chef Chad Houser in 2015, provides a 12-month paid, post-release internship program for kids coming out of juvenile detention. Together with case managers and licensed clinical social workers (LCSW), Café Momentum works to provide these young men and women with a comprehensive ecosystem of support. They address basic needs such as proper housing, healthcare, and access to ample food to ensure stability. The LCSWs also offer services addressing anger management, trauma recovery, and abandonment. The program has a recidivism rate of 15.2% compared to 48.3% for the state of Texas as a whole.

Daron Babcock of Bonton Farms

Bonton Farms is an urban farm founded by Daron Babcock and located in South Dallas’ Bonton neighborhood. Bonton is a food dessert, “where 63% of residents lack personal transportation and the nearest grocery store is a 3-hour round-trip bus ride away.” Instead, community members are forced to resort to processed foods. This has serious health implications. “Bonton’s cardio-vascular disease rate is 54% higher than that of the city of Dallas. Diabetes is 45% higher. Stroke 61% higher. Cancer 58%.” Bonton Farms ignites hope in the community by growing organic food, employing community members, and providing career mentorship, stable housing, and financial education.

Brad Boa of Restorative Farms

Restorative Farms is a self-sustaining, nonprofit farm system started in 2017 by Brad Boa and Dr. Owen Lynch. Through the seedling farm at MLK Community Center and the Hatcher Station Training Farm and Community Garden, Restorative Farms “provides certified vocational training, local jobs, and affordable financing, while producing healthy food in a sustainable manner.” The organization also sells GroBoxes, with seedlings sourced from its farms, to help fund their operations. Restorative Farms is a proud recipient of the American Heart Association’s 2020 Foodscape Innovation Awards.

This Thanksgiving, as we express our gratitude for the food on our table, let us consider how we can support one of the many organizations right here in the DFW area that are working to tackle the issue of food insecurity.

To read more about Hunter & Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate to the work, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.