Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

Ashoka is an international non - profit organization dedicated to promoting social entrepreneurship.

The organization seeks and promotes social entrepreneurs in 70 countries, ie people who are committed to innovative, pragmatic and long term for a significant, positive change in a society. The fellows mentioned by the Ashoka Fellows receive financial support from Ashoka, counseling and connection to networks in the social sector as well as in industry and science, in order to spread their projects.

Etymology

The name of the organization ( Sanskrit for: without worry) goes back to the Indian prince Ashoka, which began in the 3rd century BC, after years of military rule in the Indian subcontinent for reconciliation, tolerance, freedom and economic prosperity.

History

Ashoka was founded in 1980 by Bill Drayton in Washington, DC founded.

Ashoka Fellows are social entrepreneurs, innovative ideas and have the potential to solve social problems. They share the following characteristics: they have a concept to solve a social problem, they are entrepreneurial and creative in terms of goal setting and goal achievement and they want to spread their projects. Your approach has the potential to reach many people, directly (eg through education reform), or indirectly (eg through environmental protection measures).

Since 1980, Ashoka has about 2,000 social entrepreneurs in more than 70 countries, Fellows selected and funded. Some of them develop their projects over time into profitable ventures, re-invest their profits but again, in order to pursue further the social goal. Others remain dependent on donations and grants, because they work in fields in which the free market generates their work no financial income - for example in the fight against child prostitution or xenophobia.

The most famous Ashoka Fellow and also a founding member of the Global Academy of Ashoka is Muhammad Yunus. He and the Grameen Bank he founded, were honored in 2006 for its micro- credit program with the Nobel Peace Prize.

Another well-known Fellow Jimmy Wales.

Funded projects

Promoted by Ashoka, for example:

  • Education and Training ( 334 " Fellows " ): The development of new teaching and learning methods as well as new educational approaches should be supported. Here are new types of schools, curricula and programs are being developed that solve in children the skills problems, make decisions, take responsibility, teamwork and foster creativity.
  • Citizens' initiatives (375 " Fellows " ): The opinions of individual citizens to be heard and a culture of caring and mutual support are encouraged.
  • Health ( 311 " Fellows " ): The standard of health is to be increased by the support of the health system, this should be done by improving access to basic medical care and through partnerships between public and private institutions.
  • Human Rights ( 422 " Fellows " ) innovations should be promoted that guarantee the full receipt of the civil, political and social rights.
  • Environment ( 258 " Fellows " ): There are solutions to be found to protect the environment and at the same time accept the underlying social problems.
  • Economic development ( 411 " Fellows " ): The expansion of economic opportunities, increasing assertiveness in collective bargaining and the development of new markets for the poor, all people can achieve economic independence.

Number of " Fellows " by continent

In 2007, the subsidies distributed to the following continents:

The Ashoka Youth Initiative ( Youth Venture )

The guided by Ashoka program " Youth Venture " aims of social activation of young people in the areas of participation, entrepreneurship and personality development. Ashoka realized that the most effective way to improve the living conditions of young people was, to enable them to itself to be agent of social change and to change the world, at least on a small scale. Experience the young people that they positively influence their environment and can become the engine of their own development. So they learn in a playful for their future life important skills (eg communication, leadership, teaming, project management, etc.). These experiences help them in future to understand difficult situations not as hopeless problems, but as challenges and actively act rather than react passively.

Ashoka supports about 3,000 small, social enterprises by young people in 17 countries. The young changemakers are networked with peers around the world on the international online community.

Germany

In Germany, the Youth Venture program is structured as Ashoka Youth Initiative at two levels:

  • The promotion of young people at the start of their own social projects, such as in Stuttgart, Friedrichshafen and Berlin the training of young people (18-25 years) to volunteer coaches
  • Support for young people ( 12-20 years) in the context of workshops, individual coaching and the award of

Home financing in the creation of social projects

  • Implementation of thematic and open online competitions
  • Change in the conditions for social change with and by young people with the Leading Change Maker project

Supported Projects (selection)

Ashoka does not support the actual projects, but the people who are behind the projects. Examples of such projects are:

Dialogue in the Dark Treatment Action Campaign
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