EMPOWER

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EMPOWER: Encouraging Social Entrepreneurship

GOALS
The objective of EMPOWER is to help educate, mentor, guide and motivate future social entrepreneurs, defining social entrepreneurship as activities that benefit humankind.   The program and is intentionally broad in scope to allow for innovative projects and research addressing the complexities of poverty in the world.

THE PROGRAM:

A core guiding principle of the Program is the importance of practical learning beyond knowledge acquired in a classroom.   A fundamental aspect of EMPOWER will be to establish partnerships and create synergistic relationships with organizations and institutions that are at the forefront of their field.

Within its overall focus of social entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation, EMPOWER will focus on providing an educational platform for students interested in broadening their knowledge and understanding of how social entrepreneurs are able to conceptualize, research and/or apply innovative management and organizational practices and financial tools to assist disadvantaged individuals and communities throughout the world. In other words, EMPOWER will be focused on initiatives that help the poor help themselves.

This will happen through academic and research study, internships, mentorship and guidance, relevant bibliography and other informational databases, lectures, and support for attending conferences. It will also include significant access to practical experience through partner organizations as well as access and close interaction with active social entrepreneurs.

EMPOWER will look to complement its beginning in microfinance with other areas in which social entrepreneurship can be applied for poverty alleviation, such as education, health, infrastructure and governance.

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