Social enterprise, a journey between technologies and innovations: the meeting between those who put together energies in favor of communities

ROME – The meeting of the most important protagonists of social enterprises, who know the value of synergies useful for solving community problems, has given rise to the third edition of Social Enterprise Open Camp, an international training event dedicated to social entrepreneurship that this year was held in Bari and Matera. Sixty speakers, experts in entrepreneurship, consultants and social entrepreneurs from different countries of the world, 12 laboratory leaders and over 250 Italian and foreign participants were the protagonists of an intensive, immersive and residential training experience characterized by a program full of moments of knowledge, of cases from all over the world and round tables. Numerous speakers from all over the world addressed the topic around the question: can digital technology and innovation be generators of social and environmental impact? It was thus discussed how much technology can become a vehicle of social and environmental impact, not only in large cities, but also in rural and peri-urban areas.

The experience of the British MP. Lord Victor Adebowale, English parliamentarian and social entrepreneur, opened the meeting with his testimony: “Social action represents people who come together to solve community problems, or individuals who are in relationship with other individuals or groups. . The definition is about your experience: this is social action ”. Speaking of his experience as a social entrepreneur: “I started building cheap housing for the less well-off: from Great Britain, this initiative of mine then spread throughout Europe. Opportunities require empathy: to act for others, you need to be interested in these issues. Why is social enterprise important? ” Adebowale wonders. Why “The social enterprise is a company that tries to manage social relations at all stages. Don’t think you are heroes – he added – but you have to ask for help, you are the future of the company all over the world “.

The many experiences in Africa. Among the speakers who contributed to the debate, many are entrepreneurs working in the African market. Andia Chakava, director of the Graca Machel Trust, presented to those present the commitment of her company that wants to eliminate the gender gap that affects women in the field of finance. “We live in a constant challenge, including that of the gender gap. The gaps are so thin and so strong that they can change the flow of capital. We have a platform that can change this situation: gender lens investement. When we evaluate the impact and the management of the portfolio we also consider these types of barriers, in order to make the sector more equitable. We fight for financial inclusion. Many women have decided to exclude themselves from finance because they know that the banks will not grant them a loan. Many have decided to put themselves in common, choosing to finance each other ”.

Drones used to augment information. Christian Onyando, co-founder of AfricanDrone, deals with image journalism thanks to drone technology. “Our organization was born because many journalists wanted to go to some areas of Africa to monitor areas not covered by traditional media. Thanks to our network of journalists – he said – and with our drones we have increased the possibility of being informed through the dissemination of news from all over the territory. In a nutshell, with the images we decided to tell stories to make everything much fairer ”.

When technology generates change. Mark Kamau, Director ofBRCK User Experience, he talked about his experience and how technology is a generator of change. “My work stems from the desire to be part of a solution: to change Africa it is necessary to understand the real needs of the territory: the solutions must correspond to the aspirations and needs of the locals. There are many associations that have good initiatives and try to meet the challenges of the African market, but it is necessary to contextualize, understand the real needs of the population. There are good intentions but people’s specific needs are not always considered. To bridge the social and cultural gaps, it is necessary to initiate courageous innovation, which however requires an equally courageous investment. “

The broken and kept promises. Professor Mario Calderini del Politecnico di Milano he placed at the center of his reflection the promoted missed and maintained by technology. For Calderini: “We need to change our paradigms. To find solutions and help someone somewhere in the world, we have to understand that innovation has been very useful, but on the other hand there are consequences of technologies that have not been considered. We have to deal with something that has gone wrong, as innovation can create something vicious, if we want to generate an impact and not have unforeseen consequences ”. For the professor of the Politecnico “In this phase we need to reflect on the relationship between sustainability and objective. Technology helps us live better, but the truth is that there are so many senseless innovations. We have to rethink innovation, we have to give a market to the future. Amplifying the technology leads to stripping the whole social nature of the relationship. The transition from inefficiency to efficiency when this is determined by technology must be managed appropriately. In the new paradigm we have to reconsider inefficiency, and we have to consider innovation only that which considers all the effects of the transition. Between inefficiency and efficiency “.

The great strength of creativity. Adama Sanneh, co-founder and CEO of Moleskine Foundation, has focused his reflection on creativity, a skill that is becoming increasingly rare within our society and which can instead represent a necessary tool for transforming social enterprises. “Today creativity is an extremely central value, it is considered one of the five important skills to look for a job. But what is creativity? ” Sanneh wonders “Creativity is an elusive concept. To welcome it we must begin an exploratory journey. It is based on four elements; self-awareness, the “ubuntu”, that is, a thought that refers to an African philosophical tradition based on loyalty and mutual relations of people, and finally: love and courage ”. Sannah closed his speech with a provocation: “These values ​​cannot remain theoretical, they must become practical. Creativity requires a path that needs to be explored. We have to stimulate collective intelligence to awaken collective wisdom “.