Emerging Importance of Social Entrepreneurship to be Focus of Service Learning Fair
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Derek Ferrar
Media Relations Specialist
808-944-7204; email: ferrard@eastwestcenter.org
Source Contact: Stuart H. Coleman
Leadership Certificate Program Coordinator
(808) 944-7229, colemans@eastwestcenter.org
HONOLULU (Nov. 14) -- A panel of Honolulu community leaders will discuss the emerging importance of social entrepreneurship in the non-profit and business sectors at the first annual Fall Service Learning Fair, presented on Nov. 17 by the East-West Center (EWC) Leadership Certificate Program.
The fair, which will also feature a variety of community partners presenting information on their non-profit organizations and volunteering opportunities, will be held this Saturday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at the EWC’s Imin Conference Center (across from Kennedy Theater). Admission to the fair is free of charge; parking will be available on the UH-Manoa campus for $3.
The purpose of the Fall Service Learning Fair is to provide an annual forum for building relationships between Hawai΄i’s non-profit organizations, the East-West Center, the University of Hawai´i and members of the local community. The event will be an excellent opportunity to learn about social entrepreneurship and how this new concept is reshaping the business and non-profit sectors.
“For businesses, that may mean shifting the emphasis from short-term profits to focusing on the triple bottom-line of people (social concerns), place (environmental concerns) and long-term profits,” says Stuart Coleman, coordinator of the Leadership Certificate Program. “For non-profits, social entrepreneurship may mean running their organizations more efficiently like a business, becoming less dependent on grants and providing services to help themselves and their clients become more self-sufficient.”
The panel on social entrepreneurship will feature Dr. Tin Myaing Thein, executive director, Pacific Gateway Center; Robin Danner, executive director, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement; Olin Lagon, associate director, Kanu Hawai΄i; and Kevin Vaccarello, president of JOOTS, Inc.
Representatives from the following organizations will also be present to talk about their mission, services and volunteering opportunities: the Waikiki Aquarium; United Nations Association, Hawai΄i Division; Honolulu Habitat for Humanity; Ke Ola Hou; Boys and Girls Club; and Kokua Kalihi Valley.
“There are many wonderful organizations in Hawai΄i, and we are honored to be working with these and other non-profits,” Coleman says. “It’s a great opportunity to volunteer and get involved in the local community.”
The East-West Center Leadership Certificate Program is a two-year, interdisciplinary program that allows students to experience service learning, explore the nature of leadership, develop individual leadership capacity and learn how to navigate change in the Asia Pacific region. For more information about the program, please contact Stuart H. Coleman at (808) 944-7229, colemans@eastwestcenter.org. To register for the event, please email Sovicheth Boun at bouns@hawaii.edu.
The EAST-WEST CENTER is an education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the peoples and nations of Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. The Center contributes to a peaceful, prosperous and just Asia Pacific community by serving as a vigorous hub for cooperative research, education and dialogue on critical issues of common concern to the Asia Pacific region and the United States. Funding for the Center comes from the U.S. government, with additional support provided by private agencies, individuals, foundations, corporations, and the governments of the region.