XLRI hosts 7th National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship

The conference was held from Jan 30 to  Feb 1.

Conducted under the aegis of Arrupe Centre for Ecology and Sustainability and SIGMA (Social Initiative Group for Managerial Assistance), the 7th National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship was based on the theme - ‘The Young Changemakers: Youth as Social Entrepreneurs and witnessed young professionals, social entrepreneurs and grass root change makers share their stories, challenges and innovations and discuss and deliberate on new solutions and partnerships along the 3 days.

At the inaugural session, E. Abraham, S.J., Director, XLRI said, “I am delighted that the theme for this Conference this year is 'Young Changemakers: Youth as Social Entrepreneurs'. We all know that throughout the history, social transformations have come through the initiatives and entrepreneurship of youth – be it the social movements, creation of disruptive technologies to change the society, and even winning freedom for nations. This is also a very relevant theme in contemporary India, which needs the energy and passion of the young generation to address some of the most critical issues which the country is facing. India is a country of young, with 430 million people in the age range of 15-34. In fact, estimates show that by 2020 youth will comprise of 64% of India’s working population. This certainly holds the promise of our “demographic dividends”. However, if this youth power does not move into more productive spaces of nation building, these dividends can also become our ‘demographic liabilities’.”

“We will facilitate and support dialogue and debate among educators, business, government, consumers, media, civil society organizations and other interested groups and stakeholders on critical issues related to global social responsibility and sustainability. Organizing this conference is our one such effort to facilitate dialogues among the key stakeholders in the development sector on this critical issue”, Abraham added.

In the inaugural panel, Ashraf Patel, Co-Founder and Director of Pravah advocated for 5th Space, a platform where youngsters come together & perform grass root activities.

Rahul Nainwal, Co-Founder, iVolunteer & India Fellowship, talked about a unique initiative in which 14 India Fellows are selected for one and a half year leadership program, while Anshu Gupta, Founder Director of Goonj, put forth a strong case for the need of ground level implementation of youth driven projects. He opined that currently it is one’s compulsion rather than a choice to give back to the society. The war of changing the society starts with winning the battle of improving the society first.

Prof Madhukar Shukla, Chairperson of XLRI’s Fr Arrupe Center for Ecology & Sustainability and the coordinator for the conference, said, “India is a country of youths: 27% of the population is between the 20-35yrs range and 18% make up the 25-35yr segment. While many young people continue to look for a secure job as a career, during past few years, an increasing number amongst them show an urge to do something different, something which is personally meaningful. Though many of them have grown and got educated in secure urban environments, they are acutely aware of the social disparities and concerned about them. They see these “problems” as a challenge to be addressed - and as an opportunity to make a difference. During last few years, many of them have chosen to move out of their comfort zones, follow their passion, and have created ventures to address the social issues which concern them. This year’s conference A highlight of the conference are the speakers, most of whom being in their 20s or early 30s”.