IMPACT MAGAZINE 2017 ASHOKA 10 IRELAND understands the need and potential for lasting positive change in society and has the vision, skills and initiative to make that change happen. change that make to vision, skills and initiative and has the in society forunderstands the need and potential change lasting positive A DECADE OF CHANGE A who Changemaker–someone WHAT’S INSIDE 01 A DECADE OF CHANGE 30 ENDING MALNUTRITION THROUGH ENTERPRISE 02 ASHOKA: Steve Collins A Global Home for Social Entrepreneurship 31 INCENTIVISING FARMERS TO PROTECT 04 THE 4 LEVELS OF IMPACT THE ENVIRONMENT How to Change the World Brendan Dunford 06 THE ASHOKA STORY 32 A WORLD WHERE NO ONE GETS LEFT Growing the Field of Social Entrepreneurship The Old Model is Broken OUT Everyone is Powerful Caroline Casey 08 “THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’” 34 CODERDOJO GETS A SLICE OF PI Impact Spotlight 36 VALID NUTRITION BREAKS GROUND AN ISLAND OF WITH A NEW READY-TO-USE THERAPEUTIC FOOD CHANGEMAKERS Impact Spotlight 12 SLOW SIFTING FOR NUGGETS 38 HOW THE GREENPLAN AND ALISON 13 THE CHANGEMAKER STUDY ARE HELPING TURN IRELAND GREEN Impact Spotlight 14 THE CHANGEMAKER PROFILE 40 GROWING GROW HQ 16 INSIGHTS ON THE CHANGEMAKER Social Finance Spotlight EXPERIENCE COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP 44 “THE HOOK THAT PULLED ME IN” 20 SUPPORT FOR SYSTEM CHANGE 45 MEET THE ASHOKA SUPPORT 22 WORKING TO KEEP FAMILIES NETWORK TOGETHER 46 HOW A PARTNERSHIP OF SOCIAL Jacqueline Williamson ENTREPRENEURS AND DATA SCIENCE 23 A MOBILE INTENSIVE CARE UNIT FOR CAN MAXIMISE IMPACT THOSE MOST IN NEED Corporate Partner Feature John Kearney 24 CHANGING BEHAVIOUR TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION Neil McCabe 50 TRANSFORMATIVE FEELING: EMPATHY 25 MAKING MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND CHANGEMAKER SCHOOLS NORMAL Krystian Fikert 53 MEET THE SCHOOLS WHO ARE PREPARING THE NEXT GENERATION 26 RECOGNISING IRELAND’S GREATEST OF CHANGEMAKERS RESOURCE Mary Nally 62 “MY SCHOOL IS A CHANGEMAKER SCHOOL BECAUSE…” 27 TEACHING THE WORLD, FOR FREE Mike Feerick 28 FIXING THE FOOD CHAIN, ONE GROWER AT A TIME CLOSING Mick Kelly 64 MEET THE TEAM 29 INSPIRING A NEW GENERATION OF MEET OUR PROJECT ASSOCIATES CODERS 65 OUR PARTNERS James Whelton ASHOKA IRELAND A DECADE OF CHANGE Dear friends, 2017 is a significant year for Ashoka in Ireland. It marks a decade since the launch of the Irish office, the same year we elected our first Irish Ashoka Fellow Caroline Casey, one of Ireland’s first notable social entrepreneurs. Fast forward ten years, we are immensely proud to have, alongside others, contributed to the rise of social entrepreneurship across the country. The place of social entrepreneurs in our society is now firmly established. Positive changes have been the result of citizens taking action into their own hands and taking ownership over creating the society they want to live in. These ‘Changemakers’ are now fundamentally a necessity in our country, and with an eye to the next ten years, we are looking forward to the next Decade of Change. Serena Mizzoni Country Director, Ashoka Ireland The tree in Ashoka’s iconic logo is based on the American oak. It is a time-honoured tradition to present newly elected Fellows with a Bonsai tree as a gift. ASHOKA IRELAND | 1 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION ASHOKA: A GLOBAL HOME FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP Ashoka Ireland’s purpose is to help innovative social entrepreneurs make Ireland better for everyone by tackling the country’s biggest social challenges. We do this by: SELECTING the people with the best ideas to change society for the better. 104 SUPPORTING them with finance, professional services and a network of business leaders who are committed to help them build sustainable and impactful organisations. SCALING their idea locally, nationally and globally by providing knowledge, best practices and networks. So that what helps Ireland today can help the world tomorrow. As part of a global organisation, Ashoka has selected, supported and helped to scale the organisations of over 3500 social entrepreneurs (Ashoka Fellows) 93% of 90% of Fellows working in 90 countries. 57% of Fellow 83% of Fellows Fellows, even see their ideas change a change a 10 years after replicated by national policy system within their election, government within 5 years of 10 years of are still bodies or other their election. their election. pursuing their organisations. original goals. Impact magazine 2017 | 2 ASHOKA IRELAND | 3 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD: THE 4 LEVELS OF IMPACT Ashoka is looking for social entrepreneurs who not only deliver direct services and provide immediate alleviation of needs but also work to change mindsets and systems in order to address root causes of a problem with a long-term perspective. DIRECT SERVICE SCALED DIRECT SERVICE SYSTEMS CHANGE FRAMEWORK CHANGE Work in populations needing services, food, and/or a Models that unlock efficiency and impact through A new model that is addressing the root cause of a Affects individual mindsets at a large scale, which direct benefit to their well-being. Direct service has well-managed logistics of an intervention or solution. problem. It often involves policy change, widespread will ultimately change behaviours across society as a clear and concrete feedback loop - you see hungry Scaled Direct Service benefits large numbers of adoption of a specific methodology by leading a whole. Not a specific field-level or country-level people being fed; students gaining skills through individuals. organisations in a sector or creates new behaviours intervention, but compounds the work of many mentorship; or the clients getting legal help. within an existing market or ecosystem. individual organisations to create a paradigm shift. Examples: The Red Cross, Americorps, or large scale Examples: Soup kitchen, small-scale mentoring refugee resettlement programmes. Examples: Micro-credit was a fundamentally new Examples: Universal Human Rights, Women’s programmes for students, legal services for innovation for women to lift themselves out of poverty. Rights, Civil Rights, Democracy or the idea of Social community members. B-Corporations re-think corporate responsibility. Entrepreneurship. Wikipedia democratises the way information is shared online. 7. SOCIETY CHANGES 6. TARGET GROUPS LIFE SITUATION CHANGES OUTCOMES/ IMPACT 5. TARGET GROUPS ALTER THEIR BEHAVIOUR (RESULTS) 4. TARGET GROUPS CHANGE THEIR SKILLS 3. TARGET GROUPS ACCEPT OFFER OUTPUT 2. TARGET GROUPS ARE REACHED (WORK PERFORMED) 1. ACTIVITIES OCCUR AS PLANNED IMPACT STAIRWAY HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE OUTCOMES/IMPACT (RESULTS) FROM OUTPUTS (WORK PERFORMED) Impact magazine 2017 | 4 ASHOKA IRELAND | 5 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION EVERYONE IS POWERFUL Top-down models assume solutions can only be found and provided by state bodies and hierarchical structures. Ashoka’s vision of ‘Everyone a Changemaker’ arose as a response to this insight. THE ASHOKA Changemaking is an approach to innovation that is based on the recognition that everyone has the STORY potential to find creative solutions to their own challenges and to the GROWING THE FIELD OF SOCIAL problems of the wider world. ENTREPRENEURSHIP Although changemakers come from every corner of society, they are united in the shared traits of empathy, Ashoka built and defined the field of social entrepreneurship. Ashoka recognised that everyday citizens were vision and initiative. They are people who, no matter tackling intractable social problems once left to governments or large bureaucratic agencies. By creating a what age or chosen profession feel empowered to Fellowship of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, Ashoka exposed a fundamental societal reality: given lead change for the common good. Role models like the tools and opportunity, everyone can contribute. This mindset shaped new norms in society around inclusion, Nelson Mandela and Mary Robinson are well known civic participation, and citizen empowerment and it has accelerated the progression to a Changemaker world. for their ability to drive and inspire change - but it is In Ashoka’s early stages, partners were carefully chosen in support of the idea of social entrepreneurship—a By creating a Fellowship of the world’s leading societal term coined by Ashoka. Ashoka systematically entered new markets by mapping business leaders and social innovators, who became early-stage adopters and entrepreneurs, Ashoka exposed a fundamental societal reality: champions of social entrepreneurship as a new norm. This group of early pioneers built credibility around given the tools and opportunity, everyone can contribute. this idea by working with investors, entrepreneurs, journalists, and philanthropists. Several organisations began replicating support to social entrepreneurs THE OLD MODEL IS not only the highly visible leaders who are the agents. independently. By the early 2000s, public awareness BROKEN It may be a young student who stands up to a bully or was noticeably increasing and social entrepreneurship runs a campaign to reduce the use of plastic bottles at was catapulted into a new level of awareness. The field school. Or the immigrant who opened a cafe staffed by Selecting, supporting and scaling the work of has “tipped” irreversibly. asylum seekers. It may be the business executive who thousands of social entrepreneurs over four decades ensures an equal, fair and inclusive work environment has offered Ashoka unique insights into the patterns or that teacher who never ever gives up on that child. that block change from happening: that society is Some changemakers start organisations that deliver organised primarily for repetition, a paradigm that services that improves the lives of many and some is reflected in school systems, company hierarchies build powerful vehicles which changes the system and politics. Although some space has been created entirely and creates a new norm. for innovation, it is not a mindset that permeates our culture and only a minority of the global population are leading these major shifts. Centralised decision- In an Everyone A Changemaker world, making and rigid hierarchies in which a few command everyone is powerful. the many is no longer effective or even desirable.