XLRI - Xavier School of Management is all set to host the 8th National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship from January 29-31, 2016 at the XLRI Campus in Jamshedpur. The theme of this year’s conference is – “Social Innovations: Changing Lives and Society”.
Speaking about the theme, Prof Madhukar Shukla, Chairperson of XLRI’s Fr Arrupe Center for Ecology & Sustainability and coordinator for the conference said, “India, with its myriad problems of providing access to basic provisions (such as education, healthcare, energy, livelihoods and information) to its vast population, provides immense opportunities for such innovations. Many social entrepreneurs and ventures have designed and implemented solutions to social problems, which are unique and scalable/ replicable. The essence of social entrepreneurship is to identify gaps in the provision of social goods and services, and to design innovative and scalable/ replicable solutions to bridge those gaps. By addressing the issues which are relevant to the society, these social innovations make an impact on the lives of people.” He further added: “The conference aims to provide a platform for showcasing, knowledge sharing and building the social entrepreneurship ecosystem.”
The 3-day conference expects to witness around 150-170 social entrepreneurs, development sector professionals, academicians and students who would share their experiences, issues and challenges.
Various sessions would be held on: Inaugural Panel: Support Ecosystem for Social Innovations, ICT for People and Development, Innovations in Education Delivery, Interventions for Youth Transformation, Innovations in Farm Support, Collectives as Entrepreneurs, Livelihoods on the Fringe of Society and Investing in Development, among others.
Speakers and Panellists
Speakers and panellists at the event to include - Ajith Basu (Chief Program Executive, Agastya International Foundation), Anshu Gupta (Founder & Director, GOONJ), Biplab Ketan Paul (Director, Naireeta Services), Dhruv Lakra (Founder & CEO, Mirakle Couriers), Franz Gastler (Founder & ED, Yuwa India) and Nalini Shekar (Co-Founder, Hasiru Dala Wastepickers’ Collective), among others.
The conference is organized by Fr Arrupe Centre for Ecology and Sustainability (FACES) and SIGMA, XLRI’s students’ committee for social initiatives.