Reviewer: Crystal McLachlen
Date Published: February 1, 2013
Source: Actionable Books (http://www.actionablebooks.com/en-ca/summaries/social-entrepreneurship-in-the-age-of-atrocities/)
Excerpt:
It is no secret that we are living in a world full of social injustice. Everywhere we turn, we are bombarded by messages of inequality, oppression, political strife, and human violation.
To some, the situation may seem dire and many may feel helpless. In a time when the media may lead us to believe that we are fighting a losing battle, trying to impact the world in a positive way may seem overwhelming and unrealistic. Fortunately, Zachary D. Kaufman and his fellow contributors to Social Entrepreneurship in the Age of Atrocities: Changing Our World illustrate that we already have everything we need to begin the process of making the world a more just place.
. . .
For anyone looking to help create positive change in our world, this book offers a lot of practical advice from individuals that have gone before us and stepped out to create solutions to some of our biggest social challenges.
Reviewer: Susan Froetschel
Date Published: 2013
Source: Yale Global (http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/social-entrepreneurship-age-atrocities-changing-our-world)
Excerpt:
One of the buzzwords of the late 20th and early 21st century is social entrepreneurship but its meaning remains vague. Who is the entrepreneur? Why it is social, yet associated with individual initiative? This volume takes the mystery out of the buzzword and throws light on how individuals gain social awareness and take on tasks to help communities whose suffering gnaws at the world’s conscience.
. . .
Of course, the book is as much warning as a celebration of success. Kaufman urges social entrepreneurs to tread carefully, avoiding a headlong rush, overcommitting and burning out, endangering themselves and others, ruining worthy causes and adding damage to the general reputation of NGOs and youthful leadership for years to come.
Reviewer: Tazeen Dhanani
Date Published: December 8, 2013
Source: Ladies DC (http://www.ladiesdc.org/2/post/2013/12/social-entrepreneurship-in-the-age-of-atrocities-changing-our-world.html)
Excerpt:
DC spends a lot of time talking about ‘social entrepreneurship.’ It often seems to focus around young people with great ideas for good causes. Teaching leadership skills in Anacostia? Love it. Preventing food wastage in Columbia Heights? Count me in. But what if social entrepreneurship could go a step further and actually help ensure a more peaceful world?
This is exactly what I went to find out at an Oct 30 lecture by Dr. Zachary Kaufman, editor of Social Entrepreneurship in the Age of Atrocities: Changing Our World.
Hosted by the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area’s Human Rights Committee (HRC) and Georgetown University’s International Relations Club, Dr. Kaufman drew on his book to discuss the global obstacles and opportunities that exist in social entrepreneurship, a movement which is on the rise around the world especially among women.
. . .
As the field of social entrepreneurship is growing, women can and should take advantage of the numerous opportunities that are growing with it. In the face of conflict, poverty, atrocities, and other crimes, women who serve as advocates of social change empower other women to follow suit. This can take the form of local trade organizations such as Indego Africa, which provides business skills development and connections to global markets. It can take the form of programs like “Train the Trainers,” where women who are skilled in a particular area (such as health care or education) train local women and pass on their knowledge and expertise. When women in struggling communities are equipped with the technical skills and know-how, they are able to drive real improvement in their communities. When a woman is empowered, her entire community benefits, and in turn future generations reap the rewards and can maintain this cycle of progress.
So social entrepreneurship can be more than, say, connecting DC citizens to their Ward officials through social media (important as that is). It is also a field that can promote peace and stability in dangerous parts of the world, a field where opportunities abound and where those who are interested in making substantive changes in their communities – both on a micro- as well as a macro-level, local- as well as global-level scale – have the ability to do so.
This book makes an all too rare and important point: One of the distinguishing characteristics of social entrepreneurs is the way their actions and their example pave the way for peace. Kaufman gives us multiple examples here to demonstrate that the kind of empathetic leadership exhibited by these social entrepreneurs builds an alternative to conflict and contributes to the stability and security of societies.”
