After the FUV course, our ESRs also attended the advanced course in “Social Entrepreneurship and managerial skills”, organised by associate partner Dynamo Academy. The course took place in Milan (Italy) on May 6-7, 2019.
WHY A COURSE IN SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP?
Creating a transformational learning environment able to inspire, to prepare and to support entrepreneurial leaders and scholars for turning knowledge into action in pursuing innovative solutions is a new challenge for academic researchers. For this reason, Dynamo was called to organise an advanced course in Social Entrepreneurship with the aim of providing our ESRs with the basic knowledge and skills in this important and emerging field.
OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE
The course programme focused on: theory of social entrepreneurship, business planning (project management and start up), leadership, budgeting, social finance and impact. The aim of the course was to allow our ESRs to gain a practical experience on how to become a social entrepreneur, with an immediate access to the job market. Read the detailed programme here.
INTERVIEW WITH MARIA ELENA VIVALDI FROM DYNAMO
We reached out to Maria Elena Vivaldi from Dynamo. We asked her a few questions about the course.
Q: Hello, Maria Elena. Could you please give some brief insights into your institution? What are its main objectives?
A: Dynamo Academy is a Social Enterprise operating in the fields of education, employee engagement, research and advisory, supporting companies and top managers on their journey to value creation, efficiently combining business development and corporate philanthropy. Dynamo Academy, established in 2010, offers companies a personalised approach to Corporate Philanthropy in the Business for the Common Good context, with the objective of transforming companies in protagonists for the Common Good. All proceeds of Dynamo Academy, net of direct costs, contribute to sustaining the Dynamo Camp project. Since 2010, Dynamo Academy has been partner for Italy in the Global Exchange of CECP and since 2017 member of Social Value Italia, an organisation close to Social Value UK, dealing with impact evaluation and measurement.
Q: Tell us something more about the course in Social Entrepreneurship and managerial skills that you organised for TRANSMIT. What were your expectations?
A: The main objective of the course in “Social Entrepreneurship and Managerial Skills” was to promote among scientific researchers a new concept of value creation based upon the positive relationship between businesses and society looking at their contribution to the common good. All in all, the mission of the course was to foster personal and professional growth of scientific researchers in order for them to be able to put their knowledge into practice and bring research outside the lab, being able to develop entrepreneurial projects.
Thus, the course was designed to provide PhD students with the managerial skills necessary for an effective team building, tools of social entrepreneurship, measurement of social impact, together with a deeper understanding of technological and social innovation and a general background on the health care system, the role of the third sector and the concept of welfare economy. Ultimately, the course had also the ambition to have participants familiarise with the world of non-profit organisations, their way of operating and fundraising.
To add on our expectations, Dynamo Academy tried to guide participants through this course in a way they would be prevented from making a pragmatic use of it, focusing instead on grasping the overall view and message and therefore applying the tools at their best service.
Q: What’s your overall evaluation of this experience?
A: The overall evaluation of the course resulted in a very good appreciation by the participants. These results confirmed how our expectations were met as well. Not only have we seen content being delivered, but also students being engaged. Students were willing to partake and let go, willing to question their habits and comfort zone.
ESRs PARTICIPATION IN THE OPEN DAY AT THE DYNAMO CAMP
On October 5-6, 2019, our TRANSMITers will participate in the Open Day at the Dynamo Camp in Limestre (Italy). Find out more about Dynamo Camp here. Stay tuned for more updated info!
