Cristiana Oprea
Cristiana Oprea is a rally driver, founder of the platform “Femei în Motorsport" (FIM), Motorsport PR, and blogger at Cristiana Oprea Emoticar.ro. "Through my work as a rally driver, I want to inspire people to have the courage to follow their dreams. Being one of the few women rally drivers in...
Ashoka Young Changemaker Garvita Gulhati from India Receives “The Diana Award”
Garvita Gulhati, aged 20, Founder, ‘Why Waste?’ from India has been recognised with the prestigious – The Diana Award, a recognition for highly inspiring efforts of a young person for social action or humanitarian efforts. Established in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, the Award is given out by...
Making The Internet Work For All. Why Multiplicity Is More Important Than Singularity.
The 21st century has ushered in a new age where all aspects of our lives are impacted by technology. How will humanity anticipate, mitigate, and manage the consequences? How do we ensure tech works for the good of all? Ronaldo Lemos is working on solutions for the internet. He is an internationally...
The Collective Work of Building Individual Agency
Building a shared sense of responsibility at Miami Dade College begins with empathy, reflection, and closing the gap between students and staff.
Making Amends: A Restorative Justice Program Seeks to End America’s Epidemic of Violence
Prison reform has become a priority in America’s movements for social and racial justice. Is reform also the key to reducing violence in society? Danielle Sered started and leads Common Justice, America’s only “alternative to prison” program for people charged in the adult criminal courts with...
Reviving the Grocery Trade in America’s Food Deserts
More than 23 million Americans live in places where good food is relatively scarce and expensive. The dominant commercial models of the grocery business prefer suburbs to cities, and major retail chains to local grocers. Katie Plohocky is an entrepreneur from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who is building...
Moving Beyond Business for Good: How Markets Can Transform Systems for Good
5 Entrepreneurial Case Studies Can you use a business model to not just to do well, but also to radically change a system? At Ashoka, the global network for the world’s leading social entrepreneurs, we’ve met hundreds of groundbreaking entrepreneurs around the world who have taught us that social...
Youth Are Flipping an Abandoned North Carolina Prison into a Sustainable Farm
By transforming a decaying prison into a flourishing farm, these young men are avoiding the criminal justice system—and creating a model to share
First Steps Towards Sustainability: Surbhi Jain and Maxwell Feldman
How two teenagers are helping others develop “sustainable mindsets,” starting in school
How Stray Dogs Inspired an Empathy Movement
Chandani challenged the status quo in her community to transform the relationship between people and animals
What Employers Can Do: How A New Savings Plan Can Rescue Low Wage Workers
American workers were on a tightrope before the Covid pandemic, many surviving by the month, working full time—maybe more than one job, yet unable to save or get out of debt. The economic shutdown only heightened the daily anxiety, adding illness and sudden job loss to their concerns. Ronnie...
Reducing social exclusion and food waste through connecting vegetables and people
Ashoka Belgium Impact Programme 2020 introduces participant Naomi Smith and the project enVie Atelier. 📣 In a conversation with us, Naomi shared her journey as a social entrepreneur, how important it is to collaborate and how the Impact Programme is boosting her impact. 🗣Naomi Smith started enVie...
Introducing a ‘Heart, head, hands’ approach to innovative learning for ecological and social change
Ashoka Belgium Impact Programme 2020 introduces participant Sabine Denis and the project Schumacher Sprouts. 📣 Sabine shared her vision and how the Impact Programme is helping her to reflect about the development of Schumacher Sprouts. 💥The Impact Programme is a multi-sector collaboration between...
Mitigating climate change by activating the corporate world to change their behaviour
Ashoka Belgium Impact Programme 2020 introduces Kenneth Van den Bergh & Carbon+Alt+Delete (C+A+D). 💥 Kenneth gave some insides into C+A+D's activities and how the Impact Programme is supporting them in exploring new opportunities. 🌱 The Impact Programme is a multi-sector collaboration between Ashoka...
What lessons from the crisis will help us transform our learning ecosystem?
In times of quarantine and closed schools, it became more fundamental than ever to question ourselves about how children are growing up in the school/learning ecosystem and what the future holds for them. And now that schools are reopening their doors, we wanted to find out what lessons will be kept...
It Takes A Village—Black Parents Protecting Black Genius
Will Jackson started Village of Wisdom to help parents and teachers unlock the gifts, talents, and prior knowledge of Black students. Ashoka’s Simon Stumpf caught up with Will to hear more about his vision for making school a true and supportive home for every student, and why his approach is so...
The Power of Conscious Bias
Almost 40% of the population in Mexico lives in poverty, making less than $6 dollars a day. Ten percent of the nation’s wealthiest have more than 40% of the nation’s total income. The level of poverty and all its consequences are more acutely felt amongst the Indigenous population which makes up 20%...
StreetVet and Homely Home win Purina BetterwithPets Prize 2020
Purina and Ashoka announce the 2020 winners of the BetterwithPets Prize, distributing a total prize fund of 120,000 CHF to established social entrepreneurs and young changemakers in the EMENA region
An Open Letter to our Community on Racial Justice
This is a moment of reckoning. Ashoka U recognizes that the pain and suffering of today has roots in a long history of wide-ranging, everyday social and racial injustice. It’s critical to publicly acknowledge the toxic effect of institutionalized white supremacy that has tainted our collective...
What Is the Civic University For?
Embedding action through research by placing the Sustainable Development Goals at the center of university planning
A Teenager is Involving Young Girls and Boys to Fight the Menstrual Taboos
Using boiled leaves, ashes, dirty clothes and much more during menstruation caused some irreversible damage to young girls’ bodies. When a 19-year-old Ashoka Young Changemaker Sanjana D heard these stories of pain and shame, she decided to change that. Here is how she has helped over 5,000 young...
First Steps Towards Interfaith Understanding: Salma Kamni
How a 17-year-old student started a movement to promote acceptance and interfaith discussion in her Chicago community
Re-Coding Asylum: Lawyers With Tech Battling For Migrant Justice
Creating an immigration system that humanizes rather than dehumanizes people
Advice to Parents for Raising Changemakers
What do young people have to say to parents about raising changemakers? Check out this advice from changemakers in the United States.
Climate Innovators in Central and Eastern Europe
Over the last four decades, Ashoka has been working to build an Everyone a Changemaker world, a world that responds quickly and effectively to social challenges and where each individual has the freedom, confidence and societal support to address social problems and drive change. Of the many global...
Meet the HSBC Future Skills Innovation Challenge Winners!
Twelve social entrepreneurs who are shaping a post-pandemic economy where everyone can access opportunities and where people have the skills to thrive in a rapidly-changing world
Ashoka Romania Impact Report 2019
Ashoka Romania has arrived at its third yearly finish line as part of the largest global network of social innovators, and, since the 23rd of July 2019, its first year of existence as a legal entity, consolidating our presence in the local ecosystem of social entrepreneurship. This report aims to be...
Is There A Higher Calling For America’s Lawyers?
Supporting a new generation of lawyers and legal organizations to work alongside progressive movements for change
Ashoka Announces Spring 2020 U.S. Fellows
Social entrepreneurs with creative and practical solutions
From Stigma to Freedom: Hannah and Charlie's Story
These changemaker siblings built a mental health app that embodies the saying "it's okay to not be okay."
A changemaker on the rise: Vaishali’s journey to changing athletic culture in her community
By channeling her love for fitness, Vaishali started an athletic club to promote health, wellbeing, and empowerment for young girls.
Could Data Transform The Lives Of 500 Million Smallholder Farmers Worldwide?
Regi Wahyu is a data-entrepreneur transforming smallholder farming in Indonesia and beyond. He is the co-founder of HARA and an Ashoka Fellow since 2018. We spoke to him as part of our series on the future of Planet & Climate. (Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of the series.)
The Case for Studying Law in Middle School
How Sneha Durairaj and Tom Dulski found the inspiration for Legally Ours
Working Towards an Inclusive Society
TransEnd is a social welfare organisation that empowers the transgender community through education, training, employment and entrepreneurship. Founded by Lamea Tanjin Tanha in 2019, the organisation primarily arranges social awareness campaigns and programmes, educating people on the gender...
Jeroo Billimoria’s Lessons for Systems Change
A conversation with the serial social entrepreneur on her changemaking career
What Does Forever Look Like? Facilitative Leadership Shows the Way
As part of our series on the future of Planet & Climate, we sat down with Ashoka Fellow Cynthia Ong of Forever Sabah to learn about the circular economy model she is facilitating on the island of Borneo—one of the most bio-diverse regions on Earth.
How to Tackle Energy Poverty? Using Products as a Service and Partnering with Corporates
Ashoka Belgium Impact Programme 2020 presents Stefan Goemaere & Papillon 🔸 Stefan started the Papillon project in 2014, as a way to come in aid to people in energy poverty. 🌱 The Impact Programme is a multi-sector collaboration between Ashoka, ABN AMRO Private Banking Belgium and Accenture Belgium...
Creating a sustainable hub for rural innovation in a traditional farm
Ashoka Belgium Impact Programme 2020 presents Alexis de Liedekerke & Froidefontaine🔸 Alexis started the Froidefontaine project in 2017 with 2 co-founders. 🌱The Impact Programme is a multi-sector collaboration between Ashoka, ABN AMRO Private Banking Belgium and Accenture Belgium to foster social...
Ashoka Young Changemaker – Anugreh Sehtya – Hybrid Ideas for a Hybrid World
Meet Anugreh Sehtya, an Ashoka Young Changemaker who has developed technology-based design solutions to address challenges in the healthcare and social sector. "Hybrid Idea started off as India’s first assistive technology based design solution company, i.e., we design solutions for people with...
The Purina BetterwithPets 2020 Prize finalists announced!
Finalists were part of an EMENA-wide search for innovative initiatives that harness the mutual positive power of the pet–human bond. Purina and Ashoka are excited to announce eight finalists of the Purina BetterwithPets Prize—all social entrepreneurs leveraging the power of the pet human bond to...
Leadership, Resilience, and Higher Education’s Promise
Embedding changemaking into the culture and operations of higher education will prepare institutions to deploy their tremendous human capital and knowledge and research assets in innovative, trans-disciplinary, and collaborative ways to address the many challenges ahead.
Engage With The Signal: Why We Need To Do More Than Shutting Hate Speech Down
Ashoka Fellow Helena Puig Larrauri co-founded the peace-building organization Build Up, which works with NGOs, UN agencies, and multilateral organizations all over the world to use technology to strengthen the social fabric between citizens. Build Up is active in countries like Syria, Yemen, Burkina...
Sworn Again: Americans Recommit to a Civic Creed
American politics may be in tatters, economy teetering, pandemic afoot – but what better time to revisit our connections to some very basic ideals, like democracy and justice? For decades, Americans have moaned about a “broken” political system too dysfunctional to fix itself from within, yet almost...
Emerging Insights 2019: Environment and Climate Change
Sustainability and awareness for resilience
Emerging Insights 2019: Introduction
WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR THINGS TO ACTUALLY CHANGE? This is the question that Ashoka has been asking for 40 years. Our search for social entrepreneurs has been, at its heart, a quest to find the individuals among us who see what’s underneath social challenges and work to change the systems that are at...
The App to Make Medicine Affordable
How an Ashoka Fellow is improving access to medicine in Senegal by partnering with a snack company
How Two Women Teamed Up to Expand Entrepreneurship in Bolivia
The story of a leader at IKEA and a Bolivian social entrepreneur who collaborated across continents
Partnering to Solve Kenya’s Housing Crisis
Urban Kenyans are excluded from a housing market that works primarily for the wealthy. Social entrepreneur Irfan Keshavjee partnered with an architecture firm to change that
Meet the best friends revolutionizing recycling
The two scientists behind trailblazing tech company BioCellection fell in love with the plastic problem and took it on together.
Rebecca: Environmental consciousness for a resilient Kenya
Addressing climate change and environmental degradation in Kenya through student-led education and advocacy.
Youth Leaders that are Changing the World
Students are making their voices heard on tough and complex topics and offering real solutions. In the classroom, educators can use this as an ideal opportunity to develop interdisciplinary skills.
Spreading Kindness: Morgan's Journey to Building a Mental Health Movement
Morgan founded the Guess Anti-Bullying Foundation based in Kentucky to spread kindnesses and mental health awareness.
Affordable Innovations: Laya's Journey to Changemaking
At the age of 12, Laya and her friend began to build lifesaving technology to address dangerous flooding occurring across her home state of Texas.
She Can
She Can is a project that aims to affirm that women innovators can and do make a unique impact as leaders and innovators in their field. This booklet highlights female Fellows around the world who are leading systems change across Ashoka's diamonds and sectors, showcasing the unique ways women lead...
How Changemaking Betters the World and You
Empathy, collaboration, resilience and problem-solving skills are critical to success in today’s fast progressing world, where storytelling and technology are great catalysts for change.
Connecting Individual and Societal Change
Supporting the inner well-being of change makers can boost capacity for innovation and collaboration, and ultimately lead to more effective solutions to social and environmental challenges.
Exploring the Link between Unemployment & Climate Change
In his article for MIT Press's Innovations Journal, Bill Drayton explains the connection between unemployment and climate change. Entitled “Engage People, Retire Things,” Drayton’s essay explains the profound connection between combating the employment crisis and fighting climate change: labor and...
The Erosion of Privacy, And Why We Need a New Social Contract
Ashoka Fellow Sascha Meinrath explains how government and business are spying on us, and why we need to update our understanding of what is right and wrong in the digital age. "We need a mindset shift. We need to work together towards a renewed, 21st Century, social contract – a fresh understanding...
AI, Solidarity and the Future of Humanity
A conversation about why outsourcing the moral responsibilities of AI is not an option. Miguel Luengo, AI expert, entrepreneur and chief scientist at UN Global Pulse, speaks with Konstanze Frischen, Ashoka’s global leader on Tech & Humanity. "I argue that we need to move to a humanity centric AI. If...
The Smart Way To Protect Our Planet: Include Everyone
"Social inclusion is the biggest gap the climate movement is not addressing," says Ashoka Fellow Wietse van der Werf in our inaugural articles of our Planet & Climate series on Forbes.com.
How We Can Make the World Better with Pets
In 2020, pet ownership is on the rise globally. Today, social entrepreneurs are using the power of pet companionship to improve health, transform social support, and much more
Philanthropy Needs a New Playbook to Fund Systems Change
The conversation about “systems change” has exploded over the last couple of years. At its core it involves tackling the root causes of a social problem (say, homelessness,) by changing policies, power dynamics, the flow of money, talent, and other resources — and sometimes even transforming customs...
A New Yardstick for Leaders in the 21st Century
Governments, businesses, schools, and parents all over the world need to adopt a new metric for success: the degree to which they enable others to become changemakers. To get started, we merely need to ask ourselves a simple question: "What percentage of people in my network, organization, or family...
Ashoka Fellow Ramya Venkataraman Honored as One of the "Women Transforming India"
Ashoka Fellow Ramya Venkataraman has been selected as one of the 100 "Women Transforming India" by NITI Aayog, a council of India’s top government leaders, and the United Nations. The theme of this year's Women Transforming India Awards is "women and entrepreneurship." The award recognizes women...
Changemaker Day in Kohima
Ashoka, Entrepreneur Associates & the Nagaland Board of School Education celebrated the teen-led social innovations in Nagaland, India
The Power of Disability: 10 Lessons for Surviving, Thriving, and Changing the World
There is a pretty good chance you are directly or indirectly connected to the power of disability. The majority of people are. For starters, one-seventh of the people on the planet have a disability, which makes people with disabilities the largest minority group in the world. When you factor in...
Robotic Academy
Make sense of math learning while developing children's cross-circular skills through robotics.
Launching the Young Changemakers Movement
Ashoka Arab World teamed up with the British Council and Red Ochre to catalyze the Young Changemakers movement in the Arab world.
The Childhood Survival Revolution: How James P. Grant Convinced The World To Save Its Children
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the passing of James P. “Jim“ Grant, one of the greatest visionaries and social entrepreneurs of the 20th century. He is the father of the Child Survival Revolution and legendary executive director of Unicef. Still way too unknown for the magnitude of his...
Youth Engagement to Change the World
The social entrepreneurs of Bangladesh have been working towards solving different kinds of problems by working directly with the communities through the Ashoka Fellowship program. Moreover, currently, Ashoka has 90 fellows in Bangladesh and with an insight that many of these fellows started to be...
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed and the Everyone a Changemaker Movement
Under Sir Fazle’s guidance, Ashoka started working on the “Sir Fazle Hasan Abed Ashoka Young Changemakers” program early last year. Ashoka is proud to be partnering with BRAC, the world’s largest civil society organization, to launch the first selection of Ashoka Young Changemakers in Bangladesh as...
Launching the Everyone A Changemaker movement in Bangladesh
It is in solemnity, admiration, and hope that Ashoka announces the launch of the Everyone A Changemaker movement, and the first cohort of Ashoka Young Changemakers, in Bangladesh in the name of the late great Sir Fazle Hasan Abed KCMG. Sir Abed nominated the first Ashoka Fellow, he served on...
Embracing Complexity. Towards a Shared Understanding of Funding Systems Change
As we stand on the threshold of an epochal decade, we are confronted with an urgent need to find, fund, and support transformative solutions at a far greater pace than ever. For 40 years, Ashoka has found that the world's leading social entrepreneurs, who are recognized as Ashoka Fellows, are at the...
CheMystery Show
Helping students take ownership of, and gain recognition for their skills by organizing a Chemistry Show.
Sir Fazle Abed: The World Mourns the Passing of a Great Social Entrepreneur
The global Ashoka community mourns the loss of Sir Fazle Abed, founder and chairperson of BRAC, the world’s largest civil society organization and a founder member of Ashoka's Global Academy and World Council. Abed is probably the greatest social entrepreneur of the last 50 years. And he is one of...
Once Upon a Time, There was an Ashoka Fellow…
New Fellow Rana Dajani is the founder of We Love Reading, an initiative aimed at empowering young people as empathetic leaders by encouraging a love of reading and sparking the development of locally run libraries around the world. Read more in this Q&A with Rana herself!
Christian: Honoring the heroes of the hallways in Colorado
When Christian noticed that students were leaving messes in his school hallways, he saw an opportunity to promote interconnectedness between students, staff, and custodians.
Manat: Building confidence through storytelling
Finding the confidence in herself at the age of 12, Manat started a social venture, Object, to promote confidence in young girls.
Kaajal: Smashing the stigma against OCD
Liberate: My OCD Fighter strives to rectify gaps in mental health services and battle the stigma against OCD.
Akash: Piloting creative models for rehabilitation in Uttar Pradesh
Recognizing the opportunity to reuse waste, Akash launched Energinee Innovations to redirect pollution into upcycled products.
Naisargik: Leading agricultural innovation in Bhubaneshwar
Naisargik aims to counteract environmental pollution and curb the risk of cancer with agricultural innovation and community outreach.
Anugreh: Designing assistive technologies in New Delhi
His venture, HYBRID IDEAS, develops technology-based solutions to improve the lives of differently-abled populations.
Disha: Championing women’s financial liberation and security in India
Disha’s team equips women of all ages with the mindset and skillset to achieve financial independence, challenging the gendered nature of savings and investing.
Sanjana: Converting stigma into dignity
RutuChakra challenges cultural taboos around women’s menstruation by providing education, resources, and facilities for women to practice safe menstrual hygiene.
Wasudev: Upcycling clothing for rural development
Tackling both unemployment and waste, Silaigram transforms upcycled cloth into sustainable products while employing young women throughout rural India.
Apoorvi: Promoting mental health in government schools across New Delhi
Apoorvi, 17-year-old, through her initiative 'Happiness Project' is aiming to tackle the serious lack of awareness and the dearth of mental health professionals in Government Schools.
Chandani: Protecting the wellbeing of stray animals in Madhya Pradesh
Chandani’s venture, KINDNESS: THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE OF LOVE, aims to change society’s attitude towards stray animals in her community.
Radhika: Desensitizing India to organ donations
Radhika, 19, is using creative interventions to spread awareness about organ donations through her initiative, The Second Chance Project.
Rhenan: Mobilizing young people to speak up for the Araguaian region in Brazil
Passionate about the environment, Rhenan strives to ensure the health of ecosystems and communities along riverbanks in his community.
Mídria: Democratizing access to higher education through slam poetry
Mídria and three of her university friends created a social venture to transform how marginalized groups participate in higher education.
Luiza: Developing socio-emotional skills through storytelling across Brazil
Growing up in search for her own voice, Luiza empowers other young people to develop socio-emotional skills through writing and storytelling in Goiânia, Brazil.
Luan: Fighting hunger and deforestation in Pernambuco, Brazil
Luan is determined to protect the health of people and the planet in the northeastern region of Brazil with a team of young changemakers.
Luísa: Advocating for environmental laws to protect the Amazonian ecosystem
Luísa co-created and leads a social venture that engages Amazonian youth in addressing pressing socio-environmental challenges in their region.
Luiz Henrique: Boosting Youth Civic Leadership in Santarém, Brazil
Henrique’s story highlights how young people can actively participate in local government to authentically represent their generation.
Katie: Building a national community of young people creating change
Amidst a rise in youth organizing, Katie equips youth-led advocacy organizations with the connections, resources, and encouragement they need to grow.
Victor: Enabling young people to be global citizens
Victor and his team provide a space for young people to explore their passions while developing the necessary skills to start their lifelong changemaking journeys.
Africa's youth are leaders of today #AfricaYouthFwd
Future Forward, an initiative by Ashoka and the MasterCard Foundation, identifies and supports social entrepreneurs and changemakers with innovative solutions for youth employment in sub-Saharan Africa. How well do you develop youth leaders? Discover your personal strengths, how your organization...
The Story of Pinelands North
Pinelands North Primary School (PNPS) in Cape Town, South Africa transformed from an all white, homogeneous school to one of South Africa's leading institutions in fostering inclusiveness across society.
Investing In Survivor Wealth
Financial insecurity is the number one threat to an abuse survivor’s safety, says Sonya Passi. She started FreeFrom in 2016 to change the way domestic violence is addressed in the U.S., from a short-term, crisis intervention approach to focus on long-term recovery and safety for survivors and their...
Share My Lesson: I Am a Changemaker
Ashoka's lesson plan "I Am a Changemaker" made the list of the American Federation of Teachers' ShareMyLesson best partner lessons of 2019. This lesson addresses what it means to be a changemaker. It allows young people to reflect on the skills and attributes needed to be a changemaker and to hear...
Taylor Fang: Making AI Accessible
Taylor Fang’s Allgirlithm democratizes access to resources and opportunities for girls to learn about computer science and artificial intelligence.
Leading Social Entrepreneurs 2019
This latest edition of Leading Social Entrepreneurs features a sample of recently elected Ashoka Fellows, who have become part of the largest global network of social entrepreneurs. In the following pages, you will read about new innovations by people who are building an “Everyone a Changemaker”...
Sixto Cancel: Redesigning Foster Care
Sixto Cancel is redesigning foster care by putting young people's voices and choices at the center.
Accelerating Positive Change in Africa Through Social & Business Co-Creation
In a rapidly changing Africa, social and environmental challenges are complex. Leading social entrepreneurs, like the 400+ Ashoka Fellows in Sub-Saharan Africa, are on the front lines of solving those complex problems by diagnosing and then inventing new ways to combat the failing systems that are...
Fellow Abla Al Alfy Launches a Campaign to Reduce Prematurity in Egypt
Ashoka Arab World Fellow Dr. Abla Al Alfy organized the kickoff event of "Ibn al Badry," a year-long campaign to advocate for the reduction of prematurity in Egypt.
Bill Drayton and Social Entrepreneurship: How a Social Movement is Changing the World...and Launching Another Movement: EVERYONE A CHANGEMAKER
Ashoka founder and CEO Bill Drayton, ever the social entrepreneur, seeing other organizations taking much of the heavy responsibility for supporting the social entrepreneurship movement, has refocused a significant part of Ashoka on launching the “Everyone a Changemaker” movement. Don’t bet against...
Ashoka Fellow Who Founded High Tech High Wins WISE Prize for Education
The 2019 WISE Prize for Education has been awarded to Ashoka Fellow Larry Rosenstock, founder of High Tech High (HTH).
Achieving Impact Through the Everyone a Changemaker Revolution
This issue of CLUED-iN focuses on evidence of impact. In this interview, Ashoka founder and CEO Bill Drayton answers the following question: As a global community, do you think we are making progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals? What evidence do you have of this? How do you...
Bill Drayton: “Half the Population is Out of the Game”
El País Semanal November 10, 2019 A fighter for civil rights who was raised to value empathy and was fascinated by Gandhi's India, Bill Drayton believes that Ashoka’s entrepreneurial model, to which he has dedicated himself for years, can change the world. Drayton created Ashoka 40 years ago and it...
Research on Social Entrepreneurship - Understanding and Contributing to an Emerging Field
The fourth chapter in this collection, authored by Noga Leviner, Leslie R. Crutchfield, and Diana Wells, addresses the "million-dollar" question of how to measure social entrepreneurs' impact. The existing methodologies for assessing the impact of nonprofit organizations tend to focus on easily...
My Learning About the "New Inequality"
By Mercedes Gutierrez Alvarez, Global Head of Communities Engagement #InclusiveGrowth #socen #withrefugees #changemakers #SocialInnovation #Sustainability • IKEA Group
Answering Society’s Call: A New Leadership Imperative
How do transparency, empathy, and meaning work in practice? As demands for social accountability rise, so do demands on leaders. This article, based on a range of McKinsey research and case studies of leaders in action, provides a glimpse of the emerging new leadership imperative. Sometimes it’s...
An animated guide to changing systems
Dicover our new tool to spark deeper change! We're launching a 3-part learning journey, with user-friendly short films and jargon-free worksheets.
Mavericks Don’t Rebel, They Fight What Blocks Their Goals
Managing mavericks is certainly not a job for the faint-hearted leader. It is a tightrope walk to allow their minds the freedom to explore, while holding them on a leash of right behavior and attitude to organizational values. But the return on effort is immense — their passionate curiosity and...
Become Local Change Makers Through Social Entrepreneurship
We now live in an ever-changing world that demands everyone to be able to contribute to and adapt to change, i.e., to be a changemaker, to be able to participate and contribute.
Gearing up: How Megan is bridging the gender divide in tech through LEGO robots
Megan is contributing to a growing movement of young female changemakers who encourage other young girls to pursue STEM education.
How Baby "Teachers" in Classrooms are Teaching Older Kids Empathy
Empathy and the ability to understand the cruelty of a mean comment or text can stop bullying in its tracks. But how do you teach it? TODAY’s Sheinelle Jones goes inside one Washington, D.C., school that may have found the way.
QBE and Ashoka announce winners of the Urban Resilience Challenge
Earlier this year, Ashoka and QBE launched the Urban Resilience Challenge, a competition designed to identify pioneering tech start-ups that are preparing cities across the U.S. to respond to social, economic, and physical risks. On Oct. 23, 2019, the ten finalists convened at QBE’s North America...
No, You Don’t Need to Start a Business
Every 7–10 years people become particularly enamored with this idea: “Wouldn’t it be cool to make money and do good at the same time? Brilliant!” This idea turns quickly contagious — in part because most of philanthropy comes from the world of business, which makes the idea not only familiar but a...
Perspectives on changemaking from five of Ireland's Changemaker Schools
"We will use the best thing Ireland has - people." Hear from students and teachers in Ireland why changemaking must be the new norm.
Changemaker Education in India: Featuring Study Hall School in Lucknow and Jayshree Periwal International School in Jaipur
With changing times, the role of schools needs to change. Leading schools across India are enabling young people to thrive in a world of change by enabling them to become changemakers. Therefore, schools need to redefine their own measure of success to be "how many of your students identify as...
Changemaker Education in India: Featuring Tribune Model School in Chandigarh and Aklavya International School in Puducherry
This India Today episode features two leading schools of the country - Tribune Model School in Chandigarh and Aklavya International School in Puducherry. Helping young people develop a changemaking mindset from a young age, these schools are reimagining education around raising changemakers...
How EMGuidance Is Saving Lives In South Africa
“As a rural doctor, many times you find yourself without help, and a lot of times you feel very alone and scared because you're making decisions that ultimately could result in the loss of a life. That feeling of being alone and unsure isn't spoken about a lot in medicine. We're making sure that...
Jessica - Promoting diversity and inclusion among classmates in Surabaya, Indonesia
Combatting intolerance, Jessica’s initiative encourages interaction and inclusion among diverse groups of students.
Rere - Creating a culture of self-expression and positivity in Magelang, Indonesia
Rere opened a “multiliteracy” center to encourage a culture of reading, writing, and changemaking in her community.
“What can I do for my village?” Riski strives for community prosperity in Malang, Indonesia
Thanks to the support and inspiration from his family, Riski is leading initiatives that address both environmental and economic challenges to improve his village.
Stronger together: Sisters Shreya and Sahana encourage resilience and independence for girls in Charlotte, North Carolina
Ignited by a family history of changemaking, Shreya and Sahana embark on their own changemaking journey to change the landscape of economic mobility in their hometown.
RJ - Changing consumer behavior to reduce e-waste across Indonesia
Starting with a research question, RJ is dedicated to reducing electronic waste through normalizing recycling and, more importantly, sustainable consumption of electronics.
Lita - Hosting creative spaces to find your inner power in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Lita invites her peers to engage in personal exploration and intellectual bravery, while fostering an environment that supports multiculturalism and changemaking.
Ila - Strengthening young women’s voices through storytelling
Ila started to discover her changemaking power when she began to question oppressive cultural norms that hinder girls’ access to education in Bulukumba, Indonesia.
Angela - Daring young people to dream and lead in Surabaya, Indonesia
Angela’s story highlights how a group of teens can create a cultural shift towards changemaking in Surabaya, Indonesia.
15 Years of Change in the Arab World
Ashoka Arab World celebrates 15 years of changemaking and the growth of a thriving social entrepreneurship ecosystem in the MENA region.
Max and Sam Strickerberger: Uplifting voices through cultural dialogue in Washington D.C.
Max and Sam harness the collective power of storytelling and young voices through co-leading a network of students.
Vitor: Planting seeds for young environmentalists in Atalanta, Brazil
To make farming more sustainable, Vitor and his peers are working with farmers to preserve and protect the sociobiodiversty of their region.
Noah: Building blind accessibility technology
A team of young changemakers applies their design engineering skills to develop human-center solutions for everyday challenges.
Father Of Social Entrepreneurship Says "Society Is At A Profound Turning Point"
“The new inequality in the world is between those people who are in the new game, who have the underlying very complex abilities to contribute to change, to adapt to change, to live and work in a world not of institutions, but of fluid, open, integrated teams of teams,” says Ashoka founder and CEO...
Changemaker High School: Where Students Are In Charge
Changemakers High School in Tucson, Arizona belongs to a national network of schools that are committed to preparing students for a world that is defined by change and requires a new mindset. The values of empathy, teamwork, and leadership are as important at Changemaker High as math and reading...
Accelerating Healthcare Access: Every Mother and Child Thriving
What are the biggest challenges in providing good quality healthcare to people in developing countries? And how are leading social entrepreneurs and business experts working together to overcome these barriers? Accelerating Healthcare Access (AHA!) is a collaboration between Ashoka, the Philips...
Chandlers Yard: Baltimore, MD
How the neighbors in the Federal Hill neighborhood turned a vacant alleyway into a quiet courtyard escape from the bustle of Baltimore
Montgomery Park: Boston, MA
The rich history and impact from one of the country's oldest and impressive Community Greens
Alley Gating and Greening: The Baltimore Story and How CG Began
How the Patterson Park neighborhood created wonder out of an alleyway, and How Community Greens Began
Why Should You Develop Community Greens in your City?
Discover the benefits of developing a community green in your city
Seth Flaxman, on the Future of Voting
Seth Flaxman, creator of Democracy Works, describes "our shared challenge: how do we create a culture of voting? Our free toolkit can help. "According to the U.S. Census survey of nonvoters (yes, the Census asks about this), a collection of process problems are a bigger hurdle than voter apathy...
Artificial Intelligence, Health, and the Future of Human Agency
Dr. Stephen Friend, a globally acclaimed serial entrepreneur and biomedical researcher, talks about how the future of health could be a radical new model of health, augmented by artificial intelligence (AI) machines that begin to replace replace a doctor’s decision making, but counterbalanced by a...
Meet the 10 finalists for the QBE Urban Resilience challenge
Meet the QBE Urban Resilience Challenge finalists and discover how they are using technology to build strong and sustainable cities.
A Special Power: Ensuring that Information Technology is Good for All
Some of the world's leading social entrepreneurs are working to ensure that the powerful digital technologies shaping our world will serve the good of all. They are creating key institutions, such as Wikipedia, while building and defending the legal, economic, and organizational frameworks needed to...
Isabelle: Activating young black women in São Paulo, Brazil through technology
Realizing the lack of real opportunities for girls like her, Isabelle created the Projeto Meninas Negras, a social project that combats racial and gender inequalities.
Elly Savatia: Mobilizing young changemakers through the SDGs in Kenya and Nigeria
By spreading knowledge of the SDGs Goals to young people, Elly and his team are equipping his generation with the mindset and skills to implement each goal for the good of all
Felipe: Revitalizing public spaces in Rio de Janeiro
Felipe is bringing pride back to living in Rio de Janeiro's favelas by beautifying spaces and encouraging creative play.
Carlla: Democratizing science to foster curious, conscious citizens
Carlla hopes to not only share knowledge about astronomy, but also promote a culture of inquiry and openness to new ideas among young people in Brazil.
Trending: Courageous Investment in the Dynamism of People Working Together
Morgan Dixon discusses the future of health in this installment of Future Of . . . , a weekly series produced by Ashoka for leading changemakers to discuss the trends they’re seeing, where they get their inspiration, and what’s around the bend. Dixon is co-creator of Girltrek, the largest health...
Ashoka Founder Honored by the American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, which honors and engages leading scholars, scientists, and professionals, elected Ashoka founder and CEO Bill Drayton to its membership at its spring 2019 meeting. Founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of “promoting useful knowledge,” the American...
Bill Drayton’s Army of Changemakers
Today, more than ever, Ashoka founder and CEO Bill Drayton believes that teenagers and children should also be changemakers. When asked why he feels this urgency now, he shares that the world is in the “middle of a necessary but painful historical transition.” This new reality, spurred in part by...
Become a World Leader: Embrace the "Everyone a Changemaker" Culture
Business and social sectors are in the midst of the most profound structural revolution, says Bill Drayton, the pioneer of social entrepreneurship. "The rate of change and the degree and extent of interconnection between the two sectors have been accelerating exponentially for the last three...
The Case for Smaller, More Humble Systemic Interventions
In this interview Odin Mühlenbein, talks about the economic potential of systemic changes, barriers for achieving them, and how Lord of the Rings can inform impact strategies. Mühlenbein is a partner at Ashoka Germany and lead of the systems unit at Ashoka Globalizer. He’s also the co-author of a...
Young People are at the Center of Every Success Movement
São Paulo - How can we build a more equitable and sustainable society? Since 1981, Ashoka has gathered and connected leaders, known as social entrepreneurs, of impactful initiatives around the world. But there are ongoing challenges in all parts of the world. “Ashoka supports more than 3,500 social...
Bill Drayton: “Young People Must Have the Ability to Change Their Reality”
Nowadays, the most important skill is the ability to be a changemaker, regardless of the kind of work you are doing. Understand a problem, think about a solution, form a team,
Ashoka Young Changemakers: Co-Leading a Movement for Change
All around us we see evidence that we now live in a world of accelerating change, volatility, and hyperconnectivity. Yet, societies around the world continue to focus on an old idea that “success” for young people means being ready for a stable job. However, according to the World Economic Forum,...
Ashoka*CIRCL Leadership Event
Ashoka Leadership Event April 2019, exploring how it is possible to change current systems and transform them for a better world by inspiring people to be a changemaker
South Korea Ashoka Fellow a Winner of the $10-Million XPRIZE Award for Child Literacy
Ashoka Fellow Sooinn Lee’s organization Enuma (meaning "enumerate" or "name one by one")’ is one of two organizations sharing the $10 million XPRIZE For Global Learning. Nearly 200 teams from 40 countries entered the competition, jumping at the chance to become the latest winner of an XPRIZE, a...
How to Change the World
In a series of interviews with the world's leading thinkers who are shaping our future, Vikas Shaw talks to the founders of three of the world’s most influential civil sector organizations: Ashoka CEO and founder Bill Drayton, who is joined by the founders of Habitat for Humanity and the Crisis Text...
Sarah: Fostering inclusive environments in schools
Sarah and her team did not just start a club, they started a movement - a movement to change how her peers think about and interact with students with intellectual disabilities.
How a Neurosurgeon and CEO Found Inspiration in Surgery on a 7-Year-Old Boy
Amr El-Tayeb recognized that 50-60 million Egyptians lack health care services. Software was the only way he saw to meaningfully tackle that problem. So he built one of Egypt’s most promising new companies, Smart Medical Services. In addition to managing medical programs for self-insured companies...
Sophie: Leveraging the power of technology for children with intellectual disabilities around the world
Based in Pittsburgh, one of the United States' fastest growing technology hubs, Sophia and her team are acting on their compassion and leveraging the power for others.
Riley: Spreading joy and awareness for pediatric cancer through blue lollipops
Changemaking, like smiling, is contagious. Riley’s story highlights how simple acts of kindness through blue lollipops ripple into a movement for pediatric cancer research.
Engaging All: Strategies for Thriving in Complexity
How to thrive in a world that is becoming more complex. Understanding this complexity is especially relevant when trying to solve social problems.
Matine: Turning empathy into collective action in Denver, Colorado
By taking action, Matine and his peers are creating a world they want to live in; a world where everyone is a changemaker.
From Social Entrepreneurship to Everyone a Changemaker – 40 Years of Social Innovation
This issue of Social Innovations Journal is devoted to articles by Ashoka that paint a rich portrait of how and what it takes for social entrepreneurs, identified by Ashoka as changemakers, to thrive and succeed in rapidly changing contexts. In the introductory and framing article, Ashoka President...
Promoting Social Entrepreneurship in Latin America
Promoting Social Entrepreneurship in Latin America aims to reduce poverty and contribute to greater economic inclusion of vulnerable groups through social entrepreneurship
An inspiring collaboration between two Fellows
Ashoka Switzerland is proud to share the inspiring collaboration between two Fellows, Christophe Dunand (réalise) and Frédéric Bardeau (Simplon)
Saving Lives by Battling Counterfeit Products
Ashoka Fellow Bright Simons Wins the 2019 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurs
Is Your Company "Life Ready?" Riccarda Zezza's Innovation Views Work And Life Together
[This article originally appeared in Forbes] Meet Riccarda Zezza, the founder of “Maternity As A Masters,” a digital training program that turns early parenthood into a “masters degree” in skills like empathy and time management. Starting in Italy and now reaching participants in 23 countries, MAAM...
Seeing the Road Ahead: Women in the Driver’s Seat for Change
The Soronko Academy, founded by Ashoka Fellow Regina Honu (nee Agyare), exemplifies innovative women’s organizations that are challenging industry standards and stereotypes. Soronko provides women and girls with skills, and Regina takes seriously the role Soronko plays in modeling how they can enter...
2019's Top 5 Most Innovative And Impactful Social Enterprises
Ashoka is #2 on the list of 2019's top five most innovative and impactful social enterprises. Ashoka's founder and CEO Bill Drayton is considered the godfather of social entrepreneurs, widely credited with bringing the term "social entrepreneur" into the mainstream. Since 1981, his organization...
Talking About the Future in Mindanao
How do you translate Ashoka's vision of "everyone a changemaker" in local settings? It can start with a simple conversation.
STEM Venture Examples
Check out examples of how youth are using STEM to address social issues!
Fagan Harris - Baltimore Corps
Fagan Harris is reimagining the changemaker talent pipeline for Baltimore and similar post-industrial cities struggling to recruit and retain top talent.
Jessica Sager - All Our Kin
Jessica Sager is closing the opportunity gap that denies many children nurturing, quality care early in life.
Kenji Hayashi - FoundingBase
Kenji Hayashi is rejuvenating depopulated rural areas in Japan by creating pathways for emerging urban professionals to build their careers—and lives—in rural municipalities.
Carlo Stasolla - Associazione 21 Luglio
Working at institutional, community & civil society levels to show that Europe’s most marginalized population is worthy of basic human rights, social services and respect.
Bjorn Low - Edible Garden City
Bjorn Low is leading a grow-your-own-food movement that shows Singaporeans how urban farming results in self-sufficiency, better food waste management, and closer communities.
Lauren McNamara - The Recess Project
Helping elementary schools replace harmful recess patterns with new approaches that help children grow socially and emotionally, not least by helping one another grow.
Amgad Morgan - Nabd El Hayat Foundation
Amgad Morgan is mobilizing blood donors, connecting them to people needing blood, & systematically identifying & treating individuals with blood diseases.
Tom Ravenscroft - Enabling Enterprise
Ashoka Fellow Tom Ravenscroft proves that “soft” skills are as relevant as literacy and math in preparing today’s students for the workforce and beyond.
When Empathy Meets Philanthropy
Nguyen-Phuong invests in Ashoka, believing that philanthropy and empathy go together
The Future is Now: Lessons from Future Forward: Innovations for Youth Employment in Africa
Learn more about Ashoka's Future Forward initiative to change the narrative of youth in Africa and support systems-changing solutions for productive livelihoods.
Sophia: Unleashing potential through a boundless love of dance
Sophia’s story demonstrates how she shared her love of ballet across cultural and geographic boundaries to increase access to the arts.
