On April 29-May 2, approximately 63 Fulbright students representing more than 47 countries convened in Washington, D.C., at a Fulbright Enrichment Seminar hosted by the U.S. Department of State to explore social entrepreneurship as a model to address shared challenges in the areas of environmental sustainability, public health, education, and economic and social equity.
Fulbright Enrichment Seminar participants, studying at institutions throughout the United States, contributed their global perspectives as academically gifted and socially engaged individuals to a variety of activities designed to stimulate discussion on social entrepreneurship. Fulbrighters heard from leading social entrepreneurs, including keynote speaker Diana Wells, president of Ashoka, as well as U.S. government officials, private and non-profit sector leaders, and members of the academic community about best strategies to apply entrepreneurial principles and business models to solve social problems. Through community outreach programs and student-led activities, they discovered how social entrepreneurs impact communities in the U.S. and specifically in the Washington, D.C., area. Finally, they worked with their peers to explore how social entrepreneurship principles, structures, and resources can be applied in their home countries.
This article was originally published on the State Department Bureau of Public Affairs website at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/04/141017.htm.
