Young and dynamic: social entrepreneurship in Austria | Guardian Soci...

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13.06.13 13:26

Young and dynamic: social entrepreneurship in Austria | Guardian Soci...

http://socialenterprise.guardian.co.uk/social-enterprise-network/2013/...

Young and dynamic: social entrepreneurship in Austria

Austria's social enterprise sector is growing and is now looking for talented young people to help shape its future

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Posted by Michael Hagelmuller 22 May 2013 07.15 BST guardian.co.uk

Vienna, home to new training programmes for young social entrepreneurs. Photograph: Yadid Levy/Getty Images

Social entrepreneurship in Austria is still a young sector 75% of all initiatives are not older than four years. But they are growing constantly as is the awareness about what social entrepreneurship is and how social innovation can contribute to societal development. According to a recent study by the Vienna University of Economics and Business, there are around 270 social entrepreneurs to be found in Austria. An infrastructure to support them is slowly emerging, providing co-working spaces, consulting, training or access to networks of supporters. Many individuals do not yet realise that they are in fact social entrepreneurs and that there is a new career pathway unfolding, which receives increasing public acknowledgement. That is why raising awareness about this new type of work and business model, entrepreneurial culture and new career opportunities is still on the forefront of the efforts of organisations such as The Hub Vienna and my own organisation, Ashoka. Both have helped the term "social entrepreneurship" become mainstream in Austria. Generating income on their own as well as gaining more financial independence is a major issue for Austrian social entrepreneurs. According to the Vienna university study, more than half (52%) of social entrepreneurs' budget comes from private funding, one-third comes from their own earnings, while roughly 10% come from federal sources. Specific social venture funds do not yet exist in Austria. The financial sector, as well as the social entrepreneurs themselves, still need to capture the opportunities of social financing. One pioneer is Good.Bee, which is providing financing for social enterprises and works in the field of micro-finance in central and eastern Europe. Crowd-funding is also a source for funding: online platforms such as respekt.net help to connect promising projects with investors. Countering the brain-drain The social entrepreneurs in Austria tackle a wide range of different issues. In the field of regional development, Ashoka fellow Martin Hollinetz founded Otelo, which counters the brain drain in rural areas by establishing regional innovation centres, giving people the necessary infrastructure to be innovative and creative and the possibility to start their own enterprises. Inclusion of marginalised groups in mainstream society is a major focus of Austrian social entrepreneurs Career Moves, for instance, connects people with disabilities with potential employers. Gregor Demblin, the founder, sees huge potential in people with disabilities, as they can be top performers, whose potential is not used due to societal prejudice. Exit, an NGO, helps victims of human trafficking by giving not only legal and psychological advice but also by helping these victims to set up a new life

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13.06.13 13:26

Young and dynamic: social entrepreneurship in Austria | Guardian Soci...

http://socialenterprise.guardian.co.uk/social-enterprise-network/2013/...

in Austria, and not fall back into prostitution, where they ended up after coming to Austria. A new career path Many young people in Austria do not yet realise that there is a new career path that combines entrepreneurial spirit with solving major social challenges. But several social entrepreneurship support-organisations such as The HUB Vienna, awards such as The Social Impact Award or training programmes like Pioneers of Change in Vienna especially attract young social entrepreneurs. These young aspiring talents have a very unique and fresh approach to deal with a multitude of social problems: whatchado is helping young people to find out what career paths exist and how to get there. They interview people of different backgrounds and sectors and feature them in short films to explain how they became what they are today. Dachgold is convincing companies to use solar energy to cover their energy needs, because they use most of their energy during the day (unlike many private households). Since solar energy storage is very inefficient, using the energy right away during the day is a very sustainable solution. It is not just a lack of knowledge and access which inhibit young social entrepreneurs from starting their own initiative they are often just afraid to take the risks of founding their own projects. Ashoka fellow Johannes Lindner responded to this by starting Entrepreneurship Education in many Austrian schools and helps students become more entrepreneurial, self-dependent and lose the fear of taking initiative. Johannes's business plan competitions encourage young people to combine their entrepreneurial thinking with self-driven action. Each year, 2,500 students participate in these competitions, and two-thirds of the projects are actually implemented. In Austrian secondary schools, 20,000 students benefit weekly from the teaching and learning content developed by him. Social entrepreneurship in Austria is still too young for us to grasp its scale and impact. Nevertheless, this movement has a lot of potential to bring about social change. One of the main challenges is the lack of support infrastructure outside the urban,densely populated areas. Focus should also be given to initiatives that encourage youth to become more involved and engaged in solving social problems. Competitions for young social entrepreneurs such as the Social Impact Award or the Join our Core competition clearly show that there is lot of potential among Austrian youth. Young people no longer want to adapt to often rigid and uninspired structures in established organisations and companies. Instead, they would prefer to set up their own enterprises where they can live their values, be creative and shape the impact they want to have on society. Without doubt, Austrians will have to take more risks to solve social problems. As Melinda Gates, wife of Bill, the Microsoft billionaire, says "We believe in taking risks, because that's how you move things along." Michael Hagelmuller is a mobiliser for Join Our Core Ashoka Austria This content was brought to you by Guardian Professional. To join the Guardian's Social Enterprise Network, click here

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13.06.13 13:26

Young and dynamic: social entrepreneurship in Austria | Guardian Soci...

http://socialenterprise.guardian.co.uk/social-enterprise-network/2013/...

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