Social Entrepreneurs in North Carolina

NC Now Feature

Dennis Whittle C0-Founder, Global Giving

NC Now Feature

Social Entrepreneurship is a method of crafting innovative approaches to social problems.  Whether they work through a non-profit organization, a for-profit organization, or some combination of the two, social entrepreneurs now experiment with using business methods to solve social problems.  North Carolina Now has produced three feature stories profiling social entrepreneurs in North Carolina.

Projects:

Africa Rising
By day, Jim Thomas is a professor of epidemiology at UNC, but he also spends many hours of his life working as a social entrepreneur.  In this story about an organization called AFRICA RISING, Jim introduces the concept of “social entrepreneur” as the practice of people with business skills doing more than making money, using good business practices to address a social problem like hunger, poverty, water quality, or, as in the case of his work, women with HIV/AIDS. 

Home of Hope
Home of Hope (Prathyasha Bhavan) is an orphanage for 80 abandoned, neglected, abused girls in Kochi, India.  These are the poorest of the poor, whose past lives have seen horrible suffering and deprivation.  Please come into our website so that we might tell how YOU can be their bridge to a brighter future.  Paul and Tracy Wilkes, of Wilmington NC, discovered Home of Hope on a trip to India and serve as US coordinators for all those who want to help these precious girls.

Juicy Ideas
Juicy Ideas is a collegiate competition which will challenge student teams to create value while communicating a message of environmental responsibility through the use of imagination, innovation and creativity around the use of a "throw-away" item. Teams will record their experience via video and upload to YouTube for judging.

Join Social Entrepreneurs in North Carolina on Facebook! UNC-TV created the Facebook group “Social Entrepreneurs In North Carolina” as an interactive means to explore how local social entrepreneurs craft innovative approaches to social problems and provoke online discussion and commentary about the concept of social entrepreneurship. Visit Social Entrepreneurs in North Carolina on Facebook, become a member of this exciting new group, and share your thoughts today.

Get involved today! Read in-depth profiles and watch videos featuring social entrepreneurs, sign up for podcasts that offer suggestions and ideas of other inspiring social entrepreneurs, explore the online activity 'Build a Socially Conscious Business' and connect with social entrepreneurs across the country via UNC-TV Interactive.

Click here to take the Social Entrepreneurs in North Carolina project survey.