French social entrepreneur at Social Capital Markets Conference

By Emmanuelle Larroque

[Note on the author: Emmanuelle supports young social entrepreneurs at a French NGO in Paris called Entrepreneurs Sans Frontières (ESF, or Entrepreneurs Without Borders). She visited the Bay Area recently and reached out to YWSE-SF. Below is her report on the 2009 Social Capital Markets Conference held in San Francisco this September. She notes that this is her perspective as a French woman with degrees in business and innovation and a background in IT consulting and CSR. It's fascinating to think about the differences in social entrepreneurship around the world, and encouraging to be reminded this is a worldwide movement.]

I was thrilled to be part of a meeting of major players in mission-driven investments. An international foundation for the promotion of social business, Artemisia International, had invited Entrepreneurs Sans Frontières to participate in SOCAP to get an understanding of how the social capital market was being shaped.

YWSE's Take On ... Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp – Lessons on Social Entrepreneurship

By Erica Hewitt

This past June, the Craigslist Foundation held its annual Boot Camp offering resources and workshops catered towards non-profit organizations and people interested in making a change in the world. As a participant in the corporate world during the week, I enjoyed spending a Saturday to feed my passion for change and collaboration.

I learned ways to change the world for $10, how to use social media to market my organization, and loved hearing keynote speaker Arianna Huffington explain how the current recession has provided the world with a chance to make more meaningful decisions for the good of our global community. I also stopped by the YWSE table, of course!

YWSE's Take On ... Reflections on the Annual Retreat

By Elizabeth Zirk, Member

It had been a while. My shoulders were weary. My heart seemed a bit less full. All in all, I was worn. An old sock with the heel fabric growing thin, I was ready. I had been seeking something. I didn’t realize it until I journeyed (yes, journeyed!) to the YWSE SF chapter’s annual retreat.

I am seen.

30 women gathered over a weekend to listen, laugh, exchange stories, and find their inner social entrepreneur. With a full schedule of workshops including everything from visioning our inner wisdom to discovering our personal leadership style, every woman at the Marin Headlands Institute on September 12th and 13th noticed a little something special in herself. Sylvia Warren, MBA enhanced that inherently special quality by allowing us to see each other in a new way. We did not ask how we were doing or feeling, we simply chose to see each other. Our eyes would meet and it was if we could see through to that person’s heart.  Whether or not our hearts were ready to be seen, we felt satisfied that someone had noticed us, that we were acknowledged.