Anne Love is a high school science teacher who has taught biology, IB biology, environmental science (IB and AP), chemistry, earth science, physics, forensic science and ecology for over 15 years. She has taught at public schools in the United States and international schools in Bulgaria, the Philippines and now at Concordia International School in China. She is passionate about traveling, education, learning new things, and most recently, coffee; thanks in part to a social entrepreneur class she and her husband Patrick have developed at Concordia. In this podcast, Anne shares with us the steps to transform your passions into sustainable impact.

This podcast is one of ten in the HowTo@ConcordiaShanghai series. For information on how to contract the Limitless platform to benefit your organization email Ally here.

Coffee offers a huge opportunity for social good because it is a product that brings people together.

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Show Notes

Intro to the Social Entrepreneurship class

There is no denying the appeal of coffee. Aside from being the second most traded commodity in the world, it has the power to bring people together. Countless conversations have begun and innumerable relationships have been forged over a cup of coffee. A passion for coffee and the notion of community the café culture inspires was the basis for the Social Entrepreneur class. In it, students learn about and develop socially and environmentally focused business plans that not only offer high-quality coffee to the community but benefits and helps sustain the rural Chinese farmers in the southern province of Yunnan who grow it.

Class goals

Have students learn about social entrepreneurship as a sustainable way of doing business. Students create a social enterprise business model involving a direct trade relationship with partner enterprise.

• Class structured around theory as well as applied learning
• Creation, development and implementation of business plan with positive social and environmental impact on the farmers and community in Yunnan
• Share best coffee in China with school community

A measurable student impact

• Student empowerment to recognize their passions and talents and use them in a very real way.
• Human-centered design, a life-long skill
• Students learn
  • Leadership skills
  • Grit and resilience—embracing ambiguity and opportunity
  • Methods to formulate and pitch business ideas

Impact on the greater community

• Positive social and environmental impact on Yunnan farm community
• Shares the story of the Yunnan farmers with the Concordia community
• Possibility to connect with other disciplines, curriculum-wise
• Potential for student internships and independent student work
• Encourages collaboration with members of the Concordia community– sharing expertise and skills.
• Success inspires similar projects

Class set up

• Teacher-led project – teacher chooses the project and has a goal in mind.
• Theory & applied learning – this is the model we followed and that everything else in this podcast will apply to
  • Pros – helps give focus for the class
  • Cons – Students may not have the same vision or passion
• Shark Tank approach – Students learn about social entrepreneurship in semester 1, choose projects their passionate about, pitch and class/teachers vote
  • Pros – more student engagement/passion/leadership
  • Cons – bigger learning curve for students to get to the point where they can pitch an idea and then execute
• Simply theoretical –
  • Pros– Students familiar with business theory and fundamentals of social enterprise
  • Cons– Absence of applied learning
• Partner with an existing social enterprise
  • Pros – you don’t have to start from scratch
  • Cons – less student ownership

Must-haves to ensure success

• Support of the school is imperative.
  • Cash investment initial capital (if possible)
  • Trust in teachers
• Tolerance for ambiguity
• Long-term commitment from passionate teachers
• Legitimate and reliable business to partner with
• A heart for service

Wish list items

• Accessibility to ‘real-life’ entrepreneurs (social or otherwise)
• Potential for ongoing relationship
• Product with distinct the seasonality

Personal preparation

• If unfamiliar, educate yourself on the business theory and aim of social enterprise
  • Certificate and web-based courses available
  • Seek advise from those who have gone before you
• Research viable business to partner with

Identifying the right partner

Find a partner who is

• legitimate, reliable and accessible’
• willing to work with students,
• and who also shares your vision.

Your next step

Determine what you are passionate about and start researching opportunities for partnerships in your host country.

Resource Links

• Ashoka U
• Ashoka
• Echoing Green
• Skoll Foundation
• Duke Fuqua School of Business – The Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship
• Acumen
• Design Thinking – dschool
• IDEO Design Kit
• Human Centered Design Toolkit from IDEO
• NovoEd – a lot of great courses related to social innovation
• Business Model Canvas
• The Social Business Model Canvas
• Social Lean Canvas

Books

• Social Entrepreneurship: What Everyone Needs to Know by David Bornstein & Susan Davis
• The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World by Jacqueline Novogratz
• The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets that Change the Worldby John Elkington and Pamela Hartigan
• How to Change the World: Social Entrepreneurs and the Power of New Ideas
  By David Bornstein

Connecting with Anne

Email howto@concordiashanghai.org, Attention: Anne Love and we’ll make sure Anne receives your message.