You too can become an entrepreneur of change
Utilizing HEC’s expertise in entrepreneurship and social innovation, and the collective experience of participants in the ‘Ticket for Change’ program, the MOOC Devenir entrepreneur du changement (‘Become an entrepreneur of change’) on Coursera aims to inspire and help aspiring entrepreneurs who want to make a difference in society. From 24 February 2015, the seven-week program will explore how to move from a desire to an idea, and from an idea to action.
Being an ‘entrepreneur of change’ is to create a project that combines both social benefits and economic viability. This can take the form of the creation of a company or association, or a project within an existing structure. It was designed after the Ticket for Change ‘Tour de France’, which took place from 26 August to 6 September 2014, encouraging young people to become agents of change.
The trip was highly successful, with the emergence of more than 15 projects and the 50 young people, who noted how much the 12 days had changed their lives. Participants were able to identify the skills, values and motivations that would drive their progress on the path to social entrepreneurship.
Sharing the key lessons of the trip on a large scale, the MOOC will adopt an educational process of inspiration, introspection and action. The online course combines a blend of testimonials from pioneers, entrepreneurs, social entrepreneurs, ‘intrapreneurs’ and managers, who have all used entrepreneurship to change society, plus the invaluable contributions from HEC’s top faculty in the field of entrepreneurship and social innovation. This expertise stems from the HEC Social Business, Enterprise and Poverty Chair, HEC’s Society and Organizations Center the MSc in Sustainability and Social Innovation.
The MOOC is based on individual and collective action learning for each participant, to enable each one of them to “change their lives now in order to change those of others later on”.