GUEST POST: Can everyone be a changemaker?

By Tony La Viña Philippine Representative, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public Sometime in early 2006, after eight years working for an environmental think tank in Washington DC, I decided to come home to the Philippines. It was clear why I (and my family) wanted to do this – we felt we could contribute something to make the Philippines a better place – but I was not as sure about what I could actually do to make a difference. I had accepted a job as the Dean of the Ateneo School of Government, a post that would allow me to work with national and local leaders in building a prosperous and just country. But that was not enough.

Government was only half, maybe less than half of the solution. If we are to overcome our history of “uncreative repetition” (where the politics of blame ensured unaccountability and inability to solve long standing problems from poverty to social injustice), it was important to do something that would foster, catalyze, and enable social innovation. I wanted to get out of the default mode of blaming others for the country’s problems and finding ways to actually solve these problems.

It was while I was pondering on this challenge that I stumbled upon Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, the world’s oldest and largest supporter and enabler of social entrepreneurs. These are dynamic individuals who use innovation and private-sector-style entrepreneurship to create systemic solutions for complex social problems. I was introduced to Ashoka by Terri Jayme, a Filipina working for the Arlington, Virginia-based international organization. Terri, whose sister Denni once worked for me and whose uncles and aunts I went to school with in college at the Ateneo de Manila, was asked by Ashoka to study whether or not it should launch a program in the Philippines and Terri interviewed me for this assignment. I soon learned more about Ashoka, its core mission and programs, and its global fellowship of more than 2,000 leading social entrepreneurs in over 60 countries. I also got to meet its founder, Bill Drayton, a Harvard College and Yale Law School educated lawyer and management expert, who shared with me his vision of “Everyone a Changemaker” based on the realization that we are in a “historical moment” where regular citizens are poised to create and cause significant social change and progress as never before. Social entrepreneurs all over the world are thinking and implementing scalable ideas that are revolutionizing whole sectors, such as health, the environment and education. Soon after I talked to Bill, Ashoka decided to launch its programs in the Philippines and I was offered the position of Country Representative. I quickly agreed to take on this responsibility as I was convinced that the solutions for many of our most urgent social and political problems were potentially in the hands of Filipino social entrepreneurs. I wanted to accelerate this process by launching Ashoka in the Philippines. We have had a long tradition of a strong civil society that is willing to tackle the most difficult social problems. Throughout the country, we are beginning to see very promising innovative ideas take root in the different areas of social need. We can help maintain the strength and vibrancy of the Philippine citizen sector by supporting the best and most effective ideas on the ground. And with the increased involvement of business in social issues, Ashoka (whose main support comes from business entrepreneurs) is also uniquely poised to bring the business and social sectors together towards true innovation and genuine change for the country. Today, social entrepreneurs are gaining recognition, business entrepreneurs are becoming changemakers, and the most progressive companies and financial institutions are seeking ways to increase competitiveness by serving markets of the poor. The Ashoka Philippines program is in an exciting phase as we build a powerful network of partnerships and resources that will identify and support the most deserving Filipino social entrepreneurs. Ashoka would like to help harness the passion, experience, and expertise of these Filipinos by providing critical financial support and welcoming them into the Global Fellowship. Already, we have more than 20 persons identified as potential Fellows and we are positioned to elect our first set of Ashoka Fellows in early 2009. Tony is the Dean of the Ateneo School of Government and the Country Representative for Ashoka Philippines. For more information on social entrepreneurship and the Ashoka Fellowship, you can go to http://philippines.ashoka.org or send an email to philippines (at) ashoka (dot) org.