Muhammad Yunus, the pioneering founder of Grameen Bank, was once asked during a guest lecture, “Who are social entrepreneurs?” With wrinkles on his forehead bearing testimony to his lifelong work in the social entrepreneurship sector, he politely answered, “People who want to see a different world.” These words echoed in the halls of the Willy Brandt School building recently when young eager minds of the Social Entrepreneurship class shared their aspirations of changing the world for the better in the annual Social Impact Lab organized by the Brandt School.  

According to United Nations reports, around 828 million people are trapped in the quagmire of hunger and poverty and awaiting a helping hand from the global community to lessen their suffering (WHO, 2022). Similarly, UNESCO estimates that around 250 million out-of-school children around the globe are at the behest of decisionmakers to illuminate their dark future with the candle of education (UNESCO, 2023). UNHCR reports that 244 million displaced people are looking to global leaders to provide them food and shelter (UNHCR, 2023). The world clearly needs solutions.

Ideas like Grameen Bank and Barefoot College have transformed the lives of millions and immensely contributed to the cause of making the world a better place. However, many times ideas fail to translate into reality and remain either restricted to minds or conference halls, owing to lack of opportunities and resources. Many people, despite their earnest desires to bring meaningful change in the lives of suffering people, fail to further their worthy ambitions owing to lack of platforms.           

The Willy Brandt School, via the Aletta Haniel Professor for Public Policy and Entrepreneurship, Prof. Dr. Heike Grimm, has taken the initiative of addressing this lack of platform for young social entrepreneurs. Every year, a seminar is conducted for the students of the Social Entrepreneurship class, under the umbrella of the Social Impact Lab, to pitch their great ideas with experts in the field. Specifically dedicated to students who have undergone training in social entrepreneurship, the lab provides a platform for presenting social business proposals before an audience comprising experts, donors, mentors, and peers, thereby giving participants access to constructive feedback and mentors who will aid the development or implementation of their projects. Moreover, the lab serves as an immense opportunity for young social entrepreneurs to get access to valuable networks, funding, and internship opportunities. Keeping the Brandt School’s dedication to social work alive, at the end of winter semester this year the School organized a Social Impact Lab seminar for the MPP students in the Social Entrepreneurship class to share their ideas and projects with the best of the best in this field. The expert panel this year included officials from Stiftung Kinder Forschen, STIFT, Kinnings Foundation, Engagementpreis-Stiftung , and the Augsburg Center for Entrepreneurship.