CEBU CITY-Aiming to strengthen and push the private-public partnership with social entrepreneurship and youth support as an effective tool for nation-building, private individuals, mostly Cebu-based, recently hosted a forum for youth social entrepreneurship in this city's University of San Carlos.Among the social entrepreneur champions who shared their stories and experiences during the forum were 2009 CNN Hero of the Year Efren Peñaflorida Jr., Jefferson Awards 2009 Student In Action Awardee, MoneyThink Founder Ted Gonder, 2009 Ernst and Young/Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur of the Year Gemma Bulos and Country Champion of the
Philippines for the World Entrepreneurship Day (WED) Neil Huele.Other guest lecturers of the entrepreneurship forum included Social Entrepreneur, Ten Outstanding Young Men awardee and First Cousin Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino, who is also the president of Microventures Inc., that pioneered the "Hapinoy" project, 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for Children Finalist Emanuel Bagual and Dynamic Teen Company Founder Bonn Manalaysay.
Aquino, in an informal interview before the forum, said they want to introduce a new trend on social development by using small capitals to come up with business models suitable for small businesses.The Hapinoy project is a social business enterprise design to empower sari-sari stores by linking them directly to partner product manufacturers, through capacity-building and through the community support generated by the network.Aquino added that with this arrangement sari-sari store owners can increase their income and at the same time serve as channels for the manufacturer to reach more people in the market.
