Monday, February 1, 2010

Social Enterprise Summit 2010

Interested in pitching your business idea to a panel of investors? The Social Enterprise World Forum is hosting a SEI Summit 2010 where you can practice pitching and receive valuable feedback to improve your business model. You can even win the pitching contest and get featured on the SEA website during 2010. For more information, check out this link:


http://www.se-alliance.org/summit_10angels.cfm

Imagine Cup 2010

Microsoft has a competition for socially concious ideas that make use of technology. There is an Imagine Cup Round 1 submission party at their office this Friday and Saturday, where they will take people through the process to submit their ideas on improving the world by utilizing technology. All you need to do is fill out the attached 1.5 page business plan for Round 1 and bring it to the submission party. Check out the event details below:



There's Still Time to Register for:
Imagine Cup 2010 Submission Fest Party
Want a chance to win $10,000 or XBOX 360 games (guaranteed to the first 20 teams to register at the part), meet other brilliant college students around the Boston area to create a team, and propose a way to save the world? Register on EventBrite for food headcount!

Spend an hour at the office during any of these times:
Friday, January 29, 2010 (5p – 730p) – Registration Link or
Saturday, January 30 (130p – 330p) – Registration Link
Microsoft NERD Center
1 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA
(2 blocks away from the "Kendall/MIT" Redline T Stop)


Register today and turn your ideas into real-world solutions in The Student Technology Competition!

Go to icnerd1.eventbrite.com for

everything you need to know to enter into the $10,000 drawing –

and compete to win up to $25,000!

Why compete? The project you design gives you the opportunity to:

Showcase your skills to tackle some of the world’s toughest challenges

Beef up your resume

• Gain the attention of recruiters from Microsoft and other tech companies

• Get free software from Microsoft

Win prizes – and a free trip to the U.S. Finals in Washington, DC!

© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft and the Microsoft logo are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.

Register now at www.CompeteImagineCup.us and you’ll be instantly

entered for a chance to win $10,000 and/or a Xbox® Halo 3:ODST*.


COST
Students: Free!



Business Plan Form:

USImagineCup2010SDIBusinessPlan.doc

On January 21st, over 500 Northeastern University students united to support the Rock Out for Haiti Benefit Concert in afterHOURS. Students and faculty at the Social Enterprise Institute, among other Northeastern organizations, put together the concert in efforts to raise awareness and money for the current crisis in Haiti. The venue was packed with people eager to help fundraise and listen to local bands Baylock and Mission Hill.

While the bands played, pictures of Haiti were displayed on screens behind the musicians to remind the audience what they were supporting. The Massachusetts Consulate of Haiti, Gladys D. Joseph, also attended the concert and offered words of inspiration and hope regarding the current tragedy in Haiti.

In addition to the optional attendance fee of around $5, the event hosted a raffle of items ranging from a bonsai, donated from Fern, to a pair of Celtics tickets donated by ACE Ticket. Other local businesses such as Wine Bottega, Espresso Royale Café, Boloco and many others also donated to the raffle.

The fundraising goal of the benefit concert was to raise $1,500, but a wave of support for Haiti moved the attendees to donate over $3,600 that went directly to Partners in Health, a non-profit organization that has been ‘standing with Haiti’ for over 20 years and is dedicated to ‘providing a preferential option for the poor in health care.’

The students at Northeastern continue to raise money for the tragedy in Haiti, fundraising for a goal of $25,000 by the end of February. Donations are still being accepted online at http://act.pih.org/page/outreach/view/personal/NEUSEI.

Attached are pictures from the Rock Out for Haiti Benefit Concert, as well as a press release of the event.

NURockOutforHaitiPressRelease.doc

picturesfromrockforhaitieventpart1

picturesfromrockforhaitieventpart2

Commonwealth Market

Commonwealth Market is and organization founded by a recent Northeastern alumni, Alex Alvanos, and is currently seeking volunteers, work-study students, and interns.

Commonwealth Market (CWM) aims to provide measurable data for non-profit organizations (NPOs) in areas such as improvements in individual lives, performance, and impact level in order to encourage donors to invest in high-impact and high-performance NPOs and to publicly provide information to help donors decide which NPOs to support. CWM is also dedicated to providing NPOs with the means to collect measurable data and produce measurable social value.

If you are interested in working for CWM, send your resume to Jobs@thecommonwealthmarket.org by Friday, Feb 12th or send Alex Alvanos an email at aalvanos@thecommonwealthmarket.org.

A message from Alex Alvanos:

CWM Flyer:

Thursday, November 12, 2009

HYPE : A Paramount for Future Students

What is Hype?

HYPE’s mission is to reduce or eliminate the "financial barriers” that hinder student’s ability to attend, continue, and graduate college. HYPE will fulfill the unmet need of students enrolled and enrolling to college by providing affordable and accessible student loans. HYPE will achieve this goal by being a micro-lending website that will connect donors to Boston area students through monetary donations.

Quote

Students, who enroll, attend, and graduate from college, set the tone for their peers that college is a possibility. In turn, the student’s success creates a domino affect that positively impacts their family as well as their community.


The Founders of HYPE

Luz Mederos is a Northeastern Alumni from Boston, Massachusetts. Luz, class of 2008, graduated with a degree in Business Administration and was awarded as Northeastern University’s 100 Most Influential Seniors. She is interested in issues related to urban education. Currently, Luz works at the Steppingstone Foundation in Support Services, where she works with over 100 Scholars and their families helping them achieve their goal of attending college. Luz believes that HYPE can provide financial support to the urban youth of Boston with aspirations of achieving a higher education. In the future, Luz hopes to work in the Boston Public Schools as a guidance counselor to help as many students attend college.


Roodly Dorleans is a Northeastern Alumni born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Roodly was part of the graduating class of 2008 and was awarded 100 Most Influential Senior and the Joseph Spear Scholarship. He is the first in his family to graduate from college with a degree in Engineering Technology. Roodly is interested in issues related to urban poverty and education. Roodly believes that HYPE can support urban youths by providing them an opportunity to obtain and complete a higher education by removing the burdensome financial barriers that many face today. Currently, Roodly works at the Boston Water Sewer Commission as a Geographical Information System Technician. In the future, Roodly hopes to work with the Department of Education to improve the quality of education in the United States. Roodley emboldens "Carpe Diem" as HYPE hits the ground running.



Monday, November 9, 2009

"They needed nets yesterday."






Nothing But Nets returns from distribution initiatives in Uganda where refugees continue to face life threatening challenges. Partnering with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Nothing But Net continues to campaign for more Malaria prevention Nets. 300 to 500 million people per year will become infected with Malaria and sometimes contract Malaria up to EIGHT times Per Year. Malaria
IS the pandemic of our time, killing an estimated 1 million young children a year. For just $10 a net will be sold to the United Nations Foundation (manufacturing by A to Z Techtile Miles is sponsored by the Acumen Fund portfolio)
who supports Nothing But Nets to help give a net to a much needed 'red zone'.

Sending Nets Saves Lives.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Student Spotlight: Andy Cabasso

As told by: Andy Cabasso

As an undergrad at Northeastern, I was fortunate enough to take a seminar on microfinance. The seminar introduced me to this sustainable method of poverty alleviation, and I knew after the first class that I wanted to acquire as much knowledge as humanly possible on the subject. As a senior, I was able to develop a thesis and research the effects of microfinance in the Dominican Republic. For the thesis, I traveled to the DR to work with Esperanza International, a microfinance institution. I interviewed their clients - many single mothers, who previously were malnourished, had no sources of income, and were unable to send their children to school. Thanks to the newfound opportunity to access basic financial services, these women were able to feed and educate their children, providing them with a better future. This past summer, Northeastern sent 19 students and 3 faculty members to the DR to see how microfinance works, interview borrowers, and help Esperanza improve its services.


Recently, I was able to create a bank branch with Esperanza thanks to the help of the Honors Program and Social Enterprise Institute. Our bank is located in Ingenio Consuelo, a batey (sugarcane-growing community). On the Dominican bateyes, a population largely comprised of illegal Haitian immigrants works in the fields harvesting sugarcane for around 31 cents an hour. With microfinance, we can supplement the income of families living on the bateyes to help them earn a livable wage.


Today, I’m studying at Fordham Law School, very interested in international and human rights law. During my spring break, I plan on bringing a contingent of law students to the DR to work with microfinance institutions and Fair-Trade cooperatives. My ultimate aspiration is to work with foreign governments that prevent microfinance institutions from operating in their countries, and to ease these restrictions. Some governments are misinformed about the potential for microfinance to help improve quality of life for the poor and I seek to remedy that.




To read Andy's Honor Thesis about poverty alleviation in the Dominican Republic click the following link:

Microfinance Gateway>Poverty Alleviation in the Dominican Republic

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