Ashoka Canada & Ashoka's Youth Venture
Ashoka is the global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs – individuals with system-changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems.
We are redefining the global citizen sector by creating a system of collaborative entrepreneurship. Connecting the work of individual social entrepreneurs to business, academic and public sector partners, we create a network effect driving the sector forward and developing new solutions to global problems.
To date, we have elected more than 2,700 social entrepreneurs as Ashoka Fellows, in 72 countries in five continents. Across Canada, we have elected 36 Fellows since 2002. By working with our network, we have identified the key principles of transformation. We are working with business entrepreneurs, corporations, government agencies and universities to create a new reality.
Ashoka’s Programs in Canada include:
Ashoka’s Venture & Fellowship program identifies and elects leading social entrepreneurs into our global Ashoka Fellowship network and provides strategic support, opportunities for collaboration, a community of like-mined individuals, recognition and possible financial support.
Ashoka’s Changemakers.com is a global online community of action where anyone can source and collaborate on social solutions.
Ashoka Support Network (ASN) is a global community of successful business leaders and philanthropists who engage with Ashoka. Each member commits time and resources to support the work of Ashoka Fellows.
Ashoka University Program fosters, incubates, and accelerates new and effective approaches to high quality social entrepreneurship teaching, research, and action in universities and across campuses.
Ashoka’s Youth Venture inspires teams of young people to launch and lead their own social ventures with the support of mentors and small seed funding.
Ashoka Social Finance Services (SFS) creates more strategic methods to develop financing and sustainable capital from the citizen sector, addressing the lack of quantity and diversity in the support from financial institutions that is required for social ventures to succeed.