The emersense advisory board brings together a diverse mix of thought leaders, pioneers and entrepreneurs providing valuable expertise and inspiration to our journey. Further members of the board are: Hildegard Aichberger (WWF, Managing Director), Werner Binnenstein-Bachstein (Caritas Wien, Managing Director) and Stefan Leitner-Sidl (Konnex, Co-Founder and Managing Director).

Hosted by Erste Group, ERSTE Foundation and Česká Spořitelna in partnership with Ashoka, good.bee and emersense, “Banking for Social Entrepreneurship” brought together more than 120 selected participants in an engaging conference that pioneered several new ideas and triggered many exciting thoughts on ways to connect and leverage banking and social entrepreneurship for lasting positive impact in CEE.

Amongst the many guests and speakers of the conference: Andreas Treich (Erste Bank), Erhard Busek (IDM), Felix Oldenburg (Ashoka), Sava Dalbokov (good.bee), Jeroo Billimoria (Aflatoun), Jonathan Robinson (The Hub), Eva Varga (NESsT), Brian Richardson (Wizzit), Rupert Strachwitz (Maecenata Institut), Peter Püspök (Oikocredit), Nikolaus Spieckermann-Hutter (gcp), Franz Karl Prüller (ERSTE Foundation) and Michael Fembek (Antara Solutions).

A final thought on the role of emersense in the conference: “As learning designer of ‘Banking for Social Entrepreneurship’ we particularly intended to enable a high level of engagement and significant relevance for both social entrepreneurs and bankers throughout this unique event. We tried to make it happen in a blend of learning and exploration, seeking to encourage passion and spur creativity of everyone involved, adding edge and spark to let participants obtain clarity, form new ideas and initiate meaningful actions upon their genuine ambition.”

With 59 applications from more than 200 students, a community of more than 300 members and several activities and workshops over just a few weeks time – the Social Impact Award 2009 was successfully concluded today in a ceremony for the first three winners of the award:

• 1st place for Project-E: A successfully established vocational school with accredited curriculum to provide Ethiopian orphan girls a future-oriented education and break the chains of poverty and patriachal societal pressures.
• 2nd place for Hunza Dynamo: A new concept to strengthen the local economical and social structures of the Hunza Valley in Pakistan through the establishment of new trekking routes and sustained eco-tourism offers.
• 3rd place for Kunterbunt Foundation: A novel idea for “the touchable museum” that will allow blind people to experience the full beauty of art in an exhibition of 3D sculptures from famous paintings such as the Mona Lisa.

Project-E, Hunza Dynamo and Kunterbunt Foundation will each be awarded a 3 month unlimited membership of The Hub Vienna (opening fall 2009). Additionally, subsequent workshops and community activities for all applicants will soon be announced as further support for the many submitted ideas, concepts and prototypes.

Looking back: more impressions and information on the award are now available at www.socialimpactaward.at… Looking ahead: In 2010 emersense will continue the partnership with the Social Impact Award to again reward students with innovative ideas and new approaches to bringing about positive change in society. Stay tuned for more information.

Impressions of the conference and an open group for insights, ideas and perspectives are accessible at emersense.ning

Hosted by ERSTE Foundation, Erste Group and Česká Spořitelna in partnership with Ashoka and emersense, “Banking for Social Entrepreneurship” thus seeks to uncover this potential and connect banks and entrepreneurs on their social mission. Inviting drivers and enablers of positive change across CEE, a unique conference with a multitude of perspectives and a high level of engagement is created. Common intent at its core: Jointly pioneering new ways of enabling lasting positive impact by finding new opportunities to leverage banking and social entrepreneurship in CEE.

“Banking for Social Entrepreneurship” will take place from 19 to 20 June 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic for 120 selected guests and participants from CEE. A detailed program of the conference can be found here.

emersense learning design marks a new approach to learning to enable those with drive and commitment to a sustainable future by creating unique events with a high level of engagement and output. Read more about our learning design here and please contact us at  info@emersense.org for further information.

As official partner of the award, emersense 1) is sponsoring unlimited memberships of three months each in The Hub Vienna, 2) offers regular creative sessions as support and meeting point for interested students throughout the application period, 3) designs a virtual space for all applicants to foster exchange and connections beyond the duration of the award, and 4) is member of the jury to select the winner of the award.

Applications for this award can be submitted until 30 May 2009, 10pm. For more information, resources, links and details on the award please visit www.socialimpactaward.at.

“Solution – Leadership for Sustainability” is an annual four day conference by AIESEC and emersense first hosted in 2006. Until now around 200 selected participants and well over 40 reputable guests and partners from across the world have participated in this unique learning platform to create a sustainable future.

This year’s “Solution” will take place from 14 to 17 May 2009 in Vienna and offers space for 80 selected delegates from Austria and abroad. Applications are now open.

“Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract – sustainable development – and turn it into a reality for all the world’s people.“ (Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the UN)

As AIESEC in Austria and emersense, we particularly believe in the dreams, intentions and potential of youth to take on this challenge and shape a sustainable future. It is for this reason, that we will continue our partnership and again jointly host “Solution” – a unique learning platform to foster clarity, confidence, capability and courage in young people’s pursuit of driving positive change in society.

First hosted in 2006, the annual four day conferences since then have engaged around 200 selected participants and well over 40 reputable guests and partners from across the world for inspiring and triggering experiences upon their ambitions and ideas to create a sustainable future.

This year’s “Solution” will take place from 14 to 17 May 2009 in Vienna. The conference will be open for 80 selected delegates from Austria and abroad. Applications are starting on 15 March 2009. More

In September 2007, we founded emersense and quickly set off to enact our first ideas and initiatives that would nurture intent, grow aspirations and unfold potential for contribution. A glimpse back at this first year of existence shows the following highlights:

• We designed several innovative learning activities around sustainability. “Solution” connected 80 participants from across the world as well as about 20 reputable partners and guests in an internationally acclaimed four day conference upon leadership for sustainability… “The Human Element of Sustainability” provided space and opportunity to conceptualize new initiatives and solutions together with EBBF and Arthur L. Dahl (e.g. co-creator of the World Summit on Sustainable Development)…

• We created space and opportunities for social entrepreneurs from across Europe. With “Summer Retreat 08” we brought together 30 young international social entrepreneurs in a unique setting amidst Vienna and offered the space to shape new ideas upon the valuable connections and inspiration at hand…

• We were invited to share our perspectives and ideas in diverse forums. We were selected to present emersense in the “Marketplace for Ideas” and actively engage in the “Two Wings Award” ceremony for Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus within the “Vision Summit 2008” in Berlin… We shared our ideas on enabling social entrepreneurship with Der Standard, spoke on panels hosted by icon-s and Die Presse, were guest speakers and leadership coaches at national and international conferences by AIESEC…

• We built valuable partnerships for future growth and evolution of emersense. Out of several hundred requests we were selected to expand the international The Hub network in 2009… We initiated the collaboration with an advisory board comprising thought leaders, pioneers and entrepreneurs from diverse sectors… We engaged friends, enablers and supporters of emersense to bring in various perspectives and ideas into the evolution of the organization…

Last year we have started a journey. Since then we have intensified and accelerated the ride – and are now bringing emersense from a voluntary-driven association to an established social enterprise that serves as an enabling space for the value creators of today. We are looking forward to sharing this journey with you.