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.

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.

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.