Country Forum
To participate any country forum, please click Apply For Country Forum
Country Forum will be held for the first time at the Social Business Day 2017 creating a unique regional platform for measuring the role and scope of social business at a territorial level. The forum will provide a common platformfor more than 20 delegates from each country, province, or region to focus on the social problems of their native country, and give each other the opportunity to address them on Social Business Day. It will bring social business practitioner stogether and deepen their interest and understanding of social business, creating a channel of discussion and sharing. Further, it will inspire everyone to get active in solving social problems and build a community of problem-solvers. They can organize their own programs to review the progress of social businesses in their countries. The initiators can come together and make plans for the next year outlining a course of action.
Objectives:
Fundamental objectives will be the following-
- Initiating dialogue, debate, and networking centered around social business.
- Creating new ideas and interesting discussions between people with different backgrounds and experiences from the same country who are working in the field of social business. Networking and community building leading to action will be the essence of the Forum.
- Learning about the existing social businesses in the area and offering support to them to expedite their growth.
- Presenting social business plans that require investment support.
- Networking with local, national and international investors who will introduce themselves and explain how they want be involved in social businesses in their country.
- Understanding the usefulness of social business in achieving social objectives for the greater good of the country.
- Holding meaningful discussions among Policy makers, social activists, NGO leaders about the possibilities of creating social business villages, cities, districts, etc.
- Creating follow-up programs and action plans for next year's forum.
How to Organize a Forum
A person or an organization may take the lead to organize the Forum and contact Yunus Centre expressing their intention.Once Yunus Centre goes through the due diligence on their proposal, it will work with the person/organization to figure out the best way to proceed in organizing a successful forum. Multiple people can jointly approach Yunus Centre, and form a team of co-organizers.
Organizers will need to submit a tentative plan about the forum indicating the participants, possible speakers, focus and agenda of the forum. Initial plan will also need to describe the specific sectors of the society that would be approached. Organizers may designate a sector leader in each sector to work with the key persons and organizations within the sector. Each sector leader will promote the concept of social business from the perspective of the sector.
The first thing to do when organizing a forum will be to identify people who may have interest in working with or are working with social businesses and to mobilize them. Sector leaders will encourage them to speak at the forum,providing an appropriate subject matter that they can relate to. Sector leaders will promote the Forum in Chambers of Commerce, various business events, publications, business schools, consulting firms, associations, rotary and other professional bodies.
Format:
The forums will last for a duration of three hours. There will be a one-hour break after the assigned time for country forums. Each forum may decide to extend their session into the break period. The forum will primarily consist of panel sessions, pecha kucha, individual speeches etc. within a broader session headed by the forum chair. He/she can assign responsibility to other persons to play the role of moderators. The chair may remain on the stage while groups of people enter and leave for their panel discussions.
The forum will begin by welcoming the delegates where leading participants in the forum will be introduced. Then the objectives of the forum will be disseminated explaining that the forum should end with a structured plan for future networking among delegates and sharing of information. It will be announced that the forum needs to end with a draft action plan through the end of 2017. A draft action plan may be circulated; a panel discussion may be conducted so that people have an opportunity to debate the issues on a final action plan. A drafting committee for finalization of action plan may be announced. Final action plan should be announced no later than the end of August. A facilitating committee (FC) and location of its secretariat may be announced. Chairman of the FC will be the key contact person for all. It would be upon the organizers of each forum to decide on the format themselves according to what they consider would be the most effective. At the end of the forum discussion, there will be a plenary session on the main stage of the conference to present all the concrete action plans and announcements emerging from the forums. This will be helpful in disseminating and cross-fertilizing the action programs.
Agenda for discussion
Each country forum will develop its own set of topics and agendas concerning the following:
- Overview of present social business initiatives in the country and around -‘Who is doing what’.
- Who are interested in social business?
- Why social business can be a reliable answer to solving our social problems in the specific country?
- Social business plans;
- ‘We are investors/funders;we are looking for projects to invest in’.
- ‘What we are planning to do’.
- Exploring joint venture projects in social business.
- How to interest our business leaders to get involved with the joint ventures?
Encouraging involvement with the Academia Network from the local participants.
List of country forums in Social Business Day 2017:
- Bangladesh Country Forum
- China Country Forum
- Malaysia Country Forum
- Australia New Zealand Pacific Forum
- India Country Forum
- Thailand Country Forum
- Japan Country Forum
- European Country Forum
- Sub National Forum: Chittagong Social Business Centre , Chittagong, Country Forum
- Latin America Country Forum
To participate any country forum, please click Apply For Country Forum