Community Newsletter March/ April 2020: Online offers for you!

Offer 2: The Wellbeing Toolkit

We are in unprecedented and uncertain times, where the way we live and work is being challenged at many levels. In times like this, attending to our inner wellbeing is crucial.

We invite you to take a moment to breathe with us & to explore different techniques that cultivate your wellbeing. We are starting a Wellbeing toolkit - by the community for the community!

It includes an introduction video message by our colleague Luzette Jaimes, director of Learning & Development at Ashoka.
Please also share your practices and tools for wellbeing so that we develop the Wellbeing toolkit further together! 

Explore the Wellbeing Toolkit here!

Join the online workshop 'Everyone leads'

In times of complexity and uncertainty, the need for agile and collaborative teams feels stronger than ever. Let's explore how to build strong self-managed teams, together, to help you address your challenges of today and tomorrow If you are looking for more collaboration, resilience, and shared leadership in your organization, join our online workshop! 

When: April, 27th – 29th​ 2020 | Apply by April 10th, 2020

FELLOWS, their staff members & Ashoka staff: Apply here.

ASNs, Partners & other Change Leaders: Apply here.

Find out more here - and save your spot!

Social Finance deep dive coming up!

(Social) Finance = always crucial for Social Entrepreneurs! With the recent troubles (COVID-19) turning our organizations upside down, affordable finance is more in the focus than before. We are offering this in-depth online workshop to support you. It is led by social finance expert and investor and dear colleague Mark Cheng, who will share best practices from across Ashoka. It's a chance to deep dive into your business model and investment strategy. You'll also prepare your investment proposal and pitch during this online workshop.
When: May, 21st - 22nd, 2020 | Apply by May 1st, 2020
FELLOWS, their staff members & Ashoka staff: Apply here.
ASNs, Partners & other Change Leaders: Apply here.

Join and connect to peers & investors! Find out more here!

Social Finance Webinar: Check it out!

You don't have time on the 21st - 22nd of May, 2020 but are still eager to learn about Social Finance?

Check out this Webinar by Mark Cheng, offering an overview and great insights to help guide you towards a powerful Social Finance strategy. The very short and clear sessions - sorted by topic - will help you navigate the world of Social Finance!

Find the short introduction video sessions here!

Working from home? This might help!

#SocialDistancing, quarantine life or being in a situation of lockdown can be truly stressful. We hope these resources & tips will help you overcome some of the challenges:

• Read here: How to build trust while working remotely
• Read here: General tips for home office in times of corona
• Read here: Tips for working from home while parenting at the same time, by Ashoka Fellow Jill Vialet: "Meet Your New Coworkers: Your Kids"

Don't forget: Be patient with yourself, take breaks, walk around your apartment every once in a while (your back will thank you later!) and don't feel guilty. It's hard to juggle all at once. Take one step at a time.

(Online) Leadership: Showing up

As leaders, it's important to show up right now, offer guidance and show that you care. And that's not easy: This situation is new to all of us and truly challenging. Find some tips & resources here:

• Read this article by McKinsey & Company: Leadership in a crisis: Responding to the coronavirus outbreak and future challenges.
• Find some crucial tips in this LinkedIn-Post by one of our speakers of the Visionary Program, Dr. Tobias Leipprand: "Don't cancel your Leadership Workshop!!! - Take it online"
• Some inspiration going beyond: 8 emerging lessons, from coronavirus to climate action

Digital work & online facilitation:

Are you shifting a big part of your work to online formats, too? These insights, tools & tips might support your transformation:

• Virtual facilitation toolkit: The Ashoka ChangemakerXchange team has put together an in-depth guide with tips and tricksfor facilitating virtual gatherings. We invite you to share it with anyone who might need support for their virtual facilitation in the coming months. Find the online facilitation guide here!
• Hosting online conferences? Check out these learnings & tips here!

News from Ashoka Fellows - initiatives that make a difference!

Yes, these are challenging times! And we are glad to live in a "Everyone a changemaker" world, where millions of people start with little or big acts of changemaking to improve the situation.

We want to share some inspiring examples of our Fellows:

• Clara Jiménez, founder of Maldita.es and Ashoka Fellow is fighting fake news around #Covid19 empowering all citizens to become fact checkers online.
• Ashoka Fellow David Cuartielles and César García, both innovators in the open source space, are helping to curate the Coronavirus Makers Forum. More than 10.000 makers are coordinating efforts today to build masks, respirators and cabins for hospitals. Find out more here!

Please reach out and share your own examples with us! We need inspiring good news right now! Thank you!

UPDATE: Our ecosystem efforts go big: Launch of Catalyst 2030

The work of the Europe Fellowship program on "Funding Systems Change" did not only contribute to the groundbreaking report "Embracing Complexity", but it has also been an important pillar for the launch of the collaborative movement "Catalyst 2030" this February. Catalyst 2030 is a multistakeholder movement consisting of more than 130 leading Social Entrepreneurs representing Ashoka, Echoing Green, the Schwab Foundation, the Skoll Foundation and others. Jeroo Billimoria, Ashoka Fellow, a spokesperson and co-creator of Catalyst 2030 commented, "We are a group of 'avant garde' social entrepreneurs coming together with humility, but committing (...) to achieving the SDGs by the 2030 deadline." If you have any questions or want to be part of this effort, please reach out to our colleague Florian Rutsch!
Find out more about our ecosystem work HERE & about Catalyst 2030 here!

The Good Lobby: Partner up against COVID-19

Do you also think our respective governments in Europe can do more to counter COVID-19? Please consider joining The Good Lobby's campaign with your organisation to ask the EU 27 National Ministers for immediate coordination on their responses to the health emergency of COVID-19.

The Good Lobby is the organisation of Ashoka Fellow Alberto Alemanno. If this is a message you want to support, you can sign the petition and become a partner to spread the message in your community!

E4Impact: Entrepreneurship for Impact in Africa
In the middle of a huge crisis, there are also good news coming from Italy: E4Impact - a foundation with the mission of training a new generation of African entrepreneurs - is currently offering entrepreneurial programs in 13 African countries, partnering with local universities. It's becoming the largest Pan-African community of universities that promotes impact entrepreneurship! Call for support: Are you in touch with any African university that could be interested in joining? Please reach out to: [email protected].

Find out more about E4impact here!