As you all should know by now,
BZSE stands for Business & Social Enterprise.

And you all might ask, what is a Social Enterprise?
Well, according to Social Enterprise Coalition, a Social Enterprise is a corporation which uses its profits to achieve a goal which is a social one. They are businesses that are motivated by social and environmental goo

d.What differentiates a Social Enterprise and a normal business is that its main objective is to generate profits to enhance their social and/or environmental goals.

To give you a deeper understanding on what a social enterprise is, Do watch the 2 videos below!

The first video is about:
57 percent of the population in India has no electric light, and many would be unable to afford regular electricity even if it were available. But Harish Hande is working to improve the situation. He set up a company called Selco in Bangalore, which now supplies some 80 000 people with solar power.He's helped improve life for many in Karnataka and Kerala, making it possible for children to study for school by lamplight and allowing small independent businesses to keep working even after nightfall. His project has been very successful - and it's environmentally-friendly, too. Report by Dagmar Zindel.

The second video is about:
More than 90 percent of Argentinians live in the cities. The non-governmental organization "Responde" is trying to halt the flight from the countryside. Its founder, Marcela Benitez, was voted Argentina's Social Entrepreneur for 2006.She has launched many educational and infrastructure projects in 800 villages. They are financed by donations from companies, charitable organizations, and state institutions. We accompanied Marcela Benitez in a village in the pampas. People in Irazusta see no prospects, now that the railway line is closed. The closest paved road ends 13 kilo

meters away from Irazusta. So many have left to seek their fortunes in the city. The head of "Responde" shows the remaining villagers what they can make out of their village.

These are some examples of social entreprenuers, how they set up businesses that uses its profts to achive social and envoronemental goals. They set up businesses with vision and mission in mind, and work towards these goals. This is what makes a SocialEnterprise so different from a normal organisation.

I would like to share with you my experience during my first semester in Ngee Ann Polytechnic taking this course. My coursemates and I were tasked with a huge project that comprised of several components. It was to work hand in hand with a Social Enterprise in Singapore, and work according to the enterprises's vision and mission.

The project had these components:

The Social Enterprise my group and Iworked with was The New Charis Mission. It is an organisation that is managed by ex-convicts. It functions as a halfway house and a relocation company. We had to arrange for an interview slot with the Executive Director, Pastor Don Wong wo was an ex-convict himself. The interview allowed us to have a deeper understanding on the Social Enterprise as well as what a social enterprise was. This I thought was the most important lesson for me f

or my first semester in Polytechnic.

This project, although tasked with many responsibilities and work, I learnt a lot.
I finally understood what a Social Enterprise was, and that would help me through my journey as a social entrepreneur in future. In my opinion, to be a successful social entrepreneur, the key thing is to know what it is. The New haris Mission has a moving company under its arm, and its workers are all ex-convicts. During my visit, I changed my mindset of an ex-convict. I realised that they are competant and they want to be accepted into the society not just because we are encouraged to, but they want us to accpet them wholeheartedly. I think this concept is still missing in many people in our society.Hence, the first semester has taught me the most important lesson for the rest of my 2 and a half years or even future. What is a Social Enterprise/ Social Entrepreneur.